dan, and according to the promise were entered into the rest of God, yet had great work to do in securing and preserving the possession which they had taken by faith; so is our entrance into the rest of God in this world; we have yet spiritual adversaries to conflict with, and the utmost of our spiritual endeavors are required to secure our possession, and to carry us on to perfect rest.

§3. As he said, as I have sworn in my wrath, if they "shall enter into my rest." How is it proved that we who believe shall enter into rest? Because God sware concerning others, that they should not do so. The apostle's argument depends upon a known rule; that to things immediately contrary, contrary attributes may be certainly ascribed; so that he who affirms the one, at the same denies the other; and he that denies the one, affirms the other. He that says it is day, doth as really say it is not night, as if he used those formal words. Now the proposition laid down by the apostle in proof of his assertion is this, they who believed not, did not enter into God's rest; for God sware that they should not, because they believed not. Hence it follows inevitably, in a just ratiocination, that "they who do believe, do enter into that rest;" for the promise being the same, if unbelief exclude, faith gives entrance. And here, by the way, we may take notice of the use of reason, or logical deductions, in proposing and confirming of supernatural truths, or artieles of faith. For the validity of the apostle's proof in this place, depends on the certainty of the logical maxim before mentioned, the consideration of which removes its whole difficulty. And to deny this liberty of deducing consequences according to the just rules of ratiocination, is quite to take away the use of the scriptures, and to banish reason from those things wherein

it ought to be principally employed. Besides the covenant of God is administered to us in promises and threatenings; they all have the same end allotted them, and the same grace to make them effectual. Hence every threatening includes a promise in it, and every promise in its proposal hath also the nature of a threatening. There is a natural inbeing of promises and threatenings, in reference to the ends of the covenant; God expressing his mind in various ways, hath still the same end in them all. The first covenant was given out in a mere word of threatening; "the day thou eatest thou shalt die;" yet no one doubteth but that there was a promise of life upon obedience included in threatening, yea and principally intended. So there is a threatening in every promise of the gospel. Whereas, therefore, there is a great threatening confirmed with the oath of God in these words, that ́those who believed not, should not enter into his rest; there is a promise included in the same words, no less solemnly confirmed, "that believers should enter into rest."

§4. "Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." It is evident that the apostle here undertakes to confirm what he had laid down in the foregoing verses, viz. that there is yet under the gospel a promise of entering into the rest of God remaining for believers, and that they do enter into that rest, by mixing the promise of it with faith. This he proves by a testimony out of the ninety-fifth Psalm. "But that rest, it might be said, seems to have been long since past and enjoyed;" to remove this objection, he proceeds to the exposition and vindication of that testimony, in which he shews, that no other rest is intended in them, but the rest of God and of his people in the gospel; and which he proves by various

arguments, laying singular weight upon this matter. For if there was a new rest promised, and they mixed not the promise of it with faith, during the continuance of God's patience towards them, they must perish eternally. The general argument he insists on, consists in an enumeration of the several rests of God, and of his people, mentioned in scripture; and from the consideration of them all, he proves, that no other rest could be principally intended in the words of David, but of the gospel into which Christian believers enter, and of which all others were striking representations. In pursuit of his design the apostle declares in particular,

1. That the rest mentioned in the Psalm, is not that which ensued immediately on the creation; because it is spoken of a long time after, and to another purpose, verses 4, 5.

2. That it is not the rest of the land of Canaan, because that was not entered into by them to whom it was promised; for they came short of it by their unbelief, and perished in the wilderness; but now this rest is offered afresh, ver. 6, 7.

3. Whereas it may be objected, that "although the wilderness-generation entered not in, yet their posterity did, under the conduct of Joshua," verse 8. He answers, that this rest being promised and proposed by David, so long a time (above 400 years) after the people had quietly possessed the land into which they were conducted by Joshua, it must needs be, that another rest yet to come was intended in those words, ver. 9. And,

4. To conclude his arguments, he declareth, that this new rest hath a new peculiar foundation; the author of it "ceasing from his own work," and "entering into his rest," ver. 10.

§5. But we are yet farther to inquire into the nature of the several rests here referred to, with their mutual relation; and some light into the whole may be given in the ensuing propositions:

1. The rest of God is the foundation and principal cause of our rest; "if they shall enter into my rest.” It is on some account or other God's rest before it is

our's.

2. God's rest is not spoken of absolutely with respect to himself only; but with reference to that which ensued thereon for the church. Hence it follows, that the rests here mentioned are as it were double; for instance, at the finishing of the works of creation, which is first proposed, God ceased from his work and rested; this was his own rest; "he rested on the seventh day." But that was not all; he blessed it for the rest of man, as an expressive representation, and a means, of our being taken into a participation of the rest of God.

3. The apostle proposeth to consideration, the threefold state of the church—that under the law of nature, or creation that under the law of institution, or carnal ordinances and that now introduced under the gospel. To each of these he assigns a distinct rest of God; and a rest of the church entering into God's rest; and a day of rest as a means and pledge thereof.

$6. 1. He considers the church and the state of it under the law of nature, before the entrance of sin. And herein he shews, first, that there was a rest of God; "for the works, saith he, were finished from the foundation of the world," and "God did rest from all his works," ver. 3, 4. This was God's own rest, and and was the foundation of the church's rest. For it was the duty of man hereon, to enter into the rest of God, that is, to make God his rest, here in faith and

obedience, and hereafter in immediate fruition; hence a day of rest, the seventh day, was blessed and sanctified for the present means of entering into the rest of God, in the performance of his worship, and as a pledge of its eternal fulness and continuance, ver. 3, 4. So that in this state of the church there were three things considerable,-God's rest-Man's entering into that rest a day of rest, as a remembrance of the one and a pledge of the other; in all which there was a type of our rest under the gospel, wherein Immanuel (God with us) doth cease from his work, and therein lays the foundation of the rests ensuing. Again.

$7. 2. He considers the church under the lare of institution; (and herein he representeth the rest of Canaan;) wherein also the three distinct rests before mentioned occur there was in it a rest of God; this gives denomination to the whole; for he still calls it "my rest;" and God wrought, with respect to it great and mighty works, and ceased from them when they were finished, which answered the work of creation, to which it is compared by himself, Isa. li, 15, 16. “I am the Lord thy God that divided the sea, whose waves roared: the Lord of Hosts is his name. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundation of the earth, and say unto Zion, thou art my people." On the finishing of this work, he "entered into his rest;" for after the erection of his worship in the land of Canaan, he said of it, "this is my rest, and here will I dwell." Psal. cxxxii, 14. Hence, God being thus entered into his rest, in like manner as before, two things ensued;that the people are invited to enter into the same, that is, by faith and obedience to participate of his appointed worship, wherein he rested; which though some