Hebrews 4:10

῾Ο γὰρ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ὁ Θεός.

There is no difficulty in these words, nor difference in the translation of them.

Hebrews 4:10 . For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his works, as God from his own.

So are the words to be read. Speaking of the works of God, he calls them his ἳδια, “his own,” ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων, “from his own;” and of the other compared with him, he says only τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, “his works:” somewhat otherwise than they are rendered in our version.

Expositors generally apply these words unto believers, and their entering into the rest of God; whether satisfactorily to themselves or others, either as to their design, coherence, scope, or signification of particular expressions, I know not. Nor is it my way to oppose or confute the expositions of others, unless they are of such as wrest the Scripture to the confirmation of errors and heresies, or pervert the testimonies which in any texts or places are given unto important and fundamental truths of the gospel; such as we have met with many in our passage. But where things spoken or delivered are true with respect unto the analogy of faith, though they may not Be rightly or regularly deduced from this or that text in particular, yet they may have their use unto edification, through their conformity unto what is taught in other places; in such cases I shall not contend with any, but with all humility propose my own thoughts and reasons to the consideration of them who are wise, learned, and godly. I am not, then, satisfied with the exposition mentioned of this place, but look upon it as that which neither suits the design of the apostle, nor can bear a tolerable sense in its particular application. For, first, supposing believers to be here intended, what are the works they are said to rest from? Their sins, say some; their labors, sorrows, and sufferings, say others; from these they rest in heaven. But how can they be said to rest from these works as God rested from his own? for God so rested from his as to take the greatest delight and satisfaction in them, to be refreshed by them: “In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed,” Exodus 31:17. He so rested from them as that he rested in them, and blessed them, and blessed and sanctified the time wherein they were finished. Indeed God's rest from and upon his works, besides a mere cessation of working, consisted principally in the satisfaction and complacency that he had in them. But now, if those mentioned be the works here intended, men cannot so rest from them as God did from his; but they cease from them with a detestation of them as far as they are sinful, and joy for their deliverance from them as far as they are sorrowful. Now, this is not to rest as God rested. Again, when are men supposed to rest from these works? It cannot be in this world, for here we rest not at all from temptations, sufferings, and sorrows; and for that mortification of sin which we attain unto, we are to fight continually, “resisting even unto blood.” It must therefore be in heaven that they so rest; and this is affirmed accordingly. But this utterly excludes the rest in and of the gospel from the apostle's discourse, and enervates it, so as that his whole present argument is nothing to his purpose, as we have showed before.

It appears, therefore, that it is the rest of another that is here intended, even the rest of Christ from his works, which is compared with the rest of God from his at the foundation of the world; for,

First, The conjunction γάρ, “for,” which introduceth this assertion, manifests that the apostle in these words gives an account whence it is that there is a new sabbatism remaining for the people of God. He had proved before that there could be no such rest but what was founded in the works of God, and his rest that ensued thereon. Such a foundation therefore, he saith, this new rest must have; and it hath it. Now this is, and must be, in the works and rest of him by whom the church was built, that is Christ, who is God, as it is expressly argued, Hebrews 3:3-4. For as that rest which all the world was to observe was founded in his works and rest who built or made the world and all things in it; so the rest of the church of the gospel is to be founded in his works and rest by whom the church itself was built, that is Jesus Christ; for he, on the account of his works and rest, is also Lord of the Sabbath, to abrogate one day of rest and to institute another.

Secondly, The apostle here changeth the manner of his expression; from the plural absolutely, “We who believe,” or virtually in the name of a multitude, “the people of God,” into that which is absolutely singular: ῾Ο εἰσελθών “He that is entered.” A single person is here expressed; one on whose account the things mentioned are asserted. And of this change of phrase there can no reason be given, but only to signify the introduction of a singular person.

Thirdly, The rest which he is said to enter into is called “his rest,” absolutely. As God, speaking of the former rest, calls it “my rest,” so this is the “my rest” of another, “his rest,” namely, the rest of Christ. When the entering of believers into rest is mentioned, it is called either “God's rest,” “They shall enter into my rest;” or “rest” absolutely, “We that believe do enter into rest:” but not ‘their rest,'or ‘our rest;'for it is not our own, but God's rest whereinto we enter, and wherein we rest. The rest here is the rest of him whose it is, who is the author of it; that is, of Christ.

Fourthly, There is a direct parallel in the whole verse between the works of the old creation and those of the new, which the apostle is openly comparing together.

1. For the authors of them: Of the one it is said to be God, “As God did from his; ” that is, the Creator: of the other, “He,” αὐτός; ‘who is that He of whom we speak,'saith our apostle, ‘ Hebrews 4:13,' for in these words he makes also a transition to the person of Christ, allowing only the interposition of an applicatory exhortation, Hebrews 4:11.

2. The works of the one and the other are expressed. The works of the Creator are ἴδια ἔργα, “his proper works,” “his own works,” the works of the old creation. And there are the works of him of whom he speaks, τὰ ἔρηα αὐτοῦ, “his works;” those which he wrought in like manner as God did his own at the beginning, that is, the work of building the church. For these works must answer each other, and have the same respect unto their authors or workers. They must be good and complete in their kind, and such as rest and refreshment may be taken in as well as upon. To compare the sins or the sufferings of men with the works of God, our apostle did not intend.

