Chapter 34: Rest from the Remainder of Corruption: Sanctification as a Great Rest, Explained in Six
because there is so much rest and joy in holy duties. Those who are drawn to holy duties by force or obligation will not endure. As it is said, "The son abides in the house, but the servant does not remain forever." Those who perform duties in a legalistic way will fall away, but one who is in Christ, with a heart like a son, will continue. Just as in philosophy, no violent motion is perpetual, so too those performing duties under compulsion will likely become apostates in the end. However, those who perform duties in an evangelical way will persevere to the end.
III. The main takeaway is this: stir up your heart, Christian, to understand the Gospel more deeply, and exercise faith in Christ so you can experience comfort in your duties. Do not be satisfied just because you are doing your duty. Rather, say to yourself, "I have heard of a way in which Christians find great rest and ease in the performance of duty—why should I not find that way too?" Don't rest until you understand it. Then your duties will be more sound, spiritual, supernatural, and acceptable. The Lord loves a cheerful giver, and likewise, He loves a cheerful server. Just as you love to hear your servants sing while they work, if you set a task for your child or servant and they do it grudgingly, complaining that you are a hard master, their work is unsatisfactory. So too, those who perform duties in a legalistic way do little, and that little is not acceptable to God. But when a soul finds rest in duty, the work becomes more spiritual, abundant, and acceptable to the Lord. Such duties are indeed very pleasing to Him.
Chapter 34
Rest from the Remainder of Corruption: Sanctification as a Great Rest, Explained in Six Particulars 1. It is the right temper of the heart 2. In it, the soul, in great part, attains its end
3. In it, the soul lives the life of God 4. It raises the soul above the region of all troubles
5. It turns everything to good 6. It is the beginning of glory You may remember when we discussed the burden that is upon sinners, we showed that the remainder of corruption was a great burden. It was such a heavy load that it made the Apostle cry out,
"Oh! wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" We have already explained how this was a load.
Now we turn to show what rest is to be had in Christ, against this fourth burden. Christ says, "Come to me, all you who are sensible of the corruption of your heart, and find the remainder of sin within to be a burden, come to me, and I will give you rest." We are not now speaking of the rest that comes with deliverance from the trouble of the soul caused by the guilt of sin—that has already been addressed.
Now, we focus on the rest given by Christ through sanctification, where He gives power against the remaining corruption in the heart.
This rest is the rest of Sanctification. Christ says, "I will give you rest." In this matter, there are many useful and sweet truths that could be discussed at length, but I will try to summarise them within a few points about this rest of sanctification.
There are five main things to be considered here, so that you may follow the flow of thought and walk through this with me:
1. Sanctification is a great rest to the soul, or deliverance from corruption is a great rest to the heart of a believer. There is much rest to be found in sanctification.
2. This rest is in Christ. All our sanctification and help against corruption comes through Christ.
3. How Christ becomes this rest to the soul. We will explore how Christ, specifically, brings about this rest in our sanctification.
4. Consequences that follow from this—the results of understanding Christ as the source of rest in sanctification.
5. An exhortation to come to Christ for this rest. Lastly, we will conclude by urging you to come to Christ to find this rest.
Sanctification: The Rest from Corruption I. Sanctification as Great Rest for the Soul of a Believer
The truth is, there is nothing that troubles the heart of a strong believer except the lack of sanctification. It is the only thing that burdens him. For a weak believer, the trouble comes from the lack of assurance of the pardon of sin. He still struggles with the guilt of sin, but a strong believer overcomes that. A weak believer is troubled by the Law because, due to his weak faith, he is unable to fully grasp the covenant of grace that God has brought him into. As a result, he cannot free himself from the troubles of the Law. A strong believer, however, rises above this burden.
A weak believer performs his duties but often with a sense of legality, which makes them burdensome to him. But a strong believer is free
from this weight. However, none in this world—neither weak nor strong believers—completely overcomes the remaining corruption of the heart. In truth, a strong believer has more power over it than a weak believer, but the chief burden of the strongest believers is still the corruption that remains within them. The Apostle Paul, though a strong believer, exclaimed, "Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" As we have previously discussed, sanctification is a special rest that believers experience—a true rest for the soul.
