souls of believers, Rom. viii. 33. 36. 39. &c. Secondly, The ordinary occasions of this life, and our duties towards God and men therein, are like the trading of ships in their harbour. For therein also a good and sure anchor is necessary for them, the neglect of the use whereof hath proved ruinous to many. And without that which spiritually answers thereunto, we shall fluctuate up and down in all that we do, and be in continual hazard of ruin. In these seasons hope, as before described, is the anchor of the soul; and as that is let down through the waves and darkness of the ocean, by its cable, until it comes to fix itself in the bottom, so our hope let out, as it were, by the sure word of God, entereth into that wherein it fasteneth itself, and fixeth the soul.

Secondly, The allusion respects the properties of an anchor, which, as here expressed, are two, the one respecting its nature, the other its use. 1. It is arpaeλx5, “sure;' that will not fail, it may be safely trusted unto. The substance of it is firm, the proportion of it is suited unto the burden of the ship; and it is no fair promising and yet deceitful engine. 2. In its use it is Baia, firm and stedfast,' which no violence of winds or storms can either break or move from its hold. Such is hope unto the soul. 1. In its nature it is acpaans, sure,' and not a deceiving imagination. "It maketh not ashamed," Rom. v. 5. by any failure or disappointment. Groundless presumptions are the deceitful engines, whereby the souls of multitudes are ruined every day; of no more use than if the mariners should cast out á log, or a burden of straw, to stay their vessel in a storm. But hope proceeding on, and built on faith, is infallible, and will not deceive. 2. In its use it is said, firm and invincible,' against all oppositions, not indeed from itself, but from the ground which it fixeth upon, namely, Christ in the promise, as the next words declare. For,

The way or means whereby this spiritual anchor secures our souls, is expressed in the words following, sexoμENY 815 TO SEWTECOY TY XXTATETHOμatos, and which entereth into that within the vail.' And herein there is a dissimilitude in the comparates. For an anchor is cast downwards, and fixeth itself in the earth at the bottom of the sea; but hope ascendeth upwards, and fixeth itself in heaven, or in that which is therein. And we must inquire, 1. What is this vail? 2. How hope entereth it? 3. What is that within it, that hope entereth into?

First, For the vail itself, the apostle unto that natural allusion which he insists upon, adds also one that is typical, which renders the whole context figurative, as we shewed before. The vail therefore here alluded unto, was that which parted the most holy place from the sanctuary or body of the temple. This our apostle calls the second vail,' ch. ix. 3. and here

'the vail' absolutely. For the body of the temple whereinto the priests only entered to offer incense, was separated from the people by the first vail, as the most holy place was from that by the second vail. Through the former, the ordinary priests passed every day to offer incense; through the latter, the high priest passed, and that once a-year. Now that which was denoted hereby with respect unto Christ and his priesthood, were these aspectable heavens, through which he passed in his ascension into the glorious presence of God. See our exposition on chap. 4. ver. 14. Within the vail, therefore, is within and above these visible heavens, the place of God's glorious residence, the holy tabernacle not made with hands, where the Lord Christ continueth to administer for his church.

Secondly, This, hope entereth into, or passeth through. The heavens are as a vail unto the sense and reason of man; there, their sight and their thoughts are bounded; they can neither discern nor judge of any thing that is above or within that vail. But faith with hope pierceth through it; no created thing can keep them at a distance from God himself. As an anchor stays not in the waves of the sea, as it cannot fix itself in the waters, but pierceth through them until it come unto solid earth in the bottom; no more doth or can the hope of a believer fix itself on any thing under these heavens, but it pierceth through all till it come within the vail, And this it doth, 1. under the conduct of faith, which goes before it, and presents unto it the things hoped for, Heb. xi. 1. 2. By the rule and line of the word, which on no occasion it will vary from. And,

Thirdly, This it doth, us to sogov, to that which is within. And what is it that is within this vail? Not an ark and a mercy-seat, not tables of stone and cherubim, the work of men's hands, but the things signified by them: God himself on a throne of grace, and the Lord Christ, as the High-priest of the church, standing at his right hand. God the Father as the author of the promise of grace, Christ as the purchaser of all mercy, the counsel of peace being between them both. Here hope fixeth itself, to hold the soul stedfast in all the storms and tempests that may befal it. Wherefore, that which hope fixeth on within the vail, is, 1. The Father as the author. 2. The Lord Christ as the purchaser. 3. The covenant as the conveyance of all grace, which were all typically represented by the things within the vail of old. And the apostle makes use of this expression for two reasons. 1. Because our hope and faith are not now fixed and bounded on types, shadows, and obscure representations of the good things of the promise, as things were under the Old Testament. All these things are now passed away, and we have immediately to deal with God and Christ

Jesus. 2. To instruct the Hebrews in the nature and use of the old tabernacle institutions, and from thence in the true nature of the priesthood of Christ, which he is now returning to. And we may observe from these words,

Obs. XVII. That all true believers are exposed to storms and tempests in this world.-This makes anchors so necessary for them. The wise God would not have provided an anchor for them, and enjoined its use, if he had not known they would be exposed unto storms. He that dwells at peace in his house, of all things thinks least of an anchor. But we are to look for storms. Suppose we might pass our time of sojourning here, without outward troubles, (and he is exceedingly unwise who promiseth unto himself any such thing, whilst we are in the flesh, and accompanied with so many occasions of distress on every hand); yet who can escape from those inward trials, exercises and troubles, from temptations, darkness, sin, and the law, wherewith we are often tossed and afflicted, and it may be for a season not comforted? For,

