Chapter 49: Eight means to find and keep rest in Christ

heavens. It is a symbol and a forerunner of the glorious rest you will enjoy hereafter.

Fifthly, if your soul has true rest, it is such rest as will stand the examination of the Word of God. Though the Word may pierce deeply, the more it touches your soul, the more rest you will find. In Hebrews 4, after the Holy Spirit speaks of the rest for the people of God, it says in verse 12: The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

As if to say, if you enter into the rest of God's people, you will have such a rest that can endure the most thorough and penetrating examination of God's Word. The Word will search you through and through, and your rest will be such that it can withstand this search.

It is a rest that comes by the Word. The more the Word searches, the more it quickens. It divides between the marrow and bones, and the more a true, gracious heart is searched, the more rest it finds.

Chapter 49 Eight means to find and keep rest in Christ.

1. Beware of secret sins.

2. Be thankful for the good that God has given you.

3. Do not judge yourself in times of temptation.

4. In trouble, wait upon God while using the means He provides.

5. Meditate much upon the promises.

6. Let your humiliation be in proportion to your comfort.

7. Be thoroughly assured that you are in Christ.

8. Use the rest you have in Christ to do much work for Him.

Objection:

But you will say, despite all that you have spoken, many of God's saints, though they have been careful to follow your advice, still do not find this rest in Christ that you speak of.

Answer:

It is true. It is not enough just to be a believer, for one may be a believer and yet not have the evidence of the graces in Christ that brings rest to the soul. You may ask, "What should we do then?"

First, take care that no secret sin remains in your spirit. You need to examine yourself carefully because that will be a thorn in your flesh, troubling you. If there is any secret sin that you are living in, it will be like a thorn in your flesh, and you will not be able to be at peace.

Secondly, another thing that hinders the rest of believers is this: because they do not have all they desire, they fail to notice the good that God has already granted to them. They think they have nothing at all because they do not have everything they want. Now, be cautious of this. Though you do not have everything, take notice of what God has done for you and be thankful for it. We read of the women in the Gospels who went to seek Christ. They found angels and heard news of Him, even though they did not find Him at first.

So, even if your soul does not find Christ immediately and you do not experience the full rest you desire, if you have any news of Him or any beginnings of God's work in your soul, take notice of it.

Should the women have said, "What is that to us that we find angels and hear news of Him? It is Christ that we seek"? No, they did not say that. Therefore, I say, bless God for whatever you have. It is more than others have, so bless God for it—that is the way to receive more.

Thirdly, never judge yourself based on how you feel during a time of temptation. It may be that you are under temptation or spiritual desertion. Do not judge yourself based on how you feel at such times.

For example, if a man has suffered long from a quartan fever or has been afflicted with a lingering disease like the pox, and then looks at himself and judges the state of his body by his appearance, this would discourage him. He should instead judge his condition when the disease is not upon him. In the same way, many poor Christians judge their condition when they are under the greatest temptation.

No, you should rather judge your state as it is when you are most at peace, when God and your soul are together and free from temptation.

If a man were to weigh gold, perhaps the gold is just one grain heavier than it needs to be. But if you weigh it in a strong wind, the wind might blow the scale, making the gold appear too light. You might then think the gold does not weigh enough. Why? Because the wind is tossing the scale. But if you want to see whether the gold weighs correctly, you must weigh it in a place where the wind is still.

So, if you want to weigh your spiritual condition accurately, do so when your spirit is most settled and calm—do not do it when temptation is tossing you about.

Fourthly, another help for believers to avoid the hindrance of rest is this: because their spirits do not have the rest they desire, they often grow impatient and trouble themselves more than God would have them. Here is a rule: labour to quiet your heart by waiting upon God

during times of discomfort, and labour to use whatever means God gives you to maintain a waiting spirit.

Isaiah 30:7 is notable for this purpose: The Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, their strength is to sit still. And again, in verse 15: Thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; in returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: but ye would not. Also, in Isaiah 52:12: For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward. There should not be a tumultuous, hurrying, and hasty spirit.

