Selected from: The Free Church Pulpit, Volume 1 (New York:Robert Carter, 1848), 265–285.
“Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.”
—Micah 2:10
Human beings seem universally characterized by a spirit of restlessness. There is no person whatever who would not, on consideration, find something which he would wish to be otherwise. This spirit existing, either as an obvious passion or as a smothered feeling, is inseparably connected with our fallen state, and though very liable to abuse, is yet very capable of producing excellent effects. It excites a propensity to look forward, and to go forward. Hence the soul refuses to settle into inactivity, and is ever pressing on to the attainment of some future good, real or imaginary. The trifler hopes that the time will come at last when he shall trifle no more; the inconsiderate and groveling never think they have enough of amusement, or of sensuality, but are still looking for more enjoyment in the paths of folly and vice; the man of rational research is still in expectation of discovering something in a higher degree gratifying to his intellectual capacities and habits; and he who lives by faith feels that he is far from having attained, and therefore presses forward to the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. It is very desirable then, that this restlessness should always be excited by a right cause, and always urge us forward to a right end. May our meditations on the present occasion be blessed of God to promote in us this desirable effect!
The words of the text were originally addressed by Micah, in God’s name, to the Israelites after a faithful description of the impiety, idolatry, oppression, and various iniquities which then overspread and polluted the land in which they dwelt; and the words had doubtless a reference to their captivity. All lands, however, too closely resemble the land of Israel in depravity. The words, therefore, very naturally admit of an universal application. Consider then, my friends, yourselves as now thus warned and exhorted, “Arise ye and depart; for this is not your rest, because it is polluted; it shall destroy you even with a sore destruction.”
I propose, by the help of God,
I. To show why we never can have our rest in this world;
II. To address to you the exhortation, “Arise ye and depart;” and,
III. To speak to three classes of persons.
I. To show why we never can have our rest in this world.
1st, One obvious reason why we cannot have our rest here is that our continuance on earth is short and uncertain. Before any situation can be entitled to be called our rest, it must be of long duration—nay, eternal. If very short and uncertain, it would not be of much value; nay, if it were to have any end at all, we should feel sure that the time was approaching when it would be to us as if it had never been, and the consciousness of this would deprive it of all power to satisfy us in the meantime. Is then our life on earth possessed of this attribute of durability? So far from it, our days are fading like the grass; we are crushed before the moth. How many are removed in infancy and childhood! Many are cut down at various stages of life without warning. Some persons, it is true, are said, comparatively with others, to live long. What, however, are a few scores of years to the salvation of an immortal soul? Unless our life had no end, it would not be long enough. But what is our life? “It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). “Our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding” (1 Chron. 29:15).
2nd, If our life on earth, though short, were perfectly steady and happy, this would be an important circumstance; but it is far otherwise: for we proceed to remark, as another reason why we can never have our rest here, that while life lasts, it is full of trouble—it has many changes, labours, disappointments, and sorrows. “Man that is born of a woman is [not only] of few days, [but] full of trouble;” he is born to trouble; it is as natural to him as that the sparks should fly upwards (Job 14:1, and 5:7). Can such a life then possibly be our rest? To what change are we exposed here below! Some live as wanderers on the face of the earth, having no certain dwelling place. The majority repeatedly shift the place of their residence, while only a few end their days in the spot where they began them. This is not a place of rest but of labour. How severe the toil to which the majority are subjected, while in pursuance of the divine decree, as they return to dust, they earn their bread by the sweat of their brow! In this way some exert themselves beyond their strength, and others toil on under such infirmities that they would rather need to be treated as patients than as persons fit for hard labour. Nor is trouble the exclusive lot of those who occupy the lower stations of life. There are the labours of the mind, as well as those of the body; and it is what affects the mind that strikes most directly at the seat of our peace. There are the harassing care and the drudgery of those who are engaged in extensive business. There is the intellectual struggle in those who would make great acquirements in knowledge—the weariness of the flesh in much study. There is the mental anxiety of all who aspire. There is the waking dream, and there is the sleepless night. There is the indescribable feeling of nervousness. There is the gloom of melancholy, and there is the eclipse of reason. All these ought to be considered as so many monitors reminding men that this is not their rest.
Think too of the disappointments and reverses of life. How many schemes into which men eagerly enter, and from the completion of which the greatest enjoyment is expected, prove altogether abortive! Often one sows and another reaps; and often the man who is building a house does not live to inhabit it. “Surely every man walketh in a vain shew; surely they are disquieted in vain” (Ps. 39:6). To what calamitous reverses also are the affairs of men subject! Many a nation has been hurled from power and luxury into bondage and misery; and many “a rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly [and said] I am, and there is none beside me;” “I sit a queen…and shall see no sorrow” has become “a desolation and a place for the beasts to lie down in” (Zeph. 2:15; Rev. 18:7). What reverses too befall families and individuals! While some emerge into notice, many sink into obscurity. There are whose “inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; [who] call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.” (Ps. 49:11–12). This their way is surely their folly; yet too many continue to approve their sayings. In reference to the uncertainty of earthly possessions, and to the many cases of individuals passing from prosperity and affluence to embarrassment and penury, well may we say with the wise man, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Prov. 23:5).
