The Believer’s Rest

A Paper Read At The Annual Meeting Of The Metropolitan Association Of Strict Baptist Churches, March 13^th, 1900.

Without stopping to dwell on the rest of the Sabbath, which God instituted when He had completed the fair work of creation, as He gazed with complacent eye on every form of beauty, as it came forth into being perfected by His creative power, He pronounced it very good, He rested and sanctified the Sabbath day for ever; nor can we tarry to speak of the rest of God’s Israel, in the land of Canaan, after He had led them about and instructed them for forty years in the wilderness, although their conduct, their wanderings, and God’s gracious dealings with them, their final possession of the land of promise after their weary march through the desert, is typical in many ways of the rest of the believer. It does not fully set forth the more glorious rest the believer enjoys now, and the yet more transcendant rest he has in prospect when earth’s wanderings shall for ever cease. We will notice a fourfold rest the believer has.

1.—The Believer’s rest in Christ. That rest is from the burden of guilt, which has pressed with overwhelming weight upon his awakened conscience, when quickened by the Holy Spirit, and convinced of sin, his eyes have been opened to see his perilous condition, the condemnation he is under. He now sees the holy requirements of God’s law. He now tries with all his powers to keep that law, but every effort fails; he finds that he is as helpless to obey in the future, as he is to remove his past guilt; he is hemmed in on every side, his past life he learns has been one continuous rebellion against a holy God. The future outlook is a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation; he is in the depths of despair, his heart is broken with grief, he has no hope, no ray of light to cheer the gathering gloom, days of darkness and nights of weariness are appointed him; his moisture is turned into the drought of summer, God’s arrows of deep conviction stick fast in his soul, he seeks in secret places to vent his sighs and groans, that he may ease his burdened heart. The heavens grow more dark, the tempest gathers, the lightning flashes, the thunders of Sinai roll with deepening terror over his affrighted spirit, until the very pit of hell seems to yawn beneath his feet, when lo! above the surging storm and tempest, calm, majestic, sweet, there is heard a voice which penetrates and thrills his soul with hope: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He hears, he receives the glad message with trembling earnestness, almost fearing the news too joyous to be true; but the storm in his soul is hushed, faith grasps the precious truth, and doubts subside, his fears are quelled, the burdened heart has found rest beneath the shadow of the Cross, and in that safe retreat the believer sings with grateful joy:—

“I heard the voice of Jesus say,

‘Come unto Me and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down

Thy head upon My breast.’

I came to Jesus as I was,

Weary, and worn, and sad:

I found in Him a resting place,

And He has made me glad.”

II.—The Believer’s rest in the Gospel. In its grand reassuring doctrines he finds a solid resting place for his feet; he stands firm, he is fully pardoned and reconciled to God; he is perfectly justified on a righteous basis; he fears no accusation; he has a complete answer to every charge in the perfect obedience and substitutionary sacrifice of his Lord on his behalf. He finds rest from all legal ceremonies, he rests from his own work, while he enjoys the rest Christ has procured by His work; no longer does he toil to make himself acceptable to God; “he is accepted in the Beloved.” No longer does he seek to win God’s favour by his imperfect doings, he has learned that God loved him ere worlds were formed; he rests in the everlasting love of God. He no longer wanders seeking rest and satisfaction with yearning heart: he has found in the fair fields of the Gospel rich provision, plentiful, satisfying to his hungering soul, he feeds with delight beside the living streams. Here would he abide happy, content; no earthly pleasures does he need, he has no craving for this world’s fleeting joys now.

“The footsteps of Thy flock I see;

Thy sweetest pastures here they be;

A wondrous feast Thy love prepares,

Bought with Thy wounds, and groans, and tears.

His richest flesh He makes my food,

And bids me drink His richest blood:

Here to these hills my soul will come,

Till my Beloved leads me home.”

The believer rests in the Gospel in regard to his doctrinal belief. He sees no need to change with the changing times. Men’s theories rise and vanish as the early dew of a summer’s morn, but his faith is fixed, firm, and lasting, His experience of Divine truth is written too deeply on his heart by the Holy Ghost for him to change; time and growing experimental knowledge of the truths he was first taught only deepen and intensify his firm convictions in the verities of his faith. He can afford to smile at men’s vagaries were it not so solemn and pathetic, that they should be seeking rest in the changing creeds of men, while the solid rock of Gospel truth is despised, like its Author, and set at nought. It is the joy of the believer, and our privilege, as an Association to show to this scoffing age, that there is a rest in a fixed “Doctrinal basis,” and a firm trust in the glorious truths of the everlastting Gospel, that, following implicitly the teaching of our Lord in faith and practice, we do find rest. While others are vainly seeking to arrive at truth in the paths of criticism and intellectual research, we have found it in the pages of Divine revelation. In the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour we find rest for mind and heart; our intelligent restful faith can here give a satisfactory reason for the hope which is in us. We hold it most tenaciously, for it has brought us rest, peace, and assurance for ever.

“Should all the forms that man devise,

Assault my soul with treacherous art:

I’d call them vanities and lies,

And bind the Gospel to my heart.”

