A Beam of Divine Glory, Part 2

A Beam of Divine Glory · Part 2

p. 149The True Reſt: OR, The Soul's Reſt in GOD. Opened and improved, from PSAL. 116.7. Return unto thy Reſt, O my Soul.

CHAP. I.

An Introduction to the Words. What that Reſt is which David calls upon his Soul to return unto. The ſum of the words, and of our intendment from them, laid down in one general Poſition.

IT is the great happineſs of the Saints, that howbeit they meet with many ſore troubles and afflictions here in this World; yea, though p. 150they meet with little elſe but trouble and affliction here, yet there is a Reſt to come for them, a ſweet Reſt, a bleſſed Reſt, a glorious Reſt, a Reſt not lyable to either decay or diſturbance for ever: So the Apoſtle tells us Heb, 4.9. There remaineth a Reſt to the People of God: Nor is this all their happineſs; for, not only does there remain a Reſt for them hereafter, but there is alſo a Reſt, a ſweet Reſt, a bleſſed Reſt, which they do, or may attain unto here; a Reſt even in the midſt of all thoſe troubles, which here they are expoſed unto: and bleſſed be God for this Reſt; Reſt is ſweet, but Reſt in trouble, Reſt in the midſt of many and ſore troubles; Oh how ſweet, how glorious is this! Now this is the Reſt which I would a little contemplate and ſpeak unto, as the proper ſubject of theſe words of the Pſalmiſt, Return unto thy Reſt, O my Soul: which words are David's Call or Command to his Soul, to return unto its Reſt: And the only thing to be enquired into for the clearing of them, and therein for the making way to what we intend from them, is, what this Reſt is which David here calls upon his Soul to return unto; and I find it expounded two wayes.

1. Some expound it of God himſelf, God in Chriſt, who indeed is the Reſt, as well as the Refuge of his People: God is centrum quietativum (as the Schooles ſpeak) the proper quieting, …l…ing Center of the Soul, and in him alone can p. 151it truly Reſt: Thus Vatablus, a learned man, expounds it; Return unto thy Reſt, O my Soul; Redi ad illum apud quem ſummam invenies tranquillitatem, nempe ad Deum. Vat.that is, (ſaies he) Return to him with whom thou wilt find the moſt perfect Reſt; to wit, unto God: Indeed with him, and in him alone is perfect Reſt to be found, as in its place may be ſhewn.

2. Others expound it of a quiet, ſerene, ſedate, well-compoſed frame and poſture of Soul; and thus Calvin and others expound it:Quod interpretes quinam ſub nomine quietis Deum intelligunt, coactum eſt, potius enim pro tranquillo & bene compoſito animi statu accipitur. Calv. that ſome interpreters (ſaies he) do by Reſt here underſtand God, is ſtrained; 'tis rather to be taken for a tranquil and well-compoſed frame of Soul: and indeed the ſcope of the Context looks this way; for mark, David had been in great affliction, The ſorrows of Death had compaſſed him about, and the pains of Hell had got hold upon him, as you find verſ. 3. and hereupon there had followed, as is too probable, great perplexity of Spirit within, great murmurings and tumults, frettings and diſcompoſures in his Soul; And now he calls off his Soul from thoſe unquiet Motions and Agitations, and commands it to return to Reſt, that is, to a calm, quiet, ſerene, ſedate, and well-compoſed p. 152frame again. Thus alſo another judicious Interpreter expounds it;Revertere &c. q.d. hactenus jactata es ſurſum & doorſum, inter varios fluctus & procellas dolorum dubitationis & deſperationis, es graviter afflicta, &c. Mol. in locum. Return unto thy Reſt, O my Soul; as if he ſhould ſay, O my Soul, hitherto thou haſt been toſſed up and down, among the Waves and Stormes of Sorrows, Doubts and Deſperation; thou haſt been greatly afflicted and diſturbed, when the ſorrows of Death and Hell did preſs in upon thee; and ſometimes ſuch has been the caſe with thee, that thou couldeſt ſee no Port, no Haven, in which thou mighteſt Reſt; but now theſe ſtormes being over and gone, and a Port opening it ſelf to thy Faith, in which thou mayeſt Reſt, now put in, and return to thy Reſt; now be quiet, and joyful, as knowing where thou oughteſt to Reſt. Thus this Reſt is doubly expounded. Now I ſhall exclude neither of theſe ſenſes, but rather joyn them both together, and by Reſt here underſtand the Souls being at Reſt in God, in whom alone Reſt is to be found for Souls: Nor am I alone in ſo doing; for I find a learned Man ſo to underſtand it; Return unto thy Reſt, Redi anima mea, i.e. we eſto amplius perturbata ſed conquieſcito in Deo. Trem.O my Soul; that is, (ſaies he) be no longer filled with diſquietment and perturbation, but acquieſce and ſit down ſatisfied in God, thy Reſt and Portion p. 153for ever: Accordingly take the ſum of the whole, and ſo of my intendment in this poſition;

Doct. That the Souls of the Saints ſhould be at Reſt in God, or, the frame and poſture of Soul the Saints ſhould live in, is a frame and poſture of Reſt in God.

Whatever the Saints condition may be, or whatever diſpenſations they may be exerciſed withall, yet ſtill their Souls ſhould be at Reſt in God: David's Soul was for a time gone off its Reſt, 'twas gone off from that ſedateneſs, compoſure, and ſatisfaction, which it was wont to have in God; his condition was full of trouble and diſturbance, and his Soul was filled with trouble and diſturbance too; but here tacitly at leaſt he rebukes his Soul for this, and expreſly commands it to return to Reſt again, to a Reſt in God, and that as its proper poſture; for mark how he ſpeaks; Return unto [thy Reſt] O my Soul, [thy Reſt] the proper poſture of the ſouls of the Saints is to be at Reſt in God, and that poſture they ſhould be in at all times and in all conditions. What the Souls Reſt in God is, what obligations the Saints are under to be thus at Reſt in God, the ſweetneſs and excellency of the frame, with a call to all to live in this frame and poſture; and helps in order thereunto, are the things which will properly fall under conſideration in our procedure on this Argument.

p. 154CHAP. II.

What the Soul's Reſt in God is, opened; and when the Soul may be ſaid to be at Reſt in Him.

BUt what is it for a Soul to be at Reſt in God, or to live in a poſture of Reſt in God? In in general, 'tis for a Soul to ſit down ſatisfied with what God does as beſt, and with what God is, as all; and ſo this Reſt of the Soul in God lies in two things. (Firſt) In a free and chearful ſubmiſſion to the Divine Will and Providence. (Secondly) In a full and ample ſatisfaction in and with the Divine Preſence and Fulneſs: And Oh the Beauty, the ſweetneſs, the ami ableneſs, that both theſe carry in them! a little of each.

1. 'Tis to ſit down ſatisfied with what God doth as beſt, and ſo it lies in a free and chearful ſubmiſſion to the Divine Will and Providence, the Will and Providence of God concerning him: the Soul, through Grace, gets right apprehenſions of God's Will and Providence concerning him; he looks upon the Will of God to be a Sovereign, a Righteous, a Wiſe, p. 155and a Good Will; and hereupon he ſits down ſatisfied with it, whatever it does with him, whatever it allots and orders out concerning him.

1. The Soul looks upon the Will and Providence of God concerning him to be a Sovereign Will and Providence; a will and Providence which does, which may do with him whatever it pleaſes, and ſo he acquieſces in it. It is the Lord, (ſaid good old Ely) let him doe what ſeemeth him good, 1 Sam. 3.18. Mark, how he bows and ſubmits his Soul to the Divine Will and Providence; it is the Lord, it is a Sovereign God, a God that may do with me and mine whatever he will; and in the ſenſe of this his Soul freely ſubmits. It was a dreadful and terrible meſſage which Samuel told him from the Lord; but ſo dreadful and terrible as it was, yet having his eye upon the Sovereignty of God, he freely acquieſces. Suitable whereunto is the Obſervation of a Learned Man upon this place;Magnam exprimit patientiam, magnumque cum voluntate divina conſenſum; non expoſtulavit cum Deo, ſed humiliter concordavit. Mendoz. Eli (ſaith he) in theſe words expreſſes great patience, and a great conſent or agreement with the Divine Will; he did not expoſtulate with God, but humbly complyed and comported with him. God, my Beloved, has an abſolute Sovereignty over us all, and may do with us p. 156as he pleaſes: 'Tis what he challenges to himſelf, as his prerogative; All Souls are mine, (ſayes he) Ezek. 18.4. mine to do with them, to diſpoſe of them, as I will: And you know, how God aſſerts this his Sovereignty in Jer. 18.6.0 Houſe of Iſrael, cannot I do with you, as this Potter (ſaies the Lord) Behold, as the Clay is in the Potters hand, ſo are ye in my hand, O Houſe of Iſrael. Pray mark, he had before, at verſ. 4. ſhewn them how the Potter dealt by the Clay, and what an abſolute power he had over it, making it a Veſſel, and marring it again, as he pleaſed; and now here, in v.6. ſayes he, Cannot I do with you as this Potter doth with his Clay? I can, behold as the Clay is in the hand of the Potter, ſo are ye in mine hand; i.e. I have an abſolute power over you, to do with you, and diſpoſe of you, as I ſee good, and I may make or mar you upon the Wheel of my Providence, as I pleaſe: And you know how God by the Apoſtle argues in that greateſt of caſes, Rom. 9.21. Hath not thr Potter power over the Clay, of the ſame lump to make one Veſſel unto honour, and another unto diſhonour? In which words God aſſerts his abſolute ſovereignty to diſpoſe of all men as to their eternal Eſtates, as he pleaſes: Thus he has an abſolute Sovereignty over all: Now the Holy Soul apprehending this Sovereignty in God, falls under the awe and dread of it, and accordingly acquieſces in his Will, whatever it be.

p. 1572. The Soul looks upon the Will and Providence of God concerning him to be an Holy and Righteous, as well as a Sovereign Will and Providence, and upon that account alſo acquieſces therein. The Lord is righteous, (ſaid the Church) Lam. 1.18. The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled againſt his Commandment, q.d. 'Tis true, my ſorrow is great, and mine affliction heavy; but God is juſt and holy in it, 'tis no more than, nor in truth ſo much as, my ſins have deſerved: Indeed, God's dealings with Her were very terrible and amazing, but yet, apprehending the Righteouſneſs of God in them, She ſubmits to him under all: So Dan. 9.7. O Lord, Righteouſneſs belongeth unto thee, but unto us confuſion of Face: They ſaw the Righteouſneſs of God in his dealings with them, and ſo were at Reſt in his Will. God is Righteous (the Scrippture tells us) in all his Wayes, and Holy in all his Works, and he is a juſt Lord that doth, that can do, no wrong, no iniquity, Zeph. 3.5. Now the Holy Soul gets a ſight of this, and is awed with the ſenſe thereof, and accordingly, acquieſces in God's Will: True (ſayes he) this and that is ſharp, it ſmarts ſorely, it runs croſs to my carnal appetite, to my ſenſe and reaſon; but I am ſure God is holy and juſt in all, I have deſerved all and more at his hands; and in the ſenſe of this he acquieſces in his Will, and is ſatisfied with his Dealings.

p. 1583. The Soul looks upon the Will and Providence of God concerning him to be a Wiſe, as well as an Holy Will and Providence, and thereupon alſo bows to it, and acquieſces in it. God, my Beloved, is the only Wiſe God, and all his Works are done in Wiſdom, his Will is a wiſe Will, a Will guided and ordered by Counſel; he works all things according to the Counſel of his own Will, Eph. 1.11. God is never out in what he does, but dos all as becomes an only and an infinitely wiſe God; which the holy Soul getting a ſight and ſenſe of, he freely acquieſces in whatever the will of God is concerning him, and Reſts fully ſatisfied with what God does: In Job 1.22. we read that in all this Job ſinned not, neither charged he God fooliſhly: In all this, that is, in all his tryals and afflictions, though many, though great, (in all this Job ſinned not, neither charged he God fooliſhly; or (as you have it in the Margent of ſome of your Bibles) he did not attribute folly to God; he ſinned not by attributing of folly to God; but he worſhipped and adored the Divine Wiſdom, the Wiſdom of God in all his dealings with him; He acquitted God's Providence of folly, and bowed to the infinite Wiſdom thereof, and was ſatisfied with all as beſt for him: All this, ſayes the Holy Soul, is the Work of a Wiſe Will, regulated by Counſel; true, all runs croſs to my Will and my outward Intereſt, but 'tis all ballanced by infinite Wiſdom, and I p. 159am ſatisfied therewith: thus he is at Reſt in God.