When we take into consideration the various forms of bodily distress under which all are more or less destined to labour, how foolish must it appear to look on this state as a state of rest! Personal experience convinces some, and extensive observation teaches others how grievous are the ravages of pain and sickness. Many who are able to go out, and even to appear in the house of God, carry about with them the memento of their frailty. Many, far more indeed than is generally supposed, actually labour under severe distress. Many a sufferer “is chastened with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain” (Job 33:19); and is “full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day” (Job 7:4); being ready to “say in the morning, Would God it were even; and at even, Would God it were morning” (Deut. 28:67). “The days of affliction have taken hold upon me. My bones are pierced in me in the night season, and my sinews take no rest” (Job 30:16–17). “Oh that I might have my request, and that God would grant me the thing that I long for; even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!” (Job 6:8–9).
Will it be said that though we are exposed to trouble ourselves, we may find rest in our friends? Most thankful ought we to be for the blessings of friendship, and the help and solace of our relations. But while it is our duty to love them, and to be grateful to them as the conscious and kind instruments, we shall suffer for it severely if we idolize them as the authors of our happiness, or look to them as our ultimate resource. One proves faithless and unkind: the familiar friend in whom we trust lifts up the heel against us. Another goes so far astray that we are grieved to the heart. In other cases, where nothing very improper is committed on either side, the coolness of jealousy or of misunderstanding deprives our friendships of all their wonted power to please. Should none of these things occur, but should all our connections prove good and kind, still they are but frail and mortal creatures, and we may endure sorrow on their account, sharp in proportion to their very goodness and kindness. We suffer doubly in sympathising with them, and the time is coming when we must part. Alas! every friendship, every intimate connection is formed on this condition, that one of the parties shall bewail the death of the other; and he who is left behind is often the more to be pitied of the two. God “changes their countenances, and sends them away” (Job 14:20). “Lover and friend doth he put far from [us], and our acquaintance into darkness” (Ps. 88:18). What too is the preeminence of the survivor of many relations but the painful preeminence of having been most frequently a mourner? Helpless then are they who have no other resource but what is to be found in the greatest and best of mortals. Against such trust we are warned under the threatening, not only of disappointment, but of bringing on ourselves the curse of God. “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish” (Ps. 146:3–4). “Thus saith the LORD, Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh” (Jer. 17:5–6).
3rd, We can never have our rest here, because though our whole life were steady, prosperous, honourable, and pious in the highest degree, still it would not be a satisfying portion to the soul.
In the course of a kind providence, there are some who are, though not absolutely, yet comparatively happy; whose tenor is calm and uniform; who in a great degree escape the disappointments and calamities which befall others, and who appear to the hasty observer to have nothing to disturb them. We shall err, however, if we imagine that such are free from trouble. “The heart knoweth its own bitterness” (Prov. 14:10). There are sources of uneasiness which a stranger cannot discover. Nay, where there are no real troubles, men are sure to find imaginary ones. In the very midst of what is called quietness, the consciousness of its instability often passes painfully across the mind; and he who lives many days and rejoices in them all, yet fears at times that the days of darkness will be many. To be altogether at rest, we must be sure that our rest will never be disturbed.
Nor can the continuance of positive prosperity, and ever-increasing wealth, satisfy the mind. “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Eccles. 5:10). Equally unsuccessful is the pursuit of mental tranquility in scenes of frivolity and mirth. “As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre1nitre – potassium nitrate, especially as a naturally occurring mineral. When combined with acids, like vinegar, it bubbles and fizzes. Apparently, it was used to wash clothes in ancient times. (Ed.); so is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart” (Prov. 25:20). When Darius felt conscious of his criminality in exposing Daniel to the lions, he felt that all the usual gaieties of the court would have been ineffectual to give him rest. “He went to his palace, and passed the night in fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him; and his sleep went from him” (Dan. 6:18). “Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?” (Eccles 2:1–2).
Neither is the more rational pursuit of human knowledge found to secure rest to the soul. Nay, the man of the world’s wisdom, in consequence of his discrimination, and high degree of susceptibility, is more liable to be disquieted than the dull and the ignorant. “I gave my heart (says Solomon) to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. And, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (Eccles. 1:13, 14, 18).
As speculation and theory cannot satisfy the mind, so neither can great works, in their undertaking, or progress, or accomplishment. However useful or ornamental any labours or improvements may be, and to whatever extent they may occupy the mind, still there is a want in them all. “He builds too low who builds beneath the skies.” This Solomon felt, for he abounds in sentiments appropriate to our subject. (Eccles. 2:4–11).