III.—The Believer’s rest in Providence. Like other men he lives in a world of change and ever varying vicissitude, where trial attends his steps from day to day; and often his trials are of a keener sort than are felt by the man of the world, because he endeavours to keep his conscience void of offence toward God and man; he is ofttimes deeply tried and tempted as he seeks to provide things honest in the sight of all men, especially when he sees the wicked “flourishing like a green bay tree,” while his own affairs become each day more straitened, and his path more perplexing. At such seasons Satan is very busy with his artful suggestions, that it will not pay in these days of keen competition to be so honest; if success is to crown his efforts he must relax those out-of-date, rigid, principles of his; but the believer feels he must trust in God and do the right, and he feels assured his confidence in his God is not misplaced. If the meal in the barrel be brought down to the last handful, it will never be exhausted; but yet faith is sorely tried at such times. Satan will seek at such seasons to foster unbelief in the continued and unremitting care of his Heavenly Father, suggesting that if he were a child of God, things would not be thus with him. Satan tempts the believer to doubt an ever-present,, overruling providence, and alas, weak faith is prone to cherish such doubts at times, but after such a conflict, faith gains the victory. The soul after such tossings comes back to God, as the dove returned to the Ark with weary wings, the believer upbraids his doubting heart, saying softly to himself, “Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee;” he feels assured his Father holds the helm, and controls all events: he can now “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” In His own good time He will clear the darkened skies, brighten the prospects, remove his trials. In the meantime he will rest in His power to perform all things for him, and his unerring wisdom to work all for his good. This view the believer takes of God’s providential care of His cause and kingdom in the earth. Does His Church languish, and seem to decline? the believer will wait upon the Lord, fully believing that better days will dawn. He rests on the faithful Word and unchanging purposes of God to carry on His cause, while he uses all the means diligently to spread His truth, and seek the welfare of Zion, he rests alone upon the power of the Holy Ghost to accomplish God’s gracious purposes in gathering, preserving, and building up His Church in the earth. The believer feels assured that no hostile power can really harm the Church of God, He guards His people as the apple of His eye, and if the dark days of persecution should return, He rests assured that the Church will come forth purified by the trial, kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto salvation. The believer views all events transpiring in the world at large, as subserving God’s Divine plans. Kingdoms may rise and fall thrones and dynasties pass away, they are all overruled for one great end; they are all controlled by one supreme power. No event or creature, however minute or majestic, but God’s hand is upon. He turns it whichsoever way He pleases, to carry out His all-powerful will, and fulfil His all-wise behests. In this great fact the believer rests secure his God rules the world. As a patriot he loves his country, the land of his birth; and although now a citizen of the heavenly country, he feels a deep interest in all which affects the land of his nativity, he mourns his nation’s sins, and prays that God’s chastising hand may be averted; he sorrows for the reverses under which his country suffers, the lives which have been sacrificed, the homes made desolate, and the hearts made sad; he thanks God most gratefully for all deliverances wrought from peril and death. As a lover of peace he prays most earnestly for a cessation of hostilities amongst the contending nations of the earth; the cause and origin of the strife he may not understand, but of this he is assured and in this rests, out of apparent evil, God will bring good, and make the wrath of man to praise Him. Whatever may be the motives of men, whether base or noble, He will control their actions, and make them work out His gracious purposes, and perform His sovereign will. Therefore, will the believer rest and wait the unfolding of His matchless skill.

“Sovereign Ruler of the skies,

Ever gracious, ever wise:

All my times are in Thy hand,

All events at Thy command.”

IV.—The Believer’s rest in Heaven. How shall we lift the veil and gaze into the effulgent glory of that world where the believer’s rest is complete and eternal? His labours are ended, his perils over, his conflict with sin and Satan has for ever ceased, his weary feet have reached the summit of the hill; he gazes round with rapturous delight as he forgets his toils and perils past, he has now sheathed the sword, laid shield and buckler aside for ever. The clash of arms and deadly strife with evil, will no more engage all his watchful powers. The cry of battle and din of war is changed to harps of sweetest music and melodious songs of victory. The travel-stained garments of earth are laid aside for robes of spotless purity. Those eyes, so often dimmed with tears, now shine with brightest lustre, as they gaze with ecstasy on the face of their beloved Lord, without a veil between; that heart which once palpitated with doubts, and fears, and many conflicting emotions, is now at perfect rest. Those weary limbs and throbbing brow have been changed, the mortal has put on immortality; weakness, pain, and death, are known no more in that blest realm. The service of that holy place though unceasing is perfect rest, no desire now is left ungratified. All that was mysterious is now made plain, knowledge is perfected and the glorified mind rests in the marvellous unfolding of the manifold wisdom of God. The believer now rests from all opantings after holiness, so earnestly desired here below, but now attained in full perfection. As he shines in the reflected glory of his beloved Lord without fauIt before the throne, his happiness is now complete; he is near and like his Lord, his dignity is great, his inheritance is dazzling in the splendour of its magnificence, and eternal in its duration he sits down with Christ upon His throne, his rest is for ever and for ever. What more can I say, or our longing souls desire but echo the language of the poet?

“For weary saints a rest remains,

In heaven, from all their toils and pains,

Where seas of joy eternal flow,

Without a taint of mortal woe.

O sacred rest I for Thee we groan,

And bid the wheels of time roll on,

To bring that hour, when we shall rise,

To join the chorus of the skies.”