Twenty-Seven Lectures Upon Hebrews, Lectures · Lecture 19
The nineteenth Lecture, vppon the 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. & 10. verses.
3 For we whiche hauehave beleeued, do enter into rest, as he said to the other. As I hauehave sworne in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certein place of the seuenth day on this wise: And God did rest the seuenth day frō all his works.
5 And in this place againe▪ if they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therfore it remaineth, that some must enter therinto, and they to whom it was first preached, entered not therein for vnbeleefes sake.
7 Againe, he appointed in Dauid a certein day, by To day, after so long a time▪ saying, as it is said: this day, if ye heare his voice, harden not your heartes.
8 For if Iesus had giuen them rest, then woulde he not after this hauehave spoken of another day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entred into his rest, hath also c…assed from his owne workes, as God did from his.
THIS Scripture, whiche nowe I hauehave read vntounto you, I must needes confesse, to mee it seemeth yet somewhat obscure, neither hathe God so reuealed it vntounto mee, that I dare boldly pronounce, this it is: but, submitting my selfe to any better interpretation, which shalbe shewed of other, according to that whiche God hath giuen me: so I will shewe you what I think moste likely, and so muche the more boldely I will shew you mine opinion, because, by the grace of God, I wil speake nothing, but agreeable to all which the Apostle before hath most plainly taught vsus. You knowe, howe earnestly hee hath exhorted vsus to harken vntounto Christ: what fault especially shal make vsus neglect it, and that is infidelstie: what great peril we hauehave in this sinne, & that it: We shall not enter into his rest. Nowe, he teacheth and addeth sure arguments to his doctrine, howe wee shall auoide so great punishment, and so great sinne, and how we shalbe obedient vntounto Christ: and that is, by faith, an humble acknowledgement of him to be our Prophet, and a constant beleeuing of all his trueth.
This doctrine firste hee setteth downe, in these woordes: For we enter into his rest that doe beleeue. This he proueth first, by the manifest text afore alledged: for it was said: To whom I sware in mine anger, that they should not enter into my rest: meaning the vnbeleeuing and vnfaithful: therfore wee that are beleeuing and faithfull, wee shall inherite that reste. This I think to be the meaning of these words folowing: As it is said: to whom I sware in my wrath, that they should not enter into my reste. Nowe, because the Apostle hath reasoned long and much, out of this place of the Prophet, and will yet reason longer, he wisely foreseeth, what might bee heere aunswered of the Iewes▪ that this place is of the people of Israel, meant of their entraunce into the lande of Canaan, vnderunder condition of obedience of the law of Moses, and therefore rather teacheth them to keepe stil those ordinances, then to change them for new, & follow this Iesus, of whomethey hauehave not heard before. This cogitation might easilie arise, and they might soone be so persuaded, that the prophet spake of the present time: now therfore, in the words following, the Apostle taketh away this offence and doubt, teaching, that not vntounto them onelie, but to vsus also it was spoken, and with this caution proueth with other arguments the former doctrine: that by faith grounded in our prophet Iesu Christ, we shall enter into his rest.
And he saith thus: Especially seeing his woorkes were finished from the foundation of the worlde. The woorde which is heere commonly translated, although I english it thus: Especially seeing: which I doe because the sence wel agreeth, and I knowe nothing to the contrarie but the word may well beare it: so nowe touching the obiection before made, the Apostle aunswereth thus: Neither can this bee ment of the rest of the land of Canaan, in obeying the lawe of Moses: for when neither the law was yet giuen, neither the land once promised, yet then was this reste of the Lord, into which his people did enter: for the scripture saith, euen at the beginning: The Lord rested the seuenth day from all his workes.
