The Saints Everlasting Rest, Treatise 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. HEBR. 4.9. There remaineth therefore a Rest to the people of God.
SECT. I.
IT was not only our interest in God,§. 1. and actual fruition of him, which was lost in Adams Covenant-breaking fall; but all spiritual knowledg 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 Luk. 18.8.) when the Son of God comes with Recovering Grace, and discoveries and tenders of a spiritual and eternal Happiness and Glory, he findes not faith in man to beleeve it. But as the poor man that would not beleeve that any one man had such a sum as an hundred pound, it was so far above what he possessed: So man will hardly now beleeve, 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 beleeve it, then to overcome their enemies, and procure it for them: And when they had it, only as a small intimation & earnest of a more incomparably glorious Rest through Christ, they stick there, and will yet beleeve no more then they do possess, but sit down and say, as the Glutton at the feast, Sure there's 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's 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 Beleever, 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-priviledges, 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, then Rest? What more welcom news to men under publick calamities, unpleasing employments, plunderings, losses, sad tydings &c. (which is the common case) then 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. II.
§. 2.THe Text is, as you may see, the Apostles Assertion in an entire proposition, with the concluding illative, The Subject is Rest; The Predicate, It yet Remains to the people of God. Its 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 Anti-type after the Type, and the ultimate end after all the means; so there remains a Rest: [To the People of God] God hath a two-fold people within the Church: One his only by a common vocation *Heb. 10.30. Micah 2.8. 2 Pet. 2.20. Joh 2.23. Heb 6.4, 5, 6. Heb. 10.29, 30, 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 sence as Jews and Pagans are; but holy, and Saints in a larger sence, as the Nation of the Jews, and all Proselited Gentiles were holy before Christs coming: These are called Branches in Christ not bearing fruit,Joh. 15.2, 6. and shall be cut off, &c. for they are in the Church, and in him, by the foresaid profession, and external Covenant, but no further. There are in his Kingdom things that offend,Mat: 13.41. and men that work iniquity, which the Angels at the last day shall gather out, and cast into the Lake of fire: 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,Joh. 17.12. 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.
1. To be Gods people by a forced Subjection, i. e. under his dominion, is common to all persons, even open enemies, yea Devils; this yeelds not comfort.
2. To be his by a verbal Covenant and profession, and external Call, is common to all in and of the visible Church, even Traytors, and secret enemies; yet hath this many priviledges, 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 property of those that shall have this Rest.
SECT. III.
§. 3.Quest. BUt is it to a determinate number of persons by name, or onelyonly to a people thus and thus qualified, viz. persevering Beleevers, without determining by Name who they are?
Ans. I purposely in this Discourse omit controversies; onelyonly in a word thus: 1. It is promised only to persevering Beleevers, 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 I prove thus.
1. There's 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 Knowledg and Purpose in God do differ.
4. However, we must not make his knowledg 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 Beleevers to salvation, and not to purpose faith and perseverance absolutely to any particular persons, is to purpose salvation absolutely to none at all.
SECT. IV.
§. 4.Quest. TO] Is it to the people of God upon Certainty, or only upon possibility.
Ans. If only possible, it cannot thus be called theirs.
1Theirs by Purpose before conversion.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,Acts 13.48. and therefore beleeve; and not first beleeve and therefore elected.
2. When they are called according to his purpose,2Theirs in Law-title or by promise, after conversion. then it is certain to them by a certainty of promise also, as good as if they were named in that promise; for the promise is to Beleevers, which they may know themselves to be; and though it be yet upon condition of overcoming▪ Quum aequilibrium illud hoc u…um praestat juxta Arminium, ut redda… salutem hominum …em contingentem, & libratane in ancipiti, isne rem tantam imp…se affectasse dicendus est, qui vult esse collo catam in loco tam lubrico, ac veluti tenui filo pendentem, adco ut v…l levissimo moment… impellatur ad perniciem? Amyral, Desens. doctr. Calvini, pag. 115.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 ours onelyonly upon a condition, which condition depends chiefly on our own wills; it were cold comfort to those that know what mans 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 peoples salvation: and not onelyonly 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 shew us a Certainty of our Salvation both in his Promise and his Purpose.