of the whole party of any importance in this cause, which is not strictly examined. And the reader is desired to observe, that if the truth which we profess concerning this office of Christ, and his discharge thereof, be sufficiently confirmed and vindicated, all the other notions of these men, concerning a metaphorical redemption, a metaphorical sacrifice, and the like, do vanish and disappear. So that although, if I live, and if God will, I intend to write a full declaration of the true nature of the sacrifice of Christ, and a vindication of the doctrine of the church of God concerning it; yet I must take it for granted, that whilst what we have asserted and confirmed concerning his priesthood remains unshaken, the whole truth relating thereunto, will not only easily but necessarily follow. And what in these discourses is effected towards that end, is left to the judgment of the learned and candid reader. Besides, I thought it not unmeet to give a specimen of the way and manner whereby this sort of men do manage their opposition to the principal truths and mysteries of the gospel, that such as are less conversant and exercised in their writings, may be cautioned against those sophistical artifices whereby they endeavour to inveigle and infect the minds and imaginations of men. For this is their peculiar excellency, (or call it what you will) that under an appearance and pretence of perspicuity, clearness and reason, they couch senses, the most uncouth and most alien from the comnion reason of mankind, that can possibly fall under the imagination of persons pretending to the least sobriety. Instances hereof, and those undeniable, the reader will find in the ensuing discourses plentifully produced and discovered.

Having given this general account of my design and purpose in the ensuing discourses; some few requests unto the reader shall absolve him from farther attendance in this entrance. First, I must beg his candid interpretation of my conduct in relating some of those Jewish fables and traditions which he will meet with in some of the Exercitations. I could plead necessity and use; and those such as will evince themselves in the several places and passages of the discourses where they are reported. For they are none of them produced, merely to satisfy the curiosity of any but either the investigation of some truth hidden under them, and involved in them, or the discovery of their rise and occasion, or the laying open of the folly of the pretences of the present Jews in their unbelief, doth still accompany their recital. However, I will not rigidly justify the production of all and every of them, but put it amongst those things wherein the candour of the reader may have an opportunity to exercise itself. I must beg also of the learned reader a consideration of the state and condition, wherein through the good providence of God I have been, during the greatest part

of the time wherein these Exercitations were written and printed. And I shall pray, in requital of his kindness, that he may never know by experience, what uncertainties, failings, mistakes, and several defects in exactness, straits, and exclusion from the use of books, will occasion in endeavours of this kind. And whatever defects they may meet with or complain of in these discourses, my design was, through the blessing of God, that they should have no cause to complain of want of diligence and industry in me. But yet I am sensible in the issue, that many things may seem to indicate that carelessness of mind, or precipitancy in writing, which is altogether unmeet to be imposed on men in this knowing age. But whatever other reflections I may be obnoxious unto, for the want of ability and judgment, which in me are very small in reference to so great an undertaking, I must crave of the reader, to believe, that I would not willingly be guilty of so much importune confidence, as to impose upon him things trite, crude, and undigested, which either ordinary prudence might have concealed, or ordinary diligence might have amended. Whatever therefore of that kind may appear unto him, I would crave, that it may be laid to the account of my circumstances, which I have intimated before.

For the Exposition of the Epistle itself, I confess, as was said before, that I have had thoughts for many years to attempt something in it, and in the whole course of my studies have not been without some regard thereunto. But yet I must now say, that after all my searching and reading, prayer and assi duous meditation on the text, have been my only reserve, and far most useful means of light and assistance. By these have my thoughts been freed from many and many an entanglement, which the writings of others on the same subject, had either cast me into, or could not deliver me from. Careful I have been, as of my life and soul, to bring no prejudicate sense unto the words, to impose no meaning of my own, or other mens upon them, nor to be imposed on by the reasonings, pretences, or curiosities of any; but always went nakedly to the word itself, to learn humbly the mind of God in it, and to express it as he should enable me. To this end, I always in the first place considered the sense, meaning, and importance of the words of the text, and the consideration of their original derivation, use in other authors, especially in the LXX. of the Old Testament, in the books of the New, particularly the writings of the same author, was constantly made use of to that purpose. Oft-times the words expressed out of the Hebrew, or the things alluded unto amongst that people, I found to give much light into the words of the apostle themselves. Unto the general rule of attending unto the design and scope of the place,

subject treated of, mediums fixed on for arguments, methods of ratiocination, I still kept in my eye the time and season of writing this Epistle, the state and condition of them to whom it was written, their persuasions, prejudices, customs, light and traditions; I kept also in my view the covenant and worship of the church of old, the translation of covenant privileges and worship to the Gentiles upon a new account, the course of providential dispensations that the Jews were under, the near expiration of their church and state, the speedy approach of their utter abolition and destruction, with the temptations that befel them on all these various accounts; without which it is impossible for any one justly to follow the apostle, so as to keep close to his design, or fully to understand his mind and meaning.