4. The Soul looks upon the Will and Providence of God concerning him to be a Good, as well as a Wiſe Will and Providence, and thus alſo acquieſces in it. The Pſalmiſt tells us, that all the Paths of the Lord are Mercy and truth to ſuch as keep his Covenant and his Teſtimonies, Pſal. 25.10. By the Paths of the Lord here we are to underſtand his Providences; Now (ſaies he) theſe are all Mercy and Truth to his People; Not ſome, but all of them, even the hardeſt and ſevereſt, the moſt dark, terrible, and killing of them, they are all Mercy and Truth, Mercy it ſelf, and Truth it ſelf: whatever the Will and Providence of God brings forth, yet to his People there is love in all, Goodneſs in all, Faithfulneſs in all, and the Holy Soul, getting a ſight hereof, ſweetly acquieſces, and is at Reſt in whatever God does; So David, Pſal. 119.75. I know, O Lord, that thy Judgments are right, and that thou in Faithfulneſs haſt afflicted me. See Hezekiah alſo, Iſa. 39.8. Good (ſaies he to Iſaiah) is the word of the Lord which thou haſt ſpoken. 'Twas a ſharp and a ſevere Word or Meſsage, which God by Iſaiah ſent him, as you may ſee in the precedent verſes; but yet he ſaw goodneſs in all, and kindneſs in all, and accordingly acquieſced therein: Truly there is love and goodneſs in all God's dealings with his People, and p. 160the Holy Soul ſeeing it, his language is, whether God fills or empties, whether he gives or takes away, whether he lifts up or caſts down, whether he kills or makes alive; yet there is love in all, goodneſs in all, and 'tis beſt for me: God chuſes for me, and diſpoſes of me better than I could for my ſelf, and I am ſatisfied with what he does. Thus the Soul gets right apprehenſions of the Will and Providence of God concerning him, and hereupon is ſweetly ſatisfied, and ſits down at Reſt in God in the midſt of all he does to him or with him. True, God may deal ſomewhat ſeverely with him, he may break him with breach upon breach, as he did Job: he may cauſe all his Waves and his Billows to paſs over him, as he dealt with David; but ſtill the Soul looks upon all to be Holy, Juſt, and Good, and no other than what God in his Sovereignty may do; and ſo he Reſts ſatisfied therewith, he Reſts content in God and his Will under all, there are no diſquietments or perplexities of Spirit, no diſtractions or diſcompoſures of Soul; no frettings, no tumults, no murmurings, no riſings of heart againſt God, or his Will, but there is a ſweet calm, ſerenity, and Reſt in the Soul, he is in a ſedate, ſerene poſture in his God; and this Reſt in God the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks of, Pſal. 37.7. Reſt in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thy ſelf becauſe of him that proſpereth in the way: Reſting in God is here oppoſed to p. 161fretting, and ſo muſt note a quiet, ſedate, wellcompoſed Spirit in God.

2. 'Tis for a Soul to ſit down ſatisfied with what God is, as all, and ſo it lies in a full and ample ſatisfaction, in, and with the Divine preſence and fulneſs: 'Tis for a Soul to take up, in, and with the bleſſed God, as his only and all-ſufficient Portion and happineſs for ever. God, my Beloved, is an All-ſufficient God, he aſſerts his own All-ſufficiency, Gen. 17.1. I am God all-ſufficient, (ſaies he to Abraham) q. d. I am infinitely ſufficient for my ſelf, and I am infinitely ſufficient for thee and all my People, to make the one and the other happy for ever. God is an inexhauſtible Fountain of Light, Life, Love, Bleſſedneſs, Perfection and Glory; there is all good in God, and he that has God has all. To him that overcometh will I give to inherit all things: And how ſo? I will be his God, Rev. 21.7. He has all good, all happineſs in him, and in him we may find all as in its Fountain-fulneſs and purity. Now the Soul, ſeeing God to be ſuch a God, and withal looking upon him as his God in Covenant, ſits down ſatisfied with him alone, ſaying, I have enough, I have all, and ſo is at Reſt in him, whether he has much or little, any thing or nothing of this worlds good; whether the ſtreams run high or low with him, yet here is a a Fountain of infinite ſweetneſs and bleſſedneſs, and he drinks there, and ſatisfies himſelf p. 162there; he ſees the Fountain is ſo full, that he needs not the ſtreams to make him happy, and accordingly ſits down ſatisfied therewith, and is at Reſt: Thus David's Soul was at Reſt in God, Pſ l. 16.5, 6. the Lord is the portion of mine Inheritance, and of my Cup: Well, and what then? Why he ſits down at Reſt in him, the lines (ſaies he) are fallen to me in pleaſant places yea, I have a goodly heritage; I have enough, enough for delight, and enough for ſatisfaction; I have as much as my Soul can wiſh or deſire; ſo Pſal. 17.15. As for me, I will behold thy Face in Righteouſneſs, I ſhall be ſatisfied, when I awake, with thy likeneſs; in the verſe immediately preceding he had ſpoken of ſome whoſe portion and happineſs is in this World; well, and pray David where and in what is your Portion, your happineſs? My Portion is in God, and my Happineſs is in God, (ſaies he) in the ſight of God, and in the likeneſs of God; let others take up their Reſt, Portion and Happineſs where and in what they will, God is my Reſt, my Portion, my Happineſs, my All for ever: as for me I will behold, &c. Again, the Lord lives, (ſaies he) and bleſſed be my Rock, Pſal. 18.46. q. d. ſuch and ſuch Comforts are dead and gone, they are not, (as Jacob ſpake of his ſons) well, but however God lives ſtill, I have a living God, and he is a living Happineſs, and that's enough. So 2 Sam. 23.5. Although my Houſe p. 163be not ſo with God, yet he hath made with me an everlaſting Covenant, ordered in all things, and ſure, and this is all my Salvation, and all my deſire, q. d. God is my God by Covenant, and here is my happineſs, even all that my Soul can wiſh, and accordingly he is at Reſt in his God: And Pſal. 73.25, 26. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that I deſire in compariſon of thee: my heart and my fleſh faileth, but God is the Rock of my heart, and my Portion for ever. How dark ſoever things lookt with him, yet he, looking to his God, was ſatisfied and at Reſt in him, and with him, as infinitely enough for him. The Prophet Habakkuk reſolved upon the ſame courſe, Hab. 3.17, 18. Although the Fig-tree ſhall not bloſſom, neither ſhall Fruit be in the Vines; the labour of the Olive ſhall fail, &c. yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation: He ſuppoſes the worſt that could come, and yet ſtill reſolves to be at Reſt in God, and that God alone ſhall be enough for him, when all other things fail. Thus the holy Soul ſits down ſatisſied with God alone, ſetting God, and an intereſt in God, over and againſt all his Wants, Loſſes, Burthens, Difficulties, Temptations, as one infinitely able to relieve and ſatisfie him under all; his language to God is, Lord, let others take the Word, and the good things thereof, give me thy Self, and I have enough; run out to broken Ciſterns who will, let me have a p. 164free recourſe unto the Fountain, and I am ſatisfied; 'tis true, the Tyde of Creature-comforts runs low with me, and on the other hand, the Waves and Surges of Affliction riſe high; but God is all-ſufficient, and I have enough in him; he ſees a little of that glorious Fullneſs, Sweetneſs and Bleſsedneſs that is in God, and hereupon ſings an holy Requiem unto himſelf, ſaying, Soul take thine eaſe, thou haſt Goods, Light, Life, Love, Bleſſedneſs, Salvation enough laid up for thee for many dayes, yea for the dayes of Eternity, take thine eaſe, ſit down ſatisfied in and with thy God alone; had'ſt thou ten thouſand Worlds, without him thou had'ſt nothing, but in him thou haſt all, Reſt thou therefore in him. Thus you ſee what 'tis for a Soul to be at Reſt in God, and when he may be ſaid to be at Reſt in him.

p. 165CHAP. III.

The great Obligations the Saints are under, thus to live at Reſt in God. Several of theſe Obligations inſiſted on, as the firſt evidence of the Truth of our Propoſition.

HAving ſeen what 'tis for a Soul to be at Reſt in God, our next work ſhall be to ſhew you what Obligations the Saints are under, thus to live at Reſt in him, and that as an undenyable evidence of the truth of our Poſition: the Saints are under mighty Obligations thus to be at Reſt in God, I ſhall inſiſt only on four which are full of weight, and I beg they may accordingly affect and influence us.

1. The firſt Obligation the Saints are under to live at Reſt in God, is this, The bleſſed God hath freely made over himſelf in his Covenant to them, and that in all his glorious Riches and Fulneſs, that in him their Souls might be at Reſt: He hath given himſelf to them, as their Reſt and Portion; and is not this a mighty Obligation in the caſe? God, my Beloved, in the Covenant of his Love, p. 166hath freely given and made over himſelf to his People in all his Riches and Fulneſs, in all his Excellencies and Perfections, to be uſed, poſſeſt, and injoyed by them, as an All-ſufficient Reſt, Portion and Happineſs for ever: This is evident in the very tenour of the Covenant, and whereever you have a formal Mention or Record of the Covenant in Scripture, this is put in, I will be your God: You have three great and ſolemn mentions of the Covenant in Scripture, and in all of them this is in: one is Gen. 17.7. another is Jer. 31.33, 34. and the third is Heb. 8.10, 11, 12. In theſe places you have the moſt expreſs Records of the Covenant, God's Covenant with his People, that are in all the Scripture; and in all there is this, I will be your God. In the two later places we have other Promiſes, Promiſes of Pardon, cleanſing, Teaching, and the like; but in that to Abraham, in Geneſis, we have only this, I'le be thy God; for indeed this comprehends all the reſt, and all the other Promiſes, that are contained in the Covenant of God, are but branches growing out of this Root, and do but open this to us: this (as one ſpeaks) is Caput Faederis, the Head or Top of the Covenant; Anima Faederis (as another) the Soul of the Covenant; Subſtantia Foederis (as another) the Life and Subſtance of the Covenant: And indeed when God ſaies to a Soul, I'le be thy God, he does therein ſay, I'le Pardon thee, I'le cleanſe p. 167thee, I'le teach thee, I'le ſave thee, I'le make thee happy for ever: For God to be our God, is for God to be and communicate all good to us, that a God can communicate, and Creatures receive; 'tis for God to love us, to bleſs us, to care for us, to make us happy for ever; 'tis for God, to give us eternal Life, to be a Friend, a Father, an Husband, and a Saviour to us. 'Tis (as Luther ſomewhere expounds it) for God to make over himſelf in all his Excellencies, Perfections, and Glory; his Wiſdom, Power, Goodneſs, Faithfulneſs, All-ſufficiency, Ʋnchangeableneſs and Eternity to his People, as their Reſt and Happineſs, to be poſſeſt, and injoyed by them for their good for ever. In a word, for God to ſay to a poor Creature, I will be thy God, is as much as if he ſhould ſay, look, whatever I am that I will be to thee; and look, whatever I can do, that I will do for thee, ſo far as thou art capable of the one or thee other, to make the happy for ever: I am a Fountain of Life, and ſuch will I be to thee; I am a God of Peace and Pardon, and ſuch will I be to thee; I am a God of Grace and Love, yea, I am a God that is Love it ſelf, and ſuch I will be to thee; I am the Father of Mercies, and the God of all Grace, and ſuch will I be to thee; I'le beget new Mercies for thee every day: I am a God of Comfort, yea, of all Comfort, and ſuch will I be to thee; I am an Unchangeable, Eternal, All-ſufficient God, and p. 168ſuch will I be to thee. I can pardon guilty Souls, break the hardeſt Hearts, inlighten the darkeſt Minds, cleanſe the impureſt Spirits; I can make unbelieving Hearts, believing; I can ſupport drooping Spirits, & all this I'le do for thee: I can carry thee through Life and Death, and bring thee ſafe to Heaven, and there communicate my ſelf to thee for ever, to the filling of thy Soul with delight and ſatisfaction, and this I will do for thee; and ſurely happy is the Soul, that has thus the Lord for his God, and well may he ſit down ſatisfied with him, and at Reſt in him. Now, my Beloved, hath God made over himſelf in his Covenant to his People, as their Reſt, that in him they might find Reſt, and ſhould they not be at Reſt in him? O ſirs, Is not God enough for us? has he laid himſelf under bonds to us, to be a God to us, and to do like a God for us? and ſhould we not Reſt in him, and ſatisfie our ſelves with him alone? Surely we ſhould.