Now this obiection thus beeing confuted, there is also in these woordes, the seconde reason for proofe of this doctrine before taught, that they enter into the Lords rest which doe beleeue: and the reason is this. Seeing God finished his woorkes, streight from the foundation of the worlde, so that then he was said to rest the seuenth day, men entred not into that rest, by the obseruation of the lawe of Moses, which was not giuen, nor by any woorkes of fleshe, whiche were euer vnprofitable: but it is cleare then wee entred by fayth: according to this which is written: To day if you heare his voice, harden not your harts: this argument is plaine in these words: Especially seeing his works were finished from the foundation of the world for he saith in a certeine place of the seuenth day thus: and God rested in the seuenth day from al his workes: but of this argument, we wil speake again in the ninth verse. Heere the Apostle may seeme to some of vsus, to reason not verie stronglie: for how proueth he that it is one rest of which it is saide, ye shall not enter into my rest: and againe, the Lord rested the seuenth day: for the one semeth to be of God alone, the other a figuratiue promise set out vntounto vsus: but this doubt is soone taken away: for when it was sayd God rested the seuenth day: was it not also said: he blessed the seuenth day and h…lowed it: whiche is, he appointed it to this holy exercise, that mā should leaue off his other thoughts, and consider the power and wisdome and goodnesse of God in all his creatures, wheron after he gaue his law writen: Remember thou keepe holie the sabboth day, six daies shalt thou labour but the seuenth. & c, by which it was plaine, that this reste was the same, vntounto whiche they were after called: and thus we see the Apostles words, how apte they be to his purpose: It followeth now: And in this place againe, if they shall enter into my rest. In these words the Apostle teacheth, that this is also ye same rest which ye first was: where we see that the rest of the land of Canaan, was, that they should there enioy peace, and in his holie place praise God day & night, who had deliuered thē out of the cruel bondage of Aegypt, & from all hurt of the great & terrible wildernesse: in steade of which, he had giuen them a moste pleasaunt countrie, that flowed with milke and honie. Now vponupon the warrant of all this trueth, that one rest hath bene from the beginning, though the name may bee often named in sundrie respects, as first, it was so called, because God rested from his workes: againe, because the people entred into a peaceable land, in stede of a perilous desert: so vponupon other occasions, this name of rest is named, but all in one spirituall sense, that is now a ceassing from our owne works, to do the workes of God, and after this to dwell in the peace and rest of his glorie for euer: therfore, where promise of entrance into his rest is, it is a promise made vntounto all, and of all ages: vponupon this (I say) the Apostle saith further: Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therinto, & they to whome it was first preached entred not because of their vnbelief, againe, he appointed in Dauid a certeine day, by to day, saying after so long time, as it is alredy alledged to day if you if you wil heare his voice, harden not your harts: in all these words, he cōcludeth as he taught before, that seing this rest hath ben euer set out, to our first fathers, to the people of Israel, yet they entred not for vnbelief seeing it can not be, but some must needes enter, for the graces of God must needes be enioyed, therefore in Dauid it is againe said: To day if you wil heare his voice, that it might be knowen, y• we which do beleeue shall enter into his rest. So in these two verses, is the conclusion of the two former arguments: to proue, that only by fayth, we shall enter in to his rest. And this I take to be the naturall meaning of these wordes in the 3. 4. 5. 6. and 7. verse.
It followeth in the 8. verse: For if Iesus had giuen them rest he would not hauehave spoken of any other rest after. These woordes proue by an other reason, that the former prophecie is not ment of the land of Canaan, according to the obiection before spoken of: & his reason is this. Iosua led them into the lande of Canaan, a great many yeares before the Prophete Dauid made this exhortatiō: if therefore it had bene ment of that land, to what purpose did Dauid speak thus so long after? could it be threatned vntounto them, they should not enter into that rest, into which they had alreadie entred, and dwelt there foure hundreth yeares? Vppon this reason he concludeth in the ninth verse: Therfore, there remaineth yet a rest vntounto the people of God.