Obs. XVIII. These storms would prove ruinous unto the souls of believers, were they not indefeasibly interested by faith and hope in the promise of the gospel.-Every storm almost will be too hard for ships without cables or anchors. And as little security have we in a time of trial from any thing in ourselves, if hope hold not fast on the promise, which is the anchor of the soul. And this it will do if it be genuine. For,

Obs. XIX. No distance of place, no interposition of difficulties, can hinder the hope of believers from entering into the presence of, and fixing itself on God in Christ.-It pierceth through the clouds, passeth through the heavens, stops not at their glorious vail, until it comes unto the eternal Fountain and Spring of all grace and mercy. And therefore,

Obs. XX. The strength and assurance of the faith and hope of believers is invisible unto the world.-They enter in within the vail, where no eye of reason can pursue them. There all their concerns are hid, and the secret influence which unto all purposes they have from thence, is sometimes admired, sometimes derided by the blind and wicked world. However, it is effectual to their good; for,

Obs. XXI. Hope firmly fixed on God in Christ by the promise, will hold steady, and preserve the soul in all the storms and trials that may befal it.—It is an anchor both sure and stedfast. Wherefore,

Obs. XXII. It is our wisdom at all times, but especially in times of trial, to be sure that our anchor have a good hold-fast in heaven. This alone will be our preservation and security, if we are fixed on that within the vail.

VER. 20.-Whither the forerunner is for us entered, Jesus, made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

The apostle issueth this long digression, as he doth all his other discourses, in the person of Christ; who being the Author and Finisher of our faith, with him he begins, and in him. he ends continually. And three things he aims at in this

verse.

1. To give new assurance unto the efficacy and prevalency of hope fixed on the promise, as it enters in unto that within the vail; namely, because Christ our High-priest is there. It enters there, is, whither' Christ is gone. Even heaven itself would be no safe place for us to fix the anchor of our trust and hope in, if Christ were not there. For without him, there would be no throne of grace in heaven, as there could have been no typical throne in the sanctuary, without the mercyseat. And this contains the relation between the two verses; wherein we see that,

Obs. XXIII. After the most sincere performance of the best of our duties, our comforts and securities are centred in Christ alone. Our hope entering within the vail, is a safe anchor, because Christ is there.

2. Aexigus vous. The apostle in these words, by an ar tificial transition, lands us on that coast which he all this while steered towards; and this is the priesthood of Christ, as represented in that of Melchisedec. This he had asserted, chap. v. 12. But upon the consideration of the depth of this mystery, the importance of the subject-matter of it, with the present state of the most of these Hebrews, he engageth into that long digression for their due preparation unto the hearing and receiving of it, which we have now passed through. Wherefore, having discharged his conscience and duty towards them, in va rious admonitions, he returns again in these words unto that design and discourse, which there he had broken off. And from the nature of his digression, we may learn that,

Obs. XXIV. As the minds of men are greatly to be prepared for the communication of spiritual mysteries unto them, so the best preparation is by the cure of their sinful and corrupt affections, with the removal of their barrenness under what they have before learned, and been instructed in. It is to no purpose, yea, it is but the putting of new wine into old bottles to the loss of all, to be daily leading men into the knowledge of higher mysteries, whilst they live in a neglect of the practice of what they have been taught already.

3. He gives an account of the Lord Christ, unto whom he hath now reduced his discourse, in sundry particulars; as,

'

First, He expresseth him by his name, Ines, Jesus.' And

by the interposition of this name here, the apostle may design two things.

1. To mind us of the signification of it, whence the reason of his assumption of it was taken. Jesus signifies a Saviour; and he was called Jesus, "because he was to save his people from their sins," Matt. i. 21. He, therefore, concerning whom all these things are affirmed, is to be considered as our Saviour, who had the name of a Saviour given him by God himself, with respect unto the work which he was to do, 1 Thess. i. 10. and he is Jesus still," able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him."

2. To reflect on the common use of that name in the world. This was the name under which he was reproached, reviled, crucified and slain as a malefactor: they crucified Jesus. Wherefore, the apostle treating here of the glorious exaltation of the Son of God, that none might pretend or fancy to themselves that it was any other thing or person that he intended, he expresseth him by that name whereby he was known in the world, under which he was reproached and suffered. And this, all the apostles were careful to inculcate in the first preaching of the gospel; "Jesus of Nazareth," Acts ii. 22. "This Jesus hath God raised up," ver. 32. "His Son Jesus, whom ye delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate," chap. iii. 13. "Jesus of Nazareth whom ye crucified," chap. iv. 10. "Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree," chap. v. 30. For as they testified hereby, that they were not ashamed of his cross, so they laid in security for faith, against all those fond imaginations which have been since vented, that Christ in heaven and in us, is somewhat else than that Jesus who was crucified on the earth. This is that which by the use of this name, he calls our faith unto, namely, that it is one and the same Jesus, who was humbled and is exalted, who died ignominiously, and lives for ever in glory.

Obs. XXV. This same Jesus is our Saviour in every state and condition, the same on the cross, and the same at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hence, he is still represented in heaven as a "lamb slain," Rev. v. 6. And all apprehensions unto the contrary, are destructive unto the whole foundation of the gospel.

Secondly, He describes him by that office and action, whence our hope receives its great encouragement to enter within the vail; namely, that he is godgoμos iñię żuwv, a forerunner for us,' and as such, is entered in thither. In this place alone is this title assigned unto the Lord Christ, though the things intended in it, are elsewhere expressed. And so it must be said concerning the name of a surety, which our apostle makes use of in the next chapter, ver. 22. Great mysterious truths