2. The Second Obligation the Saints are under to live at in God, is this; They have ſolemnly voucht and choſen, and often do vouch and chuſe God to be their Reſt and Happineſs. As God has freely made over himſelf in his Covenant to them, ſo they have ſolemnly vouch't and choſen him, and often do ſolemnly vouch and chuſe him, to be their Reſt and Happineſs. When the Saints firſt enter into Covenant with p. 169God, then do they ſolemnly chuſe & vouch him …o be their God and Portion, their reſt and happineſs: their language to God then is, Lord, thou ſhall be my Lord, my Reſt, my Portion, my Happineſs, my all for ever; I will have none in Heaven, or on Earth, but thy ſelf. Thus David had choſen God, and he puts his Soul in mind of it, Pſal. 16.2. O, my Soul, (ſayes he) thou haſt ſaid unto God, thou art my Lord; thou haſt choſen God for thy God, thy Portion, thy Happineſs; and upon this account he calls his Soul to Reſt in God, and in him he Reſts, verſ. 5.6. And as at their firſt entring into Covenant with God, ſo alſo often afterwards, upon ſeveral occaſions, do they chuſe and vouch God for their Reſt, Portion, and Happineſs for ever; they make new choices of God, and do lay new claimes to him as theirs, in their procedure of their walking with him. — Sometimes upon occaſion of outward troubles and afflictions, difficulties and diſtreſſes, they make a new choice of God, and vouch him afreſh for their Reſt and Happineſs: So David, Pſal. 31.14. I truſted in thee, O Lord, I ſaid, thou art my God: here he makes a new choice of God, and layes a new claim to him as his; and when, or upon what occaſion was this? When he was ſurrounded with outward troubles, as appears. v. 10.11, 12, 13. My life is ſpent with grief, and my years with ſighing; I was a reproach among all mine p. 170Enemies, I am forgotten, as a dead man out of minds I have heard the ſlander of many, fear was on every ſide, they deviſed to take away my life; and being thus diſtreſt, he flees to God, and chuſes him afreſh, and layes a freſh claim to him: So again, Pſal. 142.4, 5. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me, reſuge failed me, no man cared for my Soul: Well, and what then? Why, he runs to God, & vouches him afreſh for his: I cryed unto thee, O Lord, I ſaid, thou art my refuge, and my portion in the Land of the living: So the Church, in Her great troubles and afflictions, does in like manner: the Lord is my Portion (ſaith She) Lam. 3.24. — Sometimes upon occaſion of ſome eminent mercy or deliverance wrought by God for them, they do make a new choice of God, and vouch him afreſh to be theirs: ſo thoſe, Exod. 15.2. The Lord is my ſtrength and ſong, and he is become my Salvation: He is my God, & I will prepare him an Habitation; my Fathers God, & I will exult him: He wrought a ſignal deliverance for them, he had carried them through the Red Sea, delivered them from Pharaoh and the Egyptians, whom he drowned for their ſakes, and now they ſing a ſong of praiſe to God, and vouch him to be their God, they renew Covenant with God, and ſo their choice of him, as their Reſt, their Portion, their All for ever. Thus the Church does, Pſal. 48.14. This God is our God for ever, and ever, he p. 171will be our God and guide even unto Death: God had done great things for Her, and hereupon ſhe vouches him afreſh for hers. David often does the like, — ſometimes again upon occaſion of ſome freſh diſcoveries made of God in his love and beauty to them, or their being taken into ſome near and intimate communion with him, then they chuſe him afreſh, and vouch him to be theirs afreſh: So Pſal. 73.25, 26. the Pſalmiſt, whoever he was, did; Whom have I in Heaven but thee? (ſaies he to God) and there is none upon Earth that I deſire beſides thee; thou art the Rock of my Heart, and my Portion for ever: Here is a new choice of God made by this holy Man; and upon what occaſion was it? Why, he had been with God in his Sanctuary, that is, he had been converſing with God in his Word and Ordinances, he had had ſome new diſplayes and diſcoveries of his Love, Beauty and Excellency made to him; and hereupon he chuſes God afreſh and vouches him to be his All, both in Heaven and upon Earth. So, you know, when the Spouſe had been led into the Banquetting Houſe by Chriſt, and had had the Banner of his Love diſplayed over Her; when She had been feaſted by him in his Houſe of Wine, then She made a new choice of Chriſt, and vouches him for hers afreſh: My Beloved is mine, and I am his, Cant. 2.6. Thus the Saints, both at firſt, and alſo often afterwards in their walking p. 172with God, have choſen, and do chuſe him to … their God and Portion, their Reſt and Happineſs, and ſhould they not then Reſt in him… Surely this choice of theirs calls aloud, and ſhould be a mighty Obligation upon them, to live at Reſt in God for ever.

3. The third Obligation the Saints are under to live at Reſt in God is this, God is at Reſt in them: as the Saints have choſen God for their Reſt, ſo God hath choſen them for his Reſt, and his Soul is at Reſt in them: Pſal. 132.13, 14 The Lord hath choſen Zion, he hath deſired it for his Habitation; this is my Reſt for ever, here will I dwell, for I have deſired it. Zion here is a Type of the Church and People of God, and as ſuch God's Soul is at Reſt in Her; This is my Reſt: The Saints are, and to eternity will be, a delight and ſolace to the Soul of God; God is indeed delighted, and at Reſt in his People, above all the workes of his hands; Hence the Church is called The delight of God, Iſa. 62.4. Hence alſo he is ſaid to rejoice over them with joy, to reſt in his love upon them, and to joy over them with ſinging, Zeph. 3.18. God is in ſome ſort more delighted and at Reſt in his People, than in the Angels themſelves; and indeed he ſees a greater beauty and glory upon them, than upon the Angels; he looks upon the Angels, as ſtanding in their own Beauty, their own Holineſs and Righteouſneſs only; but he looks upon his Saints, as p. 173ſtanding in, and cloathed with the Beauty and Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, and that is much more glorious than the Angels: The Beauty and Righteouſneſs of the Angels, is the Beauty and Righteouſneſs but of Creatures; but the Beauty and Righteouſneſs of the Saints, is the Beauty and Righteouſneſs of him, that is God-man, God as well as Man, Rom. 1.17. and on this account, God's Soul is more at Reſt in them, God is chiefly delighted, and at Reſt in himſelf, and the perfections of his own being; next to himſelf, his Soul is delighted and at reſt in Chriſt, as Mediator: Behold mine Elect, in whom my Soul delighteth (ſaith the Father of him) Iſa. 42.1. and next to Chriſt the Mediator, his Soul is at Reſt in his Saints and People in and through Chriſt; he looks upon them not as they are in themſelves, but as they are in Chriſt; not as aapart from Chriſt, but as made one with Chriſt, and ſo as ſhining in his Beauty, and clothed with his Righteouſneſs as participating in all his Amiableneſſes; he lookes upon them, not ſo much according to what they are at preſent, as according to what they are in the Counſels of his own love, and what he intends to make them, and ſo they are all glorious, both within and without; and accordingly he is delighted in them. Now is God's Soul at Reſt in them? and ſhould not their Souls be at Reſt in him? O what a mighty Obligation is this upon them alwaycs to be at Reſt in God!

p. 1744. The fourth Obligation the Saints are under to live at Reſt in God is this; They hope to, and aſſuredly ſhall live at Reſt in God, and with God for ever in Heaven: Heaven is a ſtate of Reſt; ſo the Apoſtle repreſents it; their remaineth a Reſt to the People of God, Heb. 4.9. 'tis a ſtate of Reſt in God, and with God, and in this Reſt the Saints hope to live, and live for ever: Hence they are ſaid to have this Hope: every one that hath this Hope, 1 Joh. 3.3. this Hope, that is, the Hope of ſeeing Chriſt, and being made like him in the other World, the Hope of Heaven the eternal Reſt: Saints then are perſons that have this Hope, hence alſo Heaven, and the Reſt to come, is called Hope, the Hope which is laid up for you, Spem hic poſuit pro rc ſperata, nam ſpes in animis noſtris, eſt gloria quam ſperamus in Caelis. Calv. in Loc.Col. 1.5. and the bleſſed Hope, looking for the bleſſed Hope, Tit. 2.13. In both theſe places Heaven, and the coming Reſt, is called Hope; For Hope here (as Calvin and others obſerve) is put for the Object of Hope, or the Good hoped for: But why is it called Hope? For this, among other Reaſons; becauſe 'tis the great Object of the Saints Hopes; 'tis what they hope, and look, and long for: And as they hope to, ſo aſſuredly they ſhall live at Reſt in God, and with God for ever; 'tis what remains to them, and they ſhall, in due time, attain p. 175unto it: Hence 'tis ſaid to be laid up for them in Heaven, in that prequoted place Col. 1.5. which (as Calvin alſo obſerves) notes the certainty of it, and of their injoying of it; 'tis what they cannot miſs of,Quum dieit ſpem nobis repoſitam eſſe in Caelo, ſignificat perinde certos debere eſſe fideles de promiſſione aeternae foelicitatis, &c. Calv. when the Apoſtle ſpeaks of an Hope laid up in Heaven for us, he ſignifies to us, that the Saints ought therefore to Reſt ſure and certain of the Promiſe of eternal Life, as if they had a treaſure already bid, and laid up in a moſt ſafe place. Now do the Saints hope to, and accordingly ſhall they live at Reſt in God, and with God for ever; and ſhould they not be at Reſt in God here? Surely this is a mighty Obligation upon them to be alwaies at Reſt in him. Thus you have ſeen ſome of thoſe Obligations the Saints lie under to live at Reſt in God, which though but ſome of them, yet are ſufficient to evince the truth of our Poſition, namely that they ſhould alwaies be at Reſt in him.

p. 167CHAP. IV.

The Truth aſſerted, further evidenced from the excellency of this frame of Soul; the worth and excellency whereof is diſcovered in ſeveral particulars.

AS the Saints are under many great and weighty Obligations to be alwaies at Reſt in God, ſo to be alwaies at Reſt in God is a choice and an excellent frame and poſture of Soul for the Saints to live in; 'tis indeed the beſt and moſt becoming frame of Soul, they can poſſibly be found in this World, which may give further evidence to our Aſſertion: Now I ſhall ſhew you a little of the worth and excellency of this frame and poſture of Soul in a few Sripture-Propoſitions about it.

