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arising from experience, as the word is often used. They knew they had it in themselves, from the powerful experience which faith gave them of it. So the whole of it is intended, and at large explained by the apostle, Rom. v. 1-5. Faith gives us justification before God, access unto him, and acceptance with him, and therewithal gives joy and rejoicing unto the soul; and this it doth in an especial manner under tribulations and sufferings, enabling men to take joyfully the spoiling of their goods, for it stirreth up all graces in such a condition unto their due exercise, issuing in a blessed experience of the excellency of the love of God, and of his glory in Christ, with a firm and stable hope of future glory. Yea, and by these things doth the Holy Ghost shed abroad the love of God in our hearts, which will give joy in any condition. And this substance hath both the qualifications here assigned unto it. 1. It is gulay, · better, more excellent,' incomparably more so than the outward goods that are subject to rapine and spoil. And it is, 2. Mivera, abiding,' that which will not leave them in whom it is, can never be taken from them. My joy shall no man take from you.'

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Obs. X. Faith giving an experience of the excellency of the love of God in Christ, and of the grace received thereby, with its incomparable preference above all outward perishing things, will give joy and satisfaction in the loss of them all, upon the account of an interest in these better things.

Secondly, If we follow the ordinary reading, and retain those words, in heaven,' the whole must be somewhat otherwise expounded. For it is not the grace of faith, but hope, that is expressed. And,

1. That expression of knowing in yourselves,' declares the evidence they had of the grounds whereon they rejoiced in the spoiling of their goods. It was manifest and evident to themselves. The world looked on them under another notion: they took them, and declared them to be persons who deserved all manner of evil in this world, and such as would perish for ever in that which is to come. So they did to Christ himself, when they reproached him with his trust in God when he was on the cross. In this case, the apostle doth not direct them unto any outward defence of themselves, but only unto the uncontrollable evidence, which they had in themselves, of future glory. And this they had, 1. From the promises of Christ. 2. From the testimony and witness of the Holy Ghost. 3. From the experience which they had of the beginnings and first fruits of this glory in themselves. Faith in, and by these means, will give an infallible evidence of heavenly things, secure against all opposition; and in all these things it works by hope, because it respects things that are future.

2. This substance is said to be,

gavors, in heaven' it is

there prepared, there laid up, there to be enjoyed. Wherefore it compriseth the whole of the future state of blessedness; and it is well called 'substance,' as it is also riches,' and an inheritance,' or a weight of glory;' for in comparison of it, all temporary things have no substance in them.

3. They are said, x, to have this substance, not in present possession, but in right, title and evidence. They know ia themselves that they had an undeniable title unto it, which none could deprive them of, but that they should certainly enjoy it in the appointed season. Wherefore they are said to have it, 1. Because it is prepared for them in the will, pleasure and grace of God. It is your Father's pleasure to give you the kingdom.' 2. Because it is purchased for them by the blood of Christ he hath purchased (or, obtained) eternal redemption.' 3. It is promised unto them in the gospel. 4. It is secured for them in the intercession of Christ. 5. Granted unto them in the first fruits. 6. All this is confirmed unto them by the oath of God. The first fruits they had in possession and use, the whole in right and title; and continual application of it was made unto their souls by the hope which will not make ashamed.

4. How this substance is better than outward enjoyments, and abiding, needs not to be explained, they are things in themselves so plain and evident.

This two-fold interpretation of the words, is so far coincident, and agreeing in the same sense in general, that we may draw our observations from both, or either of them. As,

Obs. XI. It is the glory of the gospel, that it will on a just account, from a sense of and interest in it, give satisfaction and joy unto the souls of men in the worst of sufferings for it.

Obs. XII. It is our duty to take care that we be not surprised with outward sufferings, when we are in the dark as unto our interest in these things.-This may often fall out through our carelessness, negligence, and want of keeping our garments about us in our walk before God: They rejoiced, as knowing they had in themselves,' which otherwise they could not have done.

Obs. XIII. Internal evidences of the beginnings of glory in grace, a sense of God's love, and assured pledges of our adoption, will give insuperable joy unto the minds of men under the greatest outward sufferings.

Obs. XIV. It is our interest in this world, as well as with respect unto eternity, to preserve our evidences for heaven clear and unstained, so that we may know in ourselves; which is the ground of this great duty.

Obs. XV. There is a substance in spiritual and eternal things, whereunto faith gives a subsistence in the souls of believers. See ch. xi. 1.

Obs. XVI. There is no rule of proportion between eternal

and temporal things.-Hence the enjoyment of the one will give joy in the loss of the other.

VER. 35, 36.-Μη αποβάλητε εν την παῤῥησιαν ύμων, ήτις έχει μισθα ποδοσίαν μεγάλην. Υπομονης γαρ εχετε χρειαν· ένα το θέλημα το Θεο ποιησαντες, κομίσησθε την επαγγελίαν.

VER. 35, 36.-Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

In these two verses, there is an inference from his former argument, and a confirmation of it from the necessity of what is required thereunto. The first in ver. 35. wherein the apostle gives us the peculiar design, use, and force of the preceding exhortation unto the consideration of what they had suffered in and for the profession of the gospel. And there is in the words, 1. A note of inference from the foregoing discourse, vv, 'wherefore. 2. A grace and duty which in this inference he exhorts them to retain, and that is appoa. 3. The manner of their retaining it Cast not away.' 4. The reason of the exhortation not to cast it away, because it hath great reeompence of reward.'

