II. This rest defined
ours only upon a condition, which condition depends chiefly on our own wills, it were cold comfort to those that know what man's will is, and how certainly we should play the prodigals with this, as we did with our first stock. But I have hitherto understood, that in the behalf of the elect, Christ is resolved, and hath undertaken, for the working and finishing of their faith, and the full effecting his people's salvation; and not only gives us a (feigned) sufficient grace, not effectual, leaving it to our wills to make it effectual, as some think; so that, though still the promise of our justification and salvation be conditional, yet God, having manifested his purpose of enabling us to fulfil those conditions, he doth thereby show us a certainty of our salvation, both in his promise and his purpose. Though God's eternal purpose gives us no right to the benefit whatsoever, (some lately say to the contrary,) it being the proper work of God's law or covenant, to confer right or due; yet the event or fruition of it is made certain by God's unchangeable decree, his eternal willing it, being the first and infallible cause, that, in time, it is accomplished or produced.
CHAP. II This Rest defined.
SECT. 1. Now let us see, 1. What this rest is. 2. What these people, and why so called. 3. The truth of this, from other Scripture arguments. 4. Why this rest must yet remain. 5. Why only to this people of God. 6. What use to make of it.
1. And though the sense of the text includes in the word 'rest,' all that case and safety, which a soul, wearied with the burden of sin and suffering, and pursued by law, wrath, and conscience, hath with Christ in this life, the rest of grace; yet, because it chiefly intends the rest of eternal glory, as the end and main part, I shall confine my discourse myself to this last.
Definition. Rest is the end and perfection of motion. The saint's rest, here in question, is the most happy estate of a Christian, having obtained the end of his course: or, it is the perfect, endless fruition of God, by the perfected saints, according to the measure of their capacity, to which their souls arrive at death; and both soul and body must fully, after the resurrection and final judgment.
Sect 2. I. I call it the estate of a Christian, though perfection consists in action, as the philosopher thinks, to note both the active and passive fruition, wherein a Christian's blessedness lies, and the established continuance of both. Our title will be perfect, and perfectly cleared; ourselves, and so our capacity, perfected; our possession and security for its perpetuity perfect; our reception from God perfect; our motion or action in and upon him perfect: and, therefore, our fruition of him, and consequently our happiness, will then be perfect. And this is the estate which we now briefly mention, and shall afterwards more fully describe and open to you, and which we hope, by Jesus Christ, very shortly to enter upon, and for ever to possess.
Sect. 3. II. I call it the most happy estate, to difference it, not only from all seeming happiness, which is to be found in the enjoyment of creatures, but also from all those beginnings, foretastes, earns, first fruits, and imperfect degrees, which we have here in this life, while we are but in the way. It is the chief good which the world hath so much disputed, yet mistaken or neglected, without which the greatest confluence of all other good leaves a man miserable; and with the enjoyment of which, all misery is inconsistent. The beginnings, in our present state of grace, as they are a real part of this, may also be called a state of happiness: but, if considered disjunctly by themselves, they deserve not that title, except in a comparative sense, as a Christian is compared to men out of Christ.
Sect. 4. III. I call it the estate of a Christian, where I mean only the sincere, regenerate, sanctified Christian, whose soul, having discovered that excellency in God through Christ, which is not in the
world to be found, thereupon closeth with him, and is cordially set upon him. I do not mean every one that, being born where
Christianity is the religion of the country, takes it up as other fashions, and is become a Christian he scarcely knows how, or why; nor mean I those that profess Christ in words, but in works deny him. I shall describe this Christian to you more plainly afterwards. It is an estate to which many pretend, and that with much confidence; and because they know it is only the Christians, therefore they all call themselves Christians. But multitudes will at last know, to their eternal sorrow, that this is only the inheritance of the saints, and only those Christians shall possess it, who are not of the world: and, therefore, the world hates them who have forsaken all for Christ, and having taken up the cross, do follow him, with patient waiting, till they inherit the promised glory.
Sect. 5. IV. I add, that this happiness consists in obtaining the end, where I mean the ultimate and principal end, not any end, secundum quid, so called subordinate, or less principal. Not the end of conclusion, in regard of time; for so every man hath his end; but the end of intention, which sets the soul to work, and is its prime motive in all its actions. That the chief happiness is in the enjoyment of this end, I shall fully show through the whole discourse, and, therefore, here omit. Everlasting wo to that man who makes that his end here
(to the death), which, if he could attain, would not make him happy.
Oh, how much doth our everlasting state depend on our right judgment and estimation of our end!
Sect. 6. But it is a great doubt with many, whether the obtainment of this glory may be our end; nay, concluded, that it is mercenary; yea, that to make salvation the end of duty, is to be a legalist, and act under a covenant of works, whose tenour is, 'Do this and live.' And many that think it may be our end, yet think it may not be our ultimate end, for that should be only the glory of God. I shall answer these particularly and briefly.
1. It is properly called mercenary, when we expect it as wages for work done; and so we may not make it our end; otherwise it is only such a mercenariness as Christ commandeth. For, consider what this end is; it is the fruition of God in Christ: and, if seeking Christ be mercenary, I desire to be so mercenary.