As labour is found unproductive of perfect mental tranquility, so indolence is at least equally so. Worn out with the fatigue and anxiety of complicated concerns, the man of business has thought to secure to himself unmixed enjoyment by withdrawing into retirement; yet has he then been soon glad to escape, by any means, from what he has proved to be a state of unsupportable wearisomeness. In all cases, inactivity leaves the mind at leisure to prey upon itself. “The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh” (Eccles. 4:5).
In vain does a man expect rest by keeping as much as possible to the same spot, for trouble, though not courted, will make inroads on his peace. Though he do not go in search of care, care will be sure to find him. In vain, too, does he expect to find rest to his mind by moving his body from place to place. Though he hasten from country to country, he still carries along with him the cause of his own restlessness; the rankling arrow sticks fast in his heart, nor can he shake it out. Whatever momentary amusement he may find, he finds no satisfactory rest. “All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”
Perhaps the most flattering state to the worldly mind is that of him who has run successfully the career of ambition, and subjected many nations to his victorious sway. But has such a man found rest? So far from it that his situation bounds beyond every other with disquietude and peril. Though history contained no accounts of men tumbled from the throne into the dungeon; though we had never heard of conquerors being conquered in their turn, or perishing by the sword, or by poison, or in captivity and exile on a rock; it were enough for us to know that even in the plenitude2plenitude – an abundance (Ed.) of their glory, they were not satisfied. “He is a proud man,” says Habakkuk of the man of ambition, “neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people” (Hab. 2:5). We have a trite, indeed, but pertinent example, in Alexander the Great, who is said, after having conquered the greater part of the known world, to have wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. Caesar, too, who, becoming emperor of Rome, became the greatest man on earth, is said to have exclaimed, “And is this all!” Even where no unlawful means are employed to gain or to preserve a crown, it brings cares along with it, which only he who wears it can know. “Verily, every man at his best estate is altogether vanity” (Ps. 39:5).
It is necessary to add that even the people of God, however spiritually minded and however advanced in the divine life, cannot find their rest here. It is true that in a particular sense, and to a certain extent, they have found it, that is, they have a measure of joy and peace in believing. While unbelievers are altogether off the way of peace, the children of God are on the path which will lead to perfect peace. But still, perfect satisfaction, their ultimate rest, cannot be obtained below. A few moments reflection must fully convince us that the posture of believers always has been, now is, and will ever be, an expecting posture. They have never sitten down careless of the future, but have always been looking forward to something more glorious to come. While various objects of comparatively inferior and short-lived importance occasionally engaged the hopes of the Old Testament church—while she waited in hope, at one time, of deliverance from Egyptian bondage; at another, of entering into the land of Canaan; and at another, of restoration from Babylonish captivity; the fulfillment of the promises concerning the seed of the woman, the Messiah, the desire of all nations and the consolation of Israel—exercised her faith and patience, and kept alive her hope during many a dark and dreary age. Those who enjoyed the bodily presence of the Son of God on earth, and who saw but little fruit from his ministry, were encouraged by the expectation of a far more striking display of divine grace at an after period, and in reference to the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, were commanded “to wait for the promise of the Father.” And what is the posture of the church at the present moment? Not a posture of acquiescence in the progress she has already made, but a posture of restlessness and expectation, as she mourns over the hundreds of millions who people the dark places of the earth, which are full of the habitations of cruelty, and as she earnestly longs for the day in which the whole family of man shall be blessed with Christian light and righteousness. Nay, even then, when she shall have seen the glory of the latter day, when she shall have reached the greatest degree of prosperity and happiness compatible with her sublunary3sublunary – belonging to this world as contrasted with a better or more spiritual one (Ed.) state, even then she will feel that this is not her rest. She will still retain her expecting posture, and be looking forward with anxiety to the period when time shall be no more, when the mystery shall be finished, and when all her millennial4In reference to the glories of the Church in the postmillennial period (Ed.) shall be swallowed up in her heavenly glories. As it is with the church as a body, so it is with the individual members of whom she is composed. Who among them, however holy and contented, could have any satisfaction in what he is if he did not expect to be something better? Who among them ever sat down, or could sit down, to say, “I am now all that I could wish.” However happy the children of God may here be, they are still subject to some uneasiness. However calm they may feel, their quiet is sometimes disturbed; their rest “remaineth;” it is still in reserve, and therefore, they are still but expectants. However near they may be to the Lord, there is still a veil between. They know, and painfully feel that whilst they are at home in the body, they are absent from the Lord,” and walking only by faith and not by sight, they are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6–8). Their state is indeed good, but still they “have a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better.” In short, our present state is a state of “earnest expectation.” “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Rom. 8:22–25). Thus, not even the most advanced Christians have their rest here. And we see universally that none can have their rest below, because though their whole life were steady, prosperous, honourable, and pious in the highest degree, still it would not be a satisfying portion to the soul.
