To the throne of grace,— That throne on which God the Father, who hath shewn us so great favour through Jesus Christ, sits. "Let us come, not fearful or distrustful, nor under any concern or anxiety, but with freedom and boldness, to this throne of God the Father, through our great High-priest, who stands ready to make intercession for us; that we may obtain mercy; that all our sins,—not only those committed before our conversion, but likewise those of which we may have been guiltyafterwards,—may through his infinite merits be forgiven us: And that we may find favour, to have help whenever it is wanted; seasonable, opportune help, if at any time we should fall into seasons of persecution, or any other great difficulties and distresses." Though the rule given us in this verse is never in any case improper to be observed, yet the scope of the sacred writer shews at what he more especially aims. He considers the Hebrews as compassed with infirmity, and as violently tempted by persecution to apostatize from their holy profession; in which circumstances help was peculiarly necessary and seasonable to them. Hence he encourages them to come freely to the throne of grace for it, and to expect it through this great High-priest, as the effect of grace and favour, and not of their own desert.
Inferences.—How ancient is the gospel of salvation by Jesus Christ! It has been all along the same, for substance, under various dispensations, and different degrees of light, from the fall of Adam to the New Testament times: the promise of evangelical and eternal rest is now set before us with the clearest evidence in the preaching of the gospel; but our hearing it will be of no saving advantage to us, unless it be mixed with faith. How should we therefore dread the thought of taking up with any thing short of an effectual faith, to receive and digest what we hear, lest God should swear in his wrath against us, as he did against the unbelieving Israelites, that we shall never enter into his rest! But the faithful people of God shall enter into a better rest, than that of the land of Canaan; an everlasting rest in heaven, which is a delightful and holy sabbatism founded on Christ's resting from his mediatorial labours and sufferings on earth, when he had finished the great work of atonement, as the seventh day sabbath was founded upon God's having ceased from his creating work, when he had finished it.—How efficacious is the written word of God in the hand of Christ, the living and life-giving Word! He sets it home with power and penetration upon the heart, and gives the soul a plain view of itself, either for its reformation and comfort, or its condemnation and confusion. How aweful, adoring, and endearing, should our thoughts of Christ be! All things are continually and exactly open to his all-seeing eye: as he is God the Word, he narrowly inspects and observes the most secret dispositions and designs of our hearts; and we have the most important of all concerns to transact with him, and must give an account of all that we think, say, or do, to him, as our Judge, at the great day. O solemn considerations! But how sweetly are they tempered by believing views of him as the Son of God, our great atoning and interceding High-priest and almighty Saviour! He has been exercised in our nature and world with the very same sort of temptations, inward and outward, as we ourselves are; and he, still remembering what he suffered by them without sin, compassionates us under ours; and is gone into the heaven of heavens now to appear in the presence of God for us. What an encouragement is this to hold fast our faith in him, and steadfastly abide by our holy profession of his name; and to come with humble boldness and holy freedom of spirit to God, through him, as on a throne of grace at all times, and especially in the worst of trials, fears, and dangers, for all the seasonable mercy and grace that we stand in need of.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, The apostle, in the view of the foregoing observations,
1. Exhorts them to holy jealousy. Let us therefore fear for ourselves, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, into the eternal enjoyment of him hereafter, any of you should seem to come short of it; overcome by temptation, apostatizing from your experience, or faultering in your Christian course; so as, like Israel of old, to fail of the promised inheritance. For unto us was the gospel preached clearly and plainly, as well as unto them more obscurely in types and figures; but the word preached did not profit them, to any saving purpose; not being mixed with faith in them that heard it, and therefore never incorporated with their hearts, as the food when digested affords nourishment to the body. Nor will the gospel profit us any more than it did them, unless it be received by faith into the soul. Note; (1.) The same gospel in substance was preached under the Old Testament as under the New; and only by faith then, any more than at present, could any man be justified and saved. (2.) It is a dreadful thing to experience gospel grace, and yet to come short of glory, and perish in our sins. (3.) The way to ensure our entrance into the promised rest, is by constant watchfulness and holy caution. They who do not fear, will fall.
