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power to the production of more creatures, with his satisfaction, in what he had already done. And in this word nw, lies the foundation of the Sabbath, both name and thing. For as the name naw, is from this naw, here first used; so herein also Jay both the occasion and foundation of the thing itself. So in the command, "Remember the Sabbath day, to sanctify it: six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy works;" the reason of

for * : ויום השביעי שבת ליהוה אלהיך the command ensues

the seventh day, the Sabbath to the Lord thy God." That is, "his rest,' was on that day, on the account whereof he commands us to keep a day of rest. Hence our apostle in this place expresseth our rest, or day of rest under the gospel, by vaba. Toμes, a Sabbatism, of which afterwards.

τισμός,

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God rested, Tn nurga ibdoun, on that seventh day,' □r2 yawn. The translation of the LXX. hath a notable corruption in it, about the beginning of this verse in Genesis. For whereas it is said, that God finished his work on the seventh day, it saith that God did so, & on huegα τn ixon, on the sixth day.' And the mistake is ancient, and general in all copies, as also followed by some ancient translations, as the Samaritan and the Syriac. The occasion of this corruption was to avoid a pretended difficulty in the text, seeming to assert that God rested on the seventh day, and yet that he finished his work on that day. Besides the story of the creation doth confine it to six days, and no more. But this expression, he finished his work on the seventh day,' seems to denote the continuance of his operation on that day. And indeed the Jews have many odd evasions, from an apprehension of a difficulty in this place. And Hierome thinks, though very unduly, that from this expression in the original, they may be pressed with an argument against their Sabbatical rest. But there is a double resolution of this difficulty, either of them sufficient for its removal, and both consistent with each other. The first is, that the Hebrew word, by the conversive prefix, having a sense of what is past given unto it, may be well rendered by the Preterpluperfect tense. And so it is by Junius: Cum autem perfecisset Deus die septimo opus suum quod fecerat, quievit: And when God had perfected his work on the seventh day, he rested. Thus the seventh day is not expressed as a time wherein any work was done, but as the time immediately present after it was finished. And, finis operis non est ipsum opus, the term, end, or complement of a work, is not the work itself. Again, the word here used, 4, doth not properly signify to work or effect,' but 'to complete, perfect or accomplish,' wy qwx inoxbo bon, ́“ had perfected his work that he had made." So that on the seventh day, there was no more work to do.

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By this discourse, the apostle seems only to have proved, that

the works were finished, and that God rested, or ceased from his work on the seventh day. But this seemeth not to answer his intention, for he treats not absolutely about the rest of God, (for that would not have been to his present purpose) but such a rest as his obedient creatures might enter into, whereof that rest of God was the foundation, such as the rests were which he afterwards mentions in the land of Canaan, and under the gospel. Wherefore, in this quotation, he includes the sense of the whole words before laid down, namely, that upon, and because of the rest of God, on the seventh day, he sanctified and blessed that day to be a day of rest unto them that worship him, and a pledge of their entering into rest with him. Here therefore the command and appointment of the seventh day, to be a Sabbath, or a day of rest unto men from the foundation of the world, is asserted; as hath been proved elsewhere.

This then is the sum of what is here laid down; namely, that from the beginning, from the foundation of the world, there was a work of God, and a rest ensuing thereon; and an entrance proposed unto men into that rest, and a day of rest as a pledge thereof given unto them; which yet was not the rest intended by the psalmist, which is mentioned afterwards, as in the next verse.

Before we proceed, according to our designed method, we may take notice of the ensuing observations.

Obs. I. Whatever the Scripture saith in any place, being rightly understood and applied, is a firm foundation for faith to rest upon; and for arguments or proofs in matter of God's worship to be deduced from. Thus the apostle here confirms his own purpose and intention. His aim is to settle the judg ment of these Hebrews, in things pertaining to the worship of God; and to supply them with a sufficient authority, which their faith might be resolved into. This he doth, by referring them to a certain place of Scripture, where the truth he urgeth is confirmed. For, as I have shewed before, he designed to deal with these Hebrews, not merely upon his apostolical authority, and the revelations that he had received from Jesus Christ, as he dealt with the churches of the Gentiles, but on the common principles of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, which were mutually acknowledged by him and them. And a great work it was that he had undertaken; namely, to prove the abolishing of the worship of the Old Testament, and the introduction of a new kind of worship in the room of it, from testimonies of· the Old Testament itself. This was a matter of great apparent difficulties in itself, and exceedingly suited to the conviction of the Jews, as utterly depriving them of all pretences for continuance in their Judaism. And this, through the especial wisdom given unto him, and skill in holy writ, he hath so per,

formed, as to leave a blessed warrant unto the church of Christ, for the relinquishment of the whole system of Mosaic worship, and a rock for the obstinate Jews to break themselves upon in all ages. And this should encourage us, 1. To be diligent in searching the Scriptures, whereby we may have in readiness wherewith at all times to confirm the truth, and to stop the mouths of gainsayers; and without which we shall be easily tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. 2. Not to fear any kind of opposition, unto what we profess in the ways and worship of God, if we have a word of truth to secure us; namely, such a word of prophecy as is more firm than a voice from heaven. It is utterly impossible, that in things concerning religion and the worship of God, we can ever be engaged in a cause attended with more difficulties, and liable to more specious opposition, than that was which our apostle was now in the management of. He had the practice and profession of the church, continued from the first foundation of it, resolved into the authority of God himself, as to its institution, and attended with his acceptance of the worshippers in all ages, with other seeming disadvantages and prejudices innumerable to 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 warrant 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 possession 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 reminds 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 carcase, and 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 concern

ing 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,

VER. 5. Και εν τέτω παλιν, ει εισελεύσονται εις την κατάπαυσιν μου.

Και εν τέτω,

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VER. 5. And in this again, if they shall enter into my REST. and in this,' or here:' TYTW TO 4xxμw, 'in this psalm:' or Tow, in this place.' That is, in the place of Scripture under consideration and exposition; namely, the ninety-fifth 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.'

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Tax, 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.

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"If they shall enter into my rest." We have shewed 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 their 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 suppo sition, was not at all. This, therefore, is his purpose in the repetition of this testimony; namely, 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 farther confirms in the next verse. And we may hence learn, that,

Obs. I. Many important truths are not clearly delivered in any one single 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 ", and what again sy TT, 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 his 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.

VER. 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 farther 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. Επει ουν απολείπεται τινας εισελθείν εις αυτήν, και οι προτε τον ευαγγελισθεντες ουκ εισελθον δι' απείθειαν.

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