FIRST PART
FIRST PART
CHAP. I There remaineth, therefore, a rest for the people of God. -
HEBREWS. 4:9.
SECT. 1. It was not only our interest in God, and actual fruition of him, which was lost in Adam's covenant-breaking fall, but all spiritual knowledge of him, and true disposition towards such a felicity. Man hath now a heart too suitable to his estate: a low state, and a low spirit. And (as some expound that of Luke 18:8) when the Son of God comes with recovering grace, and discoveries and tenders of a spiritual and eternal happiness and glory, he finds not faith in man to believe it. But as the poor man that would not believe that any one had such a sum as a hundred pounds, (it was so far above what he possessed,) so man will hardly now believe that there is such a happiness as once he had, much less as Christ hath now procured.
When God would give the Israelites his Sabbaths of rest in a land of rest, he had more ado to make them believe it, than to overcome their enemies and procure it for them; and when they had it, only as a small intimation and earnest of a more incomparably glorious rest through Christ, they stuck there; and will yet believe no more than they do possess, but sit down and say, as the glutton at the feast,
'Sure there is no other heaven but this:' or if they do expect more by the Messiah, it is only the increase of their earthly felicity. The apostle bestows most of this epistle against this distemper; and clearly and largely proves unto them, that it is the end of all ceremonies and shadows to direct them to Jesus Christ, the Substance; and that the rest of Sabbaths and Canaan should teach them to look for a further rest, which indeed is their happiness. My text is his conclusion, after divers arguments to that end; a conclusion so useful to a believer, as containing the ground of all his
comforts, the end of all his duty and sufferings, the life and sum of all Gospel promises and christian privileges, that you may easily be satisfied why I have made it the subject of my present discourse.
What more welcome to men, under personal afflictions, tiring duty, successions of sufferings, than rest? What more welcome news, to men under public calamities, unpleasing employments, plunderings, losses, sad tidings, &c., which is the common case, than this of rest?
Hearers, I pray God your attentions, intention of spirit, entertainment, and improvement of it, be but half answerable to the verity, necessity, and excellency of this subject, and then you will have cause to bless God, while you live, that ever you heard it, as I have, that ever I studied it.
Sect. 2. The text is, as you may see, the apostle's assertion in an entire proposition, with the concluding illative: the subject is rest; the predicate, it yet remains to the people of God. It is requisite we say somewhat briefly: 1. For explication of the terms; 2. Of the subject of them.
"Therefore," i.e., it clearly follows, from the former argument, "there remains:" 1. In order of speaking, as the consequence follows the antecedent, or the conclusion, the premises; so there remains a rest, or it remains that there is another rest. 2. But rather, in order of being, as the bargain remains after the earnest, the performance after the promise, the antitype after the type, and the ultimate end after all the means; so there remains a rest, "to the people of God."
God hath a twofold people within the church: one his only, by a common vocation, by an external acceptation of Christ, and covenanting, sanctified by the blood of the covenant so far as to be separated from the open enemies of Christ, and all without the church, therefore not to be accounted common and unclean in the sense, as Jews and pagans are; but holy, and saints, in a larger sense; as the nation of the Jews, and all proselyted gentiles, were holy before Christ's coming. These are called branches in Christ, not bearing fruit, and shall be cut off, &c.; for they are in the church, and in him, by the aforesaid profession and external covenant, but no
further. There are, in his kingdom, things that offend, and men that work iniquity, which the angels, at the last day, shall gather out and cast into the lake of fire;f there are fishes, good and bad, in his net; and tares, with wheat, in his field. The son of perdition is one of those given to Christ by the Father, though not as the rest; these be not the people of God my text speaks of. 2. But God hath a peculiar people that are his by special vocation, cordial acceptation of Christ, internal, sincere covenanting, sanctified by the blood of the covenant and Spirit of grace, so far as not only to be separated from open infidels, but from all unregenerate Christians, being branches in Christ, bearing fruit; and for these remains the rest in my text.h
1. To be God's people, by a forced subjection, i.e., under his dominion, is common to all persons, even open enemies; yea, devils: this yields not comfort.
2. To be his by a verbal covenant and profession, and external call, is common to all in, and of, the visble church, even traitors and secret enemies; yet hath this many privileges, as the external seals, means of grace, common mercies, but no interest in this rest.
3. But to be his by election, union with Christ, and special interest, as before mentioned, is the peculiar properties of those that shall have this rest.
Sect. 3. Quest. But is it to a determinate number of persons, by name, or only to a people thus and thus qualified, viz., persevering believers, without determining by name who they are?
Answ. I purpose, in this discourse, to omit controversies; only, in a word, thus: 1. It is promised only to persevering believers, and not to any particular persons by name. 2. It is purposed, with all the conditions of it, and means to it, to a determinate number, called the elect, and known by name, which evidently followeth these plain propositions:
1. There is few will deny that God foreknows, from eternity, who these are, and shall be, numerically, personally, by name.
2. To purpose it only to such, and to know that only these will be such, is, in effect, to purpose it only to these.
3. Especially, if we know how little knowledge and purpose, in God, do differ.
4. However, we must not make his knowledge active, and his purpose idle, much less to contradict each other, as it must be, if, from eternity, he purposed salvation alike to all, and yet from eternity knew that only such and such should receive it.
5. To purpose all persevering believers to salvation, and not to purpose faith and perseverance absolutely to any particular persons, is to purpose salvation absolutely to none at all; yet I know much more is necessary to be said to make this plain, which I purpose not (at least here) to meddle with.
Sect. 4. I. Quest. Is it to the people of God, upon certainty, or only upon possibility?
Answ. If only possible, it cannot thus be called theirs.
1. While they are only elect, not called, it is certain to them, we speak of a certainty of the object, by divine purpose, for they are ordained to eternal life first, and therefore believe; and not first believe, and therefore elected.
2. When they are called according to his purpose, then it is certain to them by a certainty of promise also, as sure as if they were named in that promise; for the promise is, to believers, which they may, though but imperfectly, know themselves to be; and though it be yet upon condition of overcoming, and abiding in Christ, and enduring to the end, yet that condition being absolutely promised, it still remaineth absolutely certain upon promise: and, indeed, if glory be