certainly know enough, to engage us in his service, with dutiful and sincere obedience.

Which that we may all perform, God of his infinite mercy grant, through his grace, and for the sake of Jesus Christ his Son, our Lord.

298

DISCOURSE XXIII.

HEBREWS, X. 38.

NOW THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH: BUT IF ANY MAN DRAW BACK, MY SOUL SHALL HAVE NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

Ir is the Almighty that speaks in this text; and declares, that, if we believe his promises, and obey his commandments, our faith, thus fruitful in good works, shall turn to our salvation : but if any of those, who are in a state of acceptance with him, draw back, by renouncing the belief or practice of the Gospel, he will no longer take pleasure in them; but will number them with the children of disobedience, upon whom his wrath cometh.

This is the sum of the doctrine here taught; which I shall,

First, explain and confirm a little further: and,

Secondly, caution my hearers against some of

those temptations, that might seduce us to draw back, and forfeit God's favour.

I. I am to explain and confirm the doctrine of the text, a little further.

It begins with an assurance, that "The just shall live by faith." Though the disobedience and fall of man brought us under forfeiture of God's favour, and of a title to life and immortality, He hath reconciled us to himself, through the mediation of his blessed son, Jesus Christ. In Him we are accepted, and made heirs of the kingdom of heaven, if we have a firm faith in the Divine perfections, promises, and grace; and if, repenting sincerely of our former sins, we resolve for the future, to lead a life answerable to his laws; to the hopes which he sets before us; and to the assistance which he offers us, of his Holy Spirit. Through the worthiness of our Redeemer's person, and sinless obedience, our past transgressions shall then be blotted out, and the gates of glory shall be opened unto us.

These are the glad tidings of the Gospel; so clearly and abundantly set forth, that I shall not now insist longer upon them. But lest the deceitfulness of our hearts should tempt us to a vain confidence, in the mercies of God, and the merits of our Redeemer; and to a presumption, that, being once reconciled through him to his

heavenly Father, no conduct of ours can afterward forfeit his inestimable blessings, -it is added, “But if he draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Which plain declaration of the Almighty, is agreeable to the whole tenour of his holy word, and enforced in many express passages of it. Thus Ezekiel :

"When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done, shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die."

Where, we see, it is supposed, that he who was righteous before God, may become a sinner in his sight, and may continue in that reprobate state in which case it is declared, that his former righteousness, or state of acceptance, shall not avail him; but he shall be liable to that death, which is the wages of sin.

And, that we may be impressed with a more affecting sense of the possibility of such a fall, and of the fatal danger of it, unless we rise again by sincere repentance, the same thing is repeated, in the next verse but one:

"When a righteous man turneth away from

his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done, shall he die."

The like warning is given by the apostle, to the Hebrews:

"Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God." The margin of the Bible reads to much the same sense: "Lest any man fall from the grace of God:" which shows, that, for want of diligence in his high calling, and through his own fault, a man may fall from that state of acceptance and favour with God, in which he before stood.

So also, Saint Peter, writing to those who had obtained the like precious faith with himself, says:

"Beware lest ye also, being led away with the errour of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness."

And Saint John:

"Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought."

In these, and many other texts which might be recited, we must either suppose the Holy Spirit to give needless exhortations, and to warn us against an impossible danger; or, since this is an absurd, not to say impious supposition, we must conclude the meaning of them to be,