In the tenth verse, he sheweth at the last, what this rest is: that wee should no longer walke in our will, but resigne our selues ouer to the obedience of the will of God, euen as wee looke to enter at the last, into that rest and dwelling place, which is in heauen, not in earth, & which God had pitched and not man, in these words: for he that hath entred into his himselfe hath also rested frō his owne woorkes, euen as God rested also from his. Thus I hauehave plainely as I coulde, shewed you the whole meaning of all these wordes whiche I hauehave read together vntounto you: and I hauehave the fewer thinges seuerally to note vntounto you in them, because, as you hauehave heard the wordes were most of them mentioned before: & as occasion was, then I spake of them more at large vntounto you: onelyonly of the other thinges, whiche before the Apostle spake not of, I will note vntounto you what I think necessarie. In the thirde verse, I tolde you howe the Apostle taught vsus, that this rest, to whiche we bee called, was the rest of God from the beginning: because from the beginning, it was saide, God rested the seuenth day: what we should learne in this, we may plainely see the commaundement: Kepe holie the Sabboth day: For that day was instituted for this cause: because then God rested from his woorkes, and in that day a rest is commaunded vntounto vsus, that in it we should do no manner of worke: and why (dearely beloued) shall we rest? God is not pleased with idlenesse, he wil not hauehave vsus like the idle men that at the ix. houre of the day, stande still idle in the market: but God commaundeth vsus to keepe that day holie vntounto him, which is to serue him in it, and not our selues.
Nowe, seeinge in this daye wee muste glorifie God, and rest from our owne woorkes, to consider his woorkes, from which in this What is a Sabboth days work.day he rested, it is plaine and euident, that it is a Sabbaoth dayes worke, wisely to meditate in all the workes of God: for as Paule saith: They are the wisdome of God, in which we should knowe God, and in them the inuisible thinges of God, that is, his eternall power & Godhead that we should knowe him and glorifie him, and giuegive thankes vntounto him. So we read in the booke of Iob: when Eliphas would persuade Iob to the feare and reuerence of Gods maiestie, he biddeth him beholde the starres, how high they are. The prophet Esay, when he will assure the Esal. 40. 12.church of the merciemercy of God, that he will according to his mightie power fulfill all his promises, hee sayth thus: Who hath measured the waters in his fist, and counted heauen with his spanne, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weyed the mounteines in a weight, and the hilles in a balance? In meditation of these greate workes of God, the Prophet would teache them, to feare no man, but put their only trust and confidence in God. So the Prophet Ieremie, setteth out the constant course of the day and night, for vsus to consider, and in it to know how vnchaungeable the louelove of God is to all his Sainctes. So our Sauiour Christ, by the Matth. 6. 30goodlie colours of the flowers of the field, he would hauehave vsus learne, what a fatherly prouidence God hath ouer his childrē to couer their nakednesse, who clotheth so gloriously the vading flower. The prophet Dauid in many places, and specially Psal. 104. doth make a goodlie rehersal of the prouidence of God, Psal. 104. 35in ruling the whole world: thereby exhorting vsus to obey God, to hate iniquitie, and concludeth with this excellent sentence: Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth: & the wicked till there be no more. O my soule praise thou the Lord praise ye the Lord: If wee by these Psa. 104. 