IV. us an evil heart of unbelief in departing from LECT the living God. This Egypt, this wicked world, in which we live, must not withdraw our affections, and put us out of humour with the manner and the way of trial, by which God fhall be pleafed to carry us forward in our progress through this wilderness. And we are to exhort one another against the deceitfulness of fin.* We can see how grofsly the disobedient Ifraelites were deceived, in preferring Egypt to Canaan; and we wonder at them, that they should be fo perverfe and brutish : let us then not be cheated as they were. How did it happen that they were beguiled of their inheritance? They did not believe the promises of God; and if we are deceived, it must be for the fame reason. The Rest of Canaan was better than the bondage of Egypt; and the service of God is better to us now than the bondage of fin; which can only interrupt the hap-. piness of the fervants of God, and fill them with disappointment and bitterness. Miferable is the fituation of a chriftian, * Heb. iii. 13. who LECT. who does not look forward, and prefs for IV. ward, to the promised Reft. He has left Egypt; and there is no better entertainment in this wilderness, than the hope of getting well out of it. But if instead of this, he is only looking back and wishing for the world which he has renounced ; he is that double minded man, who is unflable in all his ways; neither a man of the world, nor a chriftian; neither easy with God, nor without him. There cannot be a more unprofitable and unhappy character. It is faid of the Ifraelites in the wilderness, that their heart was not whole with God, neither continued they steadfast in his covenant. How many fall under the fame cenfure! they give a portion of their heart to God, and another much greater to the world. When the Apostle is entering upon the more mysterious parts of this Epiftle, he upbraids the Hebrews with their unfkilfulness in the word of God. They con tented themfelves with the firft elements of christian instruction, and neglected the myfteries IV. myfteries of the scriptures; living, as chil- LECT. dren do, upon milk, with little appetite and strength to admit more folid nourishment.* Some think they are learned enough, if they never get beyond their catechism: some never get fo far. And it is common to plead in excufe, that little as their knowledge is, they know more good than they do, and have already more learning than they practise: not confidering that the scripture abounds with many great and excellent myfteries, which have nothing practical in them, but fo far only as they elevate the mind, and by bringing our affections nearer to God, difpofe us to do his will with more love and chearfulness; and confequently to do more of it, and to better effect: which is a matter of infinite importance, and now too little attended to. The Christian must be progreffive; he must go on from the begin ning of knowledge to the perfection † of it, He ought to know more of God every day; otherwise he may think of him less, till he totally forgets him; and then he is in * See Chap. v, 12. 13. + Chap. vi. 1. danger LECT. danger of falling into that state, out of IV. which men cannot be renewed unto repentance. When the gospel, which a man had received, has not power to lead him forward, there is no new gofpel to awaken him: when the most powerful medicine God ever made hath loft its effect; what other can we apply? So long as the foul is in a growing state, the bleffing of heaven continues with it, and the grace of God brings it on to farther improvement: but if it is out of culture, thorns and briars get poffeffion of it, and its end is to be burned. When thorns and briars fhall be planted in Paradise, then fuch carelefs Chriftians may expect to be admitted into heaven. From the confideration of Chrift's Priefthood, we are exhorted to draw near with faith, and partake of his blefling, by attending upon his Church and his ordinances; not forfaking the affembling ourfelves together as the manner of fome is.* Ch. x. 22. &c. The IV. The Jews, I fear, in the worst of times, LECT were more zealous in attending their public fervices and facrifices, than fome of those who call themselves Chriftians. In the best days of the Church, it was always the manner of fome few to abfent themfelves from the religious affemblies of the Christians: but what would St. Paul have faid, if he had lived to these times, when perhaps not one half of the people are at the public prayers; not one quarter of them at the facrament? and they have no perfecution to fear, as the primitive Chriftians had; who attended their worship at the hazard of their lives. It must be owing to mere idleness and indifference; for however business may be pleaded on the ordinary days of the week, it cannot be pleaded on a Sunday. This truth I must suppose them to know; that if their Saviour is a Prieft, they muft partake of the facrifice he offers for their falvation. But there is another dreadful truth, which they do not think of; that, to' thofe, who do not partake of this facrifice for fin, there remaineth no other; but a certain fearful looking Dd for |