Chap. x.
becauſe no Sacrifice can atone God for them ; without which they !' the Lord /;
excn9t be pardoned, and the Sacrifice of Chriſt, which could only do | if, t2cy renounce and defert; and fo this, nor any other they can hrinz, can procure pardon for them, ſo that their Sins remain in Guilt and Power on them, and between them and God's Wrath are they Ike irrecoverabiy to be ground to Perdition.
27 Bur a certain feartul wlooking for of judgment and ery x indignation, which y ſhall devour the ad- \ CLILaTICES.
w Bt. 1s introducing the terrible Evil aflerted: to be expeRed when Sacritice cannct help tuch Sinners, eſpecial and certain terrible and dreadfil ( ſuch as fills the Soul with Fears and Horrors ) Expectat7on of Fud.ment by their awakened Conſciences, not knowing how ſoon 1t may come ; as a Malefattor under Sentence, in daily expeRation of Exccuticn, how doth he ſuffer it over and over ? So wil] this Worm gnav: them : to which is ſynonymous, Mark 9. 44. How muſt the exe- cution of the ſentence of the juſt Judge terriftie them? x When 1t muſt te by burning, or heat of fire, wrath of Fire proceeding trom an injured and wronged God, Ezeh, 36. s.and 38. 19. Zeph. 1.18. and 3.8. As in exccution of juſt Vengeance, which like Fire devours and eateth them up, not putting an end to their being by Conſumption, but perpetual, piercing, ſearching, torturing , and this for Eternity. y Theſis underhand Adverſaries, vmrerzzc, who are the moſt bitter Encmics of Chrift and his Church, becauſe ſecret ones, and ſeem to be by Profctiion otherwiſe, Mat. 25. 41. Mark 9,43, 44. 2 Thefſ. 1.8, 0. | ;
2S He = that * deſpiſed Moſes law, died a without mercy, under two or three witneſſes. _ |
7 The Puniſhment threatned on ſuch Sinners, is illuſtrated by an Inſtance proper to the Hebrews ; for if the lefler fin againſt Moſes's Law was puniſhed by Death, the greater fin againſt the Goſpel of Chriſt ſhall be more puniſhed. Any Perfon whoever he were, none excepted, contemning, rejeting, nullifying, or making to have no place or force ( ſuitable to forſaking before prohibited ) the Law of God, given by the Mediation of Moſes, ſo as to have no power on the Conſcience by Apoſtacy from it, and to do 1t openly, proudly, and preſumptuoully in the {face of the Church, Numb. 1 5. 3o, 31. a Was to be ſentenced to death without any Compaſſion or Mercy, and indiſpentibly executed without any; Pity, by ſtoning of the Of- fender by two or three Witnefſes, which did evidence the Fatt, and convitt him of it, according to the Law, as Deut. 13.6, to 22. and 17-2, 0 8. |
29 Of how much þ ſorer puniſhment, ſuppoſe ye c, ſhall he be thought 4 worthy, who hath e trodden under foot the Son of God, and * hath counted f the blood of the covenant wherewith he was ſanctified g, an unholy thing, and hath þ done deſpite unto the {ipirit ot grace * 2 | "© b The Expoſtulation aggravates both the Sin and the Puniſhment in the Conſequent on the former Afertion ; a Puniſhment heavier, bitterer , ſforer, more grievous, and unexprefſibly greater than
eath, c You your ſelves being Judges, to whom I appeal about it ; what can you ſuppoſe, think, or determine of it ? d Doth he fully deſerve, and is liable to, by the Judgment of Man, but much m2re by the righteous and inexorable Judgment of God. e Who fianeth at an higher rate than a Few againſt Moſes Law, being an Apoſtate from the Goſpel, a Revolter from, and a Rebel againſt it, diſcovering it by as much as in him lieth, tearing from his Throne God the Son incarnate, and treading Him under his Feet, - wickedly undervaluing, and horribly villifying Him, treating Him with the greateſt Contempt that can be expreſſed by ſuch an AQtion, as if He were the vileſt Malefactor. A Perſon ſo much greater and excel- lenter than Moſes, to be ſo uſed; fo as 1t He were here on Earth, he would tread Him (who 1s higher than the Heavens, and had done and ſuffered ſo much for him) as the Duſt and Dirt under his Feet ; and this by a contemptuous forſaking his Church-Afſemblies, wherein He was ſet out in all his Excellencies. f Accounting and ſo dgſerting the Blood of Chriſt (which ratified the everlaſting Covenant of Grace, by whoſe Virtue it was made unalterable, firm, and effecual in all the Promiſes of it, of Pardon, Righteouſneſs, Holineſs, Grace and G!ory, unto penitent believing Sinners) as either the common Blood of Men, or the Blood of a MalefaQor, to have not ſo much Excel- lency in it as in the Blood of Bulls or Goats, or Rams, or Birds under the Law, as not tanQifying Souls, but polluted. g 'E» & 1444Sn, in, or by which he was ſan@ified, is by moſt Interpreters referred to the Apoſtate, as aggravating his Sin, to deſpiſe that Blood by which he thought he was ſo, and boaſted of 1t, and was ſo reputed by the Church upon his Baptiſm and Profeſſion of his Faith, and as a Mem- ber of the Church, had a viſible Relation to it, partaking of thoſe Ordinances wherein its Fruits were conveyed, and enjoying the ex- ternal Privileges purchaſed by it. Others refer 1t unto Chriſt Him- cif, the Blood whereby he was conſecrated to God as a Holy Sacrifice, 7:6n 17. 19. All this was diſcovered by his: forſaking the Church- Afiembly, wherein this was declared to be the only way and means to Tuſtification of Life and Salvation. h Injuring, wronging, defpifing, zreatly grieving, not a Creature, but God the Sprrit, the quickning Spi- rit of dead Sinners, who fits them for Union to God, and in order to it, uniteth him to Chriſt and his Body, and animaterh it; who gra- ciovily communicated to theſe Apoſtates the Knowledge natural and ſupernatural, which they had and abuſed, Chap. 6. 5. by the defertion of the Affemblies, where he manifeſted his Gifts and Graces. They reje&t Him with them, and treat his Gifts and Motions, as1f they were the Dclufions and Impoſtures ofan Evil Spirit; and this wilfully done out cf Malice to Chriſt, and abhorrence of his Church and Religion, A Sin hike the Devils, for them to forſake God loving, Chriſt re- deeming, his Blood juſtifying, his Spirit renewing, and ſo wilfully refulcd to be ſaved, and expoſe themſelves to the ſevereſt Puniſh- ment God can inflit on ſuch Sinners, and they do deſerve.
20 For 7 we know him that hath aid, 4 Ven- geance belongetÞ unto me, TI will recompence, ſaith
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HEBREWVSYS.
'So 1s he deſcribed, Ja. 33. 14. Matth. 1o. 28,
Cha