xxiv. 9-13) attempts to show the eminences of their state, and that Judaism was every way transcended by Christianity :-The Author of it was a greater and better person than Moses, Aaron, or Melchizedec. The doctrines were more mysterious and sublime; the laws more spiritual, and most accurately suited to the completing and perpetuating of the divine life and nature in them; and to the advancing them unto all conformities to God, imitations of him, and intimacies with him. The promises were more glorious, rich, and full; and all the constitutions, furniture, services, ministry, and advantages of the gospel-polity and temple, carried more glorious signatures of God upon them, and were more eminently attested, patronized, and succeeded by God, than ever Judaism was, or than it could pretend unto. Why, therefore, should it be deserted, or coldly owned, or improved negligently or defectively?

This author having, therefore, gained his point, and thoroughly proved the dignity of the Christian state and calling, beyond all possibility of grounded cavils or competition; he next proceeds to show these Hebrews the genuine and just improvement of what he had demonstrated. (Chap. x. 19—39; xi.; xii.; xiii. 1—19.)

The casuistical consideration of the text best serves the stated purpose of this hour. And that I may be evidently pertinent, clear, succinct, and profitable, let me now lay the case and text together, and consider them in their relative aspects each toward the other.

1. Lukewarmness is the remissness or defectiveness of heat, xxvσις οι χλιαροτης, a middle thing betwixt cold and heat;" when there is not heat enough in subjecto capaci, ["in a capable subject,"] to serve the purposes that such a thing under such circumstances should subserve. Now God and Christ expect a fervent spirit, burning and flaming love; and in the text love is here represented as needing provocation. Heart-warmth is nothing else but love suiting and accommodating itself to worthy objects, according to their apprehended dignity, usefulness, or concerns. Love is the endearing to ourselves of apprehended excellence or goodness, and our letting out ourselves, or the issuings forth of our pleased wills, in correspondent motions toward, reposes in, obsequiousness to, and engagements for, what we admire and affect; for worth or excellence discerned makes us accommodate ourselves unto the pleasure and concerns thereof, according to its nature, place, and posture toward us, and our affairs therewith. When, therefore, this affection, principle, or grace, (or passion, if love may properly be called so,) is grown too weak to fix the will and to influence the life so as to please its God, and turns indifferent, and unconcerned, and variable, as the winds and weather change; this languor of the heart and will, and its easiness and proneness to be drawn off from God and things divine, we call "lukewarmness; which is nothing else, indeed, but the sluggishness and dulness of the heart and will to such a degree, as that it is not duly affected with, nor startled at, nor concerned intimately about, what is truly excellent and of great consequente and importance to us. And hence our author phrases it by παροξυσμος αγαπης· in that love may

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and ought to be smart and keen, heating and urging all the powers of the soul to excite all their vigours, and to perform all their functions with strength and pleasure. Consider well Canticles viii. 6, 7; 2 Cor. v. 14; 1 Thess. ii. 8. Heart-unaffectedness, unconcernedness, and inactivity, let souls and their concerns, God's interest and the matters of Christ's kingdom, go and be as they will. (Phil. ii. 20, 21.) This is the malady to be cured.

2. It is not so much a single instance of lukewarmness, as a temper, that the case speaks of. Nor doth the text intend an intermittent fever in the heart; it is not a transient paroxysm, by fits and starts for hearts to burn: but it is a stated frame, that must be changed and fixed. The malady is a lukewarm temper; a frame and constitution of the inward man, too weakly bent and biassed toward God and heavenly things, to make them statedly its predominant ambition, business, and delight; (Acts xi. 23; 2 Cor. v. 9 ;) a frame of soul that sits too loose toward God, to do, to bear, to be, to hope, to wait much for him in the stormy and dark day.

3. It is the effectual cure hereof that the case aims at; and in this "paroxysm of love and of good works" the cure consists. Hence, "Labour of love;" (Heb. vi. 10; 1 Thess. i. 3;) "Love abounding more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." (Phil. i. 9-11.) When love is fervent, fixed, and genuinely fruitful, then is this lukewarm temper cured indeed. Hence, "Zealous of good works." (See Titus ii. 11-14.)