1. To be at Reſt in God is a very gracious frame and poſture of Soul, a frame and poſture of Soul which carries much of the life and power of Grace and Godlineſs in it: and O what an excellent frame and poſture muſt this then be? the more of the life and power of Grace and Godlineſs any frame or poſture of Soul carries in it, the more excellent it is; now there is no p. 177frame or poſture of Soul, that I know of, which carryes-more of the life and power of Grace and Godlineſs in it, than this of being at Reſt in God does: Herein indeed does the main; if not the whole, of the life and power of Grace and Godlineſs conſiſt; for pray, what is Grace and Godlineſs, and wherein doth it conſiſt, but in an holy ſubjection to, and acquieſcence in the Bleſed God? To bow and ſubmit to God, as our Lord, and to chuſe and acquieſce in God, as our Happineſs, this is Grace, this is Godlineſs; both which I take to be comprehended in Pſal. 6.2. where David puts his Soul in mind, that he had both given up himſelf to God, and alſo choſen him for his Happineſs, ſaying, O my Soul, thou haſt ſaid unto the Lord, thou art my Lord, my Ruler, my Happineſs: This, my Beloved, is Grace, or Godlineſs; and the more of this there is found in us, the more gracious we are; and what is this, but to be at Reſt in God, as we have opened it? A reſtleſs and unquiet Spirit argues much of the power of fin, and ſhews that Grace has gotten but little, if any, dominion in the Soul; and therefore 'tis made both the Character and the Judgement of wicked men, that they cannot Reſt: The wicked (ſaith the prophet) are like the troubled Sea, when it cannot Reſt, whoſe Waters caſt up mire and dirt, there is no peace to the wicked, Iſa. 57.20, 21. 'Tis meant of their own inward unquietneſs, p. 178anreſtleſſneſs of Spirit: Calvin hereby underſtands perpetuas animae exagitationes atque perturbationes, perpetual toſſings and perturbations of mind; and he ſpeaks (I remember) thus: This Similitude of a Sea, Elegans eſt iſta maris ſimilitudo, & aptiſſima ad explicandam inquietudinem impiorum; nam in ſeipſo turbaturmare, tametſi a vento non impellitur, &c. eodem modo impii turbantur inteſtino malo, quod in ipſorum animis defixum eſt.is an elegant Similitude, and moſt apt to ſet forth the inquietude of wicked men; for (ſaies he) the Sea is troubled in it ſelf, though it be not driven by Winds, nor toſſed with Storms and Tempeſts, but its own Waves fight own with another, and break one another; in like manner, wicked men are troubled with inteſtine evil, which is fixt and rooted in their own minds. Thus a reſtleſs unquiet Spirit argues much of the power of ſin in the Soul, and ſhews that Grace has gotten but little, if any Dominion there: So on the other hand, a Spirit at Reſt in God muſt carry much of the life and power of Grace and Godlineſs in it. This indeed is a great part of the Kingdom of God; for the Kingdom of God (the Apoſtle tells us) conſiſts not in Meats and Drinks, but in Righteouſneſs, in Peace, and in the Joys of the holy Ghoſt, Rom. 14.17. In Peace, that is, (as a learned Man expounds it,) in an holy Reſt and quiet of Soul in God.

p. 1792. To be at Reſt in God, is a ready frame and poſture of Soul; a frame and poſture of Soul, which renders a man ready and prepared for every Call of God to him; and muſt not that be an excellent frame? God, my Beloved, may call us to what he pleaſes, to what ſervices he pleaſes, and to what conditions he pleaſes; he may call us to what ſervices he pleaſes; beſides the general duties of Chriſtianity which are incumbent upon all, he may call us to what ſpecial work and ſervices he pleaſes; he may call us to do, and he may call us to ſuffer, and 'tis a bleſſed thing to be fitted and prepared for the Call of God; and who more ſo, than he that lives at Reſt in him? Alas, to ſuch an one no Work, no Duty, no Service is unſeaſonable; ſuch an one is fit to Pray, and fit to Praiſe; fit to Hear, and fit to Meditate; fit to ſearch his own Heart, and fit to enquire into the Counſels of God; he is fit to do, and fit to ſuffer the Will of God: My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; or (as you have it the margin of ſome of your Bibles) my heart is prepared, O God, my heart is prepared, Pſal. 57.7. If you look back upon the firſt verſe, you will find his Soul ſweetly at Reſt in God; For (ſaies he) O God my Soul truſteth in thee, in the ſhadow of, thy wings will I make my refuge; and being thus at Reſt in God, his heart is prepared: 'Tis in a ready poſture for duty and ſervice; O, 'tis the reſtleſneſs and diſcompoſure p. 180of our hearts, that unfits and indiſpoſes us for our Work and Duty. When the Iſraelites were filled with anguiſh of Spirit, they could not hear Moſes, Exod. 6.9. and when Jonah his Spirit was off its Reſt, though he were an eminent Prophet of God, he could not pray but very peeviſhly and unbecomingly, Jon. 4.2.3. A reſtleſs Spirit is unfit for the ordinary duties of Chriſtianity: But now take a Soul that is indeed at Reſt in God, and he is fit not only for the general Dutys of Chriſtianity, ſuch as Prayer, Hearing, or the like; but even for whatever Work or Duty God ſhall call him out unto, though never ſo difficult, or never ſo mean: Such an one may in his place and ſtation ſay, as, I Remember, one brings in David ſpeaking to God, Lord (ſaies he) if thou wilt make me a Shepherd to keep Sheep, or if thou wilt make me a King to govern thy People; behold, mine heart is prepared, I am in a ready poſture for the one or the other. Oh, what a ſweet frame is this? God may alſo call us to what Condition he pleaſes, to a Condition of Fullneſs, or of Want, of Proſperity, or Affliction, and the like; now whatever Condition he calls to, the Soul that is at Reſt in him, is ready for it. Does God call him to ſufferings, to take up and bear the Croſs? He is ready for this Call of God, for he can rejoyce, yea, glory in the Croſs, Rom. 5.3. He can ſing in a Priſon, as Paul and Sylas did, Act. 16.25. p. 181Does God call him to Fulneſs? He knows how to abound; Does God call him to Wants? He knows how to be abaſed: as Paul did, Phil. 4, 12. Does God call him to Mourning? he is ready for it; for he, and indeed he alone knows how to weep as if he wept not: Does God call him to rejoycing? He is ready for it; for he, and he alone can rejoyce as if he rejoyced not, which is the fitteſt poſture and carriage for each condition, 1 Cor. 7.30. In a word, he is fit to live, and fit to die; and let me tell you, that is a great Word, yet a true one, he is fit to die, ready in a good meaſure for another World; 'Tis a great thing to die, and 'tis a great attainment to be ready to die; and that that Soul is, that is at Reſt in God. I ſcarce know a more deſirable frame, and poſture to die in than this, of being at Reſt in God: Now if it be a frame of Soul which thus renders a man ready for every Call of God to him, ſurely it muſt then be an excellent frame.

3. To live at Reſt in God, is a ſafe frame and poſture of Soul; a frame and poſture of Soul, that ſecures a man againſt danger; and therefore an excellent frame. There is no Soul in the World ſo ſecure from danger, as he that is at Reſt in God, ſuch an one is ſet aloft, (as you have it) Prov. 18.10. The Name of the p. 182Lord is a ſtrong Tower the Righteous flee thereunto, foreign Significat exaltare & in tuto collocare. Gejer.and are ſafe; or (as the word is) are ſet aloft, ſet aloft above the reach of danger: They flee to the Name, to the Nature, to the Attributes of God; they retire there, and Reſt there, and are ſecured againſt danger: This is what guards and fences the Soul, and that againſt his grand enemy, the Devil: 'Tis a great and ſweet Scripture, that Phil. 4.7. The Peace of God, which paſſeth all underſtanding, ſhall keep, foreign, ſhall guard or garriſon your Hearts and Minds through Chriſt Jeſus; it ſhall fence and fortifie you againſt temptation; and indeed no Soul ſo fenced and fortified againſt temptation, as he that lives at Reſt in God: Thoſe temptations, which wound others, and lead them captive into ſin, cannot faſten upon him: A true Reſt in God is a kind of life-guard to the Soul, and no guard like it in the World; it keeps temptation from entering in, and it keeps corruption from breaking out. 'Tis a ſweet expoſition which one gives of that place,**Pax Dei, i. e. illa tranquillitas animi fidelibus a Deo conceditur, quaſi militari praefidio cuſtodiet ipſorum corda adverſus Satanae & Mundi tentationes, & mentes ipſorum ſtabiles in Chriſto conſervet. Dix. in loc. the Peace of God ſhall keep your Hearts and Minds, that is (ſaies he) that Reſt and Tranquillity of Soul p. 183which the faithful have in God, ſhall preſerve their hearts as with a military guard and power, againſt the temptations of Satan and the World, and it ſhall keep their minds ſtable in Chriſt. And to the ſame purpoſe alſo Calvin upon the place, The Peace of God (ſaith he) ſhall keep you, leſt by wicked thoughts or deſires you ſhould revolt from God. O, my Beloved, there is ſcarce any thing gives the Devil and his Temptations greater advantage againſt us, than a diſturbed, reſtleſs, diſcompoſed Spirit: So much is evident from Eph. 4.26, 27. Be ye angry, and ſin not, let not the ſun go down upon your wrath, neither give place unto the Devil. Where is clearly intimated, that by an unquiet diſturbed Spirit we give place unto the Devil, and their is ſcarce any thing on the other hand, that ſo fences and fortifies the Soul againſt Satan and his Temptations, as an holy Reſt of Soul in God. The Saints in Heaven are out of all danger, either of ſin or temptation; and why ſo? Truly for this reaſon among others becauſe there they are perfectly at Reſt in God, they find that perfect ſolace and ſatisfaction in God, that they cannot poſſibly admit of ſin; nor have they the leaſt tendency to turn aſide to any thing elſe. What ſhall I ſay? A Soul that is off his Reſt, is off his Watch; and being off his Watch, he is in the mouth of danger; whereas 'tis quite otherwiſe with a Soul at Reſt in God.

p. 1844. To live at Reſt in God is a very comfortable frame and poſture of Soul, a frame and poſture of Soul, which is attended with much Spiritual Comfort and Communion with God; which alſo ſpeaks the excellency of it. A Soul, living at Reſt in God has uſually the fulleſt Comforts, and the ſweeteſt Communion with God of any on this ſide Heaven: The truth is, the thing it ſelf carrys unexpreſſible ſweetneſs in it; beſides God's delight to manifeſt himſelf to thoſe that live in the exerciſe of it. God (you know) was in the ſtill voice, and there the Prophet found Him:Deus ubique preſens eſt, ſed non in vento ſe patefeeit. Mart. He was not in the great and ſtrong Wind, He was not in the Earth-quake, He was not in the Fire; But he was in the ſtill Voice, 1 King. 19.11, 12. The good Prophet had been off his Reſt in God, he had been in a paſſion, and under great diſcompoſure of Spirit, as you may ſee verſ. 4; and now God gives him this viſion of the Wind, the Earth-quake, and the Fire, to let him ſee, that that was not the way to Communion with him;Admonetur Eiias ut ſibi ab ira caveat ad quam natura ſuapte ferebatur. Groti. in loc. and ſo to caution him againſt paſſion, and all diſcom poſure of Spirit, which he was naturally very prone unto. O, God loves to dwell in, and meet with a ſedate, ſerene, compoſed Spirit, a Spirit compoſed p. 185and at Reſt in himſelf; and thoſe that are ſo, are the Souls who uſually have the cleareſt ſights, the ſweeteſt taſts, and the fulleſt communications of love from him of all others; thoſe are they, who have the moſt cloſe and conſtant communion with him, who are moſt in his Boſom, and the imbraces of his everlaſting arms, who have moſt of his Spirit, his Preſence, his Conſolations given to them: Acquaint thy ſelf with God, and be at peace, ſo ſhall good come unto thee, Sedatiore animo eſto. Beza in locum.Job. 22.21. be at peace, Animum quietum habe, nec per impatientiam eum turbes. Scult.to wit, in thine own Spirit, be of a ſedate mind, do not rave, do not rage, do not diſtemper and diſcompoſe thy ſelf, as thou haſt done;Acquieſce in caſtigationibus Dei, ſatis repugnaſti, ſatis proterveque reluctat us es, ergo miteſce. &c. but be quiet and ſedate in thine own Soul: Well, but what ſhall I gain by it? Why, Thereby good ſhall come unto thee? And what Good? Not only outward, temporal Good, but alſo Spiritual Good, the Good of Grace, the Good of divine Conſolations, the Good of Communion with God, and the ſpecial manifeſtations of his Love. O, the more a Man's Soul is at Reſt in God, the more full will his Comforts, and the more intimate will his Communion with God be: As for a reſtleſs, diſturbed Spirit, 'tis ſo like the Devil (as by and p. 186by you will hear) that God cannot tell how to be much with it, nor yet to do much in a way of ſpecial Grace and Spiritual Comfort for it. Chriſtians complain many times, that they have but little Communion with God, but little experience of his Love and preſence with them; and one reaſon, among others, why they have cauſe ſo to complain is, becauſe they are no more at Reſt in God: were they more at Reſt in him, he would Reſt more in his Love, his Grace, his Preſence with, and upon them.