2. It is not a note of a legalist neither: it hath been the ground of a multitude of late mistakes in divinity, to think that 'Do this and live," is only the language of the covenant of works. It is true, in some sense it is; but in other, not. The law of works only saith, "Do this," that is, perfectly fulfil the whole law, "and live," that is, for so doing: but the law of grace saith, "Do this and live" too; that is, believe in Christ, seek him, obey him sincerely, as thy Lord and King; forsake all, suffer all things, and overcome; and by so doing, or in so doing, as the conditions which the Gospel propounds for salvation, you shall live.q If you set up the abrogated duties of the law again, you are a legalist: if you set up the duties of the Gospel in Christ's stead, in whole or in part, you err still. Christ hath his place and work; duty hath its place and work too: set it but in its own place, and expect from it but its own part, and you go right; yea, more, how unsavoury soever the phrase may seem, you may, so far as this comes to, trust to your duty and works; that is, for their own part; and many miscarry in expecting no more from them, as to pray, and to expect nothing the more, that is, from Christ, in a way of duty: for if duty have no share, why may we not trust Christ, as well in a way of disobedience as duty? In a word, you must both use and trust duty in subordination to Christ, but neither use them nor trust them in coordination with him. So that this derogates nothing from Christ: for he hath done, and will do all his work perfectly, and enable his people to do theirs: yet he is not properly said to do it himself; he believes not, repents not, &c., but worketh these in them: that is, enableth and exciteth them to do it. No man must look for more from duty than God hath laid upon it; and so much we may and must.
Sect. 7. II. If I should quote all the scriptures that plainly prove this, I should transcribe a great part of the Bible: I will bring none out of
the Old Testament; for I know not whether their authority will here be acknowledged; but I desire the contrary minded, whose consciences are tender of abusing Scripture, and wresting it from the plain sense, to study what tolerable interpretation can be given of these following places, which will not prove that life and salvation may be, yea, must be the end of duty. "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." (John 5:39, 40.) "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matt. 11:12.) "Strive to enter in at the strait gate." (Matt. 7:13; Luke 13:24.) "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12.) "To them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life. Glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good," &c. (Rom. 2:7, 10.) "So run that you may obtain." (1
Cor. 9:24.) "A man is not crowned, except he strive lawfully." (2 Tim.
2:5.) "If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him." (2 Tim. 2:12.) "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life." (1 Tim. 6:12.)
"That they do good works, lay up a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." (1 Tim. 6:18, 19.) "If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead; I press toward the mark for the prize of the high-calling," &c. (Phil. 3:14.)
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter in by the gates into the city." (Rev.
22:14.) "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit, &c. For I was hungry, and ye," &c. (Matt. 25.) "Blessed are the pure in heart, &c.
They that hunger and thirst, &c. Be glad and rejoice, for great is your reward in heaven." (Matt. 9.) "Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." (Luke 11:28.) Yea, the escaping of hell is a right end of duty to a believer. "Let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it."
(Heb. 4:1.) "Fear him that is able to destroy both soul and body in hell; yea, whatsoever others say, I say unto you, Fear him." (Luke
12:5.) "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away." (1 Cor.
9:27.) Multitudes of scriptures and Scripture arguments might be brought, but these may suffice to any that believe Scripture.
Sect. 8. III. For those that think this rest may be our end, but not our ultimate end, that must be God's glory only: I will not gainsay them.
Only let them consider, what God hath joined, man must not separate. The glorifying himself, and the saving of his people, as I judge, are not two decrees with God, but one decree, to glorify his mercy in their salvation; though we must say, that one is the end of the other: so I think they should be with us together intended. We should aim at the glory of God, not alone considered, without our salvation, but in our salvation. Therefore, I know no warrant for putting such a question to ourselves, as some do, Whether we could be content to be damned, so God were glorified? Christ hath put no such question to us, nor bid us put such to ourselves. Christ had rather that men would inquire after their true willingness to be saved, than their willingness to be damned. Sure I am, Christ himself is offered to faith in terms for the most part respecting the welfare of the sinner, more than his own abstracted glory. He would be received as a Saviour, Mediator, Redeemer, Reconciler, Intercessor, &c. And all the precepts of Scripture, being backed with so many promises and threatenings, every one intended of God as a motive to us, do imply as much. If any think they should be distinguished as two several ends, and God's glory preferred; so they separate them not asunder, I contend not. But I had rather make that high pitch, which Gibieuf and many others insist on, to be the mark at which we should all aim, than the mark by which every weak Christian should try himself.
Sect. 9. IV. In the definition, I call a Christian's happiness, the end of his course, thereby meaning, as Paul, (2 Tim. 4:7,) the whole scope of his life. For as salvation may, and must be, our end, so not only the end of our faith, though that principally, but of all our actions; for as whatsoever we do, must be done to the glory of God, whether eating, drinking, &c., so must they all be done to our salvation. That we may believe for salvation, some will grant, who yet deny that we may do, or obey for it. I would it were well understood, for the clearing of many controversies, what the Scripture usually means by faith.
Doubtless, the Gospel takes it not so strictly, as philosophers do; but,