are accompanied towards the elect, with a supply of effectual grace to render them useful, to enable them to believe and obey; this makes them to hear them willingly, and attend to them gladly; they think they can never enough consider or meditate upon their contents; but as for the threatenings of the gospel, they suppose they have no other end but to make them afraid. This, however, is a great mistake; threatenings are no less sanctified of God, for the ends mentioned, than promises are; nor are they, when duly used and improved, less effectual to that purpose: and there can be no reason why men should dislike the preaching and consideration of them, but because they too well like the sins and evils against which they are levelled.

$15. Obs. 3. God hath shewed us in his own example, that work and labor is to precede our rest. This he plainly declares in the fourth commandment, where the reason he gives why we ought, in a returning course, to attend to six days of labor before we sanctify a day of rest, is because he wrought himself six days, and then entered into his rest, Exod. xx, 9— 11. But now there is an alteration under the gospel. The day of rest under the law, as a pledge of final rest with God, was the seventh day; but under the gospel, it is the first day of the seven. Then the week of labor went before, now it follows after; and the reason hereof seems to be taken from the different state of the church; for of old, under the covenant of works, men were absolutely to labor, without any alteration of their condition, before they entered into rest; they would have had only a continuance of their state wherein they first set out, but no rest until they had wrought for it; the six days of labor went before, and the day of rest followed; but now it is otherwise; the first thing that belongs to our present state, is an enter

ing into rest initially, for we enter in by faith; and then our working ensues, that is, the obedience of faith. Rest is given us to set us on work; and our works are such, as for the manner of their perform ance are consistent with a state of rest; hence our day of rest goes before our days of labor; and those who contend now for the observation of the seventh, do endeavor to bring us again under the covenant of works, that we should do all our works before we should enter into any rest at all. ing.

$16. But it will be objected, "That this is contrary to our former observation, that, after the example of God, we must work before we enter into rest." To this I answer: The rest intended in the proposition is absolutely complete and perfect; the rest which is to be enjoyed with God for ever. Now, antecedent to the enjoyment of that, all our works performed in a state of initial rest must be wrought; and although we are here in a state of rest; in comparison of what went before, yet this also is a state of working with respect to that fulness of everlasting rest ensuing. We are not only to do, but also to suffer, this way is marked out for us; let us pursue it patiently, that we answer the example, and be like our heavenly Father. Again,

§17. Obs. 4. All the works of God are perfect; he finished them, and said that they were good; "He is the rock, and his work is perfect," Deut. xxxii, 4. should His infinite wisdom and power require that: be so, and make it impossible that it should be otherwise. The conception of them is perfect in the infinite counsel of his will; and the operation of them is perfect, through his infinite power. Nothing can proceed from him, but what is so in its own kind and measure, and the whole of his works is so absolutely,

see Isa. xl, 27, 28. As when he undertook the work: of creation, he finished it in such a manner, that it was: in his own eyes exceedingly good; so the works of grace and providence, which are yet, as it were, upon the wheel, shall in like manner be accomplished. And this may teach us at all times to trust him with his own works, and all our concerns in them, whether they be the works of his grace in our hearts, or the works of his providence in the world. "He will perfect that which concerneth us, because his mercy endureth for ever, and will not forsake the works of his own hands," Psalm cxxxviii, 8.

2.

VERSE 4, 5.

For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

§1. (I.) The words explained. The manner and subject of the present testis mony. §2. The testimony itself. §3. Another corroborating testimony $4. (II.) Observations. 1. Whatever the scripture saith, in any place, is a firm Foundation of faith. 55, 2. Every thing in the worship of God should rest on divine authority.

§1. (1.) "FOR he spake in a certain place.” (Egyné, dixit) said; the nominative case is not expressed, either the scripture hath said, which is not dead and mute, but living and vocal, even the voice of God, to them who have ears to hear; or it may be (T) a cer tain man said; or, he hath said, that is, God himself, the Holy Ghost; or it is taken impersonally, for (diçitur,) it is said (T8, alicubi, in quodam loco,) some‐ where, in a certain place. The sum is, that there was a rest of God and his people, and also a day of rest, from the foundation of the world, which was not the rest here mentioned by the psalmist, as he allegeth

not his author expressly, neither doth he the particular place where the words are recorded, referring the He brews to the scripture, which was the common ac1 knowledged principle of truth between them, which he and they would acquiesce in, and wherein they were versed; at least in the books of Moses, and particularly in the history of the creation, whence these words are taken, Gen. ii, 2.

(IIεpi Tus εBodoμns, de die septima, or de septima) of. the seventh day. The seventh (εßdoun) may be used either naturally and absolutely for (η ημέρα η εβδομη) the seventh day, that is, from the beginning of the creation, wherein the first complete returning course of time was finished; after which, a return is made to the first day again; or, it may be used artificially, as a notation of a certain day peculiarly so called; or, as the name of one day, as most nations have given names to the weekly course of days; for at that time (eßpady) the seventh was the name whereby the Hellen- d ists called the sabbath day. So it is always termed by PHILO, as others have observed; which (by the way) is no small evidence that this epistle was originally written in the Greek tongue. So in the gospel (μra oaßbaтwi) one, or, the first of the week, is the notation of the Lord's day. We should remember that it is the sabbath of which the apostle is speaking, and it respects both the rest of God, and the rest appointed for us thereon. God made way for his creatures to enter into his rest, and gave them a day as a pledge thereof. (Olws) on this wise, or, to this purpose, it either as precisely denoting the words, or, as respect... ing the substance of them.

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§2. The testimony itself ensues; And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. The apostle in, tends not only to use the mere words he cites, but in

them he directs us to the whole passage whereof they are a part; for it would not answer his purpose to shew merely that God rested from his works, which these words affirm; but his aim is to manifest, that thereon there was a rest provided for us to enter into, and a day of rest appointed as a pledge thereof; and this is fully expressed in the place referred to, for God upon his own rest blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.

(Kaleτavσev o E05) "God rested." A cessation from work, and not a refreshment upon weariness, is intended. God is not weary; he is no more so in the work of creation, than he is in the work of providence, Isa. xl. 20. "The Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, nor is weary:' he laboreth not in working; and therefore nothing is intended but a cessation from exerting his creating power to the production of more creatures, with his satisfaction in what he had already done. JUNIUS renders it, (cum autem perfecisset Deus die septimo opus suum quod fecerat, quievit,) "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 fin ished; and the word here used () doth not properly. signify to work, or effect, but to "complete," perfect, or accomplish; "when he had perfected his work;" so that on the seventh day there was no more work to do.. This then is the sum of what is here laid down; 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 to men into that rest, and a day of rest, as a pledge thereof; which yet was not the rest intended by the psalmist. as in the next verse.

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