3. There is the rest of the one and the other. And these must also have their proportion to one another. Now God rested from his own works of creation,

(1.) By ceasing from creating, only continuing all things by his power in their order, and propagating them to his glory.

(2.) By his respect unto them or refreshment in them, as those which set forth his praise and satisfied his glorious design. And so also must he rest who is here spoken of.

(1.) He must cease from working in the like kind. He must suffer no more, die no more, but only continue the work of his grace, in the preservation of the new creature, and orderly increase and propagation of it by the Spirit.

(2.) In his delight and satisfaction which he taketh in his works, which Jesus Christ hath to the utmost. “He sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied,” and is in possession of that “glory which was set before him” whilst he was at his work.

From what hath been spoken, I suppose it will appear plainly, to unprejudiced and impartial minds, that it is the person of Jesus Christ that is the subject here spoken of; and we shall confidently allow a supposition thereof to regulate our exposition of this verse. And there is considerable in it,

First, The person spoken of, ὁ εἰσελθών, “He that is entered into his rest;” that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, the builder of the church, the author of the new creation. And this gives an account of the causal connection, “for:” “There remaineth a sabbatism now for the people of God, for Christ is entered into his rest.”

Secondly, There are the works that this rest of his respects, which it is said he hath “ceased” or “rested from.” These words have been fully opened and declared on the third and fourth verses of the third chapter, whither we refer the reader. All that he did and suffered, from his incarnation to his resurrection, as the mediator of the new covenant, with all the fruits, effects, and consequents of what he so did and suffered, belong to these works.

Thirdly, There is the rest that he entered into to be considered. Hereof we have seen before in general that there are two parts:

1. A cessation from his works; he hungered no more, was tempted no more, in a word, died no more.

2. A satisfaction in his works and the product of them. This Christ had in his; whence he says, upon a view of their effects,

“The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage,” Psalms 16:6.

Fourthly, His entrance into his rest is in like manner proposed unto us. Now this was not his lying down in the grave. His body, indeed, there rested for a while; but that was no part of his mediatory rest, as the founder and builder of the church. For,

1. It was a part of his humiliation; not only his death, but his abode or continuance in the state of death was so, and that a principal part of it. For after the whole human nature was personally united unto the Son of God, to have it brought into a state of dissolution, to have the body and soul separated from each other, was a great humiliation. And every thing of this sort belonged to his works, not his rest.

2. This separation of body and soul under the power of death was penal, part of the sentence of the law which he underwent. And therefore Peter declares that the pains of death were not loosed but in his resurrection, Acts 2:24:

“Whom God,” saith he, “hath raised up, loosing the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

Whilst he was held of it, he was under it penally. This therefore could not be his rest, nor any part of it; nor did he in it enter into his rest, but continued his work. Nor, secondly, did he first enter into his rest at his ascension. Then, indeed, he took actual possession of his glory, as to the full public manifestation of it. But to enter into rest is one thing, and to take possession of glory another. And it is placed by our apostle as a remote consequent of the Lord Christ's being “justified in the Spirit,” when he entered into his rest, 1 Timothy 3:16. But this his entrance into rest was in, by, and at his resurrection from the dead. For,

1. Therein and then was he freed from the sentence, power, and stroke of the law, and discharged of all the debt of our sin, which he had undertaken to make satisfaction for, Acts 2:24.

2. Then and therein were all types, all prophecies and predictions fulfilled, that concerned the work of our redemption.

3. Then indeed his work was done; I mean that which answered God's creating work, though he still continueth that which answers his work of preservation. Then was the law fully satisfied, Satan absolutely subdued, peace with God made, the price of our redemption paid, and the whole foundation of the church gloriously laid in and upon his own person. Then “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”

4. Then and therein was he “declared to be the Son of God with power,” Romans 1:4; God manifesting to all that this was he concerning and to whom he said, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee,” Acts 13:33. This might be further confirmed, but that, as I know, it is not much questioned. Therefore did the Lord Christ enter into his rest, after he had finished and ceased from his works, “on the morning of the first day of the week,” when he arose from the dead, the foundation of the new creation being laid and perfected.

Here lieth the foundation of our sabbatizing, of the sabbatism that remains for the people of God. This reason doth the apostle give of it. He had before asserted it; and there remained no more for him to do but to manifest that as those other rests which were past, the one at the beginning of the world, the other at the giving of the law, had their foundation in the works and rests of God, whence a day of rest was given out to the church; so had this new rest a foundation in the works and rest of Christ, who built all these things and is God, determining a day for our use, in and by that whereon himself entered into his rest, that is, the first day of the week. See hence, that,

Obs. 1. The whole church, all the duties, worship, and privileges of it, are founded in the person, authority, and actions of Jesus Christ.

Obs. 2. The first day of the week, the day of the resurrection of Christ, when he rested from his works, is appointed and determined for a day of rest or Sabbath unto the church, to be constantly observed in the room of the seventh day, appointed and observed from the foundation of the world and under the old testament.

This proposition, containing a truth of great importance, and greatly opposed by many on various accounts, that the full discussion of it may not too much interrupt the course of our exposition, is handled apart and at large, in exercitations to that purpose, whereunto the reader in this place is remitted. [7]

[7] See volume 19, p. 261.