Note, lastly, That although many, very many, in the wilderness that heard the voice of God provoked him, yet not all, ver. 16. some when they heard, did provoke, howbeit not all that came out of Egypt. Learn hence, That in the most general and visible apostasy of the church, God evermore reserves a remnant to himself to bear witness for himself by their faith and obedience: They provoked, howbeit not all. God always has, and ever will reserve, a remnant of faithful and undefiled souls unto himself, to maintain and keep up his own kingdom in the world, and to have a revenue of special glory from them, and by them, so long as the world continues. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Observe here, The party grieved, God: the parties grieving, the people of Israel; the time of both, forty years: the occasion of this grief, sin in general, unbelief in particular, hardness of heart, and final apostasy; the punishment of sin, their carcases fell in the wilderness. Learn, 1. That sin is the proper object of God's displeasure, the only thing he is displeased with for itself, and with the sinner for sin's sake. Learn, 2. That public sins, or the sins of societies, are great, very great, provocations unto God. It was not for their personal and private sins that God was thus provoked, but for their confederacy in sinning. Learn, 3. From their exemplary punishment, their carcases fell in the wilderness-That God sometimes makes men, who have been wickedly exemplary in sin, to be righteously exemplary in punishment. 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? The rest here spoken of is the land of Canaan, so called because God promised it to Abraham, to plant and settle his posterity in it; and because it typified heaven, that eternal rest which God has prepared for his saints: into this rest the rebellious and unbelieving Israelites must not enter; God sware the contrary, he sware by himself, he sware in his wrath, he sware to make his sentence irrevocable and immutable. Lord! thine oath stands as a bar against all unbelieving sinners at this day, as it did against the Israelites of old, and cuts off all hopes of future entrance into thy cternal rest which they have eternally forfeited! To whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? Learn hence, 1. That unbelief is the immediate root and cause of all provoking sins. Did men believe the happiness of heaven, they could not neglect it; did they believe the torments of hell, they would avoid them. Learn, 2. That the oath of God is engaged against all unbelief, and no unbeliever shall enter into the rest of God, ver. 19. We sce they could not enter in because of unbelief. CHAP. IV. This chapter is of the same nature, and carrieth on the same design, with the foregoing; both of them contain an exhortation to faith, obedience, and perseverance. And inasmuch as the earthly Canaan was a type and figure of the heavenly rest, the apostle exhorteth all christians to take beer, est by unbelief they miss of the latter, as the Israelites did of old. LET us therefore fear, lest, a pro mise being left us of entering in to his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. As if the apostle had said, "Seeing you have so dreadful an example of God's wrath executed upon your fathers in the wilderness for their unbelief, take heed of their sins, fest ye suffer the like punishment." Here note, 1. The manner of the exhortation and how the apostle includes himself in the admonition, Let us fear; it is wise and safe for the ministers of God to include themselves in the exhortations and admonitions which they give to others: for they need excitement, and the means of establishment, as well as others. Note, 2. The affection their preservation from falling; by which of fear which our apostle recommends for he means a fear of care, diligence, and circumspection. Let us fear lest we come short and fail. Fear is a good monitor, and the best preservative from sin. Note, 3. The duty exhorted to, lest a promise of rest being made, we should fall short of attaining it, as the Israelites did that fell in the wilderness. Learn hence, 1. That it is matter of great and tremendous consequence to have the promises of God propounded to us; they are either a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death; one of these two will certainly be the consequent of their proposal. God will demand a strict account of the sons of men, of the entertainment given to his promises and threatenings. Learn, 2. That they which mix not the promises of God with faith, shall utterly come short of entering into God's rest. Learn, 3. That the failing of men through unbelief, doth no way cause the promises of God to fail or cease the veracity of God is engaged for the stability of the promise; so that though men by their unbelief may disappoint themselves of their expectation, yet they cannot bereave God of his faithfulness. