PREFACE.

CHRISTIAN READER,

IF thou intendest to employ any part of thy time in the per

usal of the ensuing Discourses and Exposition, it may not be amiss to take along with thee the consideration of some things concerning the design and aim of their author, in the writing and publishing of them. It is now sundry years since I purposed, if God gave life and opportunity, to endeavour, according to the measure of the gift received, an Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews. A subject this was, I then knew, and now acknowledge, in which many eminent and learned men, both of old and of late, had laboured much. In particular, some entire Commentaries, composed with good judgment, and to very good purpose, have been published in our own language. Yea, from him who first began a serious Exposition of this Epistle, and whom none in all things have to this day exceeded, there have passed few ages wherein some or other have not endeavoured the explication of it. And this also hath been done by men of all sorts and parties, of all persuasions and opinions in Christian religion; an account of whose several endeavours shall elsewhere be given. Somewhat there was of encouragement unto me in my designed undertaking, and somewhat of quite another tendency, in this consideration.

The help which I might receive from the sedulous labours of so many learned men, and those in times, places, principles, distant and distinguished from each other; as also managing their common design with great variety as to particular intentions; I looked on as a matter of no small advantage unto me. Some I found had critically examined many of the words, phrases and expressions of the writer; some compared his quotations with the places in the Old Testament from whence they are taken. Some had endeavoured an analysis of the several discourses of the author, with the nature and force of the arguments insisted on by him. The labours of some were to apply the truths contained in the Epistle unto practice; others have collected the difficulties which they observed therein, and scanned them in a scholastical way, with objections and solutions after their manner. Others had an especial regard unto the places, whose sense is controverted amongst the several parties at variance in Christian religion; all in their way and manner endeavouring to give light to the intentions of the

Holy Ghost, either in particular passages, or in the whole Epistle. The helps and advantages in the investigation of the mind of God, which by their labours might be obtained; I looked on as a great encouragement to undertake the same work with them, and to promote the light of truth thereby.

But on the other side, no small objection unto the whole work and design did hence also arise. For it might seem to some altogether needless to engage in that, in which so many had already been employed, to the great profit and edification of the church. And nothing can or ought more justly to weaken and take off the resolution of any man in this kind of undertaking than that it is needless. For whatever is so, will also thereby be useless, and because useless, burdensome. This consideration, I confess, did for a long time deter me from executing my purpose, of casting my mite into this sanctuary. But yet after I had made a thorough perusal of all the Comments, Expositions, Annotations, or Observations on the Epistle, which by any means I could obtain; sundry considerations led me to return again to my former thoughts and resolutions. For, first, I found the excellency of the writing to be such; the depth of the mysteries contained in it to be so great; the compass of the truth asserted, unfolded and explained so extensive and so diffused through the whole body of Christian religion; the usefulness of the things delivered in it so important, and indispensably necessary; as that I was quickly satisfied that the wisdom, grace and truth treasured in this sacred store-house, are far from being exhausted and fully drawn forth by the endeavours of all that are gone before us. So far did these truths then seem from being all perfectly brought forth to light by them; that I was assured that there was left a sufficient ground, not only for renewed investigation after rich ore in this mine for the present generation, but for all them that shall succeed till the consummation of all things. For we find in human sciences, that no ability, no industry, no combination of the most happy wits for their improvement in former ages, hath hindered persons of ingenuity and learning in the present day from adding considerably in several kinds unto their respective advancement. Nor shall the sedulity of this age in the furtherance of these sciences, be ever able to bring them to any such perfection, as to condemn succeeding generations to the slothful and servile drudgery of the mere perusal of their dictates and prescriptions, and so by their inventions leave to others only the use of their memories. If new discoveries are thus constantly making in human science, how much more may we expect, that renewed researches will advance the spiritual knowledge of the things of God, whose stores are absolute

ly inexhaustible in this life, and whose depths can never be fully fathomed.

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Again, it is evident that the principal things asserted and taught in this Epistle, such as is the doctrine of the Person and the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, have received a more eager and subtile opposition, since the labours and endeavours of the greater part of Expositors, than they had done before. And as this renders the vindication of the places wherein they are taught and asserted necessary, so it is not unknown unto those who are conversant in these kind of studies, what advantage may be obtained in the investigation of truth by the opposition that is made unto it; especially when that opposition is managed with a curious search into every word and syllable which may seem to give it countenance, as also in the sifting of every tittle and particle that stands in its way; in which course of procedure, the enemies of the truths mentioned, have with much art and industry engaged.

But that which most of all took off the weight of the discouragement that arose from the multiplied endeavours of learned men in this kind, was an observation, that all of them being intent on the sense of the words, as absolutely considered, and the use of them to the present church, had much overlooked the direct regard that the author had in the writing of this Epistle to the then past, and to the present and future condition of the Hebrews, or church of the Jews. Looking at these things as dead and buried, and of no use in the present state of the church, they did either wholly neglect them, or pass them over in a light and perfunctory manner. Nor indeed had many of them, though otherwise excellently qualified, a competency of skill for the due consideration of things of that nature. But yet those that shall seriously and with judgment consider the design of the writer of this epistle, the time wherein he wrote it, the proper end for which it was composed, the subject matter treated of in it, the principles he proceeds upon, and his manner of arguing, will easily perceive, that without a serious consideration of these, it is not possible in many things to come to a right understanding of the mind of the Holy Ghost. Many principles of truth he takes for granted, as acknowledged amongst the Hebrews during their former church state, and makes them a foundation for his own superstructure; many customs, usages, ordinances, institutions, and received sense of places of Scripture amongst the Jews, he either produceth or reflects upon, and one way or other makes use of the whole Mosaical economy, or system of divine worship under the law, unto his own purpose. The common neglect of these things, or slight attention to them by most Expositors, was that which

principally relieved me from the fore-mentioned discourage

ment.

And this also at length gave rise unto those Exercitations, which I have prefixed to the ensuing Exposition. Some of them are indeed indispensably due to the work itself. Such are those which concern the canonical authority of the Epistle; the writer of it; the time of its being written; the phraseology of the author; with the way in which he proceeds in quoting testimonies out of the Old Testament; and some others of the same tendency. The residue of them were occasioned merely by the consideration before insisted on. I observed, that the apostle supposed some great principles on which he built all his arguings and exhortations, not directly proving or confirming the principles themselves, but as taking them for granted; partly from the faith of the Judaical church, and partly from the new revelation of the gospel, which those to whom he wrote did as yet admit of and avow. Such were these, That there was a Messiah promised from the foundation of the world, to be a spiritual Redeemer of mankind. That this Messiah was come, and had performed and accomplished the work assigned unto him for the end of their redemption. That Jesus of Nazareth was this Messiah. There is not one line in the whole Epistle, but is in an especial manner resolved into these principles, and deduced from them. These therefore I found it necessary to examine and confirm, to unfold, vindicate and declare, that their influence upon the apostle's discourse might be manifest, and his arguing from them be understood.

It is true I have so handled them, as all along to represent the opinions of the incredulous apostate Jews about them, and to vindicate them from the exceptions of their greatest masters, of old and of late. But he that shall look on these considerations and discourses as a matter only of controversy with the Jews, will but evidence his own weakness and ignorance in things of this nature. Who knows not that they are the very fundamental principles of our Christian profession, which, because of that opposition that is made unto them, ought to be frequently inculcated and strongly confirmed. Learned men find it in this day necessary for them to dispute in support of the very principles of natural theology; to prove and to vindicate the being and attributes of God; though these truths have left indelible characters of themselves upon the minds of all the children of men. How much more necessary then must it needs be, to endeavour to confirm and establish these grand principles of supernatural revelation, which have no contri bution of evidence from the inbred inextinguishable light of nature, and yet are no less indispensably necessary unto the future welfare of the souls of men, than those others are. I am not

therefore without hope, that the handling of them, as it was necessary unto my design, so it will not be unacceptable to the candid reader. I also hope that what is mixed in our discourses concerning Judaical customs, opinions, practices, expositions, interpretations of promises, traditions, and the like, "will not give distaste unto any, unless it be to such as being unacquainted with them, will choose to continue ignorant, rather than to be instructed by them, whom they would by no means have supposed to be in any thing more knowing than themselves. I doubt not therefore, but our endeavours on that subject, will be able to secure their own station, as to their usefulness, both by the importance of the matter treated of in them, as also from the necessity of laying them as a sure foundation unto the ensuing exposition of the Epistle itself.

Besides these general principles, there are also sundry other things belonging to the Mosaical order and frame of divine worship, which the apostle either directly treateth of, or one way or other uses, to serve his own peculiar design. This also he doth sometimes directly and intentionally, and sometimes in transitu he reflects on them, and as it were only calls them to mind; leaving the Hebrews to the consideration of what they had been formerly instructed in concerning them. Such is the whole matter of the priesthood and sacrifices of the law, of the tabernacle, and utensils of it, of the old covenant, of the giving of the law, and of the commands, precepts, and sanctions of it in its promises and threatenings, rewards and punishments. He also brings to their remembrance the call of Abraham, with the state and condition of the people from that time unto the giving of the law, with sundry things of the like nature. Without a competent comprehension of, and acquaintance with these things, and their relation to the will and worship of God; it is altogether in vain for any one to imagine, that he may arrive at any clear understanding of the mind of the Holy Ghost in this portion of Scripture.

Now as I had observed, that the consideration and explanation of these things had been too much neglected by the generality of expositors, so I quickly found that to insist at large upon them, and according as their weight doth deserve, in the particular places, wherein the mention of them doth occur, would too of ten, and too much divert me from the pursuit of the especial design of the apostle in those places, and would hinder the reader from carrying on the tendency of the whole in the perusal of it. To prevent both which inconveniences, I resolved to handle them all severally and apart, in previous Exercitations.

In these Exercitations I must acknowledge that I have not been