The Preface. ei occafon did require, A&s 16.3. Chap. sr. 23, 24, 26. Chap. 17.9^ I Cor. 9. 2o.whence for a long feafon, inmany places, the Wor(hip ofthe Gofpel, and Synagogue Wor(hip of the Lawwere obferved together, James ... 2. 2. though in procefs'of time, manydifputes and differences were occa Toned thereby, between the Gentile andJewish Worfhippers, Rom.14. The other fort they oppofed, as perverters of the Gofpel which they pretended to profefs', A&s 15. 5. Gal. 2. 13,14, 15, i6. Chap. 4.9,10, I I. Chap. 5.2. And of there force afterwards apoflatized to Judaifm ; others abiding in a cor- rupt mixture of bothprefeons feparated themfelves from the Church , and were calledNazarenes and Ebionites. 3. Others, far the greatefl number of the whole people, perfsfed in their Old Church State, not receiving the falvationthat was tendered unto them in the preachingof the Gofpel and thief alfa wereof two forts : (r.) Such as who although theyhad not embraced the faith, yet were free and willing to attend untothe Dolrineof it, fearching the Scripturesfor a difcovery of' its Truth, and in the mean time in(lantly ferving God, according to the Light of the OldTeflament, which theyhad received : and in thefe was the effence of theJudaical Church preferved to itsfinal deletion, A&s 17. t 1. Chap: x8.22, 23,24.. (2.) such as being hardned in their Infidelity, blafphemed, fco ed at, andperfecuted the Gofpel, with allthat proféfied it, A&s 13: 45, 50. Chtip. is. a9. Chap. 17.5. I Theft: 2. 15, 16. Rom.'t. 7, 8, g, 1 o. whom not long after the vengeance of God overtook in their total defiruílion. Now our Apo file vehemently thirfling after thefalvationof the Hebrews in general, Rem. 9. t. Chap. to. i having all thefe feveral forts, or parties to deal withal, he foframes his Epiftle unto them, that it might befined to all their Good, in their Converfion, Inftruïlion, Edification, and Efla- blisment, as their feveral conditions did require: the latter fart.only ex- cepted; who being under judicial blindnefs were call out ofthe care ofGod, and his,A&s 13.46, 51. Hence in part is that admirablecontexture ofthis Epifile, whichPeter afcribes unto his eminent wifdom, a Pet. 3.18. As it is indeedevident from the flory, that he did excel!, in applying himfèlf to the various Principles, Capacities andprejudices of themwith whomhe had to do. The Lord Chrf having fit himforth as a gredt example of that dili- gence, zeal and prudence, which he requires in the difpenfers oftheGofpel. Divine reafonings, inftruElions, exhortations, prom f s, threats, arguments arefo interwoven in this Ep f lefrom the beginning to the end, that all to whofe hands or hearing it fhould come, might every where meet with that which was of efpecial and immediate concernment to themfelves, untowhich of the forts beforementioned foever they did belong. And this Principle we muff have refpeal unto, in that intermixture of Arguments toprove the Truth of the Gofpel; with Exhortations to conflancy in the prole/idol; of it, which we(hall meet withall. The feveral conditions of thofe to whom theApo- filewrote, required that way ofproceedure 5 Hence noone Chapter in theEpifile ispurely dogmatical, the fi'rft only excepted, nor purely Parnnetical. For though the dèfgn that lye( in view, and is never out offight, be Exhortati- on, yet far thegreat f part of the Epfle is taken up in thofe do&rinalls, whereinthe foundations of theexhortations do lye, both interwoven toge- ther, fomewhat variouflyfrom the method of thefameApoflle'in all his other Epfiles, asbath been obferved, that to the Galatians, which is of the like nature withthis, only excepted. II. Afecond thing to beprevionffly obferved is, that although thofe to whom the Ap ff le wrote, were ofthe feveralforts before mentioned,yet they centexed in this, that they wereHebrews by Birth and Religion, who all agreed in force
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