5. To live at Reſt in God, is a God-like Frame and Poſture of Soul, which greatly reſembles God, and is ſuitable to Him, and which brings us up into the very Life and Bleſſedneſs of God himſelf; and what a choice frame muſt it then needs be? the more likeneſs and reſemblance any thing carries in it to God; and the more any thing brings us into the Life and Bleſſedneſs of God, the more excellent it is; now, there is nothing does more reſemble God, or is more ſuitable to him; nothing that brings us more up into the life and likeneſs of God, than to be thus at Reſt in him in our own Souls: This indeed is the very Life and Perfection of God, the poſture (if I may ſo ſpeak) which God himſelf lives in; for he is ever at Reſt in himſelf, he is infinitely well-pleaſed with what he himſelf does, and Reſts infinitely ſatisfied with his own Fulneſs and Excellencies: God is p. 187his own Reſt, his own Centre; God is infinitely delighted with his own Will, and infinitely ſatisfied with his own Fulneſs, and ſo is at Reſt in himſelf, which indeed is his bleſſedneſs: Accordingly the more our Souls are at Reſt in him, the more do we reſemble him, and are brought into his Life and his Bleſſedneſs. A reſtleſs unquiet Spirit does above all things reſemble the Devil, and is ſuitable to the Devil; 'tis indeed the very life, image, and ſpirit of the Devil, for the Devil is a reſtleſs, unquiet Spirit, always acting in oppoſition to God, and always fretting at the Diſpenſations of God: He ſeeks Reſt, but finds none, Mat. 12.43. As wicked ones cannot Reſt, ſo neither can the wicked one Reſt, but is perpetually diſturbed: Now as a reſtleſs, unquiet Spirit reſembles the Devil, and is the very Life and Image of the Devil, ſo to be at Reſt in God is what reſembles God, and is the very Life of God in the Soul; 'tis what brings us up int the Divine Life, the Divine Bleſſedneſs; and O what an excellent frame muſt this be?

6. To live at Reſt in God, is a God-honouring frame and poſture of Soul, a frame of Soul that does much honour God, and give Glory to Him; and therefore muſt have much worth and excellency in it. Of all Frames, as well as Actions, that is the beſt, that does honour and glorifie God moſt, and what frame of Soul does more honour and glorifie God than this of p. 188being at Reſt in him? This gives to God the glory of his Sovereignty, and the glory of his Sufficiency, two of the brighteſt Jewels in the Crown of Heaven: it owns and acknowledges God to be both beſt and greateſt, the higheſt Lord, and the chiefeſt Good, and ſo it gloriſies God as God, it ſets him up as God in the Soul, and gives him the honour due unto his Name, as ſuch. Reſtleſs, diſturbed, unquiet Spirits do darken and obſcure the Glory of God, they are Cenſores Divinitatis (as one of the Ancients ſpeakes of them) they cenſure the Bleſſed God, and do in effect deny and diſown the Sovereignty of God, the Wiſdom of God, the Goodneſs, the Faithfulneſs of God, the Fulneſs, Sufficiency, and Perfection of the Holy One; they do in effect ſay that God's Will is not a Good, a Wiſe, and an Holy Will, that there is not enough in God to ſatisfie Souls, and make them happy; and O what an affront & diſhonour is this to the Majeſty of Heaven? But now the Soul that is indeed at Reſt in God, he gives him the Glory of all, he ſets the Crown where it ought to be; and Oh how much does this ſpeak out the worth and excellency of this frame of Soul?

7. To live at Reſt in God, is an honoured and highly eſteemed Frame and Poſture of Soul, and that by God himſelf, a frame and poſture of Soul which God has a great honour for, and p. 189puts a great value upon; which alſo ſpeaks the excellency of it: there is ſcarce any frame of Soul that God more values, honours and delights in, than this of an Holy Reſt in Himſelf: this is in the ſight of God of great price: Put on the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit, which in the ſight of God is of great price: 1 Pet. 3.4. In the ſight of men, at leaſt unholy and unſpiritual Men, 'tis of little price, of no price, they deſpiſe and contemn it; but God has other thoughts, and other values of it, he highly eſteems and honours it, he looks on it as one of the choiceſt Ornaments, as one of the higheſt excellencies of any Soul; Now certainly that is beſt, which God values and honours moſt: As that which honours God moſt, ſo that which God moſt honours, muſt have moſt of true worth and excellency in it. A reſtleſs, unquiet Spirit on the one hand, or a Spirit at Reſt in the Creature on the other hand, is what God abhors and deſpiſes; but a Spirit at Reſt in himſelf he highly values.

8. To live at Reſt in God is a heavenly Frame and Poſture of Soul, a frame and poſture of Soul which carries much of Heaven in it; 'tis indeed in a great meaſure the Life of Heaven here on Earth; and what then more excellent than this? Pray, my Beloved, what is Heaven, and the Life of Heaven, the Life which the Saints and Angels live in Heaven? Heaven is a ſtate of Reſt, p. 190Heb. 4.9. and what is that Reſt? True, there is an external Reſt, there is a Reſt from Labour and Trouble, from Conflict and Temptation; but the main of it is the inward Reſt of the Soul, that Reſt and Complacency which the Soul injoys in God, and ſhall injoy in him, and with him for ever: there the Soul is filled with God, he is perfectly ſwallowed up in the Divine Will being thorowly conformed thereunto, and he has the perfect Viſion and Frnition of the Divine Glory and Fulneſs, ſeeing him as he is, 1 Joh. 3.2. And in both theſe he is filled with even an infinite content and ſatisfaction of Heart, this is the True Reſt of Heaven: and what is the Life which the Saints and Angels live there? 'Tis a Life of Perfect Reſt and Solace in God, ſuch Reſt and Solace in God, as that they never think of going out to any thing elſe whatever. God is all in all to them, 1 Cor. 15.28. Thus to be at Reſt in God is an heavenly frame and poſture of Soul; and O what an excellent frame muſt this be? Well then, lay all theſe eight Things together, and you ſhall find an incomparable Worth and Excellency in it, which is a further evidence of the Saints Duty and Intereſt to live therein.

p. 191CHAP. V.

The Truth particularly improved. The Saints called upon to live thus at Reſt in God. Arguments urged to induce them ſo to do.

WHat it is for the Soul to be at Reſt in God, what Obligations the Saints are under to live at Reſt in him, the excellency of this frame and poſture of Spirit, you have ſeen laid open before you; Now what ſhall we ſay to theſe things? O, that all who profeſs themſelves to be Saints, or would be accounted ſo, would give all diligence, always to live thus at Reſt in God. Poſſibly ſome of us are quite off our Centre, our Souls are full of ſtormes and tempeſts, toſſings and tumblings, they are not only caſt down, but alſo diſquieted within us, (as holy David's ſometimes was) Pſal. 42.11. Others of us perhaps are at Reſt, but 'tis a ſinful Reſt, at Reſt in the Creature, and not in God; at Reſt in carnal, ſenſible things; we are of thoſe who are at eaſe in Zion; yea, perhaps we are even ſinging that mad Requiem to our Souls, that that fool ſometimes did, Luk. 12.19. Soul take p. 192thine eaſe, eat, drink, and be merry, thou haſt Goods laid up for thee for many years: But now this truth, and the things declared about it do call upon the one and the other of us to return to God, as our Reſt, and to centre purely and entirely in him alone: This Truth calls off the one from all thoſe unquiet Motions and Agitations that are within us, from all our toſſings and tumblings, to an holy Calm and Quiet of heart in God; and it calls off the other from all our falſe Reſts and Repoſes, to an holy Reſt and Repoſe in God; and Oh that both the one and the other would hear and obey this Call, taking up our Reſt in God alone. O, my Beloved! are you under ſuch obligations to live at Reſt in God, as you are? and yet will you not live at Reſt in him? On the other hand, Is the frame and poſture of Soul ſo excellent? and will you neglect it, and not ſtudy to be found alwayes therein? Let me recapitulate a little particularly: Has God freely made over himſelf in all his Fulneſs and Riches, in his Covenant to you, as your Reſt and Portion for ever, and yet will you not live at Reſt in him? Have you choſen God, and voucht him for your God and Portion, and yet will you not live at Reſt in him? Is God ſo much (as you have heard) at Reſt in you, and yet will you not live at Reſt in him? Shall you, and do you hope to live at Reſt in God, and with God, for ever in Heaven, and yet will you not p. 193live at Reſt in him here? O me thinks theſe things ſhould conſtrain you. On the other hand, ſhould not the excellency of the frame alure you? would you live forth much of the life and power of Grace? then live at Reſt in God. Would you be ready for every call of God to you, whether to do or to ſuffer, to live or to die? then live at Reſt in God. Would you be fenced and fortified againſt Temptation? then live at Reſt in God. Would you injoy much Spiritual Comfort and Communion with God? then live at Reſt in God. Would you be like God? Would you reſemble God, and grow up into his Life and Bleſſedneſs? then live at Reſt in God. Would you honour God? you have greatly diſhonoured him; Would you now honour him? then live at Reſt in him. Would you live in Heaven, and begin the Life of Heaven here on Earth? then live at Reſt in God. O why ſhould we think of any other Reſt but God? or why ſhould we live in any other poſture of Soul but this, of a Reſt in him? is there any ſo ſweet, ſo amiable, ſo becoming, as this? Oh let us labour, as near as poſſible, alwayes to be found in this poſture. Bleſſed be God, that we may Reſt in him: Two things we ſhould bleſs God for; one is, that there is a Reſt remaining for us in the other World, whether we find Reſt here or no; yet there is a Reſt to come, a bleſſed Reſt, Heb. 4.9. The other is, that there is a Reſt in God for p. 194us, and that we may enter into, and live in that Reſt even here; when there is no Reſt to be had in this Worlds Injoyments, no Reſt in or from the Creature; yet then there is a Reſt to be had in God, and from God, We that have believed, do enter into Reſt, Heb. 4.3. there is a Reſt in God, in the Will, the Preſence, the Love, the Fulneſs of God, which we do, or may enter into, even here in this World; and bleſſed be God for this Reſt, and this is the Reſt which I am now calling you into. And yet a little further to ſet home the Call upon you, conſider a few things.

1. Conſider what a ſad and diſmal thing it is for a Soul to Reſt in any thing but God alone. A Reſt, one or another, the Soul will have: if God be not its Reſt, it will be taking up a Reſt elſewhere: Now, 'tis a ſad and woful thing for a Soul to Reſt any where but in God alone. Woe to them that are at eaſe in Zion, (ſaies the Prophet) Amos 6.1. Woe to them that are quiet and at Reſt in Zion; that is to ſay, that are at Reſt in carnal ſenſual things in Zion; ſo the Prophet afterwards explains himſelf; Woe to them that are at Reſt in the Creatures, that take up their ſolace and ſatisfaction in Carnal Contentments, and not in God. To take up our Reſt in the Creatures, and not in God, is for us to prefer the Creature before God, and to be content with the Creature without God, for our p. 195Portion and Happineſs for ever: and, which is more, 'tis a dreadful Argument, that a Man's All lies in the Creature, and that God intends him nothing but the Creature for ever. Woe unto you that are Rich, (ſaies Chriſt) for you have received your conſolation, Luk. 6.24. Woe unto you that are Rich, that is, you, who Reſt in your Riches, (as Calvin rightly expounds it) who take up your happineſs in theſe things. Woe unto you: and what Woe to them? truly a moſt dreadful Woe; You have received your conſolation, (ſaies Chriſt) you have all the good you are ever like to have, you ſhall have no more, and no other happineſs or conſolation for ever: Your reſting in theſe things, argues theſe things to be your All; and Oh, what a woeful, dreadful thing is it for a man to have his All in this World, in a few, vain, empty, bitter-ſweet, periſhing Vanities here! 'Twas a cutting, killing Word which Abraham is brought in giving Dives, when he ſaid, Son, remember, that thou in thy life-time receivedſt thy good things. Luke 16.25. He had all his happineſs in this World, which is the woe and miſery of ſuch, as take up their Reſt any where but in God alone: tremble therefore at this.

