Hebrews 6

3. Such as are not settled in the faith, can never suffer for it: skeptics in religion will hardly ever prove martyrs; they that are not settled do hang in aequilibrio, in suspense; when they think of the joys of heaven, then they will espouse the Gospel; but when they think of…

Second Benefit: If we are adopted, then we have an interest in all the promises: the promises are children's bread. Believers are heirs of the promise (Hebrews 6:17). The promises are sure; God's truth which is the brightest pearl in his crown is laid to pawn in a promise.

Faith sets love to work (Galatians 5:6): faith which works by love; believing the mercy and merit of Christ causes a flame of love to ascend. Faith sets patience to work (Hebrews 6:12): be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Faith believes the…

1. In rewarding the virtuous; (Psalm 58:11) Doubtless there is a reward for the righteous. The Saints shall not serve him for nothing, he will reward praeces & lachrymas, [illegible], though they may be losers for him, they shall not be losers by him, (Hebrews 6:10) God is not u…

There is as much difference between spiritual joys and earthly, as between a banquet that is eaten, and one that is painted on the wall. 6. These are stronger joys than worldly (Hebrews 6:18). Strong consolation.

His exhorting them was not in the least to question their abiding in him, but to awaken their diligence, and make them pray the harder that they might abide in him. 2. The second objection is (Hebrews 6:4): it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of…

Abel by faith offered up [illegible], a better sacrifice than Cain (Hebrews 11:4). Faith is a vital principle, without it all our services are Opera Mortua, dead works (Hebrews 6:1). Faith does meliorate and sweeten our obedience, and make it come off with a better relish.

Swear not at all; that is, rashly and sinfully, so as to take God's name in vain; not but that in some cases it is lawful to take an oath before a magistrate (Deuteronomy 6:13). You shall fear the Lord your God, and serve him, and swear by his name (Hebrews 6:16). An oath for co…

11. The evil tongue is the swearing tongue (Matthew 5:34). Swear not at all. The Scripture allows an oath for the ending of a controversy, and to clear the truth (Hebrews 6:16). But in ordinary discourse to use an oath, and so to take God's name in vain, is sinful. Swearing may…

1. The bodies of believers shall be raised up to glory. The doctrine of the resurrection is a fundamental article of our faith; the Apostle puts it among the principles of the doctrine of Christ (Hebrews 6:2). The body shall rise again; we are not so sure to rise out of our beds…

God's truth is one of the richest jewels of his crown, and he has pawned this jewel in a promise; (2 Samuel 23:5) Although my house be not so with God, yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. Although my house be not so] That is, though…

If God sees it is good for them to have more of the world they shall have it; God will not let them want any good thing. 13. If God be our Father all the promises of the Bible belong to us: God's children are called heirs of the promise; (Hebrews 6:17). A wicked man can lay clai…

And that which may increase our lamentation is, that not only man's blood is shed among us, but Christ's blood. Such as are profane flagitious sinners are said to crucify the Son of God afresh (Hebrews 6:6). (1.) They swear by his blood, and so do as it were make his wounds blee…

Fourthly, in this we resemble God, to be doing good to others. 'Tis our excellence to be like God. Godliness is God-likeness. And in what are we more like him than in acts of bounty and munificence? Psalm 119:68. You are good, and do good. You are good, there is God's essential…

The apostate (says Tertullian) seems to put God and Satan in the balance, and having weighed both their services, prefers the devil's services, and proclaims him to be the best master. In which respect the apostate is said to put Christ to open shame (Hebrews 6:6). This dyes a s…

16. If you would not fall short of the Kingdom of Heaven, take heed of falling off; beware of apostasy; he misses of the prize who does not hold out in the race; he who makes shipwreck of the faith cannot come to the haven of glory. We live in the fall of the leaf; men fall from…

7th Counterfeit. A man may have the Spirit, yet not be a New Creature. The apostle supposes a case, that one might be made partaker of the Holy Ghost, yet fall away (Hebrews 6:4). A man may have some slight transient work of the Spirit, but it does not go to the root; he may hav…

USE 3. For everlasting consolation to all such as have truly laid hold upon the righteousness of Christ by faith in him; for such as have fled from the law to the Gospel, have utterly renounced themselves, and repaired to Jesus Christ; who having found themselves to be guilty co…

Q. How must officers be put into their places? A. All of them by solemn prayer to God, and with imposition of hands upon elders and deacons, and in the ordaining of elders with fasting also (Acts 6:6; 1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22; Hebrews 6:2; Acts 14:26).

Q. What follows after the Resurrection? A. The eternal judgement (Hebrews 6:2; 9:27). Q. When will the day of judgement be?

Thus he worked upon the stony ground, and in the Jews by John's ministry (John 5:35), which light and taste and revelation of this conditional offer, tending in a way to salvation by alluring their hearts to seek it, they often, through Satan's abuse of this good work and the se…

And Satan deceives with both: as the one sort of profane men to flatter themselves to be in a good condition when they are not, so the other of weak and tender consciences that they are not in a good estate when they are. And in like manner, places of Scripture misunderstood do…

Sometimes from a passage of Scripture misunderstood and misapplied: some who are annoyed with blasphemous thoughts against God and Christ and his Spirit — thoughts which are their greatest affliction — have thought they have sinned against the Holy Spirit, misapplying Matthew 12…

God remembers them to have mercy on you; why should you not remember them to comfort you? Therefore in Hebrews 6:9-10: 'We hope better things of you, for God is not unrighteous to forget your labor of love, to reward you.' And therefore he calls upon them likewise in Hebrews 10:…

Now what is the purpose and use of a tower in a city but that when all outworks are taken, the walls scaled, all fortifications forsaken and houses left, then a tower holds out last and is a refuge to flee to? So also when the devil and God's wrath beleaguer you on all sides and…