35.exhortations and instructions can teach all our senses, our eyes to see, and our eares to heare, so that in the creatures of God, we can see his glorie, louelove his goodnesse, feare his maiestie, expresse his image in all our conuersation: then are we sure wee keepe holie his Sabbothes, and we inioy the good beginnings of that blessed rest, into which we shall enter for euer: but if we bee vnprofitable creatures in the world, if we hauehave eyes and see not, and eares and heare not, and the sight and vse of so excellent werkes, can stirre vsus vp, neither to louelove nor feare, not once to knowe so excellent a workman, we are holden in the bondage of a spirituall Aegypt, and wander in straunge & vnknowen wayes of a spirituall wildernesse, where we hauehave neither any water of life, nor any secret Manna, to satiate and fill our faint and hungrie soules. we walke in the world, as subiects of the world, and dwell on the earth as seruants of the earth: the oxe & the horse do as we do, they eate, and drinke, and see the sunne, and vse at their will the day and night, and neuer consider him who made all these thinges. Let vsus not be like vntounto them, but as we hauehave hearts able to cōprehend better things, so let vsus vse them, that we may fil our wayes with perfect peace. If God hauehave giuen vsus the meane estate of life, in which neither wee want not yet abound, but our meat, our drink, our cloathing is suficient vntounto vsus, let vsus acknowledge the greate goodnes of god, who hath set in vsus an example of y• estate of life, which him selfe hath testified to bee good for vsus, in y• prayer which he hath taught vsus all: GiueGive vsus this day our daily bread. If God hauehave giuen vsus pouertie, colde, nakednes, & much affliction, let vsus think with our selues: How good is God vntounto vsus euen in these days of calamitie? for hath he not made vsus like his only begotten sonne, a man despised in ye world, & of smal account, who had experience of all our sorrowe & griefe, that we againe carrying his image, might die with him, y• we might also reigne with him in the due time which he hath appointed: againe, let me see this also in my pouertie & affliction: God hath by this meanes prepared me so, that whatsoeuer is done vntounto me, God will impute it as done vntounto himselfe: whosoeuer shal mocke or dispise my life, he reprocheth god y• thus hath made me Prouerb.whosoeuer shal cloth, feede, harborough me, Christ accepteth it as his owne, as if he were hungrie, & receiued Matt. 25.meate: he were naked, and receiued raiment: what a marke & print of y• louelove of god is this in me, & how blessed is this estate, which of so manie is thought most miserable? if God hath giuen vsus high & excellent honour, if in y• middes of my pleasure, with a wise hart can thinke thus: This is yet ye place of my banishmēt, my bodi is a prisohouse in which my soule is in bondage, my life is a pilgrimage in which I wander, as in a coūtrie y• is not mine owne: and yet: if God hauehave here filled my senses with so many delights, if such be the glorie of these kingdomes and this nobilitie? If the honour & riches of these dayes, hauehave so greate gladnesse of hearte: O Lorde, what are the Heauens of Heauens, where we are citizens, which is our countrie, where our bodie is glorious, and crowned with life, where thy maiestie shal shine in perfect beautie before vsus, where all thinges shalbe our owne, and we shalbee thine. A happie lordship, a happie Earledome, a hap pie man, whose honour teacheth him thus to know the Lord, who hath had merciemercy vppon him. These and such like meditations & thoughts, which carrie vp our mindes from the Creatures to the Creatour, and from our worldly calling to him that hath called vsus, these doe leade vsus into the rest of the Lorde: these are our holie woorkes on the sabbaoth dayes, and this is our wisedome in enioying all the benefites of God. But of this meditation I spake before vntounto you, in the exposition of the sixt verse of the second chapter.
Nowe, touching this woorde whereof we hauehave heard so much, that is, the rest of God: we must marke how the scripture vseth it: sometime for the trueth, which is euer one: somtime for the figures, whiche hauehave beene diuerse. The true and perfecte rest is that which is now begonne in vsus, the resting from our owne workes, that is, our dyinge vntounto sinne, & the crucifying of ye olde man, that wee may giuegive ouer our bodies vntounto the Lord, to be seruants of righteousnesse, and that onelyonly his spirite may reigne in vsus, that as Paule saith, it be not nowe we Gal. 2. 20that liue: but that it be Christ that liueth in vsus: and this rest shalbe made perfecte in the resurrection of the iust, when we shalbe ioyned vntounto Christe our head, and God shalbe vntounto vsus all in all.