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Observe here, 1. That the gospel is no new doctrine, no new law, but one and the same to all persons, and at all times, ever since the first publication of it in the original promise, Gen. iii. 15. It is the same for substance, though not for clearness of revelation; the same gospel was preached to Adam, to Abraham, to the Israelites in the wilderness, which was preached by Christ and his apostles, but with clearer light, evidence, and power in the administration of it; Unto us was the gospel, the same gospel, preached, as well as unto them. Observe, 2. That the generality of persons, who have sat under the preaching of the gospel in all ages, have not savingly profited by it, The word preached did not profit from the beginning it has been so, partly through carelessness, and want of due attention in the hearers, and partly for want of meditation upon, and particular application of, the word unto themselves after they have heard it; partly through the neglect of prayer for a blessing upon the word they hear for those and the like causes the word preached did not nor does not profit. Observe, 3. That unbelief in man's heart is the great cause of that unprofitableness which is found in the word preached: unbelief hinders the efficacy of the word preached, by withholding men from yielding their assent to the truths they hear, by hindering them from applying, from a particular and close applying, of the word they hear to their own consciences; and unbelief hinders men from calling upon God by prayer, for a blessing upon the word they hear. bserve, 4. That the word preached then profits, and only then, when it is a mixed word: the original word is a metaphor taken either from seed, from meat, or from physic. As seed must be mixed with the soil, and with the dew and rain of heaven, or it will never spring and grow; or as meat must be mixed with the stomach, or it will not nourish; and as physic must meet and mix with the humour, gripe and put the patient to some pain, or it will never cure so must the word be rooted in the heart, or it will never fructify in the life: it must be mixed with faith, with love, with humility, with patience, or it will never bring forth fruit with joy. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest; as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. As if the apostle had said, There is a rest promised to us believers, as well as the ty pical rest, Canaan, was promised to the Is raelites. Learn thence, That the state of believers, under the gospel, is a state of blessed rest. There is a spiritual rest which believers obtain entrance into by Jesus Christ, in the faith and worship of the gospel, besides their eternal rest in heaven. This spiritual rest consists in peace with God, in satisfaction and acquiescence in God, and in means of communion with God. Learn, 2. That it is faith alone which is the only way and means of entering into this blessed state of rest: We who have believed do enter into rest; as unbelief cuts off from, so faith gives an entrance into, the rest of God. It follows, -As I have sworn in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest : Observe, Here is a threatening confirmed by the oath of God, that they who believe not should never enter into his rest, and a promise that such as do believe shall certainly enter. Learn thence, That there is a mutual in-being of promises and threatenings in the covenant, which must be considered together, and cannot be separated each from other. Where there is a promise expressed, there a threatening is tacitly understood; and where there is a threatening ex pressed, be it never so severe, yet there is a gracious promise included: nay, sometimes God gives out a threatening for no other end, but that men may lay hold upon the promise. Thus the threatening, that Nineveh should perish, was given out mercifully, that Nineveh might not be destroyed. It follows, ---Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. That is, Almighty God, when he had perfected and finished the work of creation in six days, rested on the seventh day from his labour; showing us by his own example, that work and labour must precede our rest: after God had finished the glorious work of creation, he returns as it were into his own eternal rest, and directs to seek rest in himself; and by his own example teaches us, that our days of labour must go before our day of rest. 4 For he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. 6 Seeing therefore it re maineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. 7 Again, he limiteth a day, saying in David, To-day, after so long a time as it is said, Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterwards have spoken of another day. For the clearer understanding of these words, we must know, that there is a threefold rest spoken of in scripture, all which are called His, that is, God's rest, being all of his appointing and providing: namely, 1. The rest of the sabbath day, in remembrance of God's resting from the work of creation. 2. The typical rest in the land of Canaan. 3. An eternal rest with God in heaven, of which the sabbath and the Israelites' rest in Canaan were a type and figure. Now the apostle's design is, to prove that the rest which God principally intends for his people is this last rest, namely, an everlasting rest with himself in heaven; and this he evidently proves, because if that rest which they had obtained in the land of Canaan, under the conduct of Joshua, called (in Syriac) Jesus, had been all the rest which Almighty God ever intended for them, then it had been needless for David in the xcvth psalm, which was penned a long time after, even some hundreds of years, to make mention of any other rest. But this he does, and therefore infers, that there is a third rest yet to come, which by the preaching of the gospel was now proposed to them, and that under the same promises and threatenings with the former. If Jesus, or Joshua, had given them the true spiritual and eternal rest here spoken of, in Canaan, then would not David afterward have spoken of another rest after their rest in Canaan; which seeing he has done, the apostle concludes, there must yet remain a farther rest to be enjoyed by the people of God. From the whole note, That God has by promise given his people a full assurance of enjoying a rest upon condition of faith, and this another manner of rest than that of Canaan, which the Israelites of old did enjoy. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. From the foregoing premises the apostle draws this conclusion, That there remaineth yet a more glorious, perfect, and complete rest, for the people of God. Observe here, 1. Something implied, namely, That the people of God, whilst here upon earth, have works to do, and labour incumbent upon them. Rest and labour are correlates, the one supposes the other; the apostle affirming, that there is rest remaining for them, strongly supposes that there is labour at present belonging to them; God's people are an industrious, working people : Christ's present call is to service and duty. Observe, 2. That God has already given his people a foretaste of, and some entrance into, rest, during their present state of work and labour; the better to enable them for that, and the more to sweeten that to them. The state of sin is a state of all labour, and no rest; the state of glory is all rest, and no labour; but the state of grace is a mixed state, partly of labour, and partly of rest; of labour in respect of ourselves, in respect of the world, against sin, under affliction and persecution; but of rest in Christ, in his love, in his favour, and grace, and thus our labour makes our rest sweet, and our rest makes our labour easy. Observe, 3. That there is reserved and laid up in heaven for all the people of God that serve him laboriously and faithfully here on earth, a sure and certain, a complete and perfect, a glorious and everlasting, rest; for its quantity it is full of rest; for its quality it is unmixed rest; rest, and nothing but rest for its duration, it is an eternal rest; the least fear of losing or leaving it, would imbitter all the joy which the saints taste in the fruition and enjoyment of it: There remaineth, or there is laid up and reserv. ed, a rest for the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Into the spiritual heavenly rest, mentioned in the foregoing verse, the believer is said to have entered, in this verse; and this is done two ways, initially, inchoatively, and imperfectly, in this life; fully, finally, perfectly, and completely in the next. They have now a present title and right to enter into this rest; the actual enjoyment and full possession of it is to come. Observe, 1. Believers have already entered initially into this rest whilst here on earth, and accordingly have ceased from their own works; that is, the works of the flesh, the service of sin: these they have discarded by repentance and mortification. Here note, That before conversion a person is doing his own works, fulfilling his own will, and not God's; but after he ceases from all sinful works, inchoatively though not perfectly: He that hath entered into his rest, hath ceased from his own works. Observe, 2. That when believers have finished all their works of evangelical obedience, they shall then, and not till then, fully and finally enter into God's rest, and be for ever happy in the enjoyment of it. All men desire rest, but it is not to be found on earth, but in heaven; not in the creature, but in God. O happy they, which believing the excellency and glory of this rest, do work, wait, and wish, for it, and with diligence and constancy use all holy endeavours for the attaining and securing of it. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief, As if the apostle had said, "Seeing there is such an eternal glorious rest prepared for and promised to believers, then it is the duty, and ought to be the endeavour, of every one of us to secure our title to it, and our interest in it, by a stedfast faith and persevering obedience, lest, following the example of our forefathers in the wilderness, we fall and perish as they did." Learn hence, 1. That there is a rest promised to us under the gospel, as there was to the Jews of old under the dispensation of the law. Learn, 2. That the Jews heretofore, by sin in general, by unbelief and disobedience in particular, did fall short of the rest proposed to them, and never entered into it, but were destroyed by the just indignation of God. Learn, 3. That in the Israelites' sin and God's displeasure, in the event of the one and in the effects of the other, there was an example set forth, of what would be our own lot and portion, if through unbelief we fall short of the rest which the gospel proposes to us: Let us labour to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelest we be made examples of divine dislief. It is our duty to improve examples, pleasure. Learn, 4. That we cannot raing vengeance under the guilt of those sins, tionally have the least expectation of escapwhich others in like manner being guilty of, have not escaped, for with God there is no respect of persons. Did the Israelites miss of the earthly Canaan? so shall we of the heavenly, through unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. As if the apostle had said, "Take heed especially of unbelief; for the word of God, or doctrine of the gospel, will quickly