Chapter 27: The insufficiency of everything besides Christ to give rest to the soul is further enlar
Consider then what are the things that most people seek rest in, and we will see the vanity of seeking rest outside of Christ.
Chapter 27 The insufficiency of everything besides Christ to give rest to the soul is further enlarged, with several choice considerations.
First, there are some so vile that the chief rest and comfort of their souls is found in the pleasure of sin, in the delight they take in satisfying their sinful lusts. This is the comfort and rest of their souls.
If they are troubled at home—whether by wife, children, or servants —how do they ease themselves? They go abroad among company, drink, play, swear, and perhaps commit unclean acts. Others, when they are crossed, ease themselves by venting their passion. The truth is, this is a holy truth I speak of—oh, that it should ever enter into the heart of a creature to find their greatest peace, ease, and rest in sinning against the blessed God! And yet, I appeal to you: do not your consciences tell you, some of you, that this is your condition?
And do you not know men for whom the greatest comfort, ease, and quiet of heart in this world is found in satisfying their sinful lusts?
How far this is from seeking rest in Christ, the Son of God, the great Mediator of the covenant! Yet, this is the condition of most people: take away the satisfaction of their souls in sinful lusts, and they have nothing to quiet their hearts with. But when they indulge, now they feel safe, now they are at peace.
Consider this one thing that I now speak of: to find rest and quiet in any way of sin is no different from a man with a burning fever who calls for a pot of water and drinks every drop. While drinking, he has some rest, some ease; he feels relief from the fit of fever while the water goes down his throat. But do you think this is true rest? Just wait a quarter of an hour—or maybe an hour or two—and you will find him in a scalding, burning fit, far worse than before. It may even cost him his life. Though he found temporary relief, his condition worsens because of it. So it is with men who seek rest and ease for their souls in sinful ways. All the pleasure of your life, from youth to the day of your death, put together, is no more than the brief relief of a fevered man drinking water, before the scalding begins again. And, like him, you are likely to burn in God's wrath for eternity for that one draught, for the ease and rest you sought in sin. I am certain that when Christ bore the burden of our sins, he found no rest, and therefore sin cannot bring true peace to your spirit.
Secondly, there are others, though not so vile, who do not find rest in the act of sin itself but in the creature. If they can have good trading, quick voyages, and fare as well as their neighbours, they are like the rich man in the Gospel who said, "Soul, take thine ease, eat and drink, for thou hast goods laid up for many years." This is the rest that most people in the world seek. They think, "If only I had what such and such a person has, I would have enough rest." But know this: if you believe that all the creatures in the world, or even the possession of everything in heaven and earth, could give you rest, you do not understand nor savour the things of God. Those who truly understand God, even those with but one spark of true saving grace, find that grace enlarges their souls so much that no creature in heaven or earth can provide rest. Their souls seek a higher good than all the creatures in the world can offer.
There is a notable scripture in the book of Job, chapter 26, verse 7:
"He stretcheth forth the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." Will you seek rest in that which hangs upon nothing? The whole earth rests upon nothing, and therefore nothing in the earth can provide rest for your soul. In Micah 2:10, it says,
"Arise ye, and depart, for this is not your rest." The whole world is like a wheel, constantly in motion. Thus, in James 3:6, the text speaks of the "course of nature" or the "wheel of nature." The whole world is like a wheel spinning up and down, and therefore no rest can be found in the enjoyment of the creature.
Some, however, would still seek rest there. Having acquired good estates, some of you have had successful voyages, and God has prospered you in your younger days. Now that you have great wealth, you seek rest—that is, to live idly, uselessly, staying at home, letting things go whichever way they will. You think it is good to live quietly in your old age, after God has delivered you from many dangers at sea. You believe the only way to rest now is to live quietly at home and meddle with nothing. This is the rest of your soul. This is the rest that many seek after their youth has passed—to live and do nothing.
Oh, that God would speak to the hearts of these men!
Consider this: by living idly and uselessly, you allow all your faculties and spirits to corrupt. Just as stagnant water in a pond becomes foul and putrefies, so too do those who live without purpose, failing to act for God and the public good according to the opportunities He provides. Their hearts decay, growing corrupt, and the beauty, excellence, quickness, and liveliness of their faculties are stripped away. The more they refrain from employing their gifts for God, the more they putrefy. Whatever we possess but do not use for God's service becomes corrupted.
Many believe it a great happiness to have wealth and live a life of inactivity. However, for a heart that seeks God's grace, there is no greater misery than to be useless for Him. For God to cast someone aside as unfit for His service is the greatest affliction a godly heart can endure. If God were to take away their wealth, it would not cause as much sorrow as being set aside and left idle in His work.
Therefore, no one should think that because they have gained great wealth, they are entitled to do nothing. Oh! What will such a person do when they are called to account for all their time, opportunities, and possessions? It will not be enough to say they caused no harm; no, they should have been active for God.