2. Conſider how impoſſible it is to find any true Reſt, Solace, and Satisfaction of Soul any where but in God, and with God alone. You may as ſoon find Life in Death, or Light in p. 196Darkneſs, as Reſt for your Souls any where, but in God alone.— Pray Friends, where will you look, or whither will you go to find Reſt, on this ſide God and Chriſt? Will you have recourſe to ſin, to your luſts? to theſe multitudes run; they purſue their Reſt, Solace, and Satisfaction from ſin, and the pleaſures of ſin; yea (as Solomon ſpeaks) they reſt not, unleſs they ſin, unleſs they do evil: But, my Beloved, is there Reſt to be found in ſin? Can that give Reſt, that is the greateſt evil in the World? Can that give Reſt, that is the cauſe of all our troubles and difficulties? Can that give Reſt, that is the cauſe of all the confuſions and deſolations that are in the World? Can that give Reſt, that was the firſt and onelyonly cauſe and founder of Hell? Had there been no Sin, there had been no Hell: Can that give Reſt, that makes us like the Devil, that reſtleſs Spirit, yea, and that made him of a glorious Angel, a Devil? Can that give Reſt, that is infinitely contrary to God, that is the only Object of his hatred, and that alone can and does ſeparate between God, the chief Good, and our Souls? O, the folly of Souls to purſue a Reſt in ſin, in the ſatisfaction of a luſt! True, a baſe, brutiſh pleaſure and delight wicked men take in ſin, (as he ſaid) Will it not be bitterneſs in the latter end? the wages of ſin is death, Rom. 6. ult. Yea, and not only death at laſt, but many times anguiſh and torment here. Will you have recourſe p. 197courſe to the good things of this World, to Creature-comforts and Injoyments, to Friends, Relations, Eſtate, and the like? Theſe thouſands make their Reſt practically, Saying with him, Luk. 12.19. Soul, take thine eaſe, thou haſt goods laid up for thee for many years: thou haſt a good trade, a fair eſtate, pleaſant injoyments, take thine eaſe, Soul, ſit thou down at Reſt: But, my Beloved, can theſe things give Reſt? Alas, 'tis, the joynt-language of all the Creatures to us, Reſt and Happineſs for your Souls is not to be found in us, ſeek it elſewhere, if you intend to find it: The Creatures (ſayes a worthy Divine) are not good, at leaſt, they are not the Souls Good; nothing (ſaies he) but an infinite God-head can allay your hunger after happineſs, Can Wind, can Vanity, can a Shadow, can a Fancy, can things of nought, things that are not, things that are even made up of emptineſs and changeableneſs, give Reſt? Such (you know) theſe things are in Scripture repreſented to be. Could theſe things have given Reſt; why had not Solomon found it in them? He had certainly the fulleſt enjoyment of them that ever man had, and not only ſo, but moreover he had wiſdom and skill to extract the ſweetneſs of them, to improve whatever they have in them yea, and he improved this Wiſdom and skill of his to the utmoſt; for he ſet himſelf (as he tells us) to enjoy whatever the Creature could poſſibly afford, he p. 198gave himſelf up to a full enjoyment of all: Well, but did he find Reſt in them after all? no he was ſo far from finding Reſt, that he cries out of all, All is Vanity and vexation of Spirit; and this he does often, (you know) All is vanity and vexation of Spirit; and can vanity and vexation of Spirit give Reſt? What if a man has an affluence, an abundance of theſe things, and they are alſo increaſing daily? Will they not afford a Reſt for him then? No, he that loveth ſilver, ſhall not be ſatisfied with ſilver; nor he that loveth abundance with increaſe, this alſo is vanity, Eccleſ. 5.10. Silver, abundance, encreaſe, all is Vanity, and cannot give Reſt. And, my Beloved, does not our experience tell us the ſame thing? Alas, did we ever find any true Reſt and Satisfaction of Soul in theſe things? True, we are apt to promiſe our ſelves Reſt in this and that, in this Condition, and that Injoyment; but did we ever find that, which we promiſed our ſelves? Have we not alwayes met with diſappointments? We have dreamed of a Reſt in theſe things; but it has been but a dream; it has been with us, as 'tis in the Prophet, Iſa. 29.8. It ſhall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and behold be eateth: but he awaketh, and his Soul is empty; or, as when a thirſty man dreameth, and behold he drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold he is faint, and his Soul hath appetite: Juſt ſo 'tis, and it has been with us, while we are, or have been purſuing p. 199Reſt, and promiſing our ſelves Reſt in and from the Creature: yea, and others of the Saints have experienced and aſſerted the ſame thing;Dura ſunt omnia & tu ſolus requies. All things (ſaies Aug.) are full of trouble and difficulty; thou alone, O God, art the true Reſt. And 'tis a great Speech of his, worthy to be written upon the Table of all our Hearts, ſpeaking to Souls who are gone off from God: Return ye prevaricators (ſaies he) to your ſelves, Redite prevaricatores ad cor, Haerete illi qui fecit vos, ſtate cum illo & ſtabitis, requieſcite in eo, & quieti eritis; quo itis in aſpera, quo it is? non eſt requies ubi quaeritis eam, quaerite quod quaeritis, ſed ibi non eſt ubi quaeritis; beatam vitam quaeritis in regione mortis, non eſt illic, quomode enim beata vita ubi nec vita? Aug.and cleave unto him that made you; ſtand with him, and ye ſhall ſtand; Reſt in him, and ye ſhall Reſt. And again, ſaies he, Reſt and Happineſs is not to be found where you ſeek it; ſeek what you ſeek, but know, that 'tis not to be found where you ſeek it. You ſeek a Bleſſed Life in the Region of Death, and 'tis not there; for how ſhould a bleſſed Life be found there, where there is not ſo much as Life it ſelf? The ſum of all ſeems to be this, that thoſe that deſert God, do go from the true Reſt and Happineſs of Souls; and to ſeek Reſt and Happineſs any where but in God and Chriſt, is to ſeek the Living among the Dead. Once p. 200more, will you have recourſe to your ſelves, and be your own Reſt? Indeed we read, that a good man ſhall be ſatisfied from himſelf, Prov. 14.14. but how from himſelf? from himſelf in Union and Communion with his God: from himſelf as in Communion with him that is the chief Good, that has all Good in him, and not otherwiſe: and therefore obſerve, the good man here ſtands in oppoſition to the back-ſlider, one that is gone off from God: our ſelves, conſidered abſtractly in themſelves, are moſt inſufficient to give reſt to the ſoul, being moſt vain, changeable,In omnibus quae videntur, requiem quaeſivi, & veram requiem in eis invenire non potui; deinde rediens ad me conſiſtere in meipſo non poſſum, quoniam mens mea valde leris eſt. Ber. and deceitful. Every man in his beſt ſtate is altogether vanity, Pſal. 39.5. 'Tis a great ſaying I have read in Bern. I have ſought Reſt (ſaies he) in all things that are ſeen; but I could not find Reſt in them; then returning to my ſelf, I found I could not poſſibly ſubſiſt in my ſelf, becauſe my mind is moſt light and vain. In nothing without, in nothing within could he find any Reſt, but in God alone. I'le cloſe this Argument with a weighty ſpeech, which I have read in a worthy Divine of our own, Bleſſed Mr. Burroughes, Who ſpeaking of God's being the Reſt and Portion of his People, ſpeaks thus: Suppoſe (ſaies he) that God ſhould cauſe all p. 201the Kings and Emperors in the World, to come and caſt down their Crowns at the foot of an holy Soul, and ſay, all theſe are thine; he would anſwer, this is not enough, for this is not God himſelf: Suppoſe God ſhould bring all the ſplendours of all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth, and they ſhould be caſt at the foot of an holy Soul as his; he would ſay, This is not enough, this is not God himſelf: Suppoſe God ſhould cauſe all the Glory of Heaven, not only of Sun, Moon, and Stars, but alſo of the higheſt Heaven abſtract from God, to be laid before an holy Soul as his, he would ſay, This is not enough, this is not God himſelf: Once more, Should all the Angels come, and ſay, to an holy Soul, We are ſent to put all our Glory upon thee; he would ſay, This is not enough, for this is not God himſelf. O, nothing but God in Chriſt can give Reſt to Souls.

