volume 4

VER. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBKEWS. 217
and consciences of believers. This is that which the people of God
in all ages looked for, and which in the preaching of the gospel was
proposed unto them.
Fifthly, The true nature of this rest may be discovered from the
into this
promise of it ;
for a promise is said to remain of entering
rest. Now, this promise is no other but the gospel itself as preached
unto us. This the apostle expressly declares in the next verse. The
want of a due consideration hereof is that which hath led expositors
into their mistake in this matter; for they eye only the promise of
eternal life given in the gospel, which is but a part of it, and that
consequential unto sundry other promises.
That promise concerns
only them who do actually believe; but the apostle principally in
tends them which are proposed unto men as the prime object of
their faith, and encouragement unto believing. And of these the
principal are the promise of Christ himself, and of the benefits of
his mediation. These sinners must be interested in before they can
lay claim to the promise of eternal life and salvation.
Sixthly, The whole design of the apostle is not to prefer heaven,
immortality, and glory, above the law and that rest in God s worship
which the people had in the land of Canaan, for none ever doubted
thereof, no, not of the Hebrews themselves; nay, this is far more
excellent than the gospel state itself: but it is to set out the ex
cellency of the gospel, with the worship of it and the church-state
whereunto therein we are called by Jesus Christ, above all those
privileges and advantages which the people of old were made par
takers of by the law of Mosea This we have already abundantly
demonstrated; and if it be not always duly considered, no part of
the epistle can be rightly understood. The rest, therefore, here in
tended is that rest which believers have an entrance into by Jesus
Christ in this world.
This being the rest here proposed, as promised in the gospel, our
next inquiry is into the nature of it, or wherein it doth consist.
And we shall find the concernments of it reduced into these five
heads:
First, In peace with God, in the free and full justification
of the
persons of believers from all their sins by the blood of Christ: Rom.
"
v. 1, Being justified by faith, we have peace with i.
God;" Eph. 7,
"
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
"
of sins." This is
fully expressed, Acts xiii. 32, 33, 38, 39, We de
clare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made
unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children,
in that he hath raised up Jesus again Be it known unto you
therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are
justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by