CHAPTER XIII: The highest degree to which a temporary believer can possibly attain falls short of
CHAPTER XIII
The highest degree to which a temporary believer can possibly attain, described by the apostle Paul, Heb. 6, which yet falls short of that saving work, wrought in a sincere believer, there spoken of by him.
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy
Ghost, and hare tasted the good word of God, arid the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth, which drinketh in the rain which cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.—HEB. 6:4–10.
The apostle sets before these Hebrews the most dreadful things about a temporary work and condition that is to be found in the whole Scriptures, and yet in the occasion he took for it, he doth it with the greatest advantage for the comfort of the weakest sound
Christian, and with the greatest tenderness that possibly so great a matter could be uttered in. The advantage he takes for it appears in this, that whereas one of the greatest objections that many sound believers have against themselves, that they are but temporaries, ariseth from manifold defects, and (some of which are but accidental to a Christian's state) the deadness of their hearts, the lowness of
their graces, the want of growth, rebellion of lusts, and the like, for there are a thousand such might be instanced. They judged such like things, especially when of a long continuance, to argue them hypocrites; which doubts of theirs they were the more strengthened in when withal they compared the soaring heights, the high enlightenings, the vehement and forward affections, tastes of things in the other world, which concerns men's salvations, that they had observed to have been in some that had utterly fallen away. Alas, thought they, when I compare what deadness is in my heart, what little or no proficiency my soul hath made in things heavenly for so long a time; and, on the other hand, what wonderful enlightenings, quickness of affections, such as have fallen away have shot up into, I cannot but conclude that I much rather shall fall away too; for, alas, I am far short of them in these things! The apostle therefore, intending to discourse this great point in this epistle, takes this strange advantage for it, and such a one as shall prevent the discouragement of the lowest saint. The course he takes is this.
1. He presents the worst and lowest case of a sound Christian that well can be supposed, and tells those Hebrews plainly that it was many of their cases, chap. 5, ver. 12, 13, 'For when for the time ye ought to have him teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk, and at of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.'
He instanceth indeed only in point of defect in, and want of growth in knowledge; but that must be proportinably supposed to have been accompanied with answerable flatness ad deadness of holy affections, and colder exercise of grace. It is certain if they did not grow in knowledge in so many years, they had not grown grace:
'Grow in knowledge' (says the apostle) 'and in grace.' And is as certain, that if they had not grown in grace, there must have bee a decay in grace and the exercises of it, and thereupon a worldly, fleshly fine and an overgrowing of many lusts would rise instead thereof. Whereby at last they grew nigh unto a curse from God, and were even at the any pit's brink, to have been given up by God to final
hardness, &c. Yet knowledge is that thing which even hypocrites use to grow up into more than in any other endowment. In gifts of knowledge, and the exercise thereof, they are eminent. These are an excellency which corrupt nature affects, and seeks after above all other, that therefore such as were me Christians should not have sought to grow up in this; what a strange ting and case was this! And the ground thereof must needs be, because they had not had a great valuation of things heavenly, which if they had id, they would have sought to grow accordingly in the knowledge of them.
Now take their case as to knowledge, as the apostle here sets it on it was very deplorable, ver. 12.
(1.) They seem to have lost of that spiritual capacity to take in spiritual things which they once had, and to have fallen from much of that spirual favour and quickness of understanding in the fear of the Lord which they once had. This that word, 'You are become such',
&c., seems to import.
(2.) They are represented like men old, or men in a consumption, whose stomachs cannot digest strong meats (as they had wont), and are therefore glad to live on milk, and the weakest sort of food. 'You are become such (says the apostle) 'as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.' Which the opposition, ver. 14, shews and explains; 'But strong meat beloneth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have heir senses exercised to discern both good and evil.'
(3.) That word, by reason of use, implies that they had not exercised heir graces, whereby their knowledge might have been put in use, and so enlarged thereby.
2. Having thus set them forth at the lowest, he describes the highest and quickest sort of workings, and operations and advances in matter of religion, made by some that yet fall away: chap. 6 ver. 4, 5,
'For is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have
tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they sail fall away, to renew them again to repentance.'
3. And yet, thirdly, he concludes, 'That he hoped better things, and tings that accompanied salvation,' or that 'have salvation in them:' ver 9, 'But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak;' ἐχόμενα τῆς σωτηρίας, according to that saying 'He that truly believes hath eternal life.' Of these, concerning whom he had afore spoken the worst things that could be spoken, he yet hopes, nay, is persuaded that such better things, or saing graces, yet remained in them, than all those enlightenings specified had bet in those other, as having been but such as never had true salvation in them, but had all the while been short of it, and not in the event only. An the ground of his persuasion was, (1.) That they had wrought in them at first a sound and sincere love to God his name, and his saints, which they had by deeds and labour therein given many real testimonies of.
(2.) And to this end he bids them call to remembrance,' &c.: chap.
10:32–35, 'Call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were made a gazing-stock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward' It went, it seems, very low with them at present, when, to persuae himself and them of their grace, he is fain to have recourse unto things so far back.
(3.) He elsewhere minds them also, that though they had never yet been called to martyrdom, 'nor resisted unto blood,' chap. 12:4, yet
they had continued to 'fight against sin,' and with much contest and hazard to keep themselves from the evils of the times, all which are a-fighting against sin, to keep a good conscience; as also they had maintained and kept up a conflict against sin in their own hearts.
(4.) And those things they had continued (though in some low measure) to a for a long time from the first works upon them; and even there and then ver. 12, whilst he blames them for their nonproficiency, yet those wok, 'That when for the time ye might have been teachers,' &c., argues there to have been a long time converted; then again, chap. 10 ver. 32, he bid so 'call to remembrance the former days,' &c., when first converted; with had been long since past.
