Chapter 26: But I shall now go a little further in this similitude
your spirit and you leave with a heart burdened by them, do not be discouraged, for you who are burdened by such truths, come to Christ, and He will relieve you of this burden. In Him, you will find the quiet and rest that will last eternally.
Any peace you might find by dismissing these truths will not last, for a storm is coming that will test the quiet of every man and woman, revealing whether their peace is genuine or false, whether their rest is true or a deception. Do not, therefore, cast aside what has been delivered, but apply it to your souls, so that you may be better prepared to hear more about the blessed rest Christ promises to you.
Chapter 26 But I shall now go a little further in this similitude I have been discussing. The Holy Ghost has another comparison like this in Proverbs 23:34. He compares wicked men who are secure to a man who sleeps upon the top of a mast. Though the Holy Ghost specifically speaks of drunkards and whoremongers, this also applies to all unconverted individuals. The words are thus: "Yea, thou shalt be as he that lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lies upon the top of a mast." Here you have both similitudes: the first, as I previously mentioned, is like a man who lies on a plank in the midst of the sea, seeking rest. The other is of a man lying asleep on top of a mast. This is the restless condition of ungodly men. I will briefly name a few reasons and then proceed. Certainly, there is no rest for those who are out of Christ.
1. They are under the curse. They are under the curse of the law and the curse of God. Whatever affliction befalls them in this
world, it is part of that curse. For all they know, every sorrow may be but the beginning of eternal sorrow. There is the venom of God's wrath in every affliction for every unconverted person.
They are in danger of the execution of all temporal curses upon them, with nothing but God's patience keeping them from this fate. What rest can they have? The saints of God have God's covenant and promise, while others have only God's patience. A criminal in prison may not be executed immediately. Why?
Because the judge, out of favour, may grant a reprieve for a time.
But is this a condition in which to rest? A wise man finds no rest with a reprieve, but seeks a full pardon before he can find peace.
No one in their natural state has any real basis for rest or quiet, only a temporary reprieve. The saints understand the sadness of this condition, and nothing gives them rest until they have their pardon.
2. All creatures are their enemies. There is no rest out of Christ because all creatures are their enemies. You sleep in the midst of an army of enemies. Wouldn't it be strange for someone to sleep in such a situation? All ungodly people have no rest except as those who sleep amidst the armies of their enemies, for all the armies and all the creatures in the world are their deadly enemies.
3. All the ways of God's providence are against them. Every passage of God's providence works towards their misery and ruin, even if they rejoice in their prosperity. Whatever happens to them, though they may celebrate it, ultimately works towards their destruction. Proverbs 4:32 speaks to this.
4. Their best services are rejected. Nothing they do can be accepted by God. All their services, all their religious
performances outside of Christ are cast off. All their prayers, until they come to Christ and until God reveals the mysteries of the Gospel to them, are rejected. Yet they are still bound to perform these duties under the threat of damnation, even though none of them are accepted. What a restless condition this is! To be in such a state where one is bound to pray, to hear the Word, and to perform religious duties under threat of damnation, yet have all their prayers and duties cast back as dung into their faces. This is the condition of all those in their natural state. I speak this so you may see what infinite need you have of Christ.
Much more could be said about the sinful condition of all those outside of Christ, for we must know that in sin there is a conflict with God—a rebellion against the infinite, glorious God. Sin brings nothing but confusion and disorder, and therefore a sinful condition can never be one in which to find rest.
In whatever affliction a person outside of Christ finds themselves, they have nowhere to go for comfort. There can be no support or comfort for a soul out of Christ; they are like a person in the midst of a wilderness, with nothing to protect them, no hedge, no bush. If the storm comes, no matter how dreadful, they have nowhere to go for protection. They are like a mariner in the sea, who has lost his anchor when the storm comes, and is driven towards the shore without any anchor to hold him. This, and much more, could be said to show the restless condition of all people outside of Christ.
Oh! the blindness, security, and hardness of heart that exists in almost all the world, if this is indeed the truth of God! And this truly is the condition of all out of Christ. From this, we may conclude that most in the world live, die, and perish in blindness, and in woeful,
desperate hardness of heart. For where is the man or woman who is truly convinced of this restless condition? Who has ever been aware of this restless state? I dare affirm that every one of you was once in such a condition as I have now described. How you have escaped it is something you must examine, and you must consider what argument you have to rest your soul upon for deliverance from this condition.
But know this: everyone is naturally in this condition. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were once in this condition, and therefore everyone must now take heed while this rest is being revealed to you.
Indeed, this is the reason for the restlessness in most people's spirits.
What is the reason people hurry up and down, seeking after the things of this world? It is because they are in a restless condition.
Their souls have no union with God in Jesus Christ, and so they rush about in this world, seeking comfort in one way and another. But the truth is, as with the unclean spirit in the Gospel, they seek rest, but find none. As I mentioned before, the dove sought rest, but found none until it came to the ark. So, the reason for the disturbance in people's spirits is that they are not acquainted with the true rest that is found in Christ. But let us move on from this point.
One more thing on this subject before proceeding: I want to show the insufficiency of all things in the world to give rest to the soul until we come to Christ. All people out of Christ are in a restless condition, and there is an insufficiency in everything in the world to give rest until we come to Christ.
I will give two or three reasons for this.
I. First, because the rest of an immortal soul must necessarily be in its relationship to God. Now, all the transactions between God and us are mediated through Christ. No creature is entrusted with any transaction between God and us for our good, except through Christ.
Therefore, if all our rest must come from our relationship with God, and all our dealings with God must go through Christ, then certainly, there is an insufficiency in everything in the world to give rest to our souls.
II. Secondly, there is an insufficiency in everything in the world to give rest to the soul, because the misery we are in is so deep, and the happiness our souls are capable of is so high, that it is impossible for any creature to either deliver us from the one or raise us to the other.
Only Jesus Christ, in whom we find rest, can do this. Christ subjected himself to the lowest degree of humiliation that any creature could endure, and Christ is now in the highest degree of glory possible for any creature to attain—indeed, far above all creatures. His subjection to sorrow and trouble was beyond what any creature could endure, and his glory surpasses anything any creature could achieve.
Therefore, he, and only he, is able to deliver us from the depth of misery that the children of men are in, and to raise them to the true happiness and glory their natures are capable of.
III. Thirdly, there is an insufficiency in all creatures to give rest to the soul because all creatures in this world, except the angels in heaven, are under the curse. Even the angels are only ministering spirits who attend to Christ, sent on Christ's errands. They do nothing except in service to Christ. All other creatures, however, are under the curse because of man's sin. It is impossible for creatures that are under the curse to give rest to our souls. There is no argument in the world more powerful in turning people's hearts away from relying on creature comforts than understanding that all creatures in this world are under the curse because of our sins. The whole world, being under the curse due to our sins, cannot make us happy. Therefore, there is an insufficiency in everything in the world to give rest to our souls.