2. He shews the surpassing excellency of that spiritual rest, to which, under the gospel, the faithful are admitted. For we which have believed, do enter into rest, through Christ, having present peace with God by virtue of our union with our exalted Head. As he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest, which implied a promise, that all the faithful saints should enter into rest; although the works were finished from the foundation of the world, and a sabbatical rest enjoined in consequence thereof, which was most eminently a type of that eternal rest which remains for all persevering believers: for he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, (Genesis 2:2.) And God did rest the seventh day from all his works, hallowing it for ever after as a day of holy rest; concerning which God sware unto the Israelites. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest; as I live, saith the Lord, they shall not; which being spoken by David to the people of his own days, could not refer to the land of Canaan, of which for some hundreds of years they had been in possession. Seeing therefore it remaineth, that some must, or, rather do enter therein, as is implied in the very threatening; and they to whom it was first preached, the generality of them at least, entered not in, that is, into the typical rest; of Canaan, because of their unbelief: Again he limiteth, and fixes a certain day to come, saying in David, (Psalms 95:7-8.) To-day, after so long a time had elapsed from their settlement in Canaan; as it is said, To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, and ye shall enter into the promised rest. Now this must be different from the possession of the land of Canaan; For if Jesus, Joshua, had given them rest, and none farther was to have been expected, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day, as he does in that psalm. Since then neither the sabbath literally, nor the land of Canaan, is meant in this passage of scripture, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God; a rest into which the spiritual Joshua should bring his faithful followers; a rest infinitely preferable to either of these, even an eternal rest in glory everlasting. For he that is entered into his rest, his final and complete rest, of which we now speak, hath also ceased from his own works, entirely ceased from all the labours and fatigues of his works, as God rested from his own on that first seventh day, which, in commemoration of it, was appointed sacred to future ages.
2nd, Such a glorious rest being promised,
1. The apostle exhorts them to secure a part therein. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, in opposition to every discouragement and difficulty, from sin, Satan, and the world, which may be laid in our way, considering the aweful example above mentioned, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief, and perish in his sins. Note; The way to heaven is strait, and the gate narrow: we must strive if we would enter in; the slothful never went to glory.
2. He enforces his exhortation by the strongest argument. For the word of God, which gives you this account, or the uncreated Word, the Son, our Lord, and shortly to be our Judge, is quick, having life in and of himself, and is the author of it to all his creatures; powerful in agency, and omnipotent; sharper than any two-edged sword, in his gospel word brought home to the conscience by the operation of the Holy Ghost; piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow; entering into the inmost recesses of the heart, carrying the deepest conviction, and working effectually in the faithful to bring the whole inner man into obedience to himself; and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, intimately acquainted with every secret of the soul. Neither is there any creature, in heaven or in earth, that is not manifest in his sight; nor can their inmost thoughts be hid from him; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, (γυμνα και τετραχηλισμενα .) As the sacrifices were flayed and laid open, and their entrails inspected with nicest care; so distinctly is every imagination of our hearts bare and exposed to him whose eyes are as a flame of fire, and at whose bar we must shortly give an account. How awakening a consideration! and what watchfulness and diligence should it excite in us, that we may be found of him in peace, and enter among his faithful ones into the promised rest. N.B. I have in the reflections above, met the sentiments of many spiritual commentators, and in my notes those of very many others.
3. He returns to the consideration of the priesthood of Christ mentioned (chap. 3:50) as an encouraging motive to quicken their diligence, considering the power and grace which were engaged for their support. Seeing then that we have a great High-priest, whose excellence is so superlative; and that, having offered the all-atoning sacrifice, he is passed into the heavens, into the holiest of all, into the immediate presence of God; even Jesus the Son of God, one in essence with the Father, and as Mediator exalted to the highest dignity and glory, able and willing to succour and save his faithful people to the uttermost: therefore let us hold fast our profession, unwavering; for we have not an high-priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one who tenderly sympathizes with every pang that we feel in body or soul, and was in all points tempted like as we are, only without sin. His love and compassions therefore being as great as his power, his faithful people may confidently expect salvation to the uttermost, and comfortably labour, when they are assured that it shall not be in vain in the Lord. Note; (1.) Christ is passed into the heavens, and appears in the presence of God, to plead the cause of all who are willing to be saved by grace. (2.) It should be an unspeakable comfort to us under every temptation, that Jesus has endured it before us, knows our weakness, feels for our distress, and is willing to proportion his grace to our necessities. (3.) This should embolden us under the severest conflicts to hold fast our profession, and never to be moved away from the hope of the gospel, seeing that he is near who strengthens us.
4. The glorious high-priesthood of Jesus should encourage us to draw near to God in prayer. Let us, therefore, having such an all-prevailing Advocate, come boldly unto the throne of grace, where our reconciled God in majesty and love unspeakable appears, inviting our applications—with humble reverence, and filial confidence; that we may obtain mercy, and pardons multiplied from day to day, and find grace to help in every time of need; in time, manner, measure, vouch-safed according to our danger, trials, and distresses, till he land us safe on the shores of eternal rest. Note; (1.) They who know the inestimable privilege of having a throne of grace to go to, will not fail to be found there often upon their knees. (2.) There is nothing that we can want, of which we are not assured of a supply, when by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we make our requests known to a reconciled God. (3.) All our hopes of mercy or grace arise purely from the great High-priest, who lives to make intercession for us; for in him God is always well-pleased, and with believers for his sake. (4.) Humble boldness becomes a child of God, when approaching that throne, where grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.