4th, We never can have our rest in this world because of the prevalence of sin, or as the text expresses it, this is not our rest “because it is polluted.” By an unalterable decree of heaven, sin is inconsistent with happiness; as therefore this world is a world of rebellion, it cannot be a world of peace. Were our own painful observation insufficient to convince us of the melancholy prevalence of iniquity on earth, the declarations of God’s Word ought to settle the inquiry. Of the world before the flood, it is said, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt” (vs. 11). That this description, notwithstanding the diversity of forms and shades of guilt, is in its general features applicable to every age, appears from what the Lord said in his heart after the flood, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21). To the same purpose, in reference to a more advanced period of the history of the world, we read in the 14th Psalm, “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Ps. 14:2–3). Paul too quotes this passage in writing to the Romans, in order to prove that all are under sin. The earth on which we tread is polluted by the iniquity of its inhabitants; it is polluted with forgetfulness of him who made it—with positive violations of his laws, with impiety, idolatry, injustice, impurity, and blood. Everywhere does this character apply in a more or less revolting degree. Sin riots in savage and rules in civilized life. It stalks abroad with unblushing front and clamorous voice in the crowded streets of the city; and it secretly corrupts the virtue and disturbs the peace of the sequestered5sequestered – isolated and hiiden away (Ed.) vale and little hamlet. In short, and in the language of the Apostle John, “The whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19).
How then can there be rest in such a world as this? How can they be at rest who are themselves of the world, and in whom the world reigns with unsubdued power? How can they be at peace who are warring against heaven? How can they be securely calm, who, destitute of the anchor of celestial hope, are afloat on the billows of contending passions, the sport of every rising tempest? Impossible! “The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isa. 57:20-21).
Nay, how can they whose minds have been enlightened to see the evil of sin, and in whom its power is in a great measure broken, be at rest while living in such a world as this, and witnessing such scenes of carelessness and of iniquity all around them? In such a situation, instead of being capable of uninterrupted enjoyment, the believer must often be ready to say, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5). “Rivers of water run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law” (Ps. 119:136). This is a sentiment which grace inspires, and which God approves. “Go through the midst of the city,” said the Most High to Ezekiel, “through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof” (Ezek. 9:4). The imperfections too in the believer himself, and the positive offences into which he sometimes falls, must often make him uneasy and restless. Deep convictions make him say with the psalmist, “There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head; as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (Ps. 38:3–4). The law in his members warring against the law in his mind forces him to cry out with the Apostle, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24). Such penitential contrition, and such earnest longings, would entirely deprive him of rest, did not the consideration of gospel mercy and the prospect of complete deliverance enable him to add, “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (vs. 25).
When we consider then that our continuance here is short and uncertain; that while life lasts, it is full of trouble and change; that even in its best state, it is not a satisfying portion to the soul; and especially that it is characterized by the prevalence of sin, we may clearly see why we never can have our rest here. In quest of rest on earth, the sinner may be compared to the unclean spirit mentioned in the gospel, that walked through dry places seeking rest, but found none (Matt. 12:43–45); and the saint to Noah’s dove that could find no rest for the sole of her foot, till she returned to the ark (Gen. 8:9).
Suffer me now,
II. To address to you the exhortation, “Arise ye, and depart.”
Arise ye, and depart, in the spirit of your minds, and in the tenor of your conduct.
1st, Arise and depart in the spirit of your minds.
Arise! Bethink yourselves. Stir yourselves up to serious consideration. Shake off airy dreams and listless vacancy of mind; dwell on what is substantial: make a vigorous effort of thought; ponder well!
Arise and depart from the idea that this world can give you rest. Ever remember its evanescent6evanescent – quickly fading or disappearing (Ed.) and unsatisfactory nature. Seek not your portion in this life. Cease from loving the world. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15–17).
Arise and depart from all trust in yourselves. “Lean not to thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). “Cease from thine own wisdom” (Prov. 23:4). “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Cor. 1:20). The Lord hides the great things of his gospel from the wise and prudent in their own conceit, and reveals them unto babes. Cease from seeking rest to your souls in your own righteousness; for God will lay judgment “to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the water shall overflow the hiding place” (Isa. 28:17).
Arise and depart from all trust in others. Cease from all created confidences. Is thy heart affectionate and faithful? Hast thou one who is dearer to thee than all the world beside? Is thy life bound up in the life of thy friend? Cease to make him thy stay, lest thou forfeit the privileges of those who trust in the Lord, who hath said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37). Cease from leaning on the best and dearest of creatures, when there are so many instances of others who once like thee were blessed in the society of those they loved, but who now sit solitary and forlorn. “Brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that they who have wives”—and it may be added, that they who have husbands, and parents, and children, and other relations, and friends—“be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away” (1 Cor. 7:29–31).
