warnings, and admonitions; but if they did not believe that it was possible for them to fall away, such cautions could have no influence upon them. Though the purpose of God according to election must stand, and all the election shall most certainly be saved, yet they cannot know their election, nor have any absolute assurance of their salvation, independent of their continuing in the faith, love, and obedience of the gospel; for this is the very evidence of their calling, and so of their election, and it is by enabling them to persevere in faith and holiness, that they are kept by the power of God unto salvation, 2 Pet. i. 5-12; 1 Pet. i. 3-10.

VOL. II.

M 2

CHAP. IV.

CONTENTS AND SCOPE.

1r will perhaps throw some light upon part of the apostle's reasoning in this chapter, if we recollect what he elsewhere teacheth us, viz., That God promised to Abraham two different kinds of seed; a natural seed which were to spring from his body in the line of Isaac, and a spiritual seed by faith, who were typified by the former : That to his natural seed the land of Canaan was promised for an inheritance, and that under that, as a type, was ultimately intended the heavenly country (chap. xi. 16), and the promise of it to his spiritual seed, viz., believers of all nations, as is now more clearly revealed by the gospel; see Rom. iv. and Gal. iii.

But, though the promise of the earthly inheritance was made to the natural seed of Abraham, yet that generation of them who were redeemed out of Egypt, taken into covenant with God, and had seen his mighty works, came short of that inheritance through unbelief. This awful example he sets before the Hebrews, as a motive to cautious fear, lest they, through unbelief, should come short of the heavenly rest of which they had the promise, even as their ancestors in the wilderness came short of the earthly rest which was promised to them, ver. 1, 2.

But, lest any of the Hebrews should object, that besides the rest of the seventh day, and the possession of the land of Canaan, which they already enjoyed, they found no mention of any other rest from which they were in danger

of being excluded; the apostle, to obviate this objection, explains the words in Psalm xcv. 7, 8, &c., "To-day, when ye shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts," as implying a promise to believers of entering into God's rest: And he argues, that this promise could not respect the rest of the seventh day, because that commenced when the works of creation were finished, ver. 3, 4. Nor could it respect the earthly rest in the land of Canaan; for if that had been the rest ultimately intended in the promise, God would not, after the Israelites had possessed it so long a time, have spoken by David of another day or season for hearing his voice, that they might enter into it, ver. 6, 7, 8. Since therefore it does not mean either of the forementioned rests, though they prefigured it, he concludes that there is a rest which still remains to the people of God, when they shall have ceased from all their works and labours in this world, ver. 9, 10.

He therefore exhorts the Hebrews to labour to enter into that rest, lest any of them should fall, after the example of the Israelites, through unbelief, ver. 11; and he farther enforces this exhortation by describing the word of God, according to which they will be judged at last (John xii. 48), as living and effectual for discerning, censuring, and punishing, not only open and avowed apostacy, but also the secret thoughts and intentions of the heart; and that all things lie naked and exposed to eyes of the Judge, whose word it is, and to whom we must give an account, ver. 12, 13.

the

The apostle having finished what he had to say of Christ, as the Apostle of our profession, with suitable exhortations and cautions to the Hebrews on that ground, he returns to the subject of his priesthood, of which he

had given some hints before (chap. i. 3, ii. 17, 18, iii. 1); and here he represents him as a great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God, who is passed through the heavens into the immediate presence of the Divine Majesty, and who is qualified to sympathize with our weaknesses, having been himself tempted like as we are, yet without sin. From these considerations, he exhorts the Hebrews to hold fast their profession; and to approach, through his mediation, with boldness to the throne of grace, that they may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, ver. 14, 15, 16.

PARAPHRASE.

CHAP. IV. 1. Wherefore, since such was the punishment of ancient Israel for their unbelief and disobedience, let us fear to provoke God as they did, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to fall short of it.

2. For we have received good tidings of a future rest, as they also did; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in the hearers: and it will be equally unprofitable to us unless we believe it.

3. For we enter into the promised rest, only in the way of believing, unbelievers being excluded, as he said concerning the unbelieving Israelites, "So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest," and that notwithstanding the works of creation were finished from the foundation of the world; which, therefore, could not be meant of the seventh-day rest, of which the Israelites were already in possession.

4. For, as to that rest, he (Moses) spake somewhere (Gen. ii. 2, 3), concerning the seventh day thus, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works," which he also sanctified as a weekly day of rest for man, and gave it in command to Israel in the wilderness, to be observed by them, Exod. xx. 10, 11.

5. Moreover, in this 95th Psalm, the Holy Spirit again admonisheth the Israelites in David's time to hear God's voice, and not to harden their hearts, lest, like their fathers, they should fall under the awful oath, "They shall not enter into my rest," which must refer to another rest than that which they then enjoyed in the land of Canaan.

6. Seeing, then, it remained for some to enter into it, according to the full sense of the promise made to Abraham's believing seed, (Rom iv. 16), and they who were first favoured with the good tidings, entered not into the earthly rest, because of unbelief;

7. And seeing he again limiteth a certain day for hearing his voice, saying by David, "To-day," so long a time after Israel had possessed the land of Canaan, as it is said "To-day when ye shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts," it plainly shews that another rest besides the earthly inheritance was included in the promise.

8. For if Joshua, by settling them in the land of Canaan, had given them all that rest which God intended in the promise, he would not after that have spoken of another day for hearing his voice, that they might enter into it.

9. Therefore, since neither the rest of the seventh day, nor that in the land of Canaan, were the ultimate rest intended, but only types of it, it follows, that there still remains a rest (a sabbatism) to the people of God.

10. For he who is entered into his (God's) rest, hath