The figures of this rest (as I saide) hauehave beene diuerse. The first figure was the rest of ye sabboth day, called our rest, because wee were without bodily labour, only in spirituall exercise, to consider ye works of God, his greatnesse, and power, and goodnesse, & therby to learne with al our harts to serue him, & to glorifie him as our only god: so y• al the seuenth day longe, while the sunne shined, it preached vntounto the people, that they should ceasse from sinne, and serue God, die vntounto the world and liue in him. An other figure of this spirituall rest, was the lande of Canaan, called their rest, because they ceassed from the fearefull trauell of the solitarie wildernesse, and from feare of enimies which alwayes rose againste them: & from their bondage before in Egypt, now inhabiting a quiet countrie full of all fruit and pleasure: and their spirituall exercise in this rest, was, to see from what miseries God had deliuered them, what blessings he had giuen them, howe mightilie he saued them from al hurt of man and beast, and euerie creature: and therfore now, in a holy rest and quietnesse, to be thankful vntounto him, to serue him, to trust in him, to rest vnderunder the shadow of his wings. An other figure of this rest, was also y• tēple, of whiche it was said: This is my rest for euer: here wil I dwel, Psal. 132. 14for I hauehave a delight therin: called also ye rest in respect that before, the tabernacle and the Arke was carried from place to place, but nowe it was settled for euer in mount Sion: the spirituall exercise of this rest, was, that God had now made knowen vntounto them his statutes and ordinaunces, in which they should liue, his couenauntes and promises were sure vntounto them, and that they shoulde not immagine vaine thoughts, or followe their own deuises, but abide in the waies of God, acknowledging them alone, to be the wayes of life, and so giuegive ouer them selues to walke in them. These were the figures of this spirituall rest which abideth for euer: and vntounto vsus nowe to whō figures hauehave ceassed, this rest is set out clearlie in it self, that we should liue in it, ceasse from our owne workes, doe the woorkes of our God, and worship him in spirit and trueth, hauing according to this exhortation of our Apostle, our Sauiour Christ our onelyonly prophet, to rest in his woorde: our onelyonly priest, to rest in his sacrifice for sinne: our only king, to rest in his defence: our only head, to rest in his nourishment, who only with his blessed spirite feedeth vsus to eternall life, and worketh in vsus all in all. This is that kingdome of God, whiche we are taught to pray, that it may come and prosper: and this is that the prophet Esay sayth of the roote of Ishaie, that in those dayes his rest should be glorious: this is Esai. 11. 10.the trueth sigured in all the former restes of the Sabboath, of the lande of Canaan, of the temple, as Zacharias ful of ye holie ghost, doth most plainly shew. This is (saith he) the othe which he sware to our father A brahā. that he would graunt, vntounto vsus: that we beeing deliuered Luke. 1. 74.out of the handes of our enimies, might serue him without feare, in holines & righteousnes, al the dayes of our life: and this rest hath in it, as Paul saith, a pure heart, that is, vn…ed & cōstant louelove: a sincere saith, that is, holy and true religion and, a good corscience: that is, peace toward God through Iesus Christ: and these properties of our rest (deerely beloued) mark them wel, that we may knowe the place, where we dwell in peace: and lest we thinke foolishly, that we are at rest, when yet we are tossed in the tempestuous sea: our religion must be pure and vntouched, from the curious and entising fancies of Philosophie, from traditions and decrees of men, from superstition of Col. 2. ….the elements of the worlde: as meate, drinke, daies, times, and such other: to be short, pure from al thinges, which Christ our only prophet hath not taught vsus. And how can we thinke then, that we are yet in this rest, if we be holden with decrees: Touch not, tast not &c. if counsels, and fathers, whiche are diuerse, and daily renued, do lead vsus with their sūdrie indgments: what rest is in my religion, if thus I muste walke vncerteinly? It was said of the first rest: What Deu. 5.I commaund thee, do that onelyonly: this rest is nowe abundantly confirmed vntounto vsus, more amplie thē before, as Christe is greater then Moses: and how then do we seeke after any instruction, but onelyonly after the word of Christe alone. Againe, seeing in our rest is vnfeigned louelove, contention and strife, & quarels are cast out: how do we say, we are entred into our rest, when this dissention is amōg vsus, one with another: let vsus looke vntounto it wel, to whom it belongeth. It is a greuous thing to trouble the peace of the church: so is it a greuous thing to see trueth lye hidden, or despised: therfore iudge not you rashly, nor condemne any mans worke before it be tried. We are called vntounto a rest, and let vsus nourish our peace: who soeuer fall out with vsus, let vsus not fall out with them, but let vsus seeke the truethe in louelove, and so shall be built vp the decayed places of Sion: and to our selues eueryevery one of vsus this I say, yet not I, but Saint Iohn, That