V E R. 1. E1Jl ftle to the HEBREWS. 15; CHAP. II. a_ N this Second Chapter the Apatite declares his Defign, and what his eJ7eeial Aim was, with reCpeét unto.them to whom he wrote. It was notmeerly their Inftruíiion, or the Infor- mation of their Minds and Judgements that he intended ; though that alfowas in his eye, and neceffary untohis prin- cipal Purpofe. Theyhad by their lnftability and fainting r ,,,. in Trialsadminifired Occafion untohim of otherDifcourfe. %°`so 4t' Betides, he forefaw that they culties and Tern- i Y had g reat Dr ff ptations tocontendwìthal; and was jealous left they fhould -- mifcarry under them ; as he alfo was over other Profefrs, t Cor.a t. 34. His princ'pal Eire/therefore in this wholeEpiffle ( as hathbeen declared) Was toprevail with the Hebrewsunto Stedfaffneff in the faith of the Gofpel, and Di- ligence in attendance unto all thofe Wayes and Meanswhereby theymight beellablith- ed. TheFoundation of his Exhortations unto this Purpofe, he layes in the incom- parable Excellency of the Author of theGofpel. Hence ¡Mt and cogent Inferences unto conffancy in the Profeflion of his Dodtrine, and Obedience unto him, both abfolutely and in refpe6tof the Competition fet up againft it by Mofaical Inftitutions, do natu- rally flow. And there Contiderations doth theApoftle divide into feveral parts, in- terpofing ingreat Wifdom between the handling of them, thofe Exhortations which prefled towards his efpecial Endbefore mentioned. And this courfe he proceeds in for feveral Reafons. for, FirJf, He minds them and us in generlal, that in handling of the Dodtrines of the Gofpel concerning the Perfon and Offices ofjefus Chrift, we (herald not fatisile our felves in a bareNotional Speculation of them', butendeavour to get our Hearts ex- cited by them unto Faith, Love, Obedience and Sredfajfnejl ici our Profeffion. This doth he immediately apply them uitro. Iatlances unto this purpofe doth he give us in this Chapter upon his foregoing Declaration of the Excellenciesof Chrift, and the Gloryof his Kingdom ; that fo hisHearers might not be barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of him. Secondly, As to the Hebrews in particular, he had as it were fo overwhelmed them with that floodof Divine Tcftimonies which he had powred out in the Beginning of his Epilile, and that heavenly glorious Declaration which he had made of the Perfes Of the Mefah, that he thought it needful to give them time to .confider what was the Tendency of that fublime Difcour[e, and what was their efpecial concernment therein. Thirdly,TheApoftle interpofeth his Exhortation in this place, as to be an Applica- tion of what was before delivered, fo to lead them on thereby unto the Confederation Of Arguments of anothernature, ( though of the fame ufe and tendency) taken from the Sacerdotal or Prieffly Office ofChriif, and the Works or effects thereof. And herein loth a great part of the ApoftelieatWifdom, in the variousInrertexture of'Dothines. and Exhortations in this Epiftleconfit ; thatas every Exhortationflows naturally from the
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