God is ever active for you, saving your soul. All His attributes work on your behalf, and His providence constantly labours for your salvation. Therefore, it is a wretched state for someone to rest in mere freedom from outward troubles. If your conscience tells you that this is your condition, and if God is speaking to your heart today, showing you that this is the kind of rest you have sought after, know that you are unacquainted with the ways of God. Certainly, the rest of an immortal soul is a far higher thing. Jesus Christ came from the bosom of the Father and laid down His life to purchase rest for the soul. Do you think He did this merely to free you from some outward troubles in this world, so that you might sit idly by? Oh! There is a far greater rest for the children of God than this!
Objection: But some will say, "We trust in God's mercy for rest for our souls."
Answer: Now, though this is better than the other, one may still be mistaken. You say you trust in God's mercy for rest for your soul, but what has God revealed to your soul about the Mediator of the covenant? This may be difficult to grasp, but it is this: all the mercy
of God in heaven cannot be sufficient for the rest of any soul except through the Mediator, Christ. The soul must be brought to this mercy by the hand of Christ the Mediator. You must first come to Christ before you can have rest, even in the mercy of God itself.
If you know anything of the mystery of the Gospel, you must know this: though God is an infinite source of mercy, man's sin stops the flow of that mercy, and it can only be opened by the blood of Jesus
Christ. Therefore, you must know God in Christ, and you must understand how to come to God through Christ before you can rest upon His mercy. This is where many souls, even those of a better sort, go astray. They think they can rely on God's mercy alone for rest, but they do not understand how sin blocks the flow of that mercy. There is no access to it but by a mediator between God and man.
Others may say they do many good things, perform many good actions, and serve God. They believe they can rest in this because they do not commit gross sins, and they perform their duties of prayer, both in their families and in private. Yet the rest of an immortal soul requires a better foundation than this—better than all their duties, sorrows for sin, or even what God Himself works in them. True rest must come from something beyond themselves.
Nothing that is wrought within us, not even the grace of God, can provide rest for our souls. It is only the perfect righteousness of the Mediator, though wrought in us by faith, that can provide this rest.
Therefore, even if you perform duties in a gracious manner, do not rest in them. You must look higher than the best duties you have ever performed. Woe to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob if their rest had come only from their duties. You must look beyond whatever you are or whatever you can be enabled to do for your rest.
You may ask, "What can be higher than what we are enabled to do by God?" There is a righteousness in Jesus Christ by which you must come. There is an insufficiency in all the creatures in the world to give rest, and yet, the truth is, the greatest part of the world finds all their rest in these things. Much could be said about the danger of this, and much about the signs of when our souls have true rest in Christ. However, we shall address this when we discuss the rest we have in Christ. I will therefore pass over the insufficiency of rest in all other things with just one point: know this, that a heart touched by Jesus Christ, as iron is touched by the lodestone, can never be at peace with creature comforts, or in mere hope of mercy, or in any duty or performance. It can never be quiet until it finds union with Jesus Christ.
It is like a needle touched by a lodestone—shake it in any direction you will, but it will never rest until it points North. Once it finds the North, it stands firm. So it is with a heart touched by Jesus Christ.
When the Spirit of Christ touches the heart of a believer, the heart trembles with fears and doubts. Offer it one creature comfort after another, but none will suffice. The heart will not find rest. Yet, when
Christ is manifested to the soul—when they come to a sermon where some blessed promise of the Gospel is revealed, and Jesus Christ is presented to them—they recognise that this is the rest for their souls.
Their hearts immediately embrace this truth, and they are able to rest the weight of their eternity upon the promise of the Gospel, upon the free grace of God in Christ. They can rest their eternal state here, even though others may think that the promise of the Gospel is merely a notion. Here, they can rest the weight of their eternal souls and say, like Simeon, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." Here is rest for my soul. My heart was once filled with terrors, fears, and doubts. I sought for rest and ease in various creature comforts but could not
find it. But now Christ is made known to me, and here is the rest of my soul.
It is true that godly people may be troubled for a time, but it is like the trembling of a needle in a compass. Other people, too, may be troubled. Some are troubled in conscience for their sins. They come to a sermon, hear about the evil of sin, and God confronts them with a particular sin they continue to live in. They are troubled, and they tremble, just like the godly do. But they are like a faulty needle, not properly touched. Though they shake as the others do, they will settle at any point. Push them this way or that, and they will stand here or there. Would sailors give anything for such a needle, one that would stand at any point? So it is with wicked men when they are troubled.
The devil, the world, and their corruptions come and quiet their consciences outside of Christ, and this hinders them from coming to Jesus Christ because they find peace elsewhere.
The saints, however, are troubled, but their trouble and shaking in the world is like a ship in a haven, at anchor. A ship lying at anchor may be tossed by the waves, but it is securely anchored. This is the difference between the troubles of the saints and the troubles of the ungodly. A ship at sea without an anchor is driven by the storm.
When a mighty tempest comes, it is tossed up and down, and the sailors do not know if they will strike a rock and be destroyed. They are deeply troubled. But the saints are anchored. They consider themselves at rest, even though they are tossed by the waves, because they are securely anchored.