Hebrews 6

Hebrews 6:1-8

1. 1 Cor. 1st.

In this chapter the apostle exhorts the Hebrews to make a better proficiency in religion than they had done, as the best way to prevent apostles, the dreadful nature of which he sets forth, vers. 1—9. And then expresses his good hopes concerning them, that they would persevere in faith and believe, and feel before them the great encouragement they have from God, both with respect to their duty and happiness, from, vers. 9. to the end.

1. THEREFORE, “leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance” from dead works, and of faith towards God. 2. “Of the doctrine of baptisms, and ‘of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3. And this will we do, ‘if God permit. 4. ‘For it is impossible for those who were once ’enlightened, and have sailed of ’the heavenly gift, and ‘were made partakers of the holy Ghost, 5. And ‘have tailed the good word of God, and the powers of ’the world to come; 6. 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. 7. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blasting from God. 8. ‘But that which bear-

eth thorns and bricers is rejected, and is high unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

The apostle here,

1. Exhorts the Hebrews to advance in spiritual attainments. Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, to a more advanced state of grace and understanding; not laying again the foundation, and continuing full to infill on the first principles of the Christian doctrine, but proceeding to greater heights in heavenly wisdom. The principles I speak of are those, (1.) Of repentance from dead works, implying a sense of the evil and danger of sin, the wages of which is death, an abhorrence of it, and real conversion of heart from the love and practice of all iniquity. And (2.) Of faith towards God, since all who come to him must believe his veracity, attributes, and perfections; and especially that he is our reconciled God in the Son of his love, Christ Jesus. And these two principles of Christianity were rejected under the Rehearsal dispensation by the doctrine of baptism, or diverse washings prescribed to the temple worshippers, which signified the purifications of the conscience, through faith in the blood of Jesus, and by the power of his Spirit, and of laying an of hands upon the head of the sacrifice, with penitent confession of sin, in token of manifesting their guilt to their substitute. (3.) And of the resurrection of the dead, which may be reckoned another first principle of Christianity. And (4.) Of eternal judgment, when every man must appear to give account at God’s bar, and to receive his sentence to be happy or miserable for ever, in body and soul, according to his deeds. These having been so often inflicted upon, we design to leave them to your serious reflection, and pull on to sublomer things. And this will we do, if God permit. Nate, (1.) When the foundation of religion is laid, the superstructure must be raised in an increase of knowledge, grace, and business. (2.) All we purpose must be undertaken in dependence upon God’s support, for without him we can do nothing might.

2. To quicken them to diligence, he sets before them the fearful case of apostates. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and so far received the knowledge of the truth as to make profession of it, and have tailed of the heavenly gift, in some superficial impressions made upon their conscience, through their heart hath remained unchanged; and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, in some of his miraculous operations, and have tailed of the good word of God, receiving it, as the flony ground hearers, for a while with joy, and of the powers of the world to come, enabled to perform many wonderful works; if, after all this, they shall fall away from the gospel to judaism, or heathensm, the case is desperate, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance: seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, approving the wickedness of those who nailed him to the tree as an impolitic, and put him to an open shame, by allowing to the black calumnies of his murderers, turning from him as a deceiver, and reconnoising his gospel as an untruth; for such apostates, being a sin against the very remedy, cannot but be necessarily fatal. Nate, (1.) Hypocrites may go far, and come short of heaven: they may have many right notions to religion, make a fair protection, feel pangs of conviction, and transient stables of joy under the ordinances; yet, they might have possessed even the power of miracles, and yet never have been partakers of the grace of God in truth. (2.) Satan will often seek to dissect the souls of the sinners, when under darkness or temptation with these terrible declarations; let it therefore be remembered, that it is never impossible to renew these unto repentance, in whom the Lord still awakens a desire to repent and turn to him.

3. The different states of the gracious soul and the apostate are here described. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blasting from God, so the faithful heart, watered with the dew of divine influences from the Lord, brings forth the fruits of righteousness, which by Jesus Christ are acceptable and well pleasing to God, who blesses his own work, and gives a more abundant increase of every holy and gracious disposition. But that ground which, after all the culture bestowed upon it, still heareth thorns and bricers is rejected by the owner as barren, and is high unto cursing; which end is to be burned: so where, amidst the means of grace, unbelief and hardness of heart remain, and after all their professions men turn aside to error in principle, and ungodliness in practice, such are in God’s sight reprobate, his curse limb upon them, which soon shall be fearfully executed; when, rest unto the belly of hell, they shall lie down in everlasting burrings, and none can quench them.

4. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. 10. “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. 11. And we desire, that ’every one of you do shew the same diligence,’ to the full adherence of hope unto the end: 12. That ye be not faithful, but

followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he was by himself. 14. Saying, Surely, blessing, I will bless thee, and multiplying, I will multiply thee. 15. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 17. Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 18. That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lye, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entreth into that within the vali, 20. 7 Whether the forerunner is for us entred, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Hebrews 6:9-10

The apostle, from the most awful warnings, passes on to the most powerful encouragements to steadfastness and perseverance.

1. He professes his good opinion of them, in general at least. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak, that ye will never prove apostates, but are actually partakers of those blessings of justification, adoption, and grace, which cannot but issue in eternal glory.

2. He suggests the reason on which his confidence was built. For God is not unvrighteous or unfaithful to his promises, and therefore will not forget your work and labour of love, the genuine principle of all holy obedience, and afflicted proof of your interest in all the blessings of the everlasting covenant; which love ye have formed toward his name, in that ye have manifested in the future, and do continue to minister unto them under all their afflictions. Note, (1.) Our love to God must appear in every work and labour of love for the good of his people. (2.) They who give genuine proofs of their faith unfeigned, by a conversation such as becometh godliness, will find God faithful to his promises, and their bounteous rewarder.

3. He exhorts them to persevere. And we defers, that every one of you do shew the same diligence, in every good word and work, your fruits of righteousness abiding and abounding, to the full assurance of hope unto the end, growing up to a more satisfied confidence of your interest in the eternal blessedness, and carried as a ship under full sails into the port of eternal rest. See therefore that ye be not faithful, but diligent in every means of grace, and in the duties of your calling, as followers of them who have trod before this holy path, and, through faith and patience amidst every trial, persevering unto the end, are now gone to inherit the promises in glory everlasting. Note, (1.) If we have good hope through grace, we should seek to grow up to the full assurance of hope unto the end. (2.) Diligence in religion, as in every thing else, is the only way to thrive. (3.) The examples of those who are gone to glory before us should encourage and quicken us to follow them. (4.) Where faith and patience are implaints, in the heart, there perseverance is the necessary fruit.

4. The faithfulness of God to his promises should engage their fidelity to him. For when God made promise to Abraham, (Gen. xxii. 16, 17.) concerning the Messiah, his future seed, because he could swear by no greater, he swear by himself, to give him the strongest assurance of the fulfilment of the promise, Saying, Surely, as I live, my being and perfections are engaged to accomplish my word, blessing, I will abject thee, and multiplying, I will multiply thee, so that thou shalt be a father of many nations, and on thy spiritual seed shall thy blessing descend to the latest ages. And so after he had patiently endured, through manifold afflictions, he obtained the promise of a son, the pledge of that Messiah who should descend from him, and at last departed himself in the faith, and entered the eternal world of glory. For men verily swear by the greater, solemnly appealing to God as the witness of truth, and areagery of fasthood, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife, this being judged the most solemn and decisive evidence, which can be given to silence doubt, and terminate disgrace. Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, in consideration to our weakness, and to give us the utmost satisfaction with regard to the unchangeableness of his purposes of grace towards his people, and of the certainty of the accomplishment of every promise he had made, whatever difficulties might seem to prevent it: that by two immutable things, the promise and oath of God, in which it was impossible for God to lye, we might have a strong consolation, filled with the hearth delight, and supported under all our trials, who have fled for refuge, as the man-dayer to the appointed city, (Num. xxxi. 11, 12.) with eagerness, under an awakened lends of our guilt and danger, to lay hold upon the hope set before us, even Christ, the rock of his people’s confidence: which hope we have

as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entreth into that within the vali, Christ, the object of our hope, being ascended into heaven, thither the grace of hope follows him, keeping the soul unmoved amidst all the storms of temptation; whether the forerunner, our representative, is for us entred, even Jesus, the exalted saviour, gone to prepare a place for us, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Note, (1.) In Christ there is a refuge provided for the chief of sinners, and all who see to him shall not only be safe but happy. (2.) Since the promises are confirmed by two such immutable things as the counsel and oath of God, with what confidence ought we to trust upon them? (3.) In this tempelous world we should be hourly exposed to disgrace, if hope did not enable us to ride out the storm, having cast anchor within the vali. (4.) Where our forerunner is entered for us, we must follow. To be in heaven! then shall we be shortly with him where he is, that we may behold and share his glory.