find you out, if you be guilty of it." There is a piercing power in the word of God, through the energy and efficacious operation of the Holy Spirit; it is here compared to a sword, because it does divide things most nearly united, and discover things most inward and secret, or rather God by the word does this: He by the word pierces, even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit, that is, the actings of the understanding, and the motions of the will and affections; it cuts asunder the most resolute and compacted purposes of the will, yea, it pierces to the marrow, that is, the most secret and close contrivances of the soul, the thoughts and intents of the heart. O mighty power of the word! and of God, in and by the word, to convey strength to the weak, wisdom to the simple, comfort to the sorrowful, light to the blind, and life to the dead! it brings souls out of the captivity of sin into the blest liberty of faith in Christ. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked, and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. There is not any one place of scripture, I think, which more fully informs us of the perfect and exact knowledge of Almighty God, as to all persons and things, than this before us. Observe, 1. The object: all and every thing, our persons, our actions, the manner of our actions, the design and end of our actions; he knows what we have been and done, and what we will be and do. Observe, 2. The full manifestation and clear representation of all persons and things unto God. 1. All things are here said to be naked, unclothed, their dress and paint taken off; these words are an allusion to bodies, which being stripped and unclothed, all see what they are: there may be many deformities, blemishes, yea, ulcers, upon a body undiscerned, while it is clothed and covered; but when naked, every scar appears, and nothing is hid. All things are naked in his sight; that is, he as plainly discerns what they are, as we discern what a body is that stands naked before us. The knowledge which God has of persons and things is a clear and distinct knowledge. 2. All things are here said to be open, as well as naked, unto God; a metaphor taken, says St. Chrysostom, from the sacrificed beasts, which, being excoriated, their skins plucked off, they were cut down from the neck to the rump, so that all the inwards of the beast lay bare, and every part might be clearly seen it is one thing to see a sheep alive, with its skin and fleece on, and another thing to see it naked and flayed, but a farther thing to see it opened and unbowelled, with all its intestines and inwards exposed to the eye. Others think there is in the original word an allusion to anatomists, who open and dissect human bodies, the heart, the liver, the lungs, the bowels, all exactly appear, whether sound or decayed: such a kind of anatomy doth God make upon man's heart; his piercing eye sees and discerns what is flesh and what is spirit in us; what is faith, and what is fancy, what is grace in reality, and what in appearance only. Doubtless the phrase doth signify a most intimate, full, and thorough knowledge of all persons and all things, which is found in that God with whom we have to do, and to whom we must give an account for all that we have done. 14 Seeing then that we have a great high-priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Our apostle comes now to assert the priesthood of Christ, and to set forth the dignity and excellency of his office; from whence he encourages the believing Hebrews to perseverance and stedfastness in the profession of their faith in him. Here note, 1. The eminency of the person, Jesus the Son of God; not by supernatural conception only, but by eternal generation also; this is the eminency of that person who is superior to men and angels. Note, 2. The excellency of his office, a priest, an high-priest, a great high-priest: not barely equal with Aaron, but superior to him, and infinitely above him, the universal, supreme pontiff of heaven and earth, in comparison of whom all other priests, even the highest of them, were but shadows. Note, 3. His relation to us, We have him ; that is, special interest in him, making profession of obedience to him; and he is passed into the heavens, to open heaven to us, and to make intercession with the Father for us. This entrance of Christ's into heaven, was shadowed forth by the high-priest's entrance into the holy of holies here on earth. Note, 4. Our obligation to him, Let us hold fast our profession; that is, the profession of our faith in him, without wavering, with constancy and perseverance. Learn hence, 1. That great opposition ever has been, and always will be, made unto the stedfastness of believers in their holy profession. The apostle's exhortation plainly supposes oppo. sition. Learn, 2. That it is our duty, in the midst of all opposition, to hold fast our holy profession, without either apostatizing in the whole, or declining in parts of it. The glory of God is in the highest manner concerned in it, and assured destruction attends the omission of it, and that in a peculiar, terrible, and dreadful manner, chap. x. 29. Learn, 3. That believers have great encou ragement unto, and assistance in, the stedfastness and constancy of their holy profession, by and from the priesthood of Jesus Christ: for as he is our high-priest, he knows our temptations, pities us under them, affords us actual help and relief against them; |