contend withal; yet this he undertakes on the sole authority of the Scriptures, and testimonies to his purpose thence taken, and gloriously accomplisheth his design. Certainly whilst we have the same warranty of the word for what we avow and profess, we need not despond for those mean artifices and pretences wherewith we are opposed, which bear no proportion to those difficulties which by the same word of truth have been conquered and removed. For instance, what force is there in the pretence of the Roman church, in their profession of things found out, appointed, and commanded by themselves, in comparison of that of the Hebrews for theirs, begun and continued by the authority of God himself? And if this hath been removed and taken away by the light and authority of the Scriptures, how can the other, "hay and stubble," stand before it? Obs. II. It is to no purpose to press any thing in the worship of God, without producing the authority of God for it in his word.

Our apostle takes no such course, but still minds the Hebrews what is spoken in this and that place to his purpose. And to what end serves any thing else in this matter? is there any thing else that we can resolve our faith into, or that can influence our consciences into a religious obedience? and are not these things the life and soul of all worship, without which it is but a dead carcass and an abomination to God and them that are his?

Obs. III. What the Scripture puts an especial remark upon is especially by us to be regarded and inquired into.

Here the apostle refers to what was in a peculiar manner spoken concerning the seventh day; and what blessed mysteries he thence educeth we shall endeavour to manifest in our exposition of that part of his discourse wherein it is handled.

These things being thus fixed, we may with much brevity pass through the remaining verses wherein the apostle treats of the same subject. Unto what, therefore, he had affirmed of God's entering into his rest upon the finishing of the works from the foundation of the world, he adds,

VERSE 5.

Καὶ ἐν τούτῳ πάλιν· Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου.

Kai i Tory, “and in this," or "here,” i» TOúty to faλuğ, “in this psalm :" or Tó, "in this place;" that is, in the place of Scripture under consideration and exposition, namely the 95th Psalm, or the words of the Holy Ghost by David therein. The expression is elliptical, and the sense is to be supplied from the beginning of the fourth verse: "For he spake in a certain place; and again he speaks in this place."

Пά, "again" that is, after he had said before that upon the finishing of his works God rested the seventh day, and blessed it for a day of rest unto his creatures, he (that is, the same Holy Ghost) says yet again, upon another occasion," If they shall enter into my rest."

Ver. 5.-And in this again, If they shall enter into my

rest.

"If they shall enter into my rest." We have showed before that from these words, not absolutely considered, but as used and applied in the discourse of the psalmist, he proveth that there is yet a promise of entering into rest remaining to the people of God. This is included in them, as they are taken from the historical record in Moses and prophetically applied in David. And this he takes here for granted, namely, that an entrance into the rest of God for some is intended in those very words whereby others were excluded. His present argument is from the time and place when and where these words were spoken, which include a rest of God to be entered into. Now this was in the time of Moses, and in the wilderness; so that they cannot intend the sabbatical rest from the foundation of the world. For the works,' saith he,' were finished in six days, and the seventh day was blessed and sanctified for a day of rest,' as Moses testifieth, Gen. ii. 1-3. This rest was tendered unto and entered into by some from the foundation of the world. It must, therefore, of necessity, be "another rest" that is spoken of by the psalmist, and which the people were afresh invited to enter into, as afterwards he more clearly asserts and proves. And they who deny a sabbatical rest from the beginning, do leave no foundation for nor occasion unto the apostle's arguments and discourse; for if there were no such rest from the foundation of the world, what need he prove that this in David was not that which, on this supposition, was not at all? This, therefore, is his purpose in the repetition of this testimony, namely, to show that the rest mentioned therein was not that which was appointed from the beginning of the world, but another, whose proposal yet remained. So then there was another rest of God besides that upon the creation of all, as is evident from this place, which he further confirms in the next verse. And we may hence learn, that,

Obs. Many important truths are not clearly delivered in any one singular testimony or proposition in the Scripture, but the mind of God concerning them is to be gathered and learned by comparing of several scriptures, their order and respect unto one another.

Considering, as the apostle here doth, what is said roù, and what again iv roúry, what in one place, and what in another, then comparing them together with their mutual respect, with the due use of other means, we shall, under the conduct of God's Spirit and grace, come to an acquaintance with his mind and will. The heathens saw and acknowledged that all truth lies deep. And the wise man adviseth us to dig and search after it as after gold and silver and precious stones. Now, the deep mine of all spiritual truth is in the word of

God: here must we search for it if we intend to find it. And one principal way and means of our search is, the comparing together of divers places treating concerning the same matter or truth. This by some is despised, by the most neglected; which causeth them to know little and mistake much in the holy things of God.

VERSE 6.

Having thus removed an objection that might arise against the new proposal of a rest of God distinct from the sabbatical rest, which was appointed from the foundation of the world, and manifested that although there was in the state of nature, or under the law of our creation, a working and rest of God, and a rest for men to enter into, and a day set apart as a pledge of that rest, yet this was not the rest which he now inquired after, the apostle in this and the following verses proceedeth to improve his testimonies already produced to a further end, namely, to prove that although after the original rest now mentioned there was a second rest promised and proposed unto the people of God, yet neither was that it which is proposed in this place of the psalm, but a third, that yet remained for them, and was now proposed unto them, and that under the same promises and threatenings with the former; whence the carriage and issue of things with that people with respect thereunto is greatly by us to be considered.

Ver. 6.—Επεὶ οὖν ἀπολείπεταί τινας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς αὐτὴν, καὶ οἱ πρότερον εὐαγγελισθέντες οὐκ εἰσῆλθον δι ̓ ἀπείθειαν

'Esi ou, "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.

̓Απολείπεται, σε 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 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.

Tivas elosλbeïv eiç avrýv, “quosdam introire in eam,” “ut aliqui introeant in eam;" ;" "that some enter into it." The Syriac changeth both the words and sense

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seeing therefore there " ; מֶטוּל הָכִיל דאית הוא אַתְרָא בֵּאנָשׁ אֲנָשׁ נְעוּל לָהּ :in this place

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was a place into which any man might enter," or every man,"_" a man,” "man." It seemeth precisely to respect the land of Canaan, as that rest whereinto 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."

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Καὶ οἱ πρότερον εὐαγγελισθέντες. Vulg. Lat., " quibus prioribus annunciatum est;" that is, páros: it refers the word to the persons, and not to the thing or

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the preaching itself. Rhem., "and they to whom first it was preached,” instead of "they to whom it was first preached." IIpótspo","prius," "first;" not absolutely, but with respect unto what follows.

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. 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 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, DN and si, 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."

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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 unto believers from the foundation of the world; but it was the church rest of the land of Canaan, that was first preached unto them;—that is, the accomplishment of the promise, upon their faith and obedience, was first

proposed unto them; for otherwise the promise itself was first given. to Abraham, but the actual accomplishment of it was never proposed unto him, on any condition. Into 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 unto.

This, therefore, is the substance of this verse: Besides the 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 unto the people of old, they entered not into it, by reason of their unbelief.

And in proportion unto 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 unto us, as they came short of that which was then proposed unto 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 unto 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 unto. And this work of God had two parts; or two sorts of works concurred thereunto:1. Such as were preparatory unto it, namely, the works that he wrought for the delivery 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 terrors," 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 of the church into such a state as wherein God might rest, Ezek. xvi. 8-13, answer