When God renewed the promise of it to Abraham, he is said to make a Covenant with him, and he did so, but it was with respect to other things, especially the proceeding of the promised Seed from his loins. But absolutely under the Old Testament, it consisted only in a promise, a…

3. The Apostle had before at large declared who and what was God's Surety in this matter of the Covenant, and how impossible it was that he should have any other: And this was himself alone interposing himself by his Oath. For in this cause, because he had none greater to swear…

For it does not become the greatness and goodness of God to call his own people to sufferings for his Name, and to his glory, and therein the loss of their lives many times, with all enjoyments here below; and not propose to them, nor provide for them, that which shall be infini…

As also a transition is made to that which now lay in his eye, namely, the full demonstration of the power and efficacy of faith to make us accepted with God, and to carry us through in the course of our greatest trials and temptations with success and victory. The application h…

This he singles out as the greatest privilege and honor of Abraham, as it was indeed the foundation of all the other mercies which he enjoyed, or advantages that he was entrusted withal. The nature of this promise, with the solemn manner of its giving to Abraham, and the benefit…

And those good works, (as they seem to be) when searched into, are but dead works, though seemingly never so full of life; and hence they are all as rotten, and unsound things. (Hebrews 6:1) We read of dead works: and indeed all a man's works are such, until he come to a true fa…

Consider what knowledge of Christ you have, is it more than may be obtained by common industry, without a supernatural work of the Spirit of God? It is true; you may have great enlightenings, and yet fall short of Christ: such as hardly fall short of a miracle (Hebrews 6:5, 6).…

And it is observable all along in that Book, that he pleads not for the un-membering of any that are once in the Church, yes though they came in but by a Membership received in Infancy (for of such he often expressly speaks, and such were the Members of those Churches he dispute…

A gracious soul has sweet intercourse with heaven; he goes to God by prayer, and God comes to him by his Spirit; How happy is that person who has the angels to guard him, and God to keep him company! 3. A righteous man has more excellent promises belong to him; what a sinner has…

It is a common work, good in its self, which God ordaineth in some to be a preparation and beginning of the work of grace. Of this the Apostle speaketh (Hebrews 6:4, 5), where he calleth it an enlightening, a taste of Christ and of the powers of the world to come, and a partakin…

Many apostates have had many meltings and much sudden strong joy: so had those stony ground hearers, but it amounted not to saving faith. They had some slight knowledge of Christ, their affections were stirred, their understandings were gilded over with a common kind of supernat…

3. Hence it will follow, that the spirits of good men have sufficient grounds to bear up in their innocent sufferings and storms in the world. Innocent sufferings: there is a righteous governor, who orders all, and will reward them for their pains, as well as their service (Hebr…

When the savour of Christ's knowledge is made manifest, not receiving it, you reject it, and it brings a curse. (Hebrews 6:7-8) The earth which drinks in the rain which comes oft upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for him by whom it is dressed, receives a blessing of God; but…

Oh! my Brethren, what a shame is this? So far as you are able to be guilty of shaming even God Himself and Jesus Christ; therefore in (Hebrews 6:6) Apostates are said, to put Jesus Christ to open shame. And an Apostate that leaves the waies of God and separates himself to his lu…

Whereunto is immediately subjoyned that Doctrine concerning Deacons, which will scarcely be thought to be exege[illegible]cal of Act. 6. [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]—And [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]. What the Writer of this passage intended to make of a Bishop, well I know not, bu…

He illuminates their minds especially with the light of the gospel. Hence they are called enlightened (Hebrews 6:4). That is, by some special gift He sharpens their understanding and imparts to it a peculiar keenness for understanding the will of God as revealed in the Scripture…

So showing the only lawful use of it, is to end controversies, which otherwise cannot conveniently be ended, for each contender without the Lot, is too mighty to yield. First, because as it is meant of an oath (Hebrews 6:16), when he says, for men verily swear by him that is gre…

The end is, to make known a very weighty truth, which cannot by any other means be so conveniently known. And this is to swear for a just cause (Jeremiah 4:2; Hebrews 6:16). Here again is forbidden rash and common oaths, not taken up for such a cause (Ecclesiastes 9:4; Matthew 5…

1. You would not take up our meaning in it so, as if we made every common work that lively means may have on the hearers of the Gospel, to be conversion; the preaching of the Word will sometimes make folks tremble, as we see in Felix, and will waken convictions and terrors in th…

But that he might come under the curse, in the several degrees of it, for the satisfying of justice for our sins; and see in every piece of Christ's suffering a reality of the grace and love of God; a reality in the covenant and bargain of redemption; a reality in Christ's satis…

The 4th use of it is, to commend the practice of this to the believer that has indeed fled to Jesus Christ; and to show the great privilege that they have who are such. The practice of it is, that believers should seek to be established and confirmed in the particular applicatio…

If this were seriously considered and laid to heart, O but folk would be humble, nothing would affect the soul more, and sting to the very heart, than to think that Christ suffered for me, through grace an elect and a believer, and that yet notwithstanding I should have so despi…

And suppose one should say, I cannot believe, it is as if such a man should say, I cannot, I dare not run to the City; or rather, though he had been feeble, yet he would have creeped, [reconstructed: crawled and limped] to it as he might: Even so here, in a word, a man should no…

1. From the nature of the Gospel, it's the Word of God, as really inviting to do that which it calls for, as if God were speaking from Heaven; it's the Word of God, and not the word of man, and has as real authority to call for obedience, as if God spoke it immediately from Heav…

Come and receive a Savior; and the act of faith is a gripping to that offer, a receiving and embracing of it, a being well content to take a free discharge through His blood. A third expression is, Philippians 3:12, where faith is set out as an apprehending of Christ, and Hebrew…