1. Ovy, therefore.' The inference is plain: seeing you have suffered so many things in your persons and goods, seeing God by the power of his grace hath carried you through with satisfaction and joy, do not now despond and faint upon the ap proach of the same difficulties, or those of a like nature. The especial force of the inference, the words themselves do declare. 2. That which he exhorts them thus unto by this argument, is the preservation and continuance of their app, confidence. This appnoia, whatever it be, was that which engaged them in, and carried them through, their sufferings, which alone was praise-worthy in them. For merely to suffer is ex Toy μe, and may be good or evil, as its causes and occasions and circamstances are. Now this was absolutely neither their faith nor profession. But as we have had occasion to mention several times, it is a fruit and effect of faith, whereby the minds of believers are made prompt, ready, free, unto all duties of profession, against all difficulties and discouragements. It is a boldness of mind, with freedom from bondage and fear, in the duties of religion towards God and man, from a prevailing persuasion of our acceptance with God therein. In this frame of spirit, by this fruit and effect of faith, these Hebrews were carried cheerfully through all their sufferings for the gospel. And indeed, without it, it is impossible that we should undergo any great sufferings unto the glory of God, or our own advantage. For if we

are made diffident of our cause by unbelief; if the helps and succours tendered in the gospel and promises thereof be betrayed by fear; if the shame of outward sufferings and scorns do enfeeble the mind; if we have not an evidence of better things to lay in the balance against present evils, it is impossible to endure any great fight of afflictions in a due manner. Unto all these evil habits of the mind, is this confidence opposed. This was that grace, that exercise of faith, which was once admired in Peter and John, Acts iv. 13. And there can be no better account given of it, than what is evident in the behaviour of those two apostles in that season. Being in bonds under the power of their enraged enemies, for preaching the gospel, yet without fear, tergiversation, or hesitation, without all questioning what will be the issue, and how they would deal with them whom they charged to have murdered the Lord Jesus; with all boldness and plainness of speech, they gave an account of their faith, and testified unto the truth. Wherefore these things that I have mentioned, are plainly included in this confidence, as to invincible constancy of mind, and boldness in the profession of the gospel, in the face of all difficulties, through a trust in God, and a valuation of the eternal reward, which are the foundation of it. This frame of spirit they ought to labour to confirm in themselves, who are, or may be called unto sufferings for the gospel. If they are unprepared, they will be shaken and cast down from their stability.

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3. This confidence which hath been of such use unto them, the apostle exhorts them now not to cast it away, un añobxλnte. He doth not say, 'Leave it not, forego it not;' but cast it not away.' For where any graces have been stirred up unto their due exercise, and have had success, they will not fail, nor be lost, without some positive act of the mind in rejecting of them, and the refusal of the succours which they tender unto us. And this rejection may be only as unto its actual exercise, not as unto its radical in-being in the soul. For as I look on this confidence as a grace, so it is not the root, but a branch of it: faith is the root, and confidence is a branch springing out of it. Wherefore it may, at least for a season, be cast away, while faith abides firm. Sometimes failing in faith makes this confidence to fail, and sometimes failing in this confidence weakens and impairs faith. When faith on any occasion is impaired and insnared, this confidence will not abide. And so soon as we begin to fail in our confidence, it will reflect weakness on faith itself. Now, unto the casting away of this confidence, these things do concur. 1. That it do as it were offer itself unto us for our assistance, as in former times. This it doth in the reasonings and arguings of faith for boldness and constancy in profession, which are great and many, and will arise in the minds of them that are spiritually enlightened. 2. Arguments against

the use of it, especially at the present season when it is called forth, are required in this case; and they are of two sorts. 1st, Such as are suggested by carnal wisdom, urging men unto this or that course whereby they may spare themselves, save their lives, and keep their goods, by rejecting this confidence, although they continued firm in the faith. 2dly, From carnal fears, representing the greatness, difficulties and dangers, that lie in the way of an open profession with boldness and confidence. 3dly, A resolution to forego this confidence upon the urgency of these arguings. 4thly, An application unto other ways and means, inconsistent with the exercise of this grace, in the discharge of this duty.

And hence it appears how great is the evil here dehorted from, and what a certain entrance it will prove into the apostasy itself, so judged as before, if not timely prevented. And it is that which we ought continually to watch against; for he that was constant in this grace, yet did once make a forfeiture of it unto his unutterable sorrow, namely, the apostle Peter. And it is not lost, but upon the corrupt reasonings which we have now mentioned that aggravate its guilt. He that casts away his confidence as unto his present profession, and the duties thereof, doth what lies in him cast away his interest in future salvation. Men, in such cases, have a thousand pretences to relieve themselves; but the present duty is as indispensably required, as future happiness is faithfully promised. Wherefore the apostle adds the reason why they should be careful in the preservation of this confidence, which is, that it hath a great recompence of reward.

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4. That which the apostle, as unto the matter of it, calls here a dar μsyany, recompence of reward,' in the end of the next verse, from the formal cause of it, he calls the promise; and that promise which we receive, after we have done the will of God.' Wherefore, the reward of recompence' here intended, is the glory of heaven, proposed as a crown, a reward in way of recompence unto them that overcome in their sufferings for the gospel. And the future glory, which, as unto its original cause, is the fruit of the good pleasure and sovereign grace of God, whose pleasure it is to give us the kingdom; and as unto its procuring cause is the sole purchase of the blood of Christ, who obtained for us eternal redemption; and which is, on both accounts, a free gift of God, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God through Christ is life eternal,' (so as it can be no way merited nor procured by ourselves, by virtue of any proportion by the rules of justice between what we do or suffer, and what is promised), is yet constantly promised to suffering believers, under the name of a recompence and reward. For it doth not become the greatness and goodness of God to call his own people unto sufferings for his name, and unto his

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