1. Sanctification as the Right Temper of the Heart Sanctification brings rest to the soul because it establishes the right temper of the heart. Just as corruption was a burden because it was a "distemper" of the heart, like sickness in the body, sanctification restores the soul to its proper state, offering relief and peace. When your body is sick, you are a burden to yourself. You toss and turn, change beds and postures, seeking relief because you are uncomfortable. But when health returns, so does rest. You sleep peacefully, and your pain is gone. Likewise, sanctification is the health of the soul. When the soul becomes holy, it becomes healthy, and holiness is the proper condition of the heart, bringing true rest.
2. Sanctification as the Soul's Attainment of Its End Sanctification also brings rest because, through it, the soul in great part attains its end. What is it that the soul desires most if not to reach its intended purpose? Every creature finds rest when it reaches its end. The end is the "proper place" of rest. By sanctification, the soul partially achieves its intended purpose.
Firstly, the soul reaches the end that God intended when He created it. By becoming holy, the soul fulfils the purpose for
which it was born. You were born to be holy, to live in this world for God. Sanctification allows you to fulfil that purpose, the very reason you came into the world.
Secondly, sanctification fulfils the purpose of all of God's providential actions toward you. Every way in which God works in your life—His guidance, His blessings, His discipline—all aim toward making you godly, that you may live to His glory.
Thirdly, it accomplishes the great purpose of Christ's coming into the world. Christ came to purchase a peculiar people, zealous for good works, and to sanctify them unto Himself.
Fourthly, sanctification is the goal of all God's ordinances. Why do you have the privilege of access to the Word, sacraments, and prayer, except that through them God sanctifies your heart?
Fifthly, it is the goal of your desires, if you are truly God's.
What does a gracious heart long for more than to be holy before God and freed from the "body of death"?
Sixthly, it is the aim of all your labour. If you are godly, what do you strive for more than to grow in godliness and sanctification?
Thus, that which is the ultimate purpose of your existence, the aim of all God's ways toward you, the goal of His ordinances, the object of your desires, and the focus of your labour must surely be rest. By achieving sanctification, you attain true rest.
Sanctification as Rest from Corruption 3. Sanctification as Rest: Living the Life of God
Sanctification brings rest to the soul because it allows the soul to live not only for God but also in God. Thus, it must experience rest, as it lives in God. In 1 John 2:24, we find this expression: "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father." When the truths of the Gospel work holiness into the heart and abide there, the soul abides in the Son and in the Father. It lives in God, and therefore must experience rest where it lives—in God. Though the saints live in the world, they simultaneously live in God, even here on earth.
4. Sanctification as Rest: Elevating the Soul Above Trouble Sanctification brings rest to the heart because it raises the soul above the region of trouble and disturbance. As philosophers tell us, in the lower regions, there are storms, tempests, and constant changes. But in the higher regions, far above the storms, there is nothing but peace and calm. Similarly, as long as a man or woman's heart is grovelling in the world, their spirit is filled with trouble, vexation, and unrest. As Scripture says, "There is no peace for the wicked," for they are like the troubled sea, casting forth mire and dirt. However, when God gives grace and sanctifies the heart, He lifts it above these lower regions of trouble and raises it to a place of peace and rest, where calm reigns in the soul.
5. Sanctification as Rest: Turning All Things to Good Sanctification brings rest to the soul because it is a principle that turns everything to good. This must bring peace. When God sanctifies the heart and works grace in the soul, this grace has the power to transform all things into good. If we imagined a precious stone that could turn everything it touched into gold, we would marvel at its value. Grace in the heart is even more precious, as it
turns all experiences into good. Whatever befalls a person—whether afflictions or difficulties—grace can transform it for their benefit.
Even those things that others might fret over or think themselves undone by, a heart filled with grace can turn to advantage. A person with such grace can act on it, transforming every affliction or cross into good. When one possesses such a divine principle, they need not be troubled by anything in this world. Indeed, things may fall just as harshly upon them as on others, but their grace enables them to turn these difficulties into good. We will explore this more when we address the burden of outward afflictions, but for now, it suffices to show how sanctification, by turning all things to good, brings rest.
6. Sanctification as Rest: The Beginning of Glory Sanctification is rest for the soul because it is the beginning of glory, the foretaste of heaven. In heaven, there is nothing but peace and rest. Sanctification is, in essence, glorification begun, and therefore it brings rest to the soul.
This is the first particular meaning of Christ's promise, "I will give you rest." By coming to Christ, we receive power over our corruptions, grace, and holiness, which is true rest for our souls.