My friends, the mind must have something whereon to rest. Without some prop, it would sink down into utter despondency. To know and to feel that certain objects never can satisfy the soul, is desirable; it is indeed an important preliminary to true satisfaction. But still this is not enough. Nay, were this all, the soul would be more unhappy than before; for that whereon it rested, and from which it derived a sensible though deceitful pleasure, would be withdrawn, while nothing else would be obtained in its room. In this state, one would feel like Micah, when, deprived of his idols, he cried out, “Ye have taken away my gods…and what have I more?” (Judg. 18:24). Hence, except in the case of absolute despair, which is more to be deprecated7deprecated – to express disapproval of (Ed.) than any other, it is not to be expected that the man who is seeking his rest in the world, however he may yield the point in theory, will in reality and from the heart, renounce his false hope; no man will renounce it unless he, at the same moment, receive another and a better hope in its place. It is in vain to suppose that mere accusatory argument, the argument of mere attack, can dislodge what has so powerful a hold on the affections, when these affections have nothing else whereon to fix, or expel from the heart that which fills it, when that heart, like all nature, abhors a vacuum. Can it be supposed that I shall willingly forego the only prop which, as far as I can see, can preserve my mind from a state of the most dismal prostration? Am I told that the pillars which support my house are very insufficient, and though they may stand a while, will certainly fail ere long? It may be so, but I shall not suffer them to be touched till I can make sure of better ones in their place. Were I hanging over the brink of a precipice, holding by a slender twig, which seemed just sufficient to bear me up in the spot for a short time, would any entreaties prevail on me to let go the twig, unless I could lay hold of a stronger branch, by which I might regain the summit in safety? Were I standing on a small mound of wasting earth, while the surrounding torrent rushed deep and increasing along, could I desire the mound to be entirely swept away, or could anything induce me to quit it, merely because it was insufficient? Could any consideration make me willing either to lose or to change the ground I occupied, but the consideration that I might reach a solid rock, or some other place of security? Exactly so it is in spiritual things, if I am seeking my rest in the world. You tell me that I am in error—teach me then the truth! that I am in darkness—shew me then the light! You demonstrate to me my poverty—give me then the true riches! You say my love is misplaced—direct me then to an object supremely amiable, that can never be loved to excess! You say that I am engrossed with trifles, and I am sensible of it—but give me then something better! that I am in danger, and I tremble at the thought of it—lead me then to the place of refuge! that I am dissatisfied and miserable, alas! I am more so than you think—but tell me how I may be happy! O tell me what will bring this troubled heart to rest! It is not enough, my friends, to warn you against seeking your rest in the world; it is necessary also to point out positively where true rest is to be found. Without this, it were altogether useless to expatiate8expatiate – speak or write at length (Ed.) on the vanity of earthly things. Now, nothing is adequate to overthrow the power of this world’s influence, but the direct proposal and acceptance of that substitute which the gospel provides. What then, in this view, is the substance of the gospel? It is that which follows, and which, embodied in this exhortation, I would now most earnestly address to you, saying,
Arise ye and depart, and seek rest directly from God in Christ. God himself is the source of all happiness, and the centre of all rest. Why is it that we have been subjected to any trouble or disquietude, but because we have wandered from God; but because we have forsaken the fountain of living waters, and hewn out to ourselves broken cisterns that can hold no water? Hence, it is only by returning to God that we can recover our lost peace. Believe it, my friends, the eternal Jehovah, who is possessed of every perfection in himself, and who is the author of life to you, is the only satisfying portion, the only rest for your rational and immortal spirits. If he smile on you, all will be peace; if he frown, nothing can give you rest. “When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only” (Job 34:29). Think not, however, that every vague idea of religion will bring true peace to your souls; but seek rest according to the plan of the gospel of the grace of God. Here it is that such a display is given of divine mercy, wisdom, and justice, as by the blessing of God and the teaching of his Holy Spirit removes every ground of uneasiness and satisfies the most scrupulous reasoner, that all who believe in Christ are safe for time and for eternity. Listen then to his gracious invitation, “Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Depart from all other resting places. Renounce all other grounds of hope. Arise and come to Jesus in faith and simple reliance. Venture on him, venture on him only, venture on him wholly, and God, who cannot lie, then warrants us to assure you that the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. True, solid, heartfelt satisfaction shall then be yours; you shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of God’s house, and he will make you drink of the river of his pleasures. There is, indeed, as already stated, no perfection, no absolute exemption from trouble on earth; nevertheless, in the language of the Apostle to the Hebrews, 4:3, they “which have believed do enter into rest,” that is, believers are at rest, when compared with those who are without God and without hope in the world; or they have such a degree of present happiness, and they are so secure of future happiness that they may, with propriety, be said to have already entered into rest. They enjoy peace of conscience; they calmly and thankfully acquiesce in the dispensations of providence; they refresh themselves with the ordinance of grace, and they delight themselves in the Lord. Still afloat on the ocean of life, they do not expect that its billows should never rise; but having cast the anchor of hope both sure and steadfast within the veil, they shall ride out the storm, and enter at last the haven of eternal rest. Thus saith the Lord, “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” (Isa. 32:17–18). Arise ye then, and depart, and seek rest directly from God in Christ. If you do this, everything else will be easy; you will be prepared to yield a ready compliance when further exhorted to,
Arise and depart and set your hearts on heaven. “If ye, then, be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on the things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:1–4). As you “have here no continuing city, seek one to come” (Heb. 13:14). Look for that “city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10).
