Spirit," with which beHevers in Christ are sealed; whicli assvires them of their adoption into God's family, and their everlasting fruition of his glory : it seals them, not for a time only, but unto the day of redemption ; and is to them, not a seal only, but a pledge and earnest and foretaste of heaven itself*. The very same eternal love which " elects them to obedience," elects them also to this " sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ »^."]
The Apostle, however, not content with exhibiting thus the transcendent excellence of Christianity, proceeds to point out,
II. The indispensable necessity of paying to it the attention it requires — The warning which he gives to the Hebrews is most solemn ; " See that ye refuse not him that speaketh :" and the argument with which he en- forces it is most awful; "for, if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." Hear then the warning — [Look into the history of the Hebrews : see what became of those who refused obedience to the Sinai covenant : they perished ; even that whole nation perished, (of those at least who had attained the age of full maturity,) with the exception of two. For one single transgression of it was Moses himself excluded from the earthly Canaan'. The extreme severity of the law against any wilful and presumptuous violation of its commands, is again and again held forth as a warning to us under the Gospel dispensation, and particularly in the epistle before us : " If the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recom- pence of reward ; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ">?" So again; " He that despised Moses' law died without mercy, under two or three witnesses : of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of grace"?" Well may such waniings as these sink down into our ears, and make us tremble at the thought of disobedience to the Gospel covenant !]
i Eph. i. 13, 14. ^ 1 Pet. i. 2. » Deut. xxxii. 50, 51.
^ Heb. ii. 2, 3. " Heb. x. 28, 29.