3. Conſider what a bleſſed Reſt God is for Souls, or that Souls may find in God. As there is an utter impoſſibility of finding Reſt any where, but in God; ſo in him there is a bleſſed Reſt to be found for Souls, a full, a perfect, an eternal Reſt. O, my Beloved, what can your Souls deſire, or what are they capable of, that is not to be found in God? Would you have Good? it muſt be Good that can give Reſt to the Soul: God is Good, he is the chief Good, the beſt, the higheſt Good; he is Goodneſs it ſelf, p. 202he is Good in himſelf, and he is the Spring and Fountain of all that good that is in the Creature: he is ſo Good, as that he is the Good of all Good, and nothing has any thing of Goodneſs in it, but as it reſembles him and participates of him.Bonus eſt qui ſecit me, & ipſe eſt bonum meum, & illi exulto omnibus bonis meis. There is none Good but one, that is God, Mat. 19.17. he is Good that made me (ſaies Aug.) and he is my Good, and in him do I exult and rejoyce before all my other good things whatever, and in all my other good things. Would you have a full Good? ſuch a Good is God; there is a fulneſs of all Good in him; He that overcometh, ſhall inherit all things: How ſo? I will be his God, I'le be his, and in having me, he will have all in me, Rev. 21.7. Whatever good, beauty, or excellency, there is in the Creature, yea, in all the Creatures put together, 'tis all but a ſmall drop or ray to that Good, Beauty, and Excellency that is in God: 'Tis but a ſmall ſpark to the Ocean of the Divine Goodneſs. Lord, (ſaies Auſtin) all thoſe things which thou haſt made are beautiful, Pulchra ſunt omnia faciente te Domine, & ecce tu inenarrabiliter pulchrior qui feciſti omnia. Aug.but thou thy ſelf art infinitely more beautiful. God has all kinds and all degrees of Good in him: he is Light, and Life and Love, and Peace, and Joy, and Holineſs, and Salvation, and what not that good is, or that p. 203conduces to the happineſs of eternal Souls? Thou, Lord, Tu bonum'nullo indigens bono, ſemper quietus es, quoniam tua quies tuipſe es. Aug.art that Good, where no good is wanting (ſaies Aug.) and thou art alwayes at Reſt, becauſe thou art thine own Reſt. That little good that is found in the Creature is narrow, ſcanty, and but here and there a drop: but God has all Good in a bleſſed Union and conjunction in him. O how glorious a Reſt may the Soul find in him! — Would you have a ſuitable and convenient Good? ſuch a Good is God, he is a ſuitable and convenient Good, a Good ſuitable to the Nature, Life, and Wants of the Soul: Among all your Creature-Injoyments and Contentments, there is nothing ſuitable either to the Nature or Life of the Soul: they are carnal, ſenſible things, and ſo are ſuitable to the fleſh and ſenſual part, and are pleaſing to it; but they have nothing ſuitable in them to an immortal Spirit, nothing that an eternal Soul can feed upon: the Body may as ſoon feed upon Air and Aſhes, as the Soul upon Creatures. But now in God there is that Good, that is every way ſuitable to the Soul, to the Nature, Life, and Wants of the Soul: the Soul is of a Spiritual Nature, and God is a Spiritual Good; God is a Spirit, Joh. 4.24. The Soul is of a vaſt capacity, 'tis next to Infiniteneſs in its capacity and deſires; and God is a vaſt and comprehenſive p. 204Good, having (as has been ſhewn) all good in him: Without ſuitableneſs in the Object to the faculty, there can be no Reſt. — Would you have an original, independent Good? ſuch a Good is God:Dulcius ex ipſo fonte, petuntur aquoe. Waters drink moſt pleaſantly at the Fountain-head: In God you have all Good, all Sweet, all Comfort at the Fountain-head. Hence he is ſaid to be a Fountain of Living Waters, and the Creatures broken Ciſterns, Jer. 2.13. the Fountain has all in and from it ſelf, but Ciſterns you know have no more than is put into them; all that Good that is in God he has it in and from himſelf; but the Creatures, yea, the beſt of Creatures, Angels themſelves not excepted, have no more than he puts into them: Now how much is the Fountain to be preferred before a Ciſtern? — Would you have a pure and an unmixed Good, Gold that has no Droſs, Wine that has no Water in it? ſuch a Good is God: God is light, and in him there is no darkneſs at all, 1 Joh. 1.5. All things on this ſide God have their mixtures, they have a dark as well as a bright ſide; all this Wine is mixt with Wormwood, this Gold with Droſs: Who of us did ever meet with the Creature-Injoyment that had not many allayes? the ſweeteſt Roſe has its prickles, and the rareſt Beauty its ſpots among the Creatures; but now God is every way a pure and an unmixed Good, p. 205he is all Light, Life, Love, Holineſs, and the like. — Would you have a ſweet and ſatisfying Good? Such a Good is God; yea indeed there is infinite ſweetneſs and ſatisfaction to be found in him; he can infinitely delight, raviſh, ſolace, and ſatisfy the Soul for ever. O how ſweet, how ſatisfying are the Sights of God, the Taſtes and Deſcents of his Love! what an Heaven does one ſight of God, one deſcent of his Love, make in the Soul! David caſting his eye upon God, as his in Covenant, is even raviſhed with it, and cryes out, the lines are fallen to me in pleaſant places, I have a goodly Heritage, Pſal. 16.5, 6. and elſewhere we read of Pleaſures, of Rivers of Pleaſures; of Satisfaction, of abundance of Satisfaction, and all, as that which Souls do, or may find in God, and communion with God, Pſal. 36.8. and David over and over tells you of Sweetneſs, and Satisfaction, and Satisfaction as with Marrow and Fatneſs in but the very thoughts and meditation of God, Pſal. 63.5, 6. and Aug. (I remember) ſpeaking of God, and to him, often breaks out into ſuch language as this, O, my God, my Life, Deus meus, Vita mea, Dulcedo mea. &c.my Sweetneſs! O Sirs! holy Souls, who live in Communion with God, will tell you, that there is no ſweetneſs like that in God, no Love like his Love, no Comforts like his Comforts: They will tell p. 206you; that one ſight of God, one ſenſible token of his preſence in the Soul, has more ſolace and ſweetneſs in it, than al the delights of this world; yea, than many Worlds; and they accordingly chuſe and deſire it. Oh how ſweet is it to be led into the Banquetting Houſe by Chriſt, and there have the Banner of his Love diſplayed over us, and Flagons of that Wine poured out unto us! How ſweet is it to have one ſight of the King in his beauty, how much more to walk and converſe with him in his Galleryes? How ſweet is it with God in his Sanctuary, and have him revealing Himſelf, his Love, his Beauty, his Glory to us? O taſte and ſee how good the Lord is! Would you have a ſure, eternal, and unchangeable Good, a Good that never fades, failes, nor has any period? ſuch a Good is God, and God alone: From everlaſting to everlaſting be is God; Pſal. 90.2. But this has been ſufficiently ſpoken to elſewhere. Well, you ſee, what a bleſſed Reſt God is for Souls. Why then ſhould we ever think of looking out any where elſe for Reſt? O wretched hearts of ours, that will leave this God and go out to a vain World, and dying Creatures for Reſt and Happineſs! In a word, if God has all that in him which thou needeſt, or art capable of, to give thee Reſt and Happineſs, than retire ſolely to him for it: Now what doſt thou want? or what art thou capable of to give thee Reſt and p. 207Happineſs? Doſt thou want and deſire Life? With God is the Fountain of Life, Pſal. 36.9. Doſt thou want Peace? God is the God of Peace, Rom. 16.20. and frequently elſewhere is he ſo called. Doſt thou want pardon? he is the God of pardons, ſo the words are in the Pſalms, when he is ſaid to be ready to forgive: and, you know, he has promiſed to pardon iniquity, tranſgreſſion, and ſin, ſins of all ſorts and ſizes, all degrees and aggravations, if Souls come to him, Heb. 8.12. Doſt thou want Grace? he is the God of all Grace, 1 Pet. 5.10. Doſt thou want comfort? he is the God of all Conſalation. Doſt thou want Mercy? he is the Father of Mercies, 2 Cor. 1.3. Doſt thou want ſtrength? ſtrength to do, to ſuffer, to live, to die? he is the Lord Jehovah, with whom is everlaſting Strength, Iſa. 26.4. Doſt thou want Joy? in his preſence is fulneſs of Joy, Pſal. 16.11. Doſt thou want Salvation, Salvation Temporal, Salvation Eternal? …e is the God of Salvation, and as ſuch the Church glories in him, Pſal. 68.20. Thus no Reſt …ke that in God; Souls need not look elſewhere for Reſt and Happineſs; for there is all in God alone.

4. Conſider what a reſtleſs World you live in, …nd what a troubleſom time you are fallen upon. The more reſtleſs this World is and the more troubleſom the times are which we are fal…n upon, the more we are concerned to take up p. 208our Reſt in God: Now certainly the World was ſcarce ever more reſtleſs, nor the times mo… troubleſom than now. In Zech. 1.11. we rea… of a time when the whole World was at Reſt excepting only the Church of God; but 'tis eve… quite contrary now, for now the whole World Church, and all are in a reſtleſs troubleſom ſtate. We ſee, and hear of little but Wars, and rumours of Wars, and as 'twas of old, deſtruction upon deſtruction is cryed; and what, and when the end of theſe things will be, who can tell? In Jer. 16.5. we read that God had taken away his Peace from that People: I have taken away my Peace from this People, ſaith the Lord; and truly now he ſeemes to have taken away his Peace from the World. I'le leave only two Scriptures with you, one out of the Old, and the other out of the New-Teſtament, both which I am apt to think may have a great aſpect to the preſent dayes, and may in a great meaſure receive their accompliſhment in them. One is Zeph. 3.8. Wait ye upon me, ſaith the Lord, untill the day that I ariſe up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the Nations, that I may aſſemble the Kingdoms, to pour out upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the Earth ſhall be devoured with the fire of jealouſy. The other is that Luk. 21.25, 26. There ſhall be ſigns in the Sun, and in the Moon, and in the Stars, (and theſe we have had) and upon the p. 209Earth diſtreſs of Nations, with perplexity, the Sea and the Waves roaring; mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thoſe things which are coming on the Earth; for the powers of Heaven ſhall be ſhaken. I ſay nothing, only I fear, I fear, as we have ſeen ſome of theſe things accompliſht, ſo there will be a more full accompliſhment of them, and that ere the preſent generation paſſes away. Doubtleſs great ſtormes are a coming, and happy they that have an Ark to hide themſelves in; God has now great Works to do, he has the Kingdom of Antichriſt utterly to deſtroy, the Kingdom of his Son Chriſt to ſet up in its Luſtre and Glory; the final Redemption of his People to work out, his ancient Ones to call in, and his ſuffering Name, Attributes, and Glory fully to right and vindicate, and theſe things are not like to be brought about without great Stormes, Convulſions, and Concuſſions in the World: Well, and what is the language of all this to us? Verily this, Souls retire into God, take up your Reſt in him, make him your All, both here and in eternity: and Oh that we would do ſo? Then ſhould we Reſt in the day of trouble. When Noah fore-ſaw the Deluge a coming, he prepared him an ark to the ſaving of both himſelf and Family, Heb. 11.7. Surely he s blind indeed, that does not ſee a Deluge coming upon the World, a Deluge of outward Troubles and Calamities: O why do we not p. 210enark in God, by making him our Reſt: this God invites his People unto, Iſa. 26.20. Come, my People, enter thou into thy Chambers, and ſhut thy Doors about thee; hide thy ſelf, as it were, for a little moment, until theindignation be overpaſt: for, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to puniſh the Inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity: What is it for God's People to enter into their Chambers, & hide themſelves, but to retire more into him, live at Reſt and in Communion with him, to put themſelves under his protection, and the like? 'tis for them to retire from the World, and worldly Concernes, and to make him all, living and reſting wholly in him, and upon him. O let this, viz. the reſtleſneſs of the World you live in draw your Souls into an holy reſt in God.

5. Conſider what enemies you are to your own Souls by not living at Reſt in God. He that ſinneth, ('tis ſaid) wrongeth his own Soul; he that lives not at Reſt in God, greatly ſinneth, and thereby greatly wrongeth his own Soul. On the one hand, you hereby deprive your Souls of much Good; and on the other hand, you expoſe your Souls to much Evil.

1. Hereby you deprive your Souls of much Good, yea of much of the beſt Good. Solomon found this in experience, and tells us that purſuing Reſt and Happineſs in the Creature, and not in God, he did thereby bereave his Soul of Good, Eccleſ. 4.8. and what Good? Verily the p. 211beſt Good, the Good of Grace, of Holineſs, of Communion with God, of the Comforts of his Spirit, and the like: and Oh how much of this Good do you bereave your Souls of dayly? This is that which hath bereaved you of much Grace, much Love, much Spiritual Comfort, many Imbraces in the Armes and Boſome of Chriſt's Love: This, (namely, our purſueing Reſt from the Creature, and not living at Reſt in God) is that which hath made us ſo lean, ſo dead, ſo dry, ſo barren in our Spirits, as we are. O my Beloved, while we have been off our Reſt in God, and have taken up in other things, what have we been doing, but feeding upon Husks and Swill, when we might have eaten Bread, and drunk Wine in the Fathers Kingdom? what have we been doing, but following after lying vanities, to the forſaking of our own mercies? Oh, did you know how ſweet a Life it is to be at Reſt in God, you would then know what Good you have bereaved your Souls of, by not living at Reſt in him.

2. Hereby you expoſe your Souls to much evil. I remember a ſaying of Auſtin, **In hoc peccabam, quod non in Deo, ſed in creaturis ejus, me atque caeteras voluptates quaerebam, atque ita irruebam in dolores, confuſiones & errores animae. Aug.In this I ſinned (ſays he) that, I ſought my Happineſs not in God, but in his Creatures, and ſo I ruſht upon all manner of Dolours, Confuſions, and Errors of p. 212Soul: and have not we done So? O the wounds the Confuſions, the Errors of Soul, which we have expoſed our ſelves unto, while we have been off our Reſt in God! Sin and Satan have made great waſte and deſolation upon our Spirits, and 'tis what expoſes us to nothing but ſorrows, ſnares, and Death: and as we would not wrong our Souls, let us retire to, and live at Reſt in God.

6. Conſider that your living at Reſt in God here, will be a clear and unqueſtionable evidence to you, that you ſhall live at Reſt in God, and with God, for ever. O how ſweet is it to have any one clear evidence of living at Reſt in God, and with God, in Heaven? and what would ſome of our Souls at ſome times give for ſuch a bleſſing? yea, how ſweet is a ſmall glimpſe of Hope, a ſecret whiſper, an inward hint or intimation of ſuch a thing from the Spirit of God in our Souls? O, live at Reſt in God here, and this will be a broad evidence of it to you, and truly, unleſs you do live at Reſt in him here, I know not, however you will make it out to your Souls, that you ſhall live at Reſt in him, and with him in the other World. In ſhort, my Beloved, if we do indeed deſire to live at Reſt with God for ever in Heaven, why ſhould we not deſire to live at Reſt in God here? Sure I am, the thing is the ſame, and we ſhould deſire the one as well as the other, and the one p. 213as the evidence of the other. O come, come, and be prevailed with by theſe things, one and all to take up the Reſt of your Souls purely and ſolely in God!

CHAP. VI.

Several plain and proper Directions to Souls, how to attain unto this Life of a Rest in God. With a Concluſion of the whole Matter.

TO live at Reſt in God, that is a ſweet, a bleſſed Life indeed; but how may we attain to it? Our Souls would be at it, but how may we come up hereunto? a few Directions in that caſe, and I'le cloſe all.

