world, and the institution of the seventh day sabbath, as a pledge thereof; there was another rest for men to enter into; the rest of God and his worship in the land of Canaan. This being proposed to the people of old, they entered not into it by reason of unbelief; therefore there must be yet that other rest remaining, which he provokes the Hebrews to labor for an entrance into. And the ground of his argument hes here; in that the rest of Canaan, although it was a distinct rest of itself, was typical of that rest which he is inquiring after; and the good things of this new rest were obscurely represented to the people therein; so that by rejecting the one, they rejected the virtue and benefit of the other also. Hence,

§3. Obs. The faithfulness of God in his promises. is not to be measured by the faith or obedience of men, at any one season, in any one generation, or their sins whereby they come short of them, nor by any providential dispensation towards them. The people in the wilderness having a promise proposed to them of entering into the rest of God, when they all failed and came short of it, there was an appearance of the failure of the promise itself, so they seem themselves to have tacitly charged God,-when he pronounced the irrevocable sentence against their entering into the land of promise. For after the declaration of it, he adds, "and ye shall know my breach of promise," Num. xvi; 34; which is a severe ironical reproof of them. They seemed to have argued, that if they entered not, God failed in his promise, and so reflected on his truth and veracity. That, saith God, shall be known when you are utterly destroyed; for then it was that it should be accomplished. You shall know that it is owing to your sin, unbelief, and rebellion, and not any failure on my part.

§4. To help us in the discharge of our duty herein, we may take the help of the ensuing observations and rules:

1. The promises of God are either such as belong only to the grace of the covenant, or such as respect also the outward administration of it in this world. Those of the first sort are at all times, actually fulfilled, and made good to all believers, by virtue of their union to Christ, whether themselves have the sense and comfort of that accomplishment in their own souls at all times But besides these there are promises which respect the outward administration of the covenant under the providence of God in this world; such are all those which concern the peace and prosperity of the church, its deliverance out of trouble, the increase of light and truth in the world, the joy and comfort of believers therein, with others innumerable of the like import; and it is concerning these we speak.

or no.

§5. 2. Some, yea many, promises of God may have. a full accomplishment; when very few know or take notice that they are so; it may be none at all. For such things may in the providence of God fall out in the accomplishment as may keep men from discerning it. Thus when God came to fulfil his promise in the deliverance of this people from Egypt, he suffered at the same time their bondage and misery to be so increased, that they could not believe it. Exod. v, 21-23; God answers the desires of his church; but how? "By terrible things in righteousness," Psal. lxv, 5. It is in righteousness that he answers them; the righteousness of fidelity and veracity in the accomplishment of his promises. But withal he sees it necessary in his holiness and wisdom, to mix it with such "terrible things" in the works of his providence, as make their hearts to tremble, so that at the present they take little

notice of the love, grace, and mercy of the promise. It, moreover, so falls out from the prejudicate opinions of men concerning the sense and peculiar meaning of the promises, or the nature of the things promised. They apprehend them to be one thing, and in the event they prove another, which makes them either utterly reject them, or not to see their accomplishment. So was it, for instance, with respect to the coming of Christ in the flesh, according to the promise.—Again, Unbelief itself hides the accomplishment of promises from the eyes of men. So our Lord speaking of his coming to avenge his elect, adds "nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Luke xviii, 8; men will not apprehend nor understand his work through unbelief.

seasons.

And this one consideration should teach us great moderation in our judgments concerning the application of promises and predictions with regard to their I am persuaded that many have contended (thereby troubling themselves and others) about the seasons and times wherein some prophecies are to be fulfilled, which have long since received their principal accomplishment, in such a way as those who now contend about them think not of.-That God is faithful in all his promises and predictions, that they shall every one of them be accomplished in their proper season, that the things contained in them, and intended by them are all fruits of his love and care towards his church, that they all tend to the advancement of that glory which he hath designed for himself by Jesus Christ, these are things that ought to be certain and fixed with us; but beyond these limits we ought to be guarded by peculiar caution, the analogy of faith, modesty, and patience;-prophecies not being the rule of any actions.

§6. 3. Some promises of God, as to their full accomplishment, may be confined to some certain time and season, although they have their use and benefit in all seasons; until this is come there can be no failure charged, though they be not fulfilled. Thus was it with the great promise of the coming of Christ before mentioned, it was given out from the foundation of the world, Gen. iii, 15; and in the counsel of God confined to a certain period of time, determined afterwards in the prophecies of Jacob, Daniel, Haggai, &c. This all the saints of God were in expectation of, from the first giving of the promise itself. So did God order things, that they should depend on his absolute sovereignty; and neither make haste nor despond. And yet, doubtless, through the delay they apprehended in the accomplishment of the promise, some of them fell into one of these extremes, and some into the other; but there was no alteration in God or his word all this while.-Now what shall men do in reference to such promises, when they know not by any means the set time of their accomplishments? Let them believe and pray; and take the encouragement given, Isa. lx, 22, "I the Lord will hasten it in his time." It hath its appointed time, which cannot be changed; but if you consider the oppositions that lie against it, the unlikelihood of its accomplishment, the want of all outward means for it; upon faith and prayer it shall be hastened. Thus, in the days of the gospel, there are signal promises remaining concerning the calling of the Jews, the destruction of antichrist, the peace and glory of the churches of Christ. We know how some have precipitately antedated these things, whose disappointments, and their own unbelief and carnal wisdom, have brought the generality of men to look no more after them: and either to think that the

promises of them have failed, or that indeed such promises were never made; wherein unbelief have found many learned advocates. It is certain, however, that there are periods of time affixed to these things; the vision of them as yet is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie; though it tarry, and be delayed beyond the computation of some, and the expectation of all; yet wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not tarry one moment beyond the time settled in heaven.

§7. 4. There are many promises, whose signal accomplishment God hath not limited to any special season; but keeps it in his own sovereign will to act according to them, towards his church, as is best suited to his wisdom and love: only there is no such promise made, but God will at one time or other verify his word in it, by acting according to it, or fulfilling it. And God hath thus disposed of things, that he may always have in readiness wherewith to manifest his displeasure against the sins of his own people, that he may have wherewith to exercise their faith,-and to encourage them to prayerful expectation, and cry. ing to him in their distresses.

$8. 5. Some concerns of the glory of God in the world may suspend the full and outward accomplishment of some promises for a season. Thus there are many promises made to the church of deliverance out of afflictions and persecutions, and of the destruction of its adversaries. When such occasions befall the church, it may and ought to plead these promises, for they are given for that purpose: but yet it often falls out, that the fulfilling of them is for a long time suspended; God hath other ends to accomplish by their sufferings than are yet effected; it is needful, it may be, that his grace should be glorified in their patience, and