Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 51
CHAP. LI.
Eight means to get and keep Reſt in Chriſt. 1. Beware of ſecret ſins. 2. Be thankful for what good God hath given thee. 3. Judg not thy ſelf in time of temptation. 4. In trouble wait upon God in the uſe of means, 5. Meditate much upon the promiſes. 6. Proportion humiliation to thy comfort. 7. Be throughly grounded that thou art in Chriſt. 8. Improve the Reſt thou haſt to God, by doing much work to him.
OBJECT.
BUt you wil ſay, notwithſtanding al this you have ſpoken, yet many of the Saints of God, though they have been careful to do what you have ſaid, yet they do not find this Reſt you ſpeak of in Chriſt.
Anſw. It is true, it is not enough for you to be a beleever, for one may be a beleever, and yet not have the evidence of the Graces in Chriſt, ſo as to have Reſt unto his Soul. You will ſay what ſhould we do then?
Firſt, Take heed that there be no ſecret ſin abide in your ſpirits, you had need examine and look to that, for that wil be a thorne in the fleſh, that wil trouble you, if there be any ſecret ſin thou liveſt in, it wil be as a thorne in the fleſh! that thou canſt not be quiet.
Secondly, Another thing that will hinder the reſt of beleevers is, That becauſe they have not ſo much as they deſire, they wil not take notice of what good God hath granted to them; becauſe they have not al they would have, they think they have nothing at al. Now take heed of that, though thou haſt not all, yet take notice of what God hath done for thee, and be thankful for that. We read of the Women in the Goſpel that went …o ſeek Chriſt, they found the Angels, and heard news of him, though they found him not at firſt: So, though thy ſoul find not Chriſt for the preſent, and the reſt thou deſireſt, yet if thou haſt any news of him, any beginning of Gods work in thy Soul, take notice of that. Should the Women have ſaid, what is that to us, that we find the Angels, and that we hear news of him, it is Chriſt that we ſeek; No, they ſaid not ſo▪ And therefore, I ſay, bleſs God for what ever thou haſt, it is more then others have, bleſs God for it, and that is the way to have more.
Thirdly, Never judg of thy ſelf as thou feeleſt thy ſelf in a time of temptation, it may be thou art under a temptation, or ſpiritual deſertion, now do not judg of thy ſelf as thou findeſt thy ſelf at that time. As now, if ſo be a man when he hath been long in a Quartan Feaver, or one that hath layen long in the Diſeaſe of the Pox, if he ſhal at laſt look upon his viſage, and judg of the conſtitution of his body, according to his countenance this would diſcourage him, but he muſt judg of his conſtitution at that time, when the diſtemper is not upon him: So many poor Chriſtians, they judg of their condition then, when they are under the greateſt temptation, No, you ſhould rather judg of your eſtates as you are when you injoy your ſelves moſt, when God and your ſouls are together, and moſt free from temptation. If a man would weigh Gold, perhaps the Gold hath one grain more then the weight, yet if you come to weigh it and hold it in the wind, the wind may toſs up the ſcale and make the Gold ſeem to be too light, and you wil ſay, the Gold is not weight, Why? Becauſe the wind toſſeth up the ſcale the other way. But now, if you would ſee whether the Gold be weight indeed, hold it ſteady where the wind comes not; So, if you would weigh your condition aright, do it at that time when your ſpirit is moſt ſetled and ſtaied, and do not do it when temptation toſſeth you up and down.
Fourthly, Another help to beleevers to prevent another hinderance of their reſt is this, That their ſpirits becauſe they have not what reſt they would have, many times grow impatient, and trouble themſelves more then God would have them. Now this is a Rule, labor to quiet your hearts by waiting upon God in the want of comfort, and Labor in the uſe of what means God ſhal give you for a waiting frame. That Text is very notable for that purpoſe, in Iſai. 30.7. For the Egyptians ſhal help in Vain, and to no purpoſe, therefore have I cryed concerning this; their ſtrength is to …it ſtil. And than at verſe, 15. Thus ſaith the Lord God, the Holy one of Iſrael, in returning and Reſt ſhal ye be ſaved in quietneſs and confidence ſhal be your ſtrength, but ye would not. And ſo in Iſaiah, 52.12. For ye ſhal not go out with haſt, nor go by flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Iſrael wil be your rereward, There ſhal not be a tumultuous, hurrying, haſty Spirit. You wil ſay, can a man make too much haſt to get aſſurance of Gods Love in Chriſt? The truth is, you make the beſt ſpeed, when you can in the quiet and calme of your ſpirits waite upon God, while he wil pleaſe to ſpeak to your Souls, when we can go on in the uſe of means, til God ſeal up by his ſpirit of aſſurance to your Souls. Many Reaſons might be given, to put on the Soul to waite upon God, but I paſs on.
