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is compared with the rest of God from his at the foundation of the world. For,

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First, The conjunction ye, for,' which introduceth this assertion, manifests that the apostle in these words gives an account, whence it is that there is a new Sabbatism remaining for the people of God. He had proved before, that there could be no such rest, but what was founded in the works of God, and his rest that ensued thereon. Such a foundation, therefore, he saith, this new rest must have, and it hath it. Now this is, and must be, in the works and rest of him by whom the church was built, that is Christ, who is God, as it is expressly argued, chap. iii. 3, 4. For as that rest, which all the world was to observe, was founded in the works and rest of him who built or made the world, and all things in it; so the rest of the church of the gospel is to be founded in the works and rest of him, by whom the church itself was built, that is Jesus Christ. For he, on the account of his works and rest, is also Lord of the Sabbath, to abrogate one day of rest, and to institute another.

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Secondly, The apostle here changeth the manner of his expression; from the plural absolutely, we who believe,' or virtually in the name of a multitude, the people of God,' into that which is absolutely singular: us, he that is entered.' A single person is here expressed, one on whose account the things mentioned are asserted. And of this change of phrase there can no reason be given, but only to signify the introduction of a singular person.

Thirdly, The rest which he is said to enter into, is called his rest, absolutely; as God, speaking of the former rest, calls it my rest. So this is the my rest of another: his rest, namely, the rest of Christ. When the entering of believers into rest is mentioned, it is called either God's rest," they shall not enter into my rest;" or rest absolutely, "We that believe do enter into rest." But not their rest, or our rest; for it is not our own, but God's rest, whereinto we enter, and wherein we rest. The rest here, is the rest of him whose it is, who is the author of it; that is, it is the rest of Christ.

Fourthly, There is a direct parallel in the whole verse, between the works of the old creation, and those of the new, which the apostle is openly comparing together. 1. For the authors of them. Of the one, it is said to be God; as God did from his, that is, the Creator; of the other, He, autos: who is that He of whom we speak, saith our apostle, ver. 13. For in these words he makes also a transition to the person of Christ, allowing only the interposition of an applicatory exhortation, ver. 11. 2. The works of the one and the other are expressed. The works of the Creator are dia seya, his proper works,' his

own works, the works of the old creation. And there are the works of him, of whom he speaks, Ta seya auTs, his works; those which he wrought in like manner as God did his own at the beginning; that is, the work of building the church. For these works must answer each other, and have the same respect unto their authors or workers. They must be good and complete in their kind, and such as rest and refreshment may be taken in, as well as upon. To compare the sins or the sufferings of men with the works of God, our apostle did not intend. 3. There is the rest of the one and the other. And these must also have their proportion to one another. Now, God rested from his own works of creation, 1. By ceasing from creating, only continuing all things by his power in their order, and propagating them to his glory. 2. By his respect unto them, or refreshment in them, as those which set forth his praise, and satisfy his glorious design. And so also must He rest, who is here spoken of. 1. He must cease from working in the like kind. He must suffer no more, die no more, but only continue the work of his grace, in the preservation of the new creature, and orderly increase and propagation of it by the Spirit. 2. In his delight and satisfaction which he taketh in his works, which Jesus Christ hath to the utmost. He sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied, and is in possession of that glory which was set before him, while he was at his work.

From what hath been spoken, I suppose it will appear plainly to unprejudiced and impartial minds, that it is the person of Jesus Christ that is the subject here spoken of; and we shall confidently allow a supposition thereof, to regulate our exposition of this verse. As there is considerable in it,

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First, The person spoken of, usa, He that is entered into his rest;' that is the Lord Jesus Christ, the builder of the church, the author of the new creation. And this gives an account of the causal connexion, for: there remaineth a Sabbatism now for the people of God; for Christ is entered into his

rest.

Secondly, There are the works that this rest of his respects; which it is said he hath ceased or rested from, από των έργων άυτη. These works have been fully opened and declared on the third and fourth verses of the third chapter, whither we refer the reader. All that he did and suffered from his incarnation to his resurrection, as the Mediator of the covenant, with all the fruits, effects and consequents of what he so did and suffered, belong to these works.

Thirdly, There is the rest that he entered into to be considered, ως την καταπαύσιν αυτό. Hereof we have seen before in general, that there are two parts. 1. A cessation from his work. He hungered no more, was tempted no more, in a word,

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died no more. 2. A satisfaction in his works, and the product of them. This Christ had in his; whence he says upon a view of their effects, the "lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places: I have a goodly heritage," Psal. xvi. 7.

Fourthly, His entrance into his rest is in like manner proposed unto us. Now, this was not his lying down in the grave. His body indeed there rested for a while; but that was no part of his mediatory rest, as the founder and builder of the church. For, 1. It was a part of his humiliation; not only his death, but his abode or continuance in the state of death was so; and that a principal part of it. For after the whole human nature was personally united unto the Son of God, to have it brought into a state of dissolution, to have the body and soul separated from each other, was a great humiliation. And every thing of this sort belonged to his works, not his rest. 2. This separa tion of body and soul under the power of death, was penal, part of the sentence of the law which he underwent. And therefore, Peter declares that the pains of death were not loosed but in his resurrection, Acts ii. 24. " Whom God," saith he, "hath raised up, loosing the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." Whilst he was held of it, he was under it penally. This therefore could not be his rest, nor any part of it, nor did he in it enter into his rest, but continued his work. Nor, secondly, did he first enter into his rest at his ascension. Then indeed he took actual possession of his glory, as to the full public manifestation of it. But to enter into rest is one thing, and to take possession of glory another. And it is placed by our apostle as a remote consequent of the Lord Christ's being justified in the Spirit, when he entered into his rest, 1 Tim. iii. 16. But this his entrance into rest, was in, by, and at his resurrection from the dead. For, 1. Therein, and then, was he freed from the sentence, power, and stroke of the law, and discharged of all the debt of our sin, which he had undertaken to make satisfaction for, Acts ii. 24. 2. Then, and therein, were all types, all prophecies and predictions fulfilled, that concerned the work of our redemption. 3. Then indeed his work was done, I mean that which answereth God's creating work, though he still continueth that which answers his work of preservation. Then was the law fully satisfied, Satan absolutely subdued, peace with God made, the price of our redemption paid, and the whole foundation of the church glori ously laid in and upon his own person. Then the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy, 4. Then, and therein, was he "declared to be the Son of God with power," Rom. i. 4.; God manifesting to all that this was he, concerning and to whom he said, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee," Acts xiii. 33. This might be far,

