TO BE EXPECTED ON EARTH. 185 Should Israel have fixed their rest in the wilderness, among serpents, and enemies, and weariness, and. famine? Should Noah have made the ark his home, and have been loth to come forth when the waters were assuaged ? Should the mariner choose his dwell- ing on the sea; and settle his rest in the midst of rocks, and sands, and raging tempests? Should a soldier rest in the thickest of his enemies ? And are not Christians such travellers, such mariners, such soldiers? Have you not fears within, and troubles without ? Are we not in continual dangers ? We cannot eat, drink, sleep, labour, pray, hear, con- verse, but in the midst of snares; and shall we sit down and rest here? O Christian, follow thy work; look to thy dangers, and hold on to the end ; win the field, and come off the ground, before thou think of a settled rest. Whenever thou talkest of a rest on earth, it is like Peter on the mount, thou knowest not what thou sayest. If, instead of telling the converted thief, This day thou shalt be with me in paradise, Christ had said, he should rest there upon the cross ; would he not have taken it for a derision ? Methinks it would be ill resting in the midst of sickness and pains, persecutions and dis- tresses. But if nothing else will convince us, yet sure the remainders of sin, which do so easily beset us, should quickly satisfy a believer, that here is not his rest.' I say therefore to every one that thinketh of rest on earth, Arise ye, and depart, for this is not your rest, because it is polluted. "(b) These things cannot in their nature be a true Christian's rest. They are too poor to make us rich, too low to raise us to happiness, too empty to fill our souls, and of too short a continuance to be our eternal, content. If prosperity, and whatsoever we here desire, be too base to make gods of, they are too base to be our rest., The soul's rest' must be sufficient to afford it perpetual satisfaction. But- the content which crea- (b) Micah ii. 10, . 6 Aa
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