2. In the command that he hath given unto angels and men, to worship, honour and adore him, even as they honour the Father, whereof we have elsewhere treated. By these ways, I say, doth God declare his plenary rest and soul-satisfaction in Jesus Christ, the author of this gospel-rest, and as he is so.

Secondly, It is God's rest, because he will never institute any new kind or sort of worship amongst men, but only what is already ordained and appointed by him in the gospel. God dwells among men in and by his solemn worship, Exod. xxv. 8. «Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell amongst them." God dwells in the place of his worship, by it. Hence, when he fixed his worship amongst the people for a season in the land of Canaan, he called it his rest. Thence was that prayer on the motions of the ark, "Arise, O Lord, into thy rest, thou and the ark of thy strength," Psal. cxxxii. 8. 2 Chron. vi. 41. which was the principal thing aimed at in all God's dealings with that people, the end of all his mighty works, Exod. xv. 17. And in this worship of the gospel, the tabernacle which he hath made for himself to dwell in, the sanctuary which his hands have established, is again with men, Rev. xxi. 3. He hath in it

set up again the tabernacle of David, that it shall fall no more, Acts xv. 16. This worship he will neither add to, nor alter, nor take from; but this is his rest, and his habitation (amongst men for ever. He is pleased and satisfied with it by Christ.

Thirdly, God also is at peace with the worshippers, and rests in them. He sets up his tabernacle amongst men, that he may dwell" amongst them, and be their God, and that they may be his people," Rev. xxi. 3. and herein he rejoiceth over them with joy, and resteth in his love," Zeph. iii. 17. Thus the whole work of God's grace in Christ being accomplished, he ceaseth from his labour, and entereth into his rest.

I have added these things to shew, that it is God's rest which believers do enter into, as it is here declared. For the nature of the rest itself, as it is by them enjoyed, it hath fully been opened on the first verse, and need not here to be again insisted on. And this is that rest which is principally intended both here and in the whole chapter. It is not indeed absolutely intended, or exclusively unto all other spiritual rests, or to an increase and progress in the same kind; but it is principally so. For this rest it

self is not absolute, ultimate and complete, but it is initial and suited to the state of believers in this world. And because it hath its fulness and perfection in eternal rest, in the immediate enjoyment of God, that also may seem to be included therein, but consequentially only.

There remains for the full explication of this assertion of the apostle, only that we shew what it is to enter into this rest. And these two things may be observed to that purpose. 1. That it

is an entrance which is asserted. 2. That it is but an entrance. 1. It is an entrance, which denotes a right executed. There was a right proposed in the promise, and served therein for believers indefinitely. But it is not executed, nor is possession given but by believing. A rest remains for the people of God, that is, in the promise, and we who have believed do enter into it. It is faith which gives us jus in re, a right in possession, an actual, personal interest, both in the promises and in the rest contained in them, with all the privileges wherewith it is attended.

2. It is but an entrance into rest. 1. Because the rest itself is not absolute and complete, as we have declared. Look to what is past, what we are delivered and secured from, and it is a glorious rest. Look unto what is to come, and it is itself but a passage into a more glorious rest. It is an "abundant ministration of an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," 2 Pet. i. 11. 2. Because we meet with contests and oppositions in this state. As the Israelites, after they had passed over Jordan, and according to the promise had entered into the rest of God, yet had great work to do, in securing and preserving the possession which they had taken by faith. Yea they had great enemies to contend withal and to subdue. Much diligence and wisdom was yet to be used for their settlement. And it is not otherwise with us as to our entrance into the rest of God in this world. We have yet spiritual adversaries to conflict withal; and the utmost of our spiritual endeavours are required to secure our possession, and to carry us on to perfection.

Obs. I. The state of believers under the gospel is a state of blessed rest. It is God's rest and theirs. So much was necessary to be spoken concerning the nature of this rest in the opening of the words, that I shall treat but briefly on this observation, though the matter of it be of great importance. God created man in a state of present rest. This belonged unto that goodness and perfection of all the works of his hands, which God saw in them, and blessed them thereon. And as a token of this rest, did God institute the rest of the seventh day, that man, by his example and command, might use and improve the state of rest wherein he was made, as we shall see afterwards. Now this rest consisted in three things. 1. Peace with God. 2. Satisfaction and acquiescency in God. 3. Means of communion with God. All these were lost by the entrance of sin, and all mankind was brought thereby into an estate of trouble and disquietment. In the restoration of these, and that in a better and more secure way and manner, doth this gospel-state of believers consist.

First, Without it our moral state in respect of God, is an estate of ENMITY and trouble. There is no peace between God and sinners. They exercise an enmity against God by sin, Rom.

viii. 7. And God executeth an enmity against them by the curse of the law, John iii. 36. Hence nothing ensues but trouble, fear, disquietment, and anguish of mind. The relief that any find, or seem to find, or pretend to find, in darkness, ignorance, superstition, security, self-righteousness, false hopes, will prove a refuge of lies, a covering too short and narrow to hide them from the wrath of God, which is the principal cause of all trouble to the souls of men. All this is removed by the gospel: "for, being justified by faith, we have peace with God," Rom. v. 1. Jesus Christ therein is our peace, who hath "reconciled us unto God by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby," Eph. ii. 14 -16. And as for the law, which is the means and instrument whereby God gives in trouble to the souls of men, the power and curse whereof constitues them in a state of unrest and trouble, he hath undergone the curse of it, Gal. iii. 13. and fulfilled the righteousness of it, Rom. viii. 3. Whence the covenant of it is abolished, Heb. viii. 12, 13. and the condemning power of it is taken away, 1 Cor. xv. 58, 59. The benefit of all which grace being communicated to believers in and by the gospel, they are instated in peace with God, which is the foundation and first part of our rest, or our interest in this rest of God.