ther confirmed, but that, as I know, it is not much questioned. Therefore did the Lord Christ enter into his rest, after he had finished, and ceased from his works, on the morning of the first day of the week, when he arose from the dead, the foundation of the new creation being laid and perfected.

Here lieth the foundation of our Sabbatizing, of the Sabbatism that remains for the people of God. This reason doth the apostle give of it. He had before asserted it; and there remained no more for him to do, but to manifest, that as those other rests which were passed, the one at the beginning of the world, the other at the giving of the law, had their foundation in the works and rests of God, whence a day of rest was given out to the church; so had this new rest a foundation in the works and rest of Christ, who built all these things and is God, determining a day for our use, in and by that whereon himself entered into his rest, that is, the first day of the week. See hence, that,

Obs. I. The whole church, all the duties, worship and privileges of it, are founded in the person, authority and actions of Jesus Christ.

Obs. II. The first day of the week, the day of the resurrection of Christ, when he rested from his works, is appointed and determined for a day of rest, or Sabbath unto the church, to be constantly observed in the room of the seventh day, appointed and observed from the foundation of the world, under the Old Testament.

This proposition, containing a truth of great importance, and greatly opposed by many on various accounts, that the full discussion of it may not too much interrupt the course of our exposition, is handled apart, and at large in Exercitations to that purpose, whereunto the reader in this place is remitted.

VER. 11.—Σπουδασωμην εν εισελθειν εις εκείνην την καταπαυσιν, ἵνα * εν τω αυτω τις ὑποδειγματι πεση της απείθειας.

In this verse, we have a return made unto the principal exhortation which the apostle had before proposed, and an improvement of it. In the first verse he laid it down in those words, "Let us fear, lest a promise being left of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." Here he declares, how that fear there recommended, is to exert itself, or how it is to be improved and exercised. It appears therefore hence, as we observed before, that it was not a fear of dread, terror or doubting, that might weaken, discourage or dishearten them, which he enjoined on them; but such a reverential respect unto the promises and threatenings of God, as might quicken and stir them up unto all diligence, in seeking to inherit the one and avoid the other. Here therefore the same ex

hortation is resumed and carried on, and that on sundry suppositions which he had laid down, explained and confirmed, in his preceding discourse, being all of them effectual enforcements of it. Now these are, 1. That there is a rest promised unto us and yet remaining for us, which is foretold and described in the 95th psalm. For he hath shewed that the rest mentioned therein, was not a rest that was past, or enjoyed by any that went before us in any state of the church from the foundation of the world, but it is that which is now declared and proposed in the gospel. . That others had a rest typical hereof proposed unto them, seeing God never ordained his church in any state without a rest, and a day of rest as a token thereof. 3. That some by sin, or unbelief and disobedience, fell short of the rest proposed to them, and did not enter into it, but were destroyed in the just indignation of God against them. 4. That in their sin, and God's displeasure with the event of the one and effects of the other, there was an example set forth of what would be the event with them, and God's dealings towards them, who through unbelief should neglect the rest now declared and proposed unto them. Unto all these propositions, he subjoins a description of this new rest, in the cause, origin and nature of it, with that day of rest wherein it is expressed. Having therefore proved and confirmed these things in his exposition and discourses upon the 95th Psalm, he lays them down as the foundation of his exhorting the Hebrews to faith and perseverance, keeping himself unto the notion of a rest, and of entering into it, which the testimony he had chosen to insist upon led him

unto.

EndαowμEY Vulg. Lat. Festinemus; and the Rhemists, Let us hasten; that is, dμ. The words are both from the same original. But nedal is never used for to hasten, nor is

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suda for a rash, precipitate haste; such as is condemned by the prophet in the things of God, Isa. xxviii. 16. "He that believeth shall not make haste;" that is, with such a kind of haste as causeth men to miscarry in what they undertake, and gives them disappointment and shame. Hence the apostle renders those words, & 1, "He that believeth, shall not make haste,” by ὁ πιστεύων επ' αυτώ ε μη καταισχυνθήσεται, Rom. ix. 33. "Whosoever believeth on him, shall not be ashamed," expressing the cause by the effect. Syr. Donn): enitamur, operam demus, let us endeavour it, do our endeavour.' Ours, Let us labour.' Bez. Studeamus, properly, let us study, or studiously endea. vour, sedulously apply our minds.'

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Εισελθείν εις εκείνην την κατάπαυσιν. These words have been all opened before, nor do translators vary in the rendering of them. Ίνα μη εν τω αυτω τις υποδειγματι πέση της απείθειας. Vulg. Lat. Et ne in id ipsum quis incidat incredulitatis exemplum. Rhem,

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