Hence is the command to cut off the right hand, if it offend, Matt. v. 30.; that is, things apprehended as useful unto us, as a right hand is to the common services of life. Of this kind is that inordinate love of the world, and all the ways whereby it is pursued, which the gospel doth so condemn. These things are to many, what Micah's gods were unto him; who cried out upon the loss of them, when they were stolen by the Danites, "You have taken away my gods, and what have I more?" Take away from men their love of this world, and the inordinate pursuit of it, and they think they have no more; they will scarce think it worth while to live in the world any longer. And this interest also is to be overcome, which it cannot be without great difficulty; and a cleaving unto it, is that which hinders multitudes from entering into the rest of God.

3. An interest of power. Hence, sin is said to have strong holds in us, which are not easily cast down. But hereof I have treated in a peculiar discourse.

Secondly, Another reason of the difficulty of this work, ariseth from the combined opposition that is made unto it. For as the Egyptians, the Canaanites and the Amorites, did all of them their utmost to hinder the Israelites from entering into Canaan; and what they could not effect really by their opposition, they did morally by occasioning the people's unbelief, through their fighting against them, which proved their ruin; so do our spiritual adversaries deal in this matter. If the work of the gospel go on, if men endeavour by it to enter into God's rest, Satan must lose his subjects, and the world its friends, and sin its life. And there is not one instance wherein they will not try their utmost to retain their interest. All these endeavour to hinder us from entering iuto the rest of God, which renders it a great and difficult work.

It will be said, that if there be all these difficulties lying before us, they must needs be so many discouragements, and turn men aside from attempting of it. I answer,

1. Of old indeed they did so; the difficulties and discouragements that lay in the way of the people, quite took off their hearts and minds from endeavouring an entrance into the promised land. But what was the event? The apostle declares at large, that on this account the indignation of God came upon them, and their carcases fell in the wilderness, And no otherwise will it be with them who are afraid to engage in those spiritual difficulties we have now to conflict withal. They will die and perish under the wrath of God, and that unto eternity. He that shall tell men that their entering into the rest of Christ, is plain, easy, suited to nature, as it is weak or corrupt, will but delude and deceive them. To mortify sin, subdue our bodies, and keep them in subjection; to deny ourselves not only in the VOL. IV A a

crucifying of lusts that have the most secret tendency unto things unlawful, but also in the use of things lawful, and our affections to them, pulling out right eyes, cutting off right hands, taking up the cross in all sorts of afflictions and persecutions, are required of us in this matter; and they are not at present joyous but grievous, not easy and pleasant, but difficult and attended with many hardships. To lull men asleep with hopes of a rest in Christ, and in their lusts, in the world, in their earthly accommodations, is to deceive them and ruin them. We must not represent the duties of gospel faith and obedience, as the Jesuits preached Christ to the Indians, never letting them know that he was crucified, lest they should be offended at it. But we must tell men the plain truth as it is, and let them know what they are to expect from within and from without, if they intend to enter into rest.

2. Notwithstanding all these difficulties, the promise of God being mixed with faith, will carry us safely through them all, After the unbelieving generation was destroyed in the wilderness, the hardships and difficulties still remained; yet their children believing the promise, passed through them and entered into rest. The power of God, and his faithfulness amongst them and unto them, conquered them all. And it will infallibly be so with them that shall mix the promise with faith, in reference unto this spiritual rest. God will both supply them with strength, and subdue their enemies, so as that they shall not fail of rest. Whatever therefore may be pretended, it is nothing but unbelief that can cause us to come short of rest, and this will do it effectually. Faith in the promise will engage the power of Christ unto our assistance; and where he will work, none shall let him. To this end we might consider the various ways whereby he will make mountains become plains, dry up rivers, yea, seas of opposition, and make all those things light and easy unto us, which seem so grievous and insupportable unto our nature, either as weak and frail, or as corrupt and sinful. But we must not too far digress into these things. And I say, thirdly, which is a second observation from the words,

Obs. II. That as the utmost of our labours and endeavours are required to our obtaining an entrance into the rest of Christ, so it doth very well deserve that they should be laid out therein.Let us, saith the apostle, endeavour this matter with all diligence, as the word imports. Men are content to lay out themselves unto the utmost for other things, and to spend their strength for the bread that perisheth, yea, for that which is not bread. Every one may see how busy and industrious the world is in the pursuit of perishing things. And men are so foolish as to think that these deserve their whole time and strength, and more they would expend in the same way, if they were intrusted with it. This

their way is their folly. But how easy a thing were it to demonstrate from the nature of it, its procurement and end, with our eternal concernment in it, that this rest, deserves the utmost of our diligence and endeavours. To convince men hereof, is one of the chief ends of the preaching of the gospel in general; and so needs not here to be insisted on.

Obs. III. Again, There is a present excellency in gospel-faith and obedience, and a present reward attending then. They are an entrance into the rest of Christ; or they give us a present interest therein. They are not only a present means of entering into future eternal rest with God; but they give us a present' participation of the rest of Christ; and wherein this doth consist, hath been before declared.

The latter part of this verse yet remains to be explained and applied. Therein unto the precedent exhortation a motive is subjoined; "lest any fall after the same example of unbelief." These words, as was in part before intimated, do express either the sin to be avoided, or the punishment whereby we should be deterred from it.

sense.