Arise, too, and depart in the spirit of your minds, so as to be willing literally to depart from this life; to leave the world altogether, whenever God shall call you. Cultivate that spirit of faith and hope, which, when death is comparatively at a distance, will sometimes fill you with a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better; and which, when death shall actually arrive, will enable you to say, “Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation” (Luke 2:29–30). Realize the hour when the Lord shall, as it were, say to you as he did to Joshua and the Israelites, “Arise, go over this Jordan…unto the land which I do give [you]” (Josh. 1:2). Shrink not back from the rapidity, and the depth, and the darkness of the waters of the river of death; but enter the flood, keeping fast hold of the hand of him who, having himself abolished death, will bear you safe through to Canaan, that good and pleasant land.
2nd, Arise ye and depart in the tenor of your conduct. See not only that your thoughts be rightly directed, and your affections properly placed, but also that you act a consistent part in what you avoid, and in what you follow after.
Arise and depart from all such pursuits as interfere with the concerns of eternity. Cease from what is on all hands acknowledged to be sinful. “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19). “Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not” (Lam. 4:15). Depart from the pollutions of the world. “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her” (Isa. 52:11). Depart from the society of the ungodly. “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17–18). Arise and depart not only from the worst of men, but from the world in general, from all who are of the world, and who are seeking their rest in it. Not that you should decline the ordinary intercourse, and civility, and business of life, “for then must ye needs go out of the world” (1 Cor. 5:9); but cease from making those your chosen associates who do not seem to be in earnest in the pursuit of the heavenly rest; cease from following their example, and from seeking satisfaction in their frivolous customs and dangerous compliances. Walk not “according to the course of this world” (Eph. 2:2). “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). Be not deterred by the disapprobation which such decision may bring on you from those who are really no proper judges in this matter; but following steadily the path of duty, cheerfully entrust your happiness to your divine Master, who has said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation…but in me ye shall have peace” (John 16:33). Arise and depart, and “Go forth…unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (Heb. 13:13), and be assured that he will recompense, “to you who are troubled rest with us” (2 Thess. 1:7). Cease too from excessive eagerness in the pursuit of worldly gain. Manage your affairs with prudence and diligence; but labour not for the meat that perisheth, so much as for that which endureth to everlasting life. “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36–37). “Lay not up for yourselves [therefore] treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19–21).
Arise and depart, and be found actively engaged as becomes those who profess that this is not their rest. Not only cease to do evil, but also learn to do well. “Depart from evil and do good” (Ps. 34:14). Keep your face steadily directed towards Zion. Go on in the march of holy and useful living. “Arise and walk.” “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee” (Isa. 60:1). “Arise…and be doing; and the Lord be with thee” (1 Chron. 22:16).
The exhortation thus to arise and depart, in the spirit of your minds, and in the tenor of your conduct, might be enforced by various arguments, but I would only beseech you seriously to attend to that in the text. If you will not arise and depart, but are resolved in seeking only an earthly rest, the end of it will be your utter ruin; “it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.” Not a few alarming instances have occurred on earth, in which those who were living in sin, and engrossed by the world, have been visibly punished for their sins, and even cut off in their full strength, being wholly at their ease and quiet. The destruction of not a few is exactly represented by that of the foolish man, who said to his soul, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19), but who that very night had his soul required of him. Now, though such visible judgments are comparatively rare, they ought to be considered as examples of what, sooner or later, must overtake all who have no hope but in this world. The deception may impose on them for a while, but the painful truth will ultimately force conviction. The bubble may float for a time in the air, with its varying and gaudy colours, but it will burst at last. The dream may continue even all their time on earth, but it will certainly be dissipated by a dread eternity. “As in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also”—in reference both to death and judgment—“shall the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:38–39). Let those who seek no rest but this earth remember that the earth itself is devoted to destruction. Let the scoffers who say, “Where is the promise of his coming?” and affirm that the earth has never seen, and will never see any change, know that, as it was once covered by the deluge, so “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the [Word of God] are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and the perdition of ungodly men” (2 Pet. 3:7). And well may the destruction of the ungodly be called “a sore destruction.” It is sore, because it is sudden and inevitable. “When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thess. 5:3). It is a sore destruction, because it is a destruction of the whole man, both soul and body. “I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4–5). It is a sore destruction, because it is an everlasting destruction. “When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they may be destroyed for ever” (Ps. 92:7). “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:9). How affecting the thought that this sore destruction is courted, or at least not shunned, by such multitudes! that multitudes are ripening for it by willful ignorance, or proud unbelief, or daring impiety, or giddy amusement, or grasping worldliness, or careless fatal indifference! Alas! “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matt. 7:13). Many walk so “that they are enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction…who mind earthly things” (Phil. 3:18). Yield then, my friends, to the plain warning held forth to you. Be persuaded to arise and depart. “Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins” (Num. 16:26). “Up, get ye out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city” of wickedness and carnal ease (Gen. 19:14). “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain lest thou be consumed” (vs. 17).
