been attained, it was far from realising God's idea of rest
either for Himself or for man. For, though these works of God, the
material universe, were finished from the laying of the world's
foundations to the crowning of the edifice,[49] God still speaks of
another rest, and threatens to shut some men out for their unbelief. Our
Lord told the Pharisees, whose notion of the Sabbath was the negative
one, that He desired His Sabbath rest to be like that of His Father, Who
"worketh hitherto." The Jewish Sabbath, it appears, therefore, is the
most crude and elementary form of God's promised rest.

The promise is next presented as the rest of Canaan.[50] This is a stage
in advance in the development of the idea. It is not mere abstention
from secular labour, and the consecration of inactivity. The rest now
consists in the enjoyment of material prosperity, the proud
consciousness of national power, the growth of a peculiar civilization,
the rise of great men and eminent saints, and all this won by Israel
under the leadership of their Jesus, who was in this respect a type of
ours. But even in this second garden of Eden Israel did not attain unto
God's rest. Worldliness became their snare.

But God still called to them by the mouth of the Psalmist, long after
they had entered on the possession of Canaan. This only proves that the
true rest was still unattained, and God's promise not yet fulfilled. The
form which the rest of God now assumed is not expressly stated in our
passage. But we have not far to go in search of it. The first Psalm,
which is the introduction to all the Psalms, declares the blessedness of
contemplation. The Sabbath is seldom mentioned by the Psalmist. Its
place is taken by the sanctuary, in which rest of soul is found in
meditating on God's law and beholding the Lord's beauty.[51] The call is
at last urgent. "To-day!" It is the last invitation. It lingers in the
ears in ever fainter voice of prophet after prophet, until the prophet's
face turns towards the east to announce the break of dawn and the coming
of the perfect rest in Jesus Christ. God's promise was never fulfilled
to Israel, because of their unbelief. But shall their unbelief make the
faithfulness of God of none effect? God forbid. The gifts and calling of
God are without repentance. The promise that has failed of fulfilment in
the lower form must find its accomplishment in the higher. Even a prayer
is the more heard for every delay. God's mill g