Secondly, There is in all men before the coming of the gos pel, a want of an acquiescency and satisfaction in God. This is produced by the corrupt principle and power of sin, which having turned off the soul from God, causeth it to wander in endless vanities, and to pursue various lusts and pleasures, seeking after rest which always flies from it. This is the great real active principle of unrest or disquietment unto the souls of men. This makes them like a troubled sea which cannot rest. The ignorance that is in them " alienates them from the life of God," Eph. iv. 18. And their fleshliness or sensuality fills them with a dislike and hatred of God; for "the carnal mind is enmity against God," Rom. viii. 7, 8. And the vanity of their minds leads them up and down the world after "divers lusts and pleasures," Eph. iv. 17. And is there, can there be any peace, any rest in such a condition? But this also is removed by the gospel. For its work is to destroy and ruin that power of sin, which hath thus turned off the soul from God, and so again to renew the image of God in it, that it may make him its rest. This is the effect of the gospel, to take men off from their principle of alienation from God; to turn their minds and affections to him as their rest, satisfaction and reward; and other way for these ends under heaven there is none.

Thirdly, Unto peace with God, and acquiescency in him, a way of intercourse and communion with him is required, to complete a state of spiritual rest. And this also, as it was lost by sin, so it is restored unto us in and by the gospel. This our apostle

discourseth at large in the ninth and tenth chapters of this epis tle, whither we refer the consideration of it.

But yet I must acknowledge that the truth insisted on, is liable to some important objections, which seem to have strength communicated unto them both from the Scriptures, and from the experience of them that do believe. Some of the principal therefore of them, as instances of the rest, must be removed out of the way. And it will be said,

1. That the description given us of the state of believers in this world, lies in direct contradiction to our assertion. For doth not our Saviour himself foretel all his disciples, that in this world they shall have trouble; that they should be hated and persecuted and slain? See John xv. 19-21. xvi. 33. And did not the apostles assure their hearers, that "through much tribulation they must enter into the kingdom of God?" Acts xiv. 22. Hence it is the notation of believers," them that are troubled," to whom future rest is promised, 2 Thess. i. 7. And when they come to heaven they are said to "come out of great tribulation," Rev. vii. 14.; yea, they are warned not to think strange of fiery trials, the greatest, the highest imaginable, as that which is the common lot and portion of all that believe in JESUS, 1 Pet. iv. 18. And do not, have not, believers in all ages found this in their own experience to be their state and condition? And is it not the very first lesson of the gospel, for men to take up the cross, and to deny themselves in all their desires and enjoyments? And how can this be esteemed to be a state of rest, which being denominated from the greater part of its concernments and occurrences, may be called a state of trouble, or tribulation, which is directly contrary to a state of rest.

It is not difficult to remove this objection. Our Lord Jesus Christ hath done it for us, in those words of his to his disciples, "In the world you shall have trouble, but in me you shall have peace," John xvi. 33. The rest we treat of is spiritual; God's rest, and our rest in God. Now, spiritual inward rest, in and with God, is not inconsistent with outward temporal trouble in the world. We might go over all those things wherein we have manifested this gospel-rest to consist, and easily evince, that not one of them can be impeached by all the troubles that may befal us in this world. But our apostle hath summarily gone through with this work for us, Rom. viii. 35-39. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us: for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus

our Lord." The sum of all is this, that no outward thing, no possible opposition shall prevail to cast us out of that rest, which we have obtained an entrance into, or impede our future entrance into eternal rest with God.

2. Moreover, one part of this rest whereinto we are entered consists in that persuasion and assurance which it gives us of eternal rest, wherewith believers may support their souls under their troubles, and balance all the persecutions and afflictions that they meet withal in this world. And this also our apostle directs us unto, 2 Cor. iv. 16-18. « For which cause," saith he," we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day; for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things that are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." That persuasion which we have in this gospel-state, of an assured enjoyment of eternal invisible things, an eternal weight of glory, casts out of consideration all the momentary sufferings, which in this world we may be exposed unto. As our peace with God by Christ, our interest in him, our communion with him, and acceptance in our worship through the blood of Jesus, the spiritnal freedom and liberty of spirit which we have through the Holy Ghost in all that we have to do with him, and the like spiritual mercies wherein this rest doth consist, can neither be weakened nor impaired by outward troubles; so it supplies us with such present joys, and infallible future expectation, as enables us both to glory in them, and triumph over them, Rom. v. 35. Yea,

3. Farther, God is pleased so to order and dispose of things, that this rest is never more assured, more glorious and conspicuous, than when those who are entered into it, are under reproach, trouble and sufferings upon the account of their profession of it. So saith the apostle, 1 Pet. iv. 14. "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you." "Whatever may befal us of evil and trouble upon the account of the gospel, it adds unto that blessed state of rest whereinto we are entered; for therein the Spirit of glory and of God resteth on us. There is more in the words, than that one expression should serve merely to explain the other, As if he had said, the Spirit of glory, that is, of God. Nor is it a mere Hebraism for the glorious Spirit of God. But the especial work of the Spirit of God in and upon believers in such a season is intended. He shall work gloriously in them, and by them; supporting, comforting and powerfully enabling them to maintain and preserve their souls in that rest whereunto they are