III. I come, lastly, to speak to three different classes of persons.
My friends, you have either left the world, and already found that rest in the favour of God here, which is a pledge of perfect rest in his immediate presence hereafter; or you are still seeking your rest in the world; or you are so far under religious concern that you have lost your former rest, but neither have found, nor are earnestly seeking the other. This enumeration must include all now present, and to each of these classes I would speak a word in concluding.
1st, We congratulate those of you who have ceased to seek your rest in the world, who have arisen and gone to God through Jesus Christ for rest, and who enjoy in a good measure that tranquility which is the forerunner of endless peace. Say if you have ever repented the choice which you have made? Are you sorry that the light of divine truth has dispelled the vain illusions of time and sense? Do you regret any little sacrifices you may have been called on to make in this cause? Do you feel as if the renunciation of what you have seen to be hurtful or dangerous were any hardship? or as if anything which Christian piety and prudence forbid were necessary to your enjoyment of life, or even consistent with your peace? When you have been at times subjected to trials painful to flesh and blood, has ever your Master forgotten his promise that as your day is so your strength should be? or failed to impart a comfort which overbalanced all, a joy with which no stranger could intermeddle, a peace which the world could neither give nor take away? Well, is there anything besides that deserves to be called happiness? Is there any rest on earth to be compared with this? Endeavour then to preserve this rest. Rely habitually on that Saviour who first brought peace to your souls; and whenever your tranquility is lost, as will sometimes happen, let your past experience teach you how alone that tranquility may be recovered, and lead you to say effectually with David, “Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.”
Recollect, however, that you are only on the way to perfect happiness. You are yet strangers and pilgrims on earth. Your journey is begun, but not finished. You are escaped from Egypt, but you are still in the wilderness. You have departed from the “City of Destruction,” but you have not reached the “Celestial City.” It is necessary, not only to have set out well, but to persevere. Let nothing tempt you to say, “Were it not better for us to return to Egypt” (Num. 14:3). “Fear, lest, a promise being left you of entering into rest, any of you should seem to come short” (Heb. 4:1). Continue to prosecute the journey in a right manner. Endeavour to receive as little injury and as few stains as possible from the dangers and defilements of the way. Though not of the world, you are in the world. Though no longer of the party of the rebels, you have not yet got beyond the reach of their annoyance. Though not enemies to God, you are still in his enemies’ country, and therefore, still exposed to their snares, and their attacks, while Satan himself is casting at you his fiery darts, and striving in every way to arrest your progress. Reject all their flattering invitations; be not led away with the error of the wicked; keep yourselves unspotted from the world. Resist all their desperate assaults; be steadfast in the faith, and strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, and fight your way through.
Endure also, without murmuring, the hardships of the way, remembering that such hardships are necessary to prevent you from sitting down contented, and are therefore marks of the divine wisdom and goodness. Avail yourselves meanwhile of the refreshment provided, with joy drawing water out of the wells of salvation. And press forward steadily to the end of your journey, animated by the prospect before you—the prospect of the end of all your toils; of the fulfillment of all your wishes; of the perfection of all your joys; of dwelling in the house of God forever. Then shall the happiness be yours of which the Holy Ghost thus speaks, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Rev. 14:13). “The ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isa. 35:10).
2nd, You who are still seeking your rest on earth! You may know that this is your state from a slight consideration of your temper and conduct. The question is not whether you ever think of futurity, or pay any outward attention to the ordinances of religion; but what is it that has the chief place in your hearts and pursuits—the body or the soul? the world or the Saviour? time or eternity? If you are not yet fully persuaded of the insufficiency of earthly things; if you still have any trust in yourselves; if your ultimate dependence be on any creature; if you have not heartily renounced every other hope but that of free mercy through the Redeemer; if, as the natural result of the unrenewed mind, you are following a course of life which is either plainly irreligious and immoral, or which, though more guarded, permits you on the whole to look no farther than this life; and if your rest be of such a nature that it is most profound when the thought of divine things is kept at a distance, but disturbed when the plain truth is urged on your attention, then you may certainly conclude that you are seeking your rest here. The world, in its pleasures, or gains, or honours, or something else, is the leading object of your desire and pursuit. To this tend your plans by day, and your dreams by night, your most anxious thoughts, and most persevering endeavours. Well, and after all, what is the real amount of the rest which you possess? The most that can be said of it is this—give you whatever you desire, give you something agreeable here, and you are in some measure satisfied; deny you this, and you are left without resource. Not that, even in the most prosperous state, your peace of mind is free from interruption; at least if there be such a case, it is hopeless beyond others. Boast not of your happiness. Tell us not of your cheerfulness, and joy, and exemption from gloomy care. We know that you are often thus elated; but we also know that the outward appearance is not always the genuine index of the heart: we know that sometimes, even in seasons of bustling activity and apparent gaiety, your spirits can hardly bear up; and that there are moments of leisure, when conscience, long asleep, begins to awake, when you are haunted with the fear that the foundation on which you rest will not bear examination, and when nothing can ward off the apprehension that, as you are neglecting your salvation and walking in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, for all these things, God will bring you into judgment.