He that loueth his brother he hath no offence in him whereat another should fall: & therfore, in any controuersies 1. Ioh. 2.that can arise in the church, if we feare God, let vsus follow this rule: let vsus not doe any thing for vaine glory, for honour, for riches, for pleasing men: for if we do, we may be assured, offēces wil arise, & we shall be guiltie of thē: but if only Gods glory & the louelove of our brethren do constraine vsus, God will giuegive vsus the spirit of wildome & peace, and we shall not be offences vntounto any: but this let you & me cō mit vntounto the Lord with our hartie praires, & he wil bring to passe a good worke in our eyes. Againe, our rest must bee in all trueth: and howe doe suche men seeke the glorie of this rest, which fil the world with lying and flattering, which call good euil, and euil good, light darknesse, and darknesse light? The Prophet Amos complayneth of the Iudges of his Amos. 8. 6.time, that they were so corrupte through brybes, that they were redie to sell ye people for old shooes: if he were aliue now, he would add to this another complaint, that some preachers are also so corrupt, that they wil sell the trueth for a mounrning gowne. Let a man be now neuer so blinde, that hee walke as at midnight when it is noone dayes, yet you shall finde some Preacher will commende his sight: if a man were as black as ye black horse spoken of in the Apocalypse, that nothing were in him but Apoca. 4. 1shadowe & darknesse, yet he shall finde a black prophet, with a black mouth, and a headlong tongue, to make him as white as the white woll, or as white as the white snowe: and if a false tounge coulde colour him more then that, it is set to sale, and it is easily bought. But hauehave such men care of our blessed rest? or do they delight in the glorie of it? Do they thinke that in the church of Christ it wilbe euer suffered, that the sweete and costly garments of Gods sainctes shalbe taken from them, and made a spoyle for straungers? or he that goeth about this, shall hee not disquiet our peace? Leaue off then you that feare the Lorde, leaue off to sell the praises of faith and of religion to those which neuer sought and inquired after them. Remember Elihu saith: If I shoulde giuegive titles, my maker woulde destroy mee: Do not therefore iustifie the sinner while thou liuest. Thou Iob. 32. 22.foolish praiser, & thou folish praised, what substance is there in you, but a blast of winde? Let vsus then leaue off lying, and speake euerie man the trueth frō our hearts, and so let vsus enter into our rest, & dwell in the peace of Gods Church together.
Nowe, one worde more touching this rest: the seuenth day is called the Lordes rest: the land of Canaan, is called his rest: the temple, his rest: the Gospell, his rest: yet were not all these his rest, but figures and presentations of it: as times, places, meanes, by whiche we should rest in him: yet had they the name of the rest, as things liuely presenting the rest vntounto vsus, & in whiche we enioyed the spirituall rest: & thus it is in all sacraments, because they present vntounto vsus Gods graces, and his holy spirite worketh in the ministerie of them, the more to assure our faith: they are also named by the thinges which they presēt vntounto vsus. Now touching the sabboth day which is here mentioned, you see, from the beginninge it was a figure of our spirituall rest in Christ: so that as al figures in him hauehave ceassed & are complete: so the obseruation of that seuenth day hath also ceassed, and the trueth of it must shewe it selfe, which is, that not the seuenth day, but all the days of our life, our thoughtes should be with God, and our workes to his glorie: and thus the olde Sabboth was ceremoniall, and is now abrogate, euen as you see: for that Sabboth, is now our saturday, in which we lawfully occupie our selues, in all honest labour of our calling. An other end of that Sabboth was according to the manners of men, necessarie for them then, and now necessarie for vsus: and that was, that thei might hauehave a time, to meet together, to worship God in ye cōgregatiō, to make publique prayers, vse his sacramentes for strengthening their faith, heare his law, and his prophets, that they might learne his iudgments, and edifie one another in the knowledg of God: this end of the Sabboth must needs be perpetuall, as long as our weaknesse needeth mutuall helpe, and as long as it is meete we should openlie serue the Lord: to this end the commaundement is stil read vntounto vsus, Remember thou keepe holie the Sabboth day: which now is our sunday ordeined by ye apostls exāples, that the superstition of the Iewish Sabboth should be taken away, and kept holie, that thus we should occupie our selues in that day: otherwise the olde Sabboth can possiblie be kepte of vsus, no other way, but as the Apostle here teacheth vsus in the tenth verse, that as we see God rested in it, from all his works: so we in all our life must rest from our own woorkes, that is, wee must rest from our care or regarde of the flesh, to accomplish the desires of it: but as we are bought with a price, so wee muste yeelde our selues seruants vntounto our Lord, and offer vp our selues a holie & liuely sacrifice to doe his will: and thus farre of this text. Now, let vsus pray &c.