Exercitations concerning the name, original, nature, use, and continuance of a day of sacred…

§. 23 It remains only that we enquire into his Entrance into his Rest, both how and when he did so, even as God entered into his on the seventh day; for this must limit and determine a Day of Rest to the Gospel-Church. 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 be was the founder and builder of the Church. For, (1) It was a part of his Humiliation: Not only his Death, but his abode and continuance in the state of Death, was so; and that a principal part of it. For after the whole Humane Nature was personally united unto the Son of God, to have it brought into a state ⟨p. 383⟩of Dissolution, to have the Body and Soul separated from each other, was a great Humiliation. And every thing of this nature belonged unto his Works, and not his Rest. (2) This separation of Body and Soul under the power of Death, was penal, a 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, Act. 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 in his Work. Nor 2dly. 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 consequent of his being justified in the Spirit, when he entered into Rest, 1 Tim. 3. 16. But this his entrance into Rest, was in, by, and at his Resurrection from the dead. For, (1) Then and therein was he freed from the sentence, power and stroke of the Law; being discharged of all the Debts of our sins, which he had undertaken to make satisfaction for, Acts 2. 24. (2) Then and therein were all Types, all Predictions and Prophesies fulfilled, which concern the work of our Redemption. (3) Then therefore his work was done, I mean that which answereth Gods creating work, though he still continue that which answers his work of preservation.