4. How this cure of such a temper may be effectually wrought, is the next thing to be inquired into, and the great import of the case before us; and a great cluster of apt and pertinent expedients doth the text here entertain us with: such as, (1.) Determining and designing to enterprise the thing: here called, "provocation unto love and to good works,” παροξυσμος αγαπης και καλων εργων. This is the great concern to be espoused, and the great scope of our intentions, resolutions, and endeavours. Love and good works are the great cure of this distemper; to which we must direct our thoughts, words, deeds, provokingly. (Col. iv. 5, 6.) Such a distemper must not be ordinarily expected to be cured by accident; nor are their labours likely to be prosperous, who do not cordially design this cure. (2.) The mutual considerations of persons: "Consider one another to a provocation." So the Greek. We must take into serious, deep, and frequent thoughts, the quality, capacity, spirits, courses, and concerns of one another; and see wherein they are defective, or exemplary and proficient, in these things; as also how to qualify ourselves, and how to manage our spirits, speeches, and behaviour, to the procurement of this end; and how to provoke ourselves to love and to good works, by what we see in others, and hear from them or concerning them. (Phil. iv. 8, 9; Rom. xv. 14; 1 Thess. v. 14, 15.) For we are all of us obnoxious unto very great

decays in Christian affections and behaviour, (and who is free throughout from guilt herein?) and equally concerned in this healthful exercise and temper. (3.) Actual endeavours, upon consideration, to fix the temper and behaviour right :-for thoughts and purposes are vain things, till they be put in execution :-such as mutual exhortation, attending on assembling of ourselves together, and our growthful progress in these things, under the re-inforcements and frequent representations of the approaching day. Hence, then, consider we, I. THE TEXT; II. THE CASE.

I. THE TEXT.

And here we have, 1. The objects to be considered: "One another." 2. The duty here required as conversant about these objects : "Consider." 3. The end: "Provocation to love and to good works." 4. The means and manner of performing it to purpose, and with good success: "Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another." 5. The great inducement hereunto: "So much the more, as ye see the day approaching;" improving the thoughts, belief, and expectations of this approaching solemn day, and, consequently, our concerns therein, as the most awful motive and quickening encouragement of our preparatory state and work.

And here I must premise, that the case here proposed to our present thoughts may and must be resolved into two: 1. How a lukewarm temper may be cured by us in ourselves: 2. How to be cured in each other. Now, seeing we are all related to the same God, and under the same circumstances as to our capacity of pleasing or displeasing God, of deserting or adhering to our Christian state and work; and all of us, as Christians, [are] under the same powerful and manifold obligations to be found right and faithful in this "day ;" and as all of us are determined to solemn judgment and an eternal state, according to the temper of our spirits and tenor of our lives, as found to be when that day comes; what can we say to one another, to "provoke each other to love and to good works," that will not equally concern ourselves? Whatever, then, we consider in each other, is as considerable in ourselves. Whatever we design hereby to provoke others regularly to, is to be equally designed and enterprised and promoted upon ourselves. Whatever we speak to others, or plead with others, hath the same errand to, and ought deservedly to be as cogent and prevailing with, ourselves. We are all concerned in the helpfulness of present assemblies, and in the process and results of the last general assembly; and what we propose or press by way of counsel, request, encouragement, &c., must be as spoken to ourselves.

Taking it, then, for granted and concluded, and needless to be proved and demonstrated, 1. That lukewarmness is a heart-distemper; 2. And that the formal nature of it lies in the remissness of due affections unto their proper, worthy objects; and so in too mean resentments and distastings of whatever is contrary thereunto; 3. That the cure of this distemper formally consists in the due fervour of provoked love, invigorating and producing its congenial operations and

effects; (here called "good works," which are but answerableness of practice and behaviour to this principle or grace ;) 4. And that all these means and courses which genuinely and statedly relate hereto, as divinely instituted by Him whose blessing is entailed hereon to make them prosperous and successful hereunto, are the most likely means to work this cure; 5. And that the purport of my text amounts to this, and is itself of Divine inspiration, and so of God's appointment for this end :-Taking, I say, these things for granted, for brevity's sake, I shall dispatch the text and case together, in the close consideration of these three general heads or topics of discourse :—