We appeal to yourselves if this be not the fact. Now, do not imagine that these misgivings of mind proceed from mere constitutional melancholy, or weakness of reason, or groundless alarm. No, they are perfectly rational and well founded. They are conscience responding to the truth. They are intended to awaken you to your true interest, and to lead you to seek rest where alone it is to be found. Arise then and depart. Let each of you say with the prodigal, “I will arise and go to my father;” and you may depend on receiving the same gracious welcome (Luke 15:18). Seek God where he is to be found; in the place where he delights to dwell. “Arise and go up to Bethel” (Gen. 35:3). “Today is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). “The watchman upon the mount…shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God” (Jer. 31:6). “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6:16). But if you shall say, “We will not walk therein,” neither will we hearken to the sound of the trumpet (vs. 17); if you shall harden yourselves in your worldliness, and sink down in the deep lethargy of carnal security; be it known to you that even the feeble support you have shall utterly fail; your hope shall be cut off; your trust shall be as a spider’s web; the house, while you lean on it, shall give way with all its pillars; the world itself to which you looked for rest will not only disappoint you, but destroy you with a sore destruction. Nay, the gracious and holy God whose mercies you have abused, and whose invitations you have disregarded will swear in his wrath that you shall never enter into his rest (Ps. 95:11). Yet how can the watchman give you up, or cease to sound the alarm in your ears? Woe to you who lade yourselves with thick clay (Hab. 2:6), and are at rest in your possessions. “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit” (Isa. 30:1). “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help…but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!” (Isa. 31:1). “Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep” (Luke 6:25). “Woe to all of you “that are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). Arise, ye careless men, who are immersed in toil and trouble, but who neglect the one thing needful. “Rise up, ye women that are at ease; hear my voice, ye careless daughters; give ear unto my speech. Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women” (Isa. 32:9–10). “What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon thee, that thou perish not” (Jonah 1:6). “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14). “Arise ye and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction” (Mic. 2:10).
Finally, Are there not some of you who are so far under concern that you have lost your former rest, but have not found another? The steps by which you have been led to this state have no doubt been various. This may have been simply the effect of the truth, without anything remarkable in providential dispensations. More probably, some of the objects which once gave you supreme delight have, though not removed, been embittered to you; the imperfections and troubles of the persons and things of this life have been the gall and wormwood which the hand of the Almighty has been mixing with the intoxicating cup, to render it less pleasant to your taste. Or it may be that as some of your earthly attainments were so strong, that repeated disappointments made no impression on you, and nothing could make you voluntarily let go your hold, God has therefore altogether taken away from you the objects of your idolatrous regard. The prosperity of your circumstances may have received a check; your health may be impaired; your friend may be remove by death; and all your prospects may be clouded. To such things as these may have been added the consideration of your sinful and dying condition, and other awakening topics, which you dwelt on in private, or had pressed on your attention in public, while the Spirit of God may have begun to deal with you. The effect of the whole is that you have lost your peace, and that you can no longer find contentment in the world. Its good things cannot satisfy you; its deceptions cannot impose on you; its amusements cannot amuse you; its pleasures cannot please you; its cordials cannot raise your spirits; nor its anodynes9anodynes – painkillers (Ed.) mitigate your pain.
What advice then ought we to give to you who are in this state of mind? Shall we advise you to make another trial of what you have already proved to be ineffectual? to return to the world in order to drown your cares in its whirling vortex? No. We most solemnly warn you against those who would pretend that such anxiety is a proof of a weak and superstitious mind; who would attempt to laugh you out of your scruples; and who would endeavour to bring you back to a state of wilful ungodliness, or at least of contented indifference. Far be from us the attempt to reestablish your tranquility by removing the most helpful symptom in your case; to allay your restlessness by administering an opiate so malignantly powerful as would sink you into the sleep of death. By everything valuable to you as immortal creatures, we beseech you no more to go in quest of peace to a quarter where you have been so often deceived. What solid advantage have you ever reaped in that way? “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now” [beginning to be] “ashamed? for the end of these things is death” (Rom. 6:21). As little need ye ever hereafter expect to find fruit in those polluted regions, whose trees are withering under the curse of the Almighty. Nay, should you return to seek rest in the world, