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have given over a due consideration of Jesus Christ, his person offices and mediation, and so have lost the means of their preservation. They have been weary of him, not seeing a form or loveliness in him for which he should be desired. What a sad instance have we hereof in those poor deluded creatures, who neglecting him, pretend to find all light and life within themselves! this is their Bethel, the beginning of their transgression. For when men have neglected the person of Christ, is it any wonder if they despise his ways and ordinances, as is their manner? Indeed the ordinances of the gospel, its worship and institutions have no excellency, no beauty in them, but what ariseth from their relation to the person and offices of Christ, and if they are neglected, these must needs be burdensome and grievous. And as it is in vain to draw men to the embracement of these ordinances who know him not, who are not acquainted with him, seeing these appear to them the most griev ous and intolerable of all things that can be imposed on them: so they who on any account cease to consider him by faith, as he is proposed to them in the gospel, cannot long abide in the observance of these ordinances. Give such men the advantages of liberty, and keeping up a reputation of profession without them, which they suppose a new and singular opinion will furnish them withal, and they will quickly cast them off as a burden not to be borne. And as it is with gospel worship, so it is with all the articles of faith, or important truths that we are to believe. The centre and knot of them all is in the person of Christ. If they are once loosed from thence, if their union in him be dissolved, if men no more endeavour to learn the truth as it is in Jesus," or to acquaint themselves with the will of God, as he hath gathered all things unto an head in him, they scatter as it were of their own accord from their minds, so that it may be they retain not one of them; or if they do so, yet not in a right manner, so as to have an experience of the power of them in obedience. This is the cause of the apostacies amongst us Christ is neglected, not considered, not improved. A light within, or a formal worship without, are enthroned in his stead, and thence all sorts of errors and evils do of their own accord ensue. Deal with any whom you see to neglect his ways and truths, and you will find this to be the state of things with them; they have left off to value and esteem the person of Christ, or they had never any acquaintance with him. And in vain is it to dispute with men about the streams, whilst they despise the fountain. The apostle gives us a threefold miscarriage in religion, Col. ii. 18. 1. A pretence of a voluntary uncommanded humility; a pretended mortification, indeed a bare covering of base and filthy pride. 2. A worshipping of angels, an instance to express all false self-invented worship. And, 3.

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Curiosity in vain speculations, or men's intruding themselves into the things which they have not seen, setting out things with swelling words of vanity, wherewith in truth they have no acquaintance, whereof they have no experience. And all these, saith he, ver. 19. proceed from hence, that they hold not the Head, they have let go the Lord Christ from whom all truths are to be derived, and consequently all truth itself. Here lies the spring of our frequent apostacies. Again, we may hereby examine and try ourselves. Do we at any time find any of the ways, institutions or ordinances of Christ grievous or burdensome to us? do we find a secret dislike of them, or not that delight in them which we have formerly enjoyed? If we search into the root of our distempers, we shall find that our hearts and spirits have not been exercised with that consideration of the person and office of Christ, which our duty calls for. We have not been kept in a constant adoration of his majesty, admiration of his excellency, delight in his beauty, joy in his undertaking, holy thoughtfulness of his whole mediation. This hath betrayed us into our lukewarmness and indifferency, and make us faint and weary in his ways. Hence also all endeavours for a recovery from such a frame, that regard only the particular instances that we are sensible of, are languid and successless. He that finds himself faint in, or weary of any of the ways of Christ, or any duties of obedience to him, or that discovers an undervaluation of any of the truths of the gospel, as to their use or importance, and thinks to recover himself and retrieve his spirit, only by applying himself to that particular wherein he is sensible of his failure, will labour in the fire and to no purpose. It may be that after some days, or months, or years, he will find himself more at a loss than ever, and that because although he striveth, yet he "striveth not lawfully." If we would recover ourselves, we must go to the source and beginning of our decays.

Thirdly, This tends directly to our instruction in these perilous days, such as the latter days are foretold to be. All means that ever the devil made use of from the foundation of the world, to draw off, or deter men from gospel obedience, are at this day displayed. The world smiles on apostates, and promiseth them a plentiful supply of such things as the corrupt nature of man esteems desirable. Errors and false worship, with temptations from them, spread themselves with wings of glorious pretences over the face of the whole earth. Trials, troubles, storms, persecutions, attend and threaten on every hand, and he only that endureth to the end shall be saved. lie that like Jonah is asleep in this tempest, is at the door of ruin; he that is secure in himself from danger, is in the greatest danger of falling by security. What then shall we do? what means

shall we use for our preservation? Take the counsel of our blessed apostle. "Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession. And again, chap. xii. 3. "Consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be weary and faint in your mind." Be much in the consideration of the person, office and work of Christ. This will conform you to him, derive strength from him, arm you with the same mind that was in him, increase all your graces, keep you from being weary, and give yon assured victory. He deserves it, you need it, let it not be omitted.

Fifthly, This will give direction unto them who are called to the work of teaching others. The person and offices of Christ are the things which principally they are to insist upon. For that which is the chief object of the church's faith, ought to be the chief subject of our preaching. So Paul tells the Galatians, that in his preaching, Christ was evidently crucified before heir eyes, Gal. iii. 1. He proposed Christ crucified unto their consideration, determining, as he speaks in another place, to know nothing amongst them but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. For if the consideration of Christ be such an important duty in believers, certainly the due proposal of him unto their consideration is no less in preachers. Christ alone is to be preached absolutely, and all other truths, as they begin, end and centre in him. To propose the Lord Christ amiable, desirable, useful, and every way worthy of acceptation, is the great duty of the dispensers of the gospel.

I have insisted the longer on this observation, because it compriseth the main design of the apostle's words, and is also of singular use to all that profess the gospel. Those which remain shall be only named.

XII. The union of believers lies in their joint profession of faith in the person and offices of Christ, upon a participation in the same heavenly calling.-So it is described by the apostle, and the addition of other things, as necessary thereunto, are

vain.

XIII. The ordering of all things in the church, depends on the sovereign appointment of the Father.-He appointed the Lord Christ unto his power, and his office in the church.

XIV. The faithfulness of the Lord Christ in the discharge of the trust committed unto him, is the great ground of faith and assurance unto believers in the worship of the gospel.-To that end is it mentioned by the apostle.

XV. All things concerning the worship of God, in the whole church or house now under the gospel, are no less perfectly ind completely ordered and ordained by the Lord Jesus Christ, than they were by Moses under the law. The comparison is to be

taken not only subjectively, but objectively also, or it will not suit the apostle's purpose. As the faithfulness of Moses extended itself unto the whole worship of God, and all things concerning it under the Old Testament, so that of Christ must be extended to the whole worship of God, and all the concernments of it under the New Testament. It is true, the faithfulness of Christ intensively, would be no less than that of Moses, if he revealed all that was committed unto him of his Father to that purpose; for Moses did no more. But herein would Moses be preferred before him: If all things any way needful or useful to, or in the worship of God, in matter and manner, were committed unto him, so that nothing might be added thereunto, and not so unto Jesus Christ; which surely neither the design of the apostle in this place, nor the analogy of faith, will allow.

VER. 3-6.-THE apostle, having made his entrance into the comparison designed by him between Christ and Moses, and shewed in general wherein they were alike, and as to his purpose equal, (which, that those who are compared together should be in some things, is necessary), he proceeds to evince the prelation of Christ, and his exaltation above him, in sundry signal instances, the matter principally aimed at.

VER. 36.—Πλείονος γαρ δόξης έτος παρα Μωσην ηξίωται, καθ' όσον πλείονα τιμην έχει του οίκου ὁ κατασκευασας αυτον. Πας γαρ οίκος και τασκευάζεται ὑπο τινος· ὁ δε τα παντα κατασκευασας, Θεος. Και Μωσης μεν πιστος εν όλω τω οίκω αυτ8, ὡς θεράπων, εις μαρτύριον των λαληθης σομένων· Χριστος δε, ὡς ύιος επι τον οίκον αυτό· ὁ οίκος εσμεν ήμεις, εαν πες την παρρησίαν και το καύχημα της ελπίδες μέχρι τέλους βέβαια, και

τα σχωμεν

s; Vulg. Lat. Amplioris enim gloriæ iste præ Mose dignus est habitus. Retaining the case of the Greek substantive, the Latin is corrupt, as Valla, Erasmus, and Vatablus, observe. But the sense is not obscured. The Syriac renders not "žia at all, but reads the words, for the glory (or honour) of this man is more (or greater) than that of Moses.'

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Erasmus and Beza supply tanto at the beginning of the verse, to answer xa' rov, which they translate quanto, in the next words; or they take that expression to answer tanto, quanto. Ours, in quantum, in as much,' properly.

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'Ouros, iste, this man.' A demonstrative pronoun, used sometimes in a way of contempt, as John ix. 29. Txtov xx cidαfest oder stiv; where we render it, this fellow,' as being spoken with contempt. But more frequently in a way of excellency, as Try Anμordens, this is that Demosthenes.' So Lucian, Auguσs tw duxluxw, utos exsivos, Xywy, he shall point at

thee, saying, this is that excellent person.' Which the poet expresseth,

At pulchrum est digito monstrari et dicier, Hic est.

In most instances it is simply demonstrative and distinctive, as in this place. This man of whom we speak, or person.

The words of comparison are doubled; πλείονος παρά Μωσήν, for η Μωσης, Oι τε Μωσέως, or absolutely, δόξης παρα Μωσήν, but the conjunction of raga with an adjective comparative, as it is not unusual, so it is emphatical, and denotes the greatness of the prelation of Christ above Moses.

παρα

HENTAI. Dignus habitus est, is, or was counted worthy." But the word signifies not only a bare being accounted worthy, but so as also to be possessed of that, whereof one is so esteemed worthy. Ağıwdę dwę, is not only worthy of gifts,' or a reward, but he that is muneribus donatus quibus dignus censetur, So that is, possessed of the rewards whereof he is worthy.' that αξιωθεις τιμης and δόξης, is he that hath that honour and glory whereof he is esteemed worthy.' And therefore the Syaccounting,' and exriac leaves this out, namely, esteem' or presseth that which is principally intended. His glory was greater than that of Moses.'

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ПXOVX TIμNY EXE T x*, Vulg. Lat. Quanto ampliorem honorem habet domus, qui fabricavit illam: rendering the Greek construction by the same case, oxs by domus, not only is the speech barbarous, but the sense is also perverted; yet the Rhemists retain this ambiguity. By By so much as more ample glory than the house, hath he that framed it; but λova Tiny Exel TY DIXov, is Majorem or ampliorem habet honorem quam ipsa domus, hath more honour than the house, or the house itself."

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Aon and Tun, glory' and honour,' are used by the apostle as oduvaμsta, words of the same importance and signification. And so are they frequently used elsewhere in the Scripture. 'the house. Many of the old translators render it the temple, because the temple of old was frequently called the house.' But the allusion of the apostle is general unto any house, and the building of it. And Moses was faithful, as digaπny, tanquam famulus; Syr. servant." Organay is properly and most usually one that doth inservire sacris, that attends upon, and ministers about holy things, Aurveyes. So amongst the heathen, Degatively tus Deus, and wig. 785 98 Dege, the sacred service of the gods.' So Pollux, Onomast. lib. i. eroava TNG DINS Degativόπλων ή των θεων θεραπευται, ἱέρεις, νεωκόροι ; the same with priests, sa cred officers. The word is used in the New Testament only in this place; gewu and Sizewo often, but always for healing or curing the sick and infirm, which is another sense of the

servus, a עבדא

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