The word "Massah," it may be observed, means "temptation," as "Meribah," the other name of the same place, means "chiding."

10 Wherefore

Because of this, the climax to many similar distrustings, ("They have tempted Me now these ten times" is God's Word,) therefore

I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart;

That is, "Theirs is not a mere show of distrust, it is thoroughly deep-seated; it is in their hearts; they will not be brought to know Me."

and they have not known My ways.

And that, although they have seen them with their eyes; for to "know" GOD's ways is to rest calmly and trustfully upon Him, and to keep His commandments.

11 So I sware in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest.)

The rest promised by Me, the land flowing with milk and honey.

The Apostle now proceeds to warn the Christians from this example of unbelief and its miserable consequences.

12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living GOD.

As there was in them. Lest ye fail of heaven, your promised rest, as they failed of Canaan, the rest promised to them.

O GOD, Who hast prepared for them that love Thee such good things as pass man's understanding; pour into our hearts such love towards Thee, that we, loving Thee above all things, may obtain Thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen.

13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day;

1 See Numbers xiv. 22.

That is, while the day of salvation lasteth, the life which GOD has given thee wherein to work out thy salvation.

lest any

of sin.

of you be hardened through the deceitfulness

14 For we are made partakers of CHRIST, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

We are now, indeed, partakers of CHRIST, in that we are His members; but not as yet have we the full and secure enjoyment of Him: that we shall have, the Apostle means, if we endure unto the end.

15 While it is said, To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

This verse seems to refer to verse 13. The meaning is, "Exhort ye one another to quiet, confiding trust, to patient continuance in well-doing, while you have life; for life is that period which the Psalmist calls 'to-day,' that period during which ye may hear His voice."

16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke : howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

"Not all," for Joshua and Caleb, "they followed the LORD fully, and were brought into the land:" and the children, " them," said GOD, "will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised."

17 But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

18 And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?

19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Because they believed not with living, loving faith the promises which God had given. Therefore let us fear.

Grant us, O LORD, so perfectly and without all doubt to believe

in Thy SON JESUS CHRIST, that our faith in Thy sight may never be reproved. Hear us, O LORD, through the same JESUS CHRIST, to Whom, with Thee and the HOLY GHOST, be all honour and glory, now and for evermore. Amen.

CHAPTER IV.

1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

The argument of the HOLY SPIRIT is, GOD brought His people out of Egypt, and promised Canaan to them, yet in the wilderness did He in just judgment cast them off, and would not suffer them to enter into the land, the land which was to have been their earthly resting-place: we Christians have a promise, not of an earthly, but of a heavenly home, let us pass the time of our sojourning here in fear, in watchful earnest care, lest we too lose our inheritance as they did, and come to know God's "breach of promise."

2 For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

:

The word "Gospel" means "good tidings." We have, the Apostle means, glad tidings and good promises, even as they had, yea, higher promises and better tidings, as much as heaven exceeds earth: but, he continues, as these great promises availed only for those who believed, only for Caleb and Joshua, so only the faithful can enter into the true rest, of which Canaan was a type.

3 For we which have believed

"Have believed," that is, do now believe, and by His grace will continue to believe, bringing forth fruits of faith with patience.

do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn 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 certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And GoD did rest the seventh day from all His works.

5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest.

6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

7 (Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To-day, after so long a time; as it is said, To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.

8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day.

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as GOD did from His.)

The Apostle in these verses meets the objection which a Hebrew who knew that GOD had already given both the Sabbath day and the land of Canaan as rests for His people, would naturally raise. The rest of which I speak, he says, is that into which, it is written, that God's people "shall enter;" it cannot therefore be the rest of the Sabbath (which I allow is called the day on which GOD rested,) for that rest had been since the creation, it is not future. Such is the general meaning of verses 3, 4, 5.

Neither again, he continues, can the promised rest be the land of Canaan; for after the people had possessed that land for "so long a time" as four hundred years, from Jesus (that is, Joshua,) unto David, then it was, at that time, or, that " day," that GOD by David spoke of His rest as yet to come, as yet to be won by hearkening to and obeying His voice. This is the general meaning of 7, 8.

There is therefore a rest into which some must enter (verse 6.) This rest is neither the Sabbath rest nor yet the land of Canaan;

it is therefore something yet future, something into which we may enter, if we use our "to-day" well. What therefore can it be, save the resting from sin now and the rest of glory hereafter,the rest into which the true Joshua, the blessed JESUS, will lead the true Israelite, the pious Catholic?

Oh eternal rest of GOD, promised, yea, given to all Christians, yet alas by how many forgotten or despised! Fill my whole heart and mind and soul, O my GOD, with the hope of entering into it, that I may never forget it, but ever sighing after it, may through Thy grace so believe and obey Thee, that at last through the merits of Thine adorable SON, I may come to Thee, and be for ever with Thee, where Thy saints are before Thy throne and serve Thee day and night.

It is to be observed how in these verses the Apostle dwells on the word "rest," or more properly "Sabbath," hoping, it may be, by means of that, for which the Hebrews were so very jealous, to fix their hearts more firmly on Him Who is our rest.

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Lest any fall from it, and so not only lose his own soul, but also be a warning example to others, as the Jews of old are a warning to us.

12 For the Word of GOD

Either the LORD JESUS Himself, Who will come to be our Judge, or the written word, according to which we shall be judged. is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The swords of the men of this world can kill the body and after that have no more that they can do: not so the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

By "soul" is meant the principle of life, whereby we live, which we share with all the animal creation of GoD: by "spirit" is meant the intelligence which we share with Angels.

The word of GOD is living, that thou mayest believe; powerful, that thou mayest hope; piercing, that thou mayest fear. It lives