ple rest, and there had been no mention of another day. Yea, whatever, lawfully used, they may have of rest in them, it is no rest in comparison of that which is to be obtained in Christ Jesus. Hence he invites us to him under the very notion of "giving rest unto our souls," Mat. xi. 28. And here, in him there is no want, no defect, no disappointment, no fadingness, nothing that hinders those other things from giving complete rest to men. He that rests in the world, or rests in himself, or rests in his own righteousness, or rests even in God's ordinances, will never come to rest, until he be deprived of all expectation from them, and confidence in them.

Obs. III. The gospel church state is a state of spiritual rest in Christ. This, for the substance of it, hath been handled at large before. I mention it now only for two ends. First, To shew what we ought to look after in this gospel church state, and under the enjoyment of gospel privileges. And then, Secondly, To discover a little how men deceive themselves in this matter. For First, This is that which distinguisheth our present church state, from that of theirs under the Old Testament. Joshua gave them all other things, only he gave them not rest, the rest of God. This is now the portion of them that believe. This all the children of the church are to look after. What is it then that men do seek after, or join themselves to the church of Christ on the account of? What do they look for in the worship, in the ordinances, in the ways of the church? If it be any thing but only to enter into the rest of God through Christ, they do but deceive themselves; whatever they take up in, short hereof, they frustrate the whole counsel of God towards themselves in the gospel. Secondly, How many pretend to an interest in this gospel church state, who plainly, openly and visibly, seek after their rest in other things! Many in their own duties, most in their lusts and the pleasures of the world. Where is the privilege of such persons as these, above that of the Israelites under the conduct of Joshua? Can they say, that although in and under all the enjoyments before mentioned, they obtained not rest, yet the Lord Christ hath given rest to their souls in the gospel? Alas, they have no rest at all; and that which they do pursue is such as the gospel hath no concern in. Did Christ come, think you, to give you rest in your lusts, in your sins, in your pleasures? God forbid; he came to give you rest from these things, in himself, which alone is the rest here preached to you.

Obs. IV. It is a great mercy and privilege to have a day of rest and worship given to us.-The apostle doth not say here, that after these things he speaks of another rest, but of another day. For from the foundation of the world, we were taught our rest in God by a day of rest given to us. When by sim

we forfeited our interest in that rest of God, God might justly have deprived all the world of the knowledge of the day of rest first appointed. And indeed while he left his law standing as a testimony of his holiness, and a rule of his future judg ment, but did not by any outward means press it on the consciences and practices of men, all knowledge of a day of rest was lost from amongst mankind, some few excepted, whom God took into his special care. For to what purpose should they look after a day of rest, who had utterly lost all desires after, and all interest in the rest of God itself? But when God would revive in men a hope and expectation of returning to rest in and with himself, he recals to their remembrance the day of rest which was at first appointed. But as he then led men into rest only typically, and in order to the representation of a future rest to be brought in; so he renewed to them the remembrance of the day of rest typically also; that it might be a sign between him and them. But now, the rest of God being again established, he hath appointed to us "another day," as it is in the text, a day of rest, for the ends which have been often mentioned. And this is a great mercy and privilege; for,

1. It is a pledge of our rest in God, which is the life, happiness and blessedness of our souls. It is given us to this end and purpose, that so it might be; which was the end of a day of rest from the foundation of the world, as hath been declared.

2. It is a pledge of the recovery of this rest for us, and that it is not absolutely the same rest in God whereunto we were made, but another rest, a better and more sure. And therefore it is "another day," that is given to us, and not the same day as of old. God kept the people under the law, in an intermediate state, between the duties of the old covenant and the promises of the new. This kept them to the precise day of the old covenant. For although virtually they were made partakers of that rest of God which is in Christ Jesus, yet the foundation and cause of it being not as yet laid and wrought, they were to content themselves with pledges of it, as a thing to come; such as were their sacrifices and ordinances of worship, with the old day typically renewed. But to have another day, which could not be established but with respect to the works of Christ already wrought, and so to be a pledge of what was done before, this they could not have. This God hath reserved for us; and the day we now have, being another day, is a pledge of rest already wrought out, and actually prepared.

3. It is given us as a means of entering into the rest of God. For hereon hath God ordained, that the solemn declaration of his mind and will concerning his rest, and our entrance into it,

should be made to us. Hereon do we celebrate all that solemn worship of God, whereby we express our faith concerning our rest in him, and by which, as means appointed for that end, we are admitted into that rest, and carried on gradually towards its full and eternal enjoyment. And these things the apostle

further confirms.

VER. 9.-HAVING passed through his testimonies and arguments, the apostle in this and the following verse, lays down both what he hath evinced in his whole disputation, as also the general foundation of it, in answer to the principles of his preceding discourse.

VER. 9. Αρα απολείπεται σαββατισμος τω λαω τε Θε8.

Apa, itaque, igitur; the common note of inferring a conclusion from any argument, whether inartificial or artificial, of both which sorts, the apostle makes use in this place. Hereby therefore, he would mind the Hebrews, to attend both to what he was about to assert, and to the dependance of it on the former testimonies and arguments, that he had pleaded and vindicated.