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The word, 'to fall,' is ambiguous, and may be applied to either sense. For men may fall into sin; and they may fall into the punishment due to their sin; when that word is used in a moral Mat. xv. 14. the blind lead the blind," aμpotigol 815 BoJUVOY TECOUVTAI, "both shall fall into the ditch," of sin or trouble. See Rom. xi. 22. James v. 12. For the prime use of the word is in things natural, and it is only metaphorically translated to express things moral. And body is most commonly a teaching example. So divu, is to teach,' or to instruct' by shewing, Mat.iii. 7. "O generation of vipers,” Tis vπıdağıv iμ," who hath warned, taught, instructed you " Thence υποδειγμα, is docu mentum. Ταυτα ὑποδειγματα εσται τω Πολυδάμνη ών δεί επιμεληθῆναι, These are instructions for Polodamnes, about the things that are to be provided for.' But it is also often used as #agadnyua, • an exemplary punishment ; as ὑποδειγμα τω πληθεί ποιων αυτον, • making him an example to the multitude;' that is, in his punishment. And so among the Latins, exemplum is often put absolutely for punishment, and that of the highest nature. Now if iod in this place, be taken merely for a document' or instruction,' which is undoubtedly the most proper and usual signification of the word, then the sense may be, Lest any of you should fall into that unbelief, whereof, and of its pernicious consequents, you have an instructive example in them that went before; proposed on purpose unto you, that you might be stirred up to avoid it.' If it be taken for magadaya, as sometimes it is, and so include in its signification an exemplary punishment;' then the meaning of the words is, "Lest any of you, through your unbelief fall into that punishment," which hath been made

exemplary, in the ruin of those other unbelievers who went before you.' And this I take to be the meaning of the words. You have the gospel, and the rest of Christ therein, preached and proposed unto you. Some of you have already taken upon you the profession of it, as the people did of old at Mount Sinai, when they said, "All that the Lord our God shall command, that we will do." Your condition is now like unto theirs, and was represented therein. Consider therefore how things fell out with them, and what was the event of their sin, and God's dealing with them. They believed not, they made not good their engagement, they persisted not in their profession, but were disobedient and stubborn, and God destroyed them. They fell in the wilderness and perished, not entering into God's rest, as hath been declared. If now you, or any amongst you, shall be found guilty of their sin, or the like answering unto it, do not think or hope that you shall avoid the like punishment. An example of God's severity is set before you in their destruction. If you would not fall into it, or fall under it, labour by faith and obedience to enter into the rest of Christ. And this I take to be the true sense and importance of the words answering their coherence and relation unto them that go before. For those words, "Let us labour to enter into that rest," are no more but let us sincerely believe and obey, wherein we shall find through Jesus Christ rest to our souls. Hereunto this clause of the verse is a motive," Lest any of you fall in the same example of unbelief." Now, if their sense should be, Lest any of you, after their example, should fall into unbelief,' then that of the whole must be, let us labour to believe, that we fall not into unbelief; which is a mere battalogy, and remote from our divine Author. Hence observe,

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Obs. IV. Precedent judgments on others, are monitory ordinances unto us. They are so in general in all things that fall out in the providence of God in that kind, whereof we may judge by a certain rule. This is the use that we are to make of God's judgments, without a censorious reflection on them in particular, who fall under them; as our Saviour teacheth us in the instances of the Galileans, whose sacrifices Pilate mingled with their blood, and those men on whom the tower in Siloam fell. But there are many things peculiar in the examples of this kind given us in the Scripture. For, 1. We have an infallible rule therein to judge both of the sins of men, and of the respect that the judgments of God had unto them. Besides, 2. They are designed instances of the love and care of God towards us; as our apostle declares, 1 Cor. x. 11. God suffered their sins to fall out, and recorded his own judgments against them in his word, on purpose for our instruction. So that, as he declared his severity in them towards others, he makes known

by them his love and care towards us. This gives them the nature of ordinances, which all proceed from love. To this end, and with a sense hereof, are we to undertake the consideration of them. So are they exceedingly instructive; to which purpose we have treated somewhat on the third chapter, whither we refer the reader. Again,

Obs. V. It is better to have an example, than to be made an example of divine displeasure; yet this will befal us, if we neglect the former. For,

Obs. VI. We ought to have no expectation of escaping vengeance under the guilt of those sins, which others in a like manner guilty of, have not escaped.-We are apt to flatter ourselves, that however it fared with others, it will go well with us, like him who blesseth himself, and says he shall have peace, when he hears the words of the curse. This self-pleasing and security variously insinuates itself into our minds, and tenaciously cleaves unto us. But as we have any care of our eternal welfare, we are to look upon it as our greatest enemy. There is no more certain rule for us to judge of our own condition, than the examples of God's dealings with others in the same. They are all effects of eternal and invariable righteousness; and with God there is no respect of persons. I might here insist on the ways and means, whereby this self-flattery imposeth false hopes and expectations on men; as also on the duties required of us for to obviate and prevent its actings; but must not too often digress from our main purpose and design.

VER. 12, 13.—THESE next verses contain a new enforcement of the preceding exhortation, taken from the consideration of the means of the event threatened in case of unbelief. Two things are apt to arise in the minds of men for their relief, against the fear of such comminations as are proposed to them. 1. That their failing in point of duty, may not be discerned or taken notice of. For they will resolve against such transgressions as are open, gross, and visible to all. For what is partial and secret, in a defect of exactness and accuracy, that may be overlooked, or not be discovered. 2. That threatenings are proposed in terrorem only, to terrify and awe men, but not with a mind or will of putting them into execution. Both these vain pretences, and deceiving reliefs, our apostle in these verses obviates the way of, or deprives men of them, where they have been admitted. For he lets them know that they are to be tried by that, or have to do with him, who both actually discovers all the secret frames of our hearts, and will deal with all men accordingly. Moreover, herein he informs them how, and in what manner, it is necessary for them to attend to his exhortation in the performance of their duty, namely, not in or by a