V~ti R y,d,t8,9: Ppiltle i}6 tké s. $g i God in fending him. So the Lord Chrilt tells them that preach the Gofpel, he that defhifetbyou, defifeth me, and he thoe, defßifetb hie, defßifèth him that lint me. Neg- IeCt of the Gofpel refieEts immediately upon the Lord Chrilt and the Father ; and thereforeour Apofile bids us take heed that we defire not hit Who ffiake from Heaven, which can be nootherwife done, but by negleft of his word. Some pretend toho- nour Chaff, but they have no regard for his Word ; yea, they may fay of it as Ahab ofMicaiah, that they hate it; and have therefore force of them endeavoured to ex- titpate the preaching of it out of the world, as the PapiJfo havedone i at leaf}, have looked on itas anufelefi thing, that the Church might be Well enough without. But fuch men will find themfelves mitlaken, when it is too late to leek atier a remedy ; the true Caufe of their hatred unto the word, .is becaufé they can find no other way tgexprefs their hatreduntoChrift himfelf. Neither did ever any roan hate or loath the Gofpel, but hethat firfi hated and loathed Jets Chrifi: but against the Wordthey have manypretences, again9 the Perron of Chrilt none, that are as yet palfablein the world ; This makes the Word to bear that which is intended againli Chrill himfelf, and fowill he interpret it at the loft day. ( 3. ) Confider, that thisWordwas confirmed andwitnefd untofrom Heaven, by the mighty Works and Miracles which attended the di- Jßenfatíon thereof. So our Apofile here informsus ; and though we raw not thofe Mi- racles, yet we have them .left on infallible Record for our ufe, that by them we might be yet furred up to valise and attend unto the Word in a due manner. God bath fo or- dered things in his holy Providence, that none can neglect the Word, without flaut- ring his eyes agaitífi fuch Light and Evidence of conv, tion, as will leave them abun- dantly inexcufable at the lati day. Now from there and the like confiderations, the duty propofed may be enforced. Verfe V, VI, VII, VIII, IX. THe Apofile in thereVerts proceeds in the purfuit of his former def'tgn. From the Dodtrine of the firff Chapter, he preffeth the Exhortation at the beginning of this,. which we have palled through. The Foundation of that Exhortation was thePreheminenceof the Lord Chrilt, the Author of the Gofpel, above the Angels by whom theLaw was fpokcn and delivered. This he now farther confirms, and that by an inliance fuited to his prefent Purpofe, and not asyet by him inffiedon. And hedoth it therather, becaufe by theTrJiimonies wherewith he proves his Af ertion, he is. lead to the Conlideration of other concernments of the Mediation of Chrift, which he thought meet to declare unto there Hebrews alfo. And this method he is confiant unto throughoutthis wholeEpifile. In the midfi of his Reafonings, and Te, flimonies for the Explanation orConfirmation of what he delivers dogmatically, he layes hold on force Oceafionor other, to prefs his Exhortation unto Faith, Obedi- ente, withConfiancy and Perfederance in the Profeflion of the Gaped. And in the Atggunletitìwhich he enterweaveth, and Tefliinonies which he prsEuceth for the en- foree"mentòfhis Exhor'ta'tions,fomething fiatoteri it fell, Which accordingly he laves hold upon, leadinghim to forefarther Explication of theDot`krine which he had in hand; fo infenfibly paffingfrom one thing unto another; that he might at the fame time inform the Minds,and Work upon the Affedtions of them with whom he dealt. All which will appear in our enfuingExpofitiog of thereVests. Verfe
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