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Axoλuwsrai, relinquitur, superest, it is left,' it remains,' it is evinced.' For this word may refer to aga, therefore,' and be a part of the induction of the conclusion following. So the verb is to be taken impersonally, It remaineth therefore,' or this is that which we have proved. In this sense, odumitai is the modification of the conclusion, and is not of the substance of it, or one of the terms of the proposition. And this exposition the Syriac version follows, reading the whole words,

Wherefore, it is certain * : כים הו למשבתו לעמה דאלהא

that the people of God ought to sabbatize, or keep a Sabbath.” This is certain, a truth that is proved and vindicated; so that the people of God may know their privilege and their duty. The Ethiopic version renders the words somewhat strangely, "Is the priesthood of the people of God abrogated ?" that is, it is not; so that standing still in the same peculiar relation to God, as they did of old when they were a royal priesthood, they ought still to attend to his worship, and celebrate his ordinances, the great work of the day of their rest. Οr, απολειπε Tai, may refer to vabbariques following, and be of a neutral signification. A sabbatism, or rest remaineth. There is yet another rest remaining and abiding for the people of God to enter into, besides those before mentioned and discoursed of. emaineth,' that is, God hath prepared it, promised it, and invites us to enter into it.

It

Zabbariuos. This word is framed by our apostle from a Hebrew original, by the addition of a Greek termination, and

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so becomes comprehensive of the whole sense to be expressed, which no other single word in either would do. The original of it is the Hebrew aw, which signifies to rest.' And it is 1. Used to express the rest of God after his works of the creation, Gen. ii. 2. wawn ora n" and he rested, or sabbatized on the seventh day." And this being so of old, the word is used by our apostle to show, that the rest which he now asserts for the people of God, is founded in the rest of God himself. If this it had not been, it might have been avaavois, a rest in general, it could not have been rasarioμos, a sabbatism,' a sabbatizing rest; for there is no foundation for any such name or thing but in the rest of God. 2. From the rest of God, this word came to give name to the day of rest appointed for men, Exod xx. 10-12. Because God na, Shabbath, rested from his works,' he blessed awn Or, iom kashabath, the day of rest,' the Sabbath, which he would have us remember to keep. Now our apostle having proved, that the consideration of that original rest of God, as to its first ends and purposes, is removed, and consequently the day itself founded thereon, and another rest introduced to be expressed in and by another day, he calls it a sabbatism, to express both the rest itself, and the observance of another day likewise, as a pledge and token of that other rest of God, and of our spiritual interest therein. The word then doth not precisely intend either a day of rest, or a spiritual rest; but the whole of our rest in God with respect unto his, and that day that is the token thereof, comprised therein. And hereby the apostle completes the due analogy that is between the several rests of God and his people, which he hath discoursed of in this chapter. For as at the beginning of the world, there was first the work of God, and his rest thereon, which made way for a rest for his people in himself, and in his worship, by the contemplation of his works which he had made, and on whose finishing he rested; and a day designed, determined, blessed and sanctified to express that rest of God; whence mention is made of those works in the command for the observance of that day, seeing the worship of God in and on that day consisted principally in the glorifying of God by and for those works of his, as also to be a means to further men in their entrance into his eternal rest, whereunto all these things do tend. This was the caries of the people of God from the foundation of the world. And as at the giving of the law, there was a great work of God and his rest thereon in the finishing of his work, and the establishing of his worship in the land of Canaan, which made way for the people's entering into his rest, in that worship and country, and had a day assigned them to express the one and the other, and to help them to enter finally into the rest of God; all which were

types and shadows of the rest mentioned by David, and this was their cabbaroμs, or sabbatizing rest. So now under the gospel, there is a sabbatism comprehensive of all these. For there was, as we shall see, a great work of God, and a rest of his own, that ensued thereon. On this is founded the promise of rest spiritual and eternal to them that do believe; and the determination of a new day, expressive of the one and the other, that is, the rest of God and our rest in him; which is the sabbatism that our apostle here affirms to remain for the people of God. And what day this is, hath been declared, namely, the first day of the week.

Now, besides the evidence that ariseth from the consideration of the whole context, there are two things which make it undeniably manifest, that the apostle here proves and asserts the granting of an evangelical Sabbath, or day of rest, for the worship of God to be constantly observed. This, I say, he doth, though he doth not this only, nor separately; which, whilst some have aimed to prove, they have failed of their aim, not being able to maintain a Sabbath rest exclusively, in opposition either to a spiritual or eternal rest. For so it is not here considered, but only in the manner and order before laid down.

Now these are first the introduction of the seventh day's rest into this discourse; and the mentioning of our gospel rest by the name of a day. Unless the apostle had designed the declaration of a day of rest now under the gospel, as well as a real. spiritual rest by believing, there is no tolerable reason to be given of his mentioning the works of God and his rest, and his appointment of the old Sabbath, which without respect unto another day, doth greatly obscure and involve his whole discourse. Again, his use of this word, framed, and as it were, coined to this purpose, that it might both comprise the spiritual rest aimed at, and also express a Sabbath-keeping or observance. When he speaks of our rest in general, he still doth it by xaraπavois; adding there was an especial day for its enjoy ment. Here he introduceth Carioues, which his way of arguing would not have allowed, had he not designed to express the Christian Sabbath.

Secondly, He shews who they are to whom this Sabbatism doth belong, who are to enter into this rest, to enjoy it with all the privileges that do attend it; and these are Amos te ☺tu, the people of God.' Those of old to whom the rest of Canaan was proposed, were the people of God; and God hath a people still; and wherever he hath so, rest is promised to them, and prepared for them. These he had before described by their own grace and obedience, ver. 3. "We who have believed do enter into rest." Here he doth it by their relation unto God, and the privilege that depended thereon; they are the people VOL. IV.