If any shall think that I have referred too many things unto the customs and usages of the Jews, and looked too much after some guidance in sundry expressions and discourses of the apostle from them; I only answer, that as when I am convinced by particular instances of mistakes therein, I shall willingly acknowledge them; so for the present I am satisfied, that other expositors have had far too little regard thereunto. The exposition of the text is attended with an improvement of practical observations, answering the great end for which the Epistle was committed over to all generations for the use of the church.

If in some of these I shall seem to any to have been too prolix, I must only answer, that having no other way to serve the edification of the generality of Christians, I thought not so. Moreover, I have sundry things to offer towards his satisfac

tion:

: as,

1. The method of the whole is so disposed, as that any one, by the sole guidance of his eye, without further trouble than in turning the leaves of the book, may carry on or continue his reading of any one part of the whole without interruption, or mixing any other discourses therewith. Thus he may in the first place, go over our consideration of the original text, with the examination of ancient and modern translations, and the grammatical construction and signification of the words, without diverting unto any thing else that is discoursed on the text. In like manner, if any desire to peruse the Exposition of the text and context, with the declaration and vindication of the sense and meaning of the Holy Ghost in them, without the least intermixture of any practical discourses deduced from them, he may under the same guidance, and with the same labour confine himself to this, from the beginning unto the end of the work. And whereas the practical observations, with their improvement, do virtually contain in them the sense and exposition of the words, and give light unto the intendment of the

apostle in his whole design, for aught I know, some may be desirous to exercise themselves principally in those discourses; which they may do by following the series and distinct continuation of them from first to last. Wherefore from the constant observation of the same method, as to the principal distinct parts of the whole Exposition, every one is at liberty to use that order in the perusal of it, which he judgeth most for his own advantage.

2. There will be relief found against that discouragement which the apparent length of these discourses may give the reader, from the variety of their subject matter, or the things that are contained in them. For there are few of them on any single head, that extend themselves beyond a page or a leaf at the most. Wherefore, although all of them together may make an appearance of some tediousness unto the reader, yet he will find it not easy to fix this charge on any one particular, unless he judge it wholly impertinent. And for those few of them which must exceed the bounds mentioned, their importance will plead an excuse for their taking up so much room in the work itself. In illustration of this, we may refer to the third chapter, in which our attention is called to the authority of Christ as the Son of God over the church; to the nature of faith; as also of unbelief, and to the danger of eternal ruin wherewith it is attended; to the deceitfulness of sin, with the ways and means by which it hardens the hearts of men; to the limitation of a day or season of grace, with the use of Old Testament types and examples. These subjects, which are therein treated of by the apostle, are things which in their own nature deserve a diligent enquiry into them, and declaration of them. And however others who have had only some particular design and aim in the Exposition of this Epistle, or of any other book of the Scripture, may satisfy themselves in opening the words of the text so far as it suits their design; yet he who professedly undertakes a full and plenary Exposition, cannot discharge his duty and undertaking, without the interpretation and improvement of the things themselves treated of, according to the intention and mind of the Spirit of God. And I could heartily wish that the temptations and sins of the days wherein we live, did not render the dili-, gent consideration of the things mentioned, more than ordinarily necessary unto all sorts of professors.

3. The reader may observe, respecting most of those discourses, that they either consist in the Exposition of other places of Scripture suggested by their analogy unto that under consideration, or that they have such Expositions, with a suitable application of them every where intermixed with them. Unto them to whom these things are not satisfactory, with respect unto the

length of these discourses, I have no more to offer, but that it they think meet on this, or on any other consideration, to spare their charge in buying, or their labour in reading the book itself, they will have no reason to complain of any thing contained in it, or of the manner in which it is handled.

There is one thing also respecting the Exposition of the fourth chapter, with which the reader must be made acquainted. I have already published Exercitations respecting the Sabbatical day of divine worship. Two editions of these Exercitations are now in the hands of the public. I am unwilling to reprint what I have there advanced. I therefore only request the reader to observe, that in the Exposition of that discourse of the apostle about the several rests mentioned in the Scripture, I will not absolutely stand to his censure and judgment upon the perusal of the Exposition alone, (though I will maintain it to be true, and hope it to be clear and perspicuous) without regard to those Exercitations, wherein the truth of the Exposition itself is largely discussed and vindicated.

I have no more to add concerning the ensuing Exposition. For to give the reader a particular account either of my travail therein, or of the means used in carrying it on, I judge not convenient; as not willing to give the least appearance of any satisfaction, much less glorying in any thing of my own but in my infirmities. This I neither do, nor desire, nor dare to do. Only duty binds me to declare, That as I have used the utmost sincerity whereof I am capable, in the investigation and declaration of the mind of the Spirit of God in the text, without the least respect unto any parties of men, opinions, ways of worship, or other differences that are amongst us in and about the affairs of religion, because I feared God; so in the issue and fruit of my endeavours, the reader will find nothing savouring of an itch after novelty or curiosity, nothing that will divert him from that sound doctrine and form of wholesome words, wherein the professors of this nation have been educated and instructed.