MR. TAYLOR' S FIRST REPLY. 35 



The Chri5tian"s " rest" not Sabbatic. Exposition of Clarke : and Gill. 



Creator's rest — reacliing back even to the '' foundation of tlie 

 world'^ — gave sanction to a Sabbath which bad been long and 

 fully enjoyed by the Israelites, the text yet declared, " They 

 shall not enter in to my rest;" proving that this could not 

 mean the Sabhath rest {v. 4, 5, 6) ; and secondly, that, while 

 '^ Joshua had given them rest'' in Canaan, long before the 

 time of David, the expression " ^ To-day' — after so long a 

 time,'' equally pro ved (and for the same reason) that the 

 Psalmist could not refer to the Canaan rest: " for if Joshua 

 had then given this rest, he would not afterward have spoken 

 of another day" of rest, into which some should " not enter." 

 (7, 8.) 



Having thus clearly excluded both the repose of Canaan 

 and that of the Sabbath from the contemplation of the pas- 

 sage quoted, he establishes his conclusion, " There remaineth, 

 therefore, a rest to the people of GocV (v. 9), to those who 

 ^' are made partakers of Christ," as the only hypothesis left, 

 to gi ve significance to the text. " We, which have be- 

 lieved, do enter into rest ;" and with regard to its character, 

 ^' he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased/>om his 

 own worhs, as God did from his." (v. 10.) This spiritual 

 ^' sabbatism to the people of God" is thus as complete in its 

 application, and as perfect in its fruition, as was the carnal 

 sabbatism of the Israelites. The believer, says Dr. Clarke, 

 ^^no longer depends on the observance of Mosaic rites and 

 ceremonies for his justification and final happiness. He rests 

 from all these worhs of the law, as fully as God has rested from 

 his works of creationJ^ (^Comment. in loco.') Dr. Gill very 

 unnecessarily and unsatisfactorily refers this verse (10) to 

 Christ, instead of to his followers ; though, on the preceding 

 verse, he very forcibly remarks : '^ The rest which remains for 

 them is not a new Sahhath day, but a sabbatism; and this 

 does not so much design eternal rest in heaven .... but 

 rather the spiritual rest believers have in Christ, under the 

 Gospel dispensation, which they now enter into, and of which 