1. Would you indeed live at Reſt in God? Then deſpair of ever finding Reſt any where but in him alone. As long as we have any hopes of a Reſt any where elſe, we will not ſo purely take up our Reſt in God, as we ſhould; for woe and alas for us! our heart is bent to back-ſlideing from him, Hoſ. 11.7. We are carnal, and ſenſual, and are addicted to carnal and ſenſual things: as ever therefore you would live at Reſt in God, utterly deſpair in your ſelves of ever finding Reſt, yea, any thing of Reſt any where p. 214elſe: the more we are driven out of the Creature, out of all our falſe Reſts and Repoſes, the nearer we are to an holy Reſt and Repoſe in God: it has been ſufficiently evidenced and declared, that there is no true Reſt for a Soul but in God alone, and you have both ſeen and heard it; but, my Beloved, 'tis one thing to hear this by the hearing of the ear, and another thing for the Soul to come under the ſenſe and power thereof, ſo as indeed to be dead in our hopes to all other things, and practically to deſpair of Reſt and Happineſs any where but in God alone. Whatever we pretend or profeſs, at leaſt the moſt of us, we ſtill think that there is ſome Reſt, ſome Happineſs, in ſomewhat elſe beſides God, and ſhort of God; elſe, what mean our eager deſires after other things, our delights in them, when injoyed, our grief and ſorrow of heart, when loſt or wanting? what means the ſecret bent and byas of our heart to ſtand off from God and cleave to other things, and the like? But all this muſt be rooted out, firmly fixing this Foundation-principle in your Souls, that there is no Reſt for a Soul but in God alone, and accordingly never have a thought of looking elſewhere. And when at any time the heart would be going out to other things, check it with this conſideration, Reſt; for the Soul is to be found only in God.

2. Would you indeed live at Reſt in God? p. 215Then labour to know him much, and to know him in Chriſt. The more we know God, the more we ſhall love him; and the more we know and love him, the more ſhall we Reſt in him: They that know thy Name, (ſaies the Pſalmiſt) will truſt in thee, Pſal. 9.10. they will Reſt in thee, depend on thee: one great reaſon, why we do not Reſt in God, is, becauſe we do not know him, at leaſt ſo know him, as to carry in us right notions and apprehenſions of him: labour therefore to know God more and better, labour to know him in Chriſt: God in Chriſt is moſt ſweet, moſt lovely, moſt raviſhing and ſolacing to Souls; God in Chriſt is a God of Love, yea, a God that is Love: God is Love (ſayes St. John) 1 Joh. 4.8. God in Chriſt, is a God of Reconciliation, God was in Chriſt reconciling the World unto himſelf, not imputing their treſpaſſes to them, 2 Cor. 5.19, 20. and Oh how ſweet is God thus known! God in Chriſt, is the Father of Mercies, the God of all Grace, and Comfort, 2 Cor. 1.3. he is a full, free, open Fountain of all Spiritual Good. In 2 Cor. 4.6. we read of the light of the Knowledg of the Glory of God ſhining forth in the face of Chriſt: and indeed the Light, and Glory of God, his Beauty, Sweetneſs, and Excellency ſhines forth no where ſo brightly and illuſtriouſly, as in Jeſus Chriſt. To know God or to look on him out of Chriſt, is what rather fills the Soul with trouble, than brings it to Reſt p. 216in him. I remembred God, and was troubled (ſaid he) Pſal. 77.3. God out of Chriſt is no other than an angry Judge, a conſuming fire, one that is ready to damn and deſtroy the Soul; but in Chriſt, he is a God of Pardon, a God of Salvation to all that come by Chriſt to him; Hence ſome of the Saints have profeſt that they durſt not think of God out of Chriſt: and (you know) what Luther's thoughts were by that out-cry of his; I'le have nothing to do with an abſolute God. O therefore labour to know God in Chriſt more; being known in him, he is infinitely ſweet to Souls, and they cannot but find that ſweetneſs in him, that ſhall draw and allure them to make him their Reſt, and All for ever.

3. Would you indeed live at Reſt, in God? Then labour to get your Covenant-intereſt in, and Relation to God cleared up to you. The clearer your intereſt in God is to you, the fuller and more conſtant will your Reſt in him be; and indeed you will never ſo fully and ſweetly acquieſce in God, as you ſhould, until you come to ſome good ſenſe of your Intereſt in him, and Relation to him in Chriſt and the Covenant; In 1 Sam. 30.6. 'tis ſaid, that David encouraged his heart in the Lord [his God]; he ſaw God to be [his God], and ſeeing him to be ſo, he encouraged himſelf in him, he ſat down ſatisfied and at Reſt in him; and that in the midſt of p. 217many, great, and ſore Diſtreſſes, as you may there ſee: Had he not ſeen him to be his, I queſtion whether he would have been able to ſit down at Reſt in him, as he did, eſpecially in ſo great a ſtorm? So the Church, Lam. 3.24. the Lord is my Portion ſaith my Soul, therefore I'le hope in him: Seeing God to be her Portion, She could hope, truſt, Reſt in him, and that in a caſe of great calamity and diſtreſs. I will not ſay a Soul cannot Reſt in God without a ſenſe of his intereſt in him; no, 'tis the Souls duty to Reſt in God however things go with him; though he be in the dark, though God has withdrawn himſelf from the Soul, yet the Soul ſhould truſt in the Name of the Lord, and Reſt himſelf in his God, Iſa. 50.10. ſtill there is that in God, that is a full and proper matter or ground of Reſt in him; for he is, as High, as Holy, as Wiſe, as Good, as All-ſufficient, as ever he was; and indeed we ſhould learn to believe in the dark: But though this be ſo, yet ſtill I ſay, the clearer your Intereſt in God is to you, the more fully and ſweetly will you Reſt in him. The ſenſe of an intereſt in God, is what is moſt effectual to reduce a Soul to its Reſt in God, when through temptation it has been carryed off from it: ſo we find, Pſal. 42.11. (which may be further opened afterwards); as ever therefore you would live purely and entirely at Reſt in God, get your intereſt in him, as your God and Father, p. 218cleared up to you; firſt chuſe him for your God and Portion; and do it every day, never Reſt, till you can ſay, Lord, whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that I deſire beſides thee: my Heart and my Fleſh fail, but God is the ſtrength of my Heart, and my Portion for ever; Pſal. 73.25, 26. Then Pray hard for the ſealings and witneſs of the Spirit; beg the Lord, with Auſtin, to ſay unto thy Soul, I am thy Salvation.

4. Would you indeed live at Reſt in God? Then meditate and contemplate him much, dwell much in the view of his glorious Excellencies and Perfections: Deep and frequent meditation of God and his Excellencies, does marvelouſly endear God unto Souls, and withal brings them into an acquaintance with thoſe ſatisfying delights that are to be found in him, and ſo to a Reſt in him. My Soul, (ſaies David) ſhall be ſatisfied as with marrow and fatneſs, and my mouth ſhall praiſe thee with joyful lips, when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night-watches, Pſal. 63.5, 6. In verſ. 3. he is even raviſhed with the ſenſe and incomes of God's Love to him: Thy loving-kindneſs is better than Life, my lips ſhall praiſe thee; and here he ſpeaks of Satisfaction, the ſweeteſt Satisfaction, and all that which came in a way of holy meditation; and again, my meditation of thee ſhall be ſweet, Pſal. 104.34. Holy meditation p. 219of God produces many ſweet experiences of God in the Soul, experiences of his Grace, of his Love, of his Sweetneſs, of the Bleſſedneſs of Communion with him, and the like; and theſe experiences iſſue in the Soul's Reſt in him: eve…y new experience of God, draws the heart further into God, and makes it center more in him: every taſte, every ſight of God, every new emamanation of his Glory before the Soul, (of which in the holy meditation of God the Saints have not a few) weans and works the heart off from carnal, ſenſible things, and makes him to cleave more cloſly and entirely to God, gathering in about him, as his All. O, be much in the meditation of God: 'tis not enough for us to know him, and to know him in Chriſt; no, nor to know him as ours, as our God in Covenant; but we muſt ſtudy him, we muſt meditate what a God he is, and ſingle him out, now under one, and then under another Notion or Conſideration, to meditate upon, begging God to help us in our meditetions of him. The moſt know, and enjoy little of God; becauſe they meditate him ſo little, they are little in holy meditation.

5. Would you indeed be at Reſt in God? Then improve all your experiences of the Creatures vanity, for the carrying of your Souls more into God, as your Reſt and Centre. Holy David did ſo, and 'tis indeed a great piece of a p. 221Chriſtians skill. Pſal. 39.7. And now Lord (ſaies he) what wait I for? my hope is in thee: If you veiw, either the foregoing or following part of the Pſalm, you will find that David was under great experiences of the Creatures vanity; he ſaw the vanity of worldly Injoyments they are all but a vain ſhew; he ſaw his own vanity, he ſaw the vanity of others, he found every one, and every thing, nothing but vanity; and what is the iſſue? What uſe does he make of it? this, he gathers in more to God, as his only Reſt and Happineſs; now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee, q.d. Now I have done with the Creatures, I ſee what they are, and what all perſons and things are, and I have done with all, thou thy ſelf only, O Lord, art my Reſt, my Happineſs, my All. Thus when at any time you meet with freſh experiences of the Creatures vanity, improve them for the carrying of your Souls more into God, as your Reſt. You ſcarce live that day wherein you do not meet with new experiences of the Creatures vanity, this is loſt, and that is imbittered to you; now you meet with diſappointments, and then with ſorrows, wounds, and ſnares; and that, where, it may be, you expected your chief Comfort and Satisfaction; now in all ſuch caſes, what ſhould we do? retire the more into God, as our Reſt and Happineſs: ſay with the Pſalmiſt, Now Lord, what wait I for? p. 222My hope is in thee; I have done with the ſtreams, I'le cleave only to thee, the Fountain; the Creatures ever ſerve me thus, they leave me under ſorrows, ſnares, and diſappointments, thou Lord ſhalt be all in all to me, thou art my only Reſt for ever.

6. Would you indeed live at Reſt in God? Then pray for much ſpirituality of Heart, much ſuitedneſs of Spirit to God and Chriſt. The more Spiritual you are, the more are you ſuited to the bleſſed God, and the more you are ſuited to God, the more fully and genuinly will your Souls Reſt in him. I ſuppoſe you to have a new heart, (for I ſpeak unto you as to Saints) the old heart to be ſure will never Reſt in God, the old heart is wholly avetſe from God, and at enmity with him, it hates him, 'tis wholly carnal, ſenſual, and unclean, and delights only in things ſuitable to it ſelf; Let all therefore that would Reſt in God, firſt, get a new heart, ſuch as God promiſes in his Covenant, Ezek. 36.26. and having gotten a new heart, pray for much ſpirituality of heart and affection. Alas! alas! we are carnal, (as Paul charged his Corinthians) and being carnal, we lean to, and hanker after carnal things, and till we get more ſpirituality, we ſhall not Reſt ſo fully in God, as we ſhould; therefore pray unto God hard for more of this, pray for more of his Spirit, to act and influence you; and not only ſo, p. 223but to change you more and more into the Divine Life and Image.

To conclude all; Live at Reſt all that even you can in God here, but withal, look, and long and haſten to that Reſt which remaines for Saints with God in the other World: True Reſt in God here is ſweet; but we ſhall never be fully and perfectly happy, till we enter that future Reſt: that indeed carryes a compleat happinſs in it: O, to be wholly ſwallowed up in the Divine Will, the Divine Life, the Divine Fulneſs, the Ocean of Divine Love, to have every faculty, and every affection perfectly ſuited to God, and filled with God, this cannot but be perfect Reſt and Happineſs; eſpecially conſidering, what an enlargement there will be of all the Faculties, and how much of God they will then take in: But till we reach this Reſt, we cannot have any compleat Reſt; therefore breath and ſuſpire after the future Reſt, keep your eye much there, and let your eye affect your heart, look and love, love and long, long and haſten to that ſweet, that holy, that heavenly, that inviolable, that unchangeable, and eternal Reſt, which remains for Saints in God, and with God, in the other World, crying out, both in your Spirits and lives; Come Lord Jeſus, come quickly. Amen.

FINIS

The Author hath two other Treatiſes: VIZ.

The Beſt Match: or, The Soul's eſpoulal to Chriſt; Opened and Improved.

The great Concern: Or, A ſerious Warning to a timely and thorough Preparation for Death. With Helps and Directions in order thereunto. Being the laſt that ever he preached.

There is now publiſhed an Eccellent Treatiſe, Intituled; The Harmony of the Divine Attributes, in the Contrivance and Accompliſhment of Man's Redemption by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: Or, Diſcourſes, wherein is ſhewed; How the Wiſdom, Mercy, Juſtice, Holineſs, Power and Truth of God are glorified in that Great and Bleſſed Work. By William Bates, D. D.

End of the text · Edward Pearse, A Beam of Divine Glory (1674)