Fiftly, Another Rule is this, be much in Meditation upon the promiſes, ſwallow down promiſes, do not let them role upon your Tongues. Wicked men, they role the promiſes upon their Tongues, but they do not take them down. But now, as when we take bitter Pils, the way is to ſwallow them down whole, when we take ſweet things the way is to chew them, if a man ſhould chew his Pills, he would ſuddenly throw them out of his Mouth. So a Godly man ſhould not chew the Pills, that is, by Meditating upon the threatnings of the Law, this is not the way, rather ſwallow down the Pills, by Meditating upon the Goſpel, and the Covenant of Grace, and ſo thy ſoul may come to find reſt in Chriſt this way. And when thou haſt done al that thou canſt, yet ſtil the only way is for thee to depend upon God in his ordinances, and to pray for the ſpirit, no evidence that can be given, can quiet the Heart till that comes to paſs. But now if ſo be the ſoul hath gained this, what a thing is it for the ſoul to looſe it again. In Iſaiah, 26.…0. Come my people enter thou into thy Chambers, and ſhut the doores about thee; hide thy ſelf as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpaſt. What is it to come and enter into our Chamber? To get into Chriſt our hiding place; and then ſhut the dores, that is, take heed of parlying with temptation. As thus now, when as the Lord hath given thee reſt, and thy reſt comes in by the word, by applying the word to thy ſoul, now ſhut the dore againſt temptation, there wil ariſe ſome fears and Jealouſies at that time, now therefore, ſhut the dore againſt al ſurmiſes, …ea…es, and Jealouſies, and call for the word, let the word be the rule for thy fear, as wel as for thy comfort and rather depend on one Scripture for thy comfort, then upon a thouſand Jealouſies for thy fear. And this is now to ſhut the dore againſt temptation, reſolve here will I venture, here is the word of God, which is ſure and certain, and for temptation, the Devil will trouble me with the Rapping and knocking at the dore, but let him Knock as long as he will, I have got a promiſe here, and I will venture my Soul upon this promiſe: And for want of this, though thou haſt gotten the promiſe, yet upon every temptation thou openeſt the dore. You know in time of danger, when any come and rap at the dore, wil you open the dore preſently? No, you bid your Servant ask who it is, and they muſt give a good account what they would have, and from whence they come, before you wil open the dore; So, when any temptation raps at thy ſoul, inquire what it would have, and whence it comes, doth it come from God or no, or from the Devil? Many people, they think the word to be a rule for their Faith, but they think the word is not a rule for their fear, you muſt have as good a warrant for refuſing any comfort that is tendred to you, as wel as for the taking of any comfort, and if you would obſerve that rule, that you wil never refuſe comfort, but you wil have a word to warrant you. If the Lord come to you and ſay, why did you refuſe ſuch comforts, and you ſay, I was in fear and Jealouſies, I but if God ſhould ſay, what word have you for it? What were you able to anſwer? Oh, This is that that God wil require of you, for it is a diſhonor to the truth of God, that whenas there is a word to ground thy Faith upon, and nothing but Jealouſies to ground thy fears, yet thou wilt make thy Jealouſies and thy fears to weigh down the word.
Sixthly: Again, according to the degrees of thy inlargment, ſo let thy Humiliation be, as thou findeſt thy Heart inlarged with joy, at the ſame time let thy Grace work downward in way of Humiliation, obſerve a proportion betwen thy joy and Humiliation, many people are inlarged upon the joy they have in Chriſt, but they are not humbled, and therefore they vaniſh.
Seventhly: Again, Be not ſatisfied meerly that thou art in Chriſt, and a beleever, but labor to be throughly grounded that thou art in Chriſt, for who knows what troubles and deſertions thou maiſt meet with al, labor to roote thy ſoul, be eſtabliſhed in Chriſt, grounded in Chriſt, to be a grounded Chriſtian, a…d therefore not to live upon ſence, but to live by Faith when thou haſt ſence.
Eightly: Laſtly, Improve thy reſt for God, be ſure to do much work when the Lord gives thee Reſt, as we uſe to ſay of outward peace, it brings plenty, ſo the truth is, the peace tha… God gives in our conſciences, and the reſt that we have in Chriſt, ſhould make us plentiful in all good works. And by theſe rules, if thou doſt keep the dore ſhut againſt temptation; if according to the degrees of thy inlargment thy Humiliation is. If thou art not ſatisfied meerly that thou art in Chriſt, and a beleever, but laboreſt to be throughly grounded, that thou art in Chriſt; if thou doſt roote thy ſoul in Chriſt, and if thou doſt improve thy reſt to God, to do much work for God, when he gives thee Reſt. Thus doing, thou ſhalt have reſt, an abiding reſt unto thy ſoul, thus thou ſhalt be in thy Chamber of Reſt, with the door ſhut, while the indignation is overpaſt, thus thou ſhalt have reſt in the time of evil, and all the troubles in the world ſhal be but as the rattling of the Rain upon the Tiles while thou art in the Houſe, Yea, and the reſt thou haſt in Chriſt, is but the forerunner of the glory that thou ſhalt have with Chriſt, which thou oughteſt to long for, when thou haſt fears and troubles, thou oughteſt to pray, O Lord Jeſus Chriſt, fulfil the things thou haſt promiſed to thy Servants, and give Reſt and Peace unto my Soul.
FINIS.
End of the text · Jeremiah Burroughs, Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest (1659)