Obs. That in the conflicts and disquisition your spirits may have whether yourselves be temporary believers or no, consider that there are many things accidental to the state of grace, which you are not absolutely to conclude of your estates by.
(1.) Not by a great decay of what affections, and perhaps some principles of strictness you had at first, now much decayed and lessened. If these he wrote to had these as fresh in them when he wrote as at the first, he would not have remitted them to their experiments in former times,—'Call to remembrance,' says he, &c.— nor would he have comforted them with this, that God is not forgetful, &c., of what had been so long past, if fresher and better fruits, and more lively evidences, had of latter years been found in them.
(2.) Nor are you to judge of yourselves by a comparison of appearance mad of yourselves, with some you have known or read of in the word to have gone so and so far, whom you verily think, as to your own view, white you compare yourselves with them, that they have fallen short. Alas if these, among these Hebrews, should have compared their low present actings, enlightenings, workings of heart,
&c., with those other in the appearance of them (as verses 4 and 5 he
hath set them out), where would these poor ungrown Christians have appeared? As it is an uncertainly to judge a man's good, by comparing himself with others that are won, so and so, fetching his comfort thence, so it is as uncertain a one' to judge of myself and of my Christian estate, by comparing it with others whom I have thought better than myself, to have gone farther, who yet have proved apostates. For what do I know what was the frame of then hearts towards God, and the principles of their profession? Thou dost not know the whole of the state and condition of such men, what it was. Bring then thy heart to God, and view all that hath been between him and thee, either of his love drawn forth to thee, or thine to him. Consider whether thy heart in some degree yet cleaves to God, and continues to pursue after him. So shalt thou have comfort from the Lord, who is not forgetful of any of these things. Cast not thy confidence away in such a case. If you let that go, you let all go; hold fast the beginning of thy confidence to the end. Thus the apostle exhorts in this epistle again and again, chap. 10:35: chap. 3:6, 'But Christ as a Son over his own house; whoso house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.'
This is what, above all else, the apostle exhorts unto, ver. 14. Some of these poor Hebrew Christians, that were sound-hearted, who had not fallen off and departed from Christ, as others had done, yet could not but have great doubts and disputes within themselves, whether they were not temporary believers, and that their latter end might be like unto theirs. For such a declining and ungrowing a condition could not but have been accompanied with such temptations, in a heart in any measure considerative or attentive to its own salvation. Yet you see the course the apostle takes with them.
[l.] He puts them not upon the dispute of this, which was a controversy and suit they could never have brought to an end, and which nothing but faith ends.
Nor [2.] doth he seek to work in them such a work of humbling or apprehension of their being in their natural condition, as useth to be at first; wherein converts do cast away all that had been wrought
hitherto as unsound, as if that were a necessary foundation in such unto a new saving work. He doth not direct them to make utterly a new beginning, as to their own apprehensions. But the case stands thus: that whereas sound believers use to have emptyings of themselves upon discovery of their wants and corruptions, which causeth them to apprehend, for the present, their conditions to be unregenerate, after which the Holy Ghost comes and takes the advantage out of themselves unto renewed acts of faith; so these, having the convictions of their former unsoundness laid open to them by the Holy Ghost, are thereupon gently led into true and saving acts of faith, regenerating of them. And look, as afore this work, these temporaries had a work so like true grace as it was very hard to distinguish it from the true, be this very now saving work in them is hardly distinguishable from that renewed work on true believers upon and after such tentations.
[3.] He exhorts them to remember what had been wrought in them, and how God had drawn and won their hearts unto him, and accordingly that they should hold fast the beginning of their confidence to the end, and they would find themselves partakers of Christ. It is unto the way of renewing their faith ho directs them; for faith would only end it, and renew that often, says he: chap. 4:11, 'Let us labour to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.' The word is, let us study that point, and to enter into rest is to believe, as the opposition, and likewise ver. 3, shew:
'For we which have believed do enter into rest.'
If any one object to me, Would you have me to recall my first work, and trust in that? Suppose it were indeed not a saving work (as in many that are after made sound it is not), would you have me renew my confidence thereon?
Ans. No; that is not my meaning, nor Paul's. For if the work were never so good and sound, your confidence must not be upon that, much less when it may be a false one; but this I say, renew the same acts of faith, and trust on the same God and Christ thou dealedst
withal at first. Have recourse to them afresh, reiterate again and again thy faith on them immediately, as thou didst at first. In the original it is 'the subsistence of your confidence,' hold God and Christ afore thee as subsistent by faith to thee in thy treaties with them; and if God continues to carry on thy heart thus to pursue after him,
Christ cannot but save thee. For if thou continuest to cast thyself upon him, and still in all such disceptations about thy estate pliest him, and puttest thy salvation into his hands, Christ will not, cannot, depart from thee whilst he continues thy heart to trust him. He cannot but work savingly in the end on such a soul, if he hath not done it already. Remember then whence you are fallen, and do your first works and repent: Heb. 6:11, 'And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end.' If you have slackened (as you have done), yet revive that diligence again, and you will find your first confidence will come in again, if true, with advantage and increase, oven with full assurance of hope unto the end; or if there was not a true faith at first, then a better will come in the room of it.
Only [4.] he severely cautions and admonisheth them to take heed lest there be in any of them an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God: 'But exhort one another daily,' says he, 'while it is called to-day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,' chap. 3:12, 13; and ver. 15, 'While it is said, Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts,' &c. He exhorts them to take hood of indulging their lusts: Heb. 12:15–17, 'Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For you know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.' He exhorts them to take heed of leaving off ordinances: Heb.
10:25, 'Not forsaking the assembling' of ourselves, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.' And many such most earnest exhortations