verse 10. by the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Christ once for all; verse 19. that we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus: verse 38. that we live by faith in him: and that thus it is, according to chap. xii. verse 2, that he is the author and finisher of our faith.

Now, from this account we learn, that the whole of our salvation, both în time and eternity, is by Christ and his gospel only: I say, only; for we are told, chap i. verse 3. that Christ BY HIMSELF hath done it. And that our salvation is only by Christ, is so strongly implied, in almost every part of this epistle, that it cannot, with any shadow of reason, be denied.Therefore, I conclude, that whatever laws, or rules, a man may walk by, whether they be those delivered by Moses, or those laid down by Epicte tus, Socrates, Seneca, or Plato; if he is a total and final apostate from this great salvation, he never can escape the dreadful consequence.

But it may be said once more, "Suppose I should at present, or at any future period thus neglect this great salvation, will not my former attachment to it be sufficient to screen me from the punishment above mentioned?" I answer, it will not. And for proof of this I observe, that, perhaps there never was a people more cordially, and zealously attached to Christ and his gospel, than these Hebrews had formerly been. For the apostle tells them, chap. x. verse 32, 34 that, After they were illuminated, they endured a great fight of afflictions partly, said he, whilst ye were made a gazing-stock, both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. On this passage I observe, that here was not only great zeal for Christ, his gospel and perse

cuted servant; but it was such as was built on a solid foundation: for they firmly adhered to Christ and the gospel for a while, and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, "knowing in themselves that in heaven they had a better and an enduring substance."-And yet, notwithstanding all this, they are threatened with the sorest punishment that God has to inflict, on supposition that they apostatize. It is therefore certain that past attachments to Christ, and zeal for his glory, be they never so genuine and fervent, will not be sufficient to acquit those who shall afterwards, by apostasy, neglect this great salvation.

Having shewn, I. What we are to understand by so great salvation: II. What by neglecting it: and, III. The consequence of so doing, and the impossibility of escaping it; I now proceed in the IV. place, to draw a few inferences from the whole.

1. And, First, from what has been said we learn, that the doctrine of unconditional perseverance is no truth

of God; is no doctrine of revelation. This, the epistle to the Hebrews most absolutely demonstrates. The total and final apostasy of true believers, is the one supposition which runs through the whole epistle, from beginning to end: and, as I have observed above, the epistle is no other than a regular treatise on this subject, wherein every argument, proper on such an occasion, is used by the apostle in the most judicious, and conclusive manner. Here then is solid proof that Christian believers are capable of TOTAL and FINAL apostasy: a whole book of the New-Testament; which is justly deemed one of the most learned and excellent in all the sacred volume; drawn up into one argument, or rather into one chain of arguments, in support of the awful truth. To oppose such a CONNEXION of arguments with detached passages, picked up hither and thither, without any regard to the scope of the books, or the coherence of the places from whence they are taken, is a mode of

reasoning so truly ridiculous, that it is astonishing how any man of real learning, or sober sense, can be capable of it.

If the doctrine of unconditional perseverance be a revealed truth, and if it be of such importance as the advocates for that doctrine continually assert, let them produce more certain evidence in its favour, than that which I have here produced against it. Or, if they cannot do this, let them produce an equal degree of evidence: that is, let them point out a whole book of the New-Testament, of equal dignity and importance with this epistle to the Hebrews, which labours, as professedly and fully, in support of their hypothesis. Or if this is too much, let them produce a canonical book of less importance, which thus professedly and logically supports it. But this cannot be done: no whole book; no half book; no, nor so much as the quarter of any one book in all the Bible, can be pointed out which maintains this doctrine in