Chapter 44: Conclusion of the Last Doctrine in the Two Former Chapters
contentment in Christ that it overcomes all the bitterness of affliction. As David said, "My soul, return to your rest."
Indeed, for believers who exercise faith, all afflictions become as insignificant as the sound of rain on the roof of a warm, comfortable house. Just as a poor woman married to a great prince, surrounded by wealth and comfort, would not be disturbed by the rain rattling on the roof, so a believer, united with Christ and enjoying communion with Him, finds satisfaction in Christ that overshadows all outward troubles. If you are troubled by the world, it means you are not yet fully acquainted with the blessedness found in Christ. A soul truly acquainted with Christ will say, "I have enough." Regardless of what happens to my estate, my body, or my possessions, I have enough in Christ.
How many of the blessed martyrs have testified to the fullness of rest they found in Christ? I recall a German martyr who, despite enduring great suffering, declared, "I truly believe there is not a merrier heart in this world than mine." Just as Jacob had blessed visions while lying on a stone in the night, so too, God's children often experience more of His presence in times of affliction. Their souls are filled with joy, just as a man full of good food can better endure hardship. When the soul comes to Christ, He fills it with heavenly consolations, which bear up the soul against any trouble or affliction. This is the peace and rest that Christ offers to the soul.
Chapter 44
Conclusion of the Last Doctrine in the Two Former Chapters, Showing How Unbefitting It Is for a Believer to Be Troubled in Affliction There might be many other things mentioned, such as the fact that by coming to Christ, the spirit of prayer is given, and so the soul finds rest when it can pour itself out to God in prayer. But to bring this to a conclusion:
You can now see, from all that has been said, how utterly unbefitting it is for a believer—one who professes to have come to Christ—to be troubled in affliction. Christ makes this promise, that if anyone comes to Him, they shall have rest. Surely, if you do not have rest, it is either because you have not truly come to Christ, or you have not exercised faith in Him. Either you must charge yourself with not having come to Christ, or with not having exercised faith in Him, or else you are charging Christ with unfaithfulness through your discontentment. For Christ openly declares to the world that all who come to Him will have rest.
If you do not have rest, and if even a little trouble disquiets you, the fault must lie in one of these areas: either you have not come to Christ, you are not exercising faith, or you are implicitly accusing
Christ of being unfaithful. Now, if you lack rest, upon whom or what will you place the blame? Oh, let the blame fall on your unbelieving heart! Let it be due to your failure to renew the act of coming to Christ. This passage is not merely speaking of a one-time coming to Christ, but of a continual, renewed act of coming to Him. This exhortation applies to godly men and women who have already come to Christ by faith. It belongs to them to continue coming to Christ, again and again.
Your disquiet and trouble in times of affliction reveal that you are either not a believer at all or have not renewed the act of faith. My brothers and sisters, the behaviour of many, whom we hope are believers, often suggests that they see no use for faith in times of affliction, or that faith is only useful for saving their souls, not for giving rest to their souls here in this world. They seem to treat faith as something useful only in times of prosperity, like a sundial in a garden that shows the time of day only when the sun is shining. But in stormy, cloudy weather, they see no use for it.
Do you make no more use of your faith than of a sundial, which is only useful when the sun is shining? Faith should be your guide even in the darkest, cloudiest days. It should tell you how things stand between God and your soul, even in the worst times. Therefore, having now learned where rest can be found in the midst of outward afflictions, go and seek it there. You fret and trouble yourself because you do not have what others have—because others have rich tables, fine houses, and all the comforts of this world. But now, the Lord has shown you a way to find rest for your soul in times of poverty. Labor to know Jesus Christ, who was made poor for you. There is as clear a path for you to come to Christ as for the richest person in the world, and Christ will be just as ready to welcome you as He would the richest.
It is possible that all your efforts in this world may never make you wealthy. But nothing else—neither wealth nor any worldly achievement—can give you rest in this life. Only by coming to Christ can you find rest. Above all, let this help you prepare for times of trouble, so that no matter what happens in this world, you may have rest for your soul in Christ.