I. The things to be provoked to: "Love and good works; " for herein the cURE consists.

II. The things that are most likely and prepared to provoke hereto; and so the REMEDY, or means, will be directed to.

III. The course and method of improving these most regularly; and so the skilful, faithful MANAGEMENT thereof will be considered. I. The things to be provoked to.—" Love and good works." Fervour and vigour in the heart, to and for its proper objects, productive of their right effects, are the soul's health indeed, the very esse formale ["formal entity"] of this cure in hand: for knowledge ministers to faith in its production and proficiency, and in all its exercises and designs. Hence, "Established in the faith, as ye have been taught." (Col. ii. 7; 1 John v. 9-15.) For we must know whom to believe, in what, and why: the credibility of a witness, the trustiness of a promiser and undertaker, the valuableness and certainty of things promised, and the way of acquisition and attaining what is promised, if promises be attended with and ordered to depend upon any thing commanded by the promiser to be done by us ;-these must be duly known ere faith can fasten on them. Faith is no blind, no inconsiderate, no rash, no groundless act: "I know whom I have believed.” (2 Tim. i. 12.) And it is "the evidence of things not seen." (Heb. xi. 1.) And "faith worketh by love," or it is "inwrought and becomes energetical by love : Πιστις δι' αγαπης ενεργουμένη. (Gal. v. 6.) Building up yourselves on your most holy faith, keep yourselves in the love of God." (Jude 20, 21.) Faith's proper work and great design upon the heart or will is, to kindle, feed, and keep this holy flame of love within, and to direct and keep it to its due expressions and employments. Thus truths and hearts are brought together, and fixed in their reciprocal endearments. (2 Tim. i. 13.) And then God, and the image, interest, saints, and things of God, are like the king upon his throne, with all his lovely train about him. And then this faith makes Christ upon the heart, and dwelling there, like Manoah's angel, working "wondrously" in these flames of love: (Judges xiii. 19 :) for now no faculty, sense, or member, can be idle, languid, or indifferent, amidst such glorious and lovely objects; when urged and provoked by such powerful and busy principles, as faith and love, to be employed for God, truths, duty, souls, and glory.

Let us, then, consider it in its, 1. Objects; 2. Actings; and, 3, Effects.

1. The objects of this love, toward which it is to move, for which it is to act, wherewith it must converse, and wherein at last it is to rest and to repose itself for ever.—And these are, the name, the things, the children of God, the good of men; or rather,

(1.) God as in himself the essential source and abyss of perfection, bliss, and glory.—"Of, and through, and to whom all things are ; (Rom. xi. 36 ;) "who is God blessed for evermore." (2 Cor. xi. 31.) Here study well these following texts, as shadowing forth that only Holy One; of whom, comparatively, the universe (how vast in its expansions, how gloriously rich in furniture and treasures, how variously replenished with inhabitants, and how accurately framed and governed, who knows?) is but as one small hint. See, I say, Exod. xv. 11; xxxiv. 6, 7; 1 Chron. xxix. 10-13; Job xi. 7-9; Isai. vi. 1 Tim. i. 17; vi. 15, 16; 1 John i. 5: to name no more, save only one, that pertinently tells us that "God is love." (1 John iv. 16.) Here love and goodness are essentially in their incomprehensible and immense perfection; from hence are all the communications of derived goodness, and all the issuings forth thereof, that all the creatures can any way receive; and of this boundless ocean are they all swallowed up eternally at last.

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(2.) God in the sallyings forth of his communicative and endearing name, and in all those mirrors and testimonies of himself which he affords us. (Rom. i. 20; Acts xvii. 24-29; 1 Tim. iii. 16; Heb. i. 3; Eph. iv. 6-24.)-O what a mirror of divine perfection is the vast fabric of the universe! How far doth it extend itself! How richly hath its Maker furnished it with glorious luminaries! vast in their bulk, beautiful in their orderly situations, constant and regular in their courses, and highly useful, and as liberal, in their dispensings of those influences which serve more glorious and various purposes than any man can reach at present, or perhaps in all the proficiencies of eternity, if such things may with modesty be supposed to be there. O wonderful power in its production! wonderful wisdom in its harmonious contrivance and compagination! and as great goodness in those stores and magazines, which are so generously provided for and accommodated to all the capacities and necessities and concerns of the whole frame, and of every part thereof! Is not God's glorious name here legible, and his kind heart and hand as fully and even sensibly discernible herein? We are hereby both rendered and constrained to be his witnesses that he is God, and the best object of our love. Here, therefore, must our love both look and fix.

Should I here speak of God-Redeemer, in all the glorious appearances, performances, and dispensations of his indwelling Deity in our nature; or of what the Spirit is and doeth; of all the scenes and systems of common and special providence; of all the constitutions and administrations of the upper and lower world, and of the church militant and triumphant: or should I show you man in his natural state, as the workmanship of the God of nature; or in his Christian state, as in his renovation by the God of grace; or in his glorified state at last, as the eternal temple of the Spirit of grace: should I