Ew our, quoniam igitur, seeing therefore; whereas therefore;" or as Beza, quia, igitur, therefore, because.' The words are the notes or signs of an inference to be made from what was spoken before, or a conclusion to be evinced from what follows after.

AñоMUTITαι, superest, reliquum est, impersonally, it remaineth.' The word may have respect unto the form of the argument, or to the matter of it. In the first way, it denoteth what he hath evinced by his former reasonings and testimonies; namely this, that some must enter into rest, which way the words look, as expressed in our translation; in the latter, it intendeth no more but that there are some yet to enter into that rest; or this work of entering into the rest of God yet remaineth. Neither is this difference so great, as that we need precisely to determine the sense either way.

Tiras siosàdelv sig avʊn, quosdam introire in eam; ut aliqui introeant in eam, that some enter into it. The Syriac changeth

מטל הכיל דאית הוא,both the words and sense in this place ,seeing therefore there was a place אתרא דאנש אנש נעול לה

6

into which any man might enter,' or every man ; a man, man.' It seemeth precisely to respect the land of Canaan, as that rest whereunto some may, do, or must enter; whereas the apostle is proving that it was not that, but another. Arab. seeing some remain that must enter into it.'

Και

Kai oi wgoregov svayrysdioderes, Vulg. Lat. quibus prioribus annuntiatum est; that is, gros; it refers the word to the persons, and not to the thing or the preaching itself. Rhem. ' and they to whom first it was preached;' instead of, they to whom it was first preached.' Пgorsgov, prius,first,' not absolutely, but with respect unto what follows.

6

The remainder of the words have been opened before.

VER. 6.-Whereas therefore, it remaineth that some enter into it, and those to whom it was first preached (who were first evangelized) entered not in because of unbelief, or disobedience. THE words contain an assertion, and a particular assumption from it.

First, The assertion is, that some must or shall enter into the rest of God. This he concludes as evinced and proved by his former arguments and testimonies; and this rest is not the rest of God, and the Sabbath from the foundation of the world. For express mention is made afterwards, and on another occasion, of another rest of God, whereinto an entrance was to be obtained. This he proves from those words of the psalmist, as cited out of Moses, "if they shall enter into my rest." For although he cites the words immediately out of the psalm, yet he argues from them as first recorded in Moses. For he proves

in the next verse, that David intends another rest than that which was before spoken of, although typically included in the former. So the words prove that there is yet a remaining entrance into a rest of God. Not as if these particles and " used here, had in the same place a contrary signification, and might be interpreted negatively or affirmatively," if they shall," that is, they shall not. For that was the intention of the words, towards them concerning whom they were first spoken," and they shall enter," some shall, as the apostle applies them; but that a promise is included in every conditional threatening, as we have before declared. The sense of these words then is, that from what hath been spoken, it is evident that some must yet enter into another rest of God, besides that which was in the Sabbath appointed from the foundation of the world.

Secondly, He assumes, that those to whom that rest was first preached," entered not in," because of their disobedience. It is manifest whom the apostle intends in these words, namely, those who came out of Egypt under the conduct of Moses, whose sin and punishment he had so fully expressed in the foregoing chapter. Now to these was the rest of God first declared, they were first evangelized with it. And hereby the apostle shows what rest it is that he intends, namely, not absolutely the spiritual rest of the promise, for this was preached and declared to believers from the foundation of the world: but it was the church-rest of the land of Canaan, that was first preached to them, that is, the accomplishment of the promise on their faith and obedience was first proposed to them. For otherwise the promise itself was first given to Abraham, but the actual accomplishment of it was never proposed to him on any condiInto this rest they entered not by reason of their unbelief and disobedience, as hath been at large declared on the third chapter, which the apostle here refers to.

tion.'

Besides the

This therefore is the substance of this verse. rest of God from the foundation of the world, and the institution of the seventh day Sabbath as a pledge thereof; there was another rest for men to enter into, namely, the rest of God and his worship in the land of Canaan. This being proposed to the people of old, they entered not into it by reason of their unbelief.

And in proportion to what was declared before, concerning the rest of God after the finishing of his works from the foundation of the world, we may briefly consider what this rest was, which those to whom it was first proposed entered not into. For it is not observed, that they entered not into it, to manifest that the same rest which they entered not into, did still remain for those that now would enter into it by faith, for the apostle plainly proves afterwards, that it is another rest that he treats

of, and that although some did enter into that rest under the conduct of Joshua, yet there was still another rest besides that prophesied of in the psalm; but this is called over in the pursuit of his former exhortation, that we should take heed lest we come short of the rest proposed to us, as they came short of that which was then proposed to them. We may therefore here consider what was that rest which God calls his rest, and which he invited them to enter into, and what did concur in the constitution of it. And these things, although they have been mentioned before, must here be laid down in their proper place.

First, This being a rest of God, there must be some work of God preceding it, with respect whereunto it is so called. Now this was the mighty work of God in erecting the church-state of the Israelites, compared to his work in the creation of heaven and earth, whereby he made way for the first state of rest, before mentioned, Isa. li. 15, 16. And this it every way answered to. And this work of God had two parts, or two sorts of works concurred thereunto. 1. Such as were preparatory to it, namely, the works that he wrought for the deliverance of the people out of Egypt. These were effected by temptations, by signs and by wonders, and by war, and by "a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terror," Deut. iv. 34. These things of dread and terror answer the creation of the first matter, which was void and without form. 2. Perfective

of it, in the giving of the law, with all its statutes and ordinances, and the whole worship of God to be observed among that people. This was the especial and particular forming the church into such a state as wherein God might rest, Ezek. xvi. 8—13. answering the six days work, wherein God created and formed all kinds of creatures, out of the first created unformed mass. For as on their finishing, God looked on them and saw that. they were good, and declared them so to be, Gen. i. so on the erection of this church-state and disposition of the people,. he saw that it was good, and declared it so to be, Ezek. xvi. 14.

"Thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty; for it was perfect through my honour that I put upon thee." So was the work of the creation of that church-state, the generation of these heavens and earth, and all the host of them, finished.

Secondly, This thing done, God rests, or enters into his own rest. "He and the ark of his strength arose, and entered into his rest," in answer to this rest after his finishing of the works of the first creation, Psalm cxxxii. 8. The settlement of his worship, and the typical representation of his presence among the people therein, shadowing out his glorious presence in him. in whom the fulness of the Godhead was to dwell bodily, he

calls it his "rest,” and his own rest." And hereon ensued a double rest proposed to the people. One a spiritual rest in God, as having entered into a special covenant with them. On God's rest on the creation, men were invited to enter into God's rest as the God of nature, on the terms and according to the law of creation. But by sin this rest was rendered useless and unprofitable to all mankind, and the covenant itself lost all its power of bringing men to God. But now in this erection of a new church-state among the posterity of Abraham, the foundation of it was the promise made to Abraham, which contained in it the substance of another covenant, whereinto God through Jesus Christ would enter and rest therein, whereon be invites them by faith and obedience to enter into it also, "into the rest of God." Secondly, There was a pledge of this spiritual rest proposed to the people; and this was the land of Canaan, and the quiet possession thereof, and exercise of the worship of God therein. By this, and their respect to it, God tried their faith and obedience, as to that spiritual rest, which as it were lay hid under it. And herein it was that they failed, whose example is proposed and considered in this chapter.

Thirdly, God's rest after the creation of the work at first, was on the first seventh day, which he therefore blessed and sanctified, that it might be a pledge and token both of his own acquiescence in his works, and in the law of obedience that he had assigned to them all; as also a pledge and token to men, of that eternal rest which was in himself prepared for them, on the observance of that law whose institution he himself rested in; and also that they might have an especial time and season solemnly to express their faith and obedience. And this day he again for the same ends renewed to the people of Israel, and that without any change of it, both because the time was not yet come wherein the great reformation of all things was to be wrought, and because the first covenant whereunto that day's rest was annexed, was materially revived and represented anew to that people. And this day of rest, or the institution of the seventh-day Sabbath in the church of the Jews, is necessarily included in this verse; for without the consideration of it, this rest doth not answer the rest of God before insisted on, and which is the rule and measure of all that follows; for therein there was a day of rest, which is mentioned synecdochically, for the whole rest of God, in those words, "for one speaking of the seventh day ;" and therefore our apostle, in his next review of this testimony, doth not say there was another rest, but only that another day was determined, which extends both to the general season wherein the rest of God is proposed to any, as also to the especial day, which was the visible pledge of the rest of God, and whereby the people might enter into it, as in the ensuing words will be made manifest.

This then is that which the apostle hath proved, or entered upon the proof of, towards his main design in these verses; namely, that there being a rest of God for men to enter into, and this not the rest of the land of Canaan, seeing they who had it proposed and offered first unto them, did not enter into it, there must be yet that other rest remaining, which he provokes the Hebrews to labour for an entrance into. And the ground of his argument lies herein; in that the rest of Canaan, although it was a distinct rest of itself, yet it was typical of that other rest which he is inquiring after. And the good things of this new rest were obscurely represented unto the people therein; so that by rejecting that rest, they rejected the virtue and benefits of this also. And we may hence observe, that

Obs. I. The faithfulness of God in his promises, is not to be measured by the faith or obedience of men, at any one season in any one generation, nor by their sins whereby they come short of them, nor by any providential dispensations towards them. The people in the wilderness having a promise proposed unto. them of entering into the rest of God, when they all failed and came short of it, there was an appearance of the failure of the promise itself. So they seem themselves to have tacitly charged God, when he denounced the irrevocable sentence against their entering into the land of promise. For after the declaration of it, he adds, " and ye shall know my breach of promise," Num. xiv. 34. which is a severe and ironical reproof of them. They seem to have argued, that if they entered not, God failed in his promise, and so reflected on his truth and veracity. That, saith God, shall be known, when you are utter-. ly destroyed; for then it was that it should be accomplished. You shall know that it is your sin, unbelief and rebellion, and not any failure on my part.

Our apostle manageth a great argument on this subject, in another place. Upon the preaching of the gospel, it was thought that the Gentiles being called, the generality of the Jews were rejected and not taken into a participation of the benefits thereof. Hence there was an appearance that the promise of God unto the seed of Abraham, and the faithfulness of God therein, had failed. This objection he proposeth to himself by way of anticipation, Rom. ix. 6. "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect." The word of God intended, is the word of promise, as is declared, ver. 8. This seemed to fail, in that the seed of Abraham were not universally, or at least generally made partakers of it. It is not so, saith he; the promise is firm and stable, and hath its effect, notwithstanding this apparent failure. Thereon he proceeds at large in the removal of that objection, by manifesting that in the fleshly seed of Abra