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 inténds, 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 ac- complishment of the promise, upon their faith and obedience, was first
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. ee:
proposed unto them; for otherwise the promise itself was first given to Abraham, but the actual accomplishment of it was never pro- posed 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 ob- served 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. Per- Jective of it, in the giving of the law with all its statutes and ordi- nances, 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-
292 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. Iv.
ing the six days’ work, wherein God made and formed all kind of creatures out of the first created, informed [that is, formless] 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 upon the erection of this chureh-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 his rest after his finishing of the works of the first creation, Ps. cxxxii. 8. The settlement of his worship, and the typi- cal.representation of his presence among the people therein, shadow- ing 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:—1l, A spiritual rest in God, as having entered into a special covenant with them. Upon God’s rest on the creation, men were invited to enter into God’s rest as the God of natwre, upon the terms and according unto the law of creation; but by sin this rest was rendered useless and unprofitable unto all mankind, and the covenant itself lost all its power of bringing men unto God. But now, in this erection of a new church-state among the posterity of Abraham, the foundation of it was the promise made unto Abraham, which contained in it the substance of another covenant, whereinto God through Jesus Christ would enter and rest therein; whereon he invites them by faith and obedience to enter into it also, into the rest of God. 2. There was a pledge of this spiritual rest proposed unto the people; and this was the land of Canaan, and the quiet posses- sion thereof, and exercise of the worship of God therein. By this and their respect unto 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.