You may ask, "Can a person hurry too much in seeking the assurance of God's love in Christ?" The truth is, you make the best progress when, in the quiet and calm of your spirit, you wait upon God until

He speaks to your soul. We should continue in the use of means until God, by His Spirit, seals assurance to our souls. Many reasons could be given to urge the soul to wait upon God, but I will move on.

Fifthly, another rule is this: be much in meditation upon the promises. Swallow down the promises, do not let them simply roll upon your tongue. Wicked men roll the promises upon their tongues, but they do not take them down. Just as when we take bitter pills, the way is to swallow them whole. When we take sweet things, we chew them. If a man were to chew his pills, he would quickly spit them out.

In the same way, a godly man should not chew the "pills," that is, by meditating only on the threatenings of the Law. Rather, swallow down the "pills" by meditating upon the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace, and in this way, your soul may find rest in Christ.

When you have done all that you can, the only way is still to depend upon God in His ordinances and to pray for the Spirit. No evidence

that can be given will quiet the heart until that happens. But if the soul has gained this rest, what a serious matter it is to lose it again.

In Isaiah 26:20, it says: Come, my people, enter into your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment until the indignation is past. What does it mean to "enter into our chamber"? It means to get into Christ, our hiding place.

Then, shut the doors, meaning, take care not to parley with temptation. When the Lord has given you rest, and your rest has come through the Word, by applying the Word to your soul, then shut the door against temptation. Fears and jealousies may arise at that time, so shut the door against all surmises, fears, and jealousies, and rely on the Word. Let the Word be the rule for your fear as well as your comfort. Depend on one Scripture for your comfort, rather than on a thousand jealousies for your fear.

This is how you shut the door against temptation. Resolve: "Here I will stand. Here is the Word of God, which is sure and certain." The Devil will trouble you by knocking and rapping at the door, but let him knock as long as he pleases. You have a promise here, and you will trust your soul to this promise.

Many people, though they have received the promise, still open the door at every temptation. In times of danger, when someone knocks at your door, do you open it immediately? No, you send your servant to ask who it is, and they must give a good account of what they want and where they come from before you open the door. So, when temptation knocks at your soul, inquire what it wants and where it comes from. Does it come from God or from the Devil?

Many people think the Word is a rule for their faith, but they do not think it is a rule for their fear. You must have as good a warrant for rejecting any comfort offered to you as you have for accepting it. If

you follow that rule and never reject comfort unless you have a word to warrant it, you will find peace. If the Lord were to ask why you rejected certain comforts, and you replied, "I was afraid and filled with jealousy," what would you answer if God asked, "What word did you have for it?" This is what God will require of you, for it dishonours God's truth when you allow jealousies and fears to outweigh the Word of God.

Sixthly, again, let your humiliation be in proportion to your enlargement. As you find your heart enlarged with joy, at the same time, let your grace work downward in the way of humiliation. Keep a balance between your joy and your humility. Many people are enlarged in joy because of their union with Christ, but they are not humbled, and so their joy vanishes.

Seventhly, again, do not be satisfied merely that you are in Christ and a believer. Strive to be thoroughly grounded in Christ, for who knows what troubles and desertions you may encounter. Labour to root your soul and be established in Christ. Be a grounded Christian, and therefore, do not live by sense, but by faith, even when you do have sense.

Eighthly, lastly, use your rest for God. Be sure to do much work when the Lord gives you rest. Just as we say that outward peace brings plenty, so it is true that the peace God gives in our consciences, and the rest we have in Christ, should lead us to be plentiful in good works.

By following these rules—keeping the door shut against temptation, maintaining a balance between your joy and humility, not being content merely with being in Christ, but striving to be thoroughly grounded, rooting your soul in Christ, and using your rest for God's work—you will have abiding rest for your soul. You will be in your

chamber of rest, with the door shut, while the indignation passes by.

You will have rest in times of evil, and all the troubles in the world will be like the sound of rain pattering on the tiles while you are safely inside the house. Indeed, the rest you have in Christ is but the forerunner of the glory you will have with Christ, which you should long for. When you face fears and troubles, you should pray: "O Lord

Jesus Christ, fulfil the things you have promised to your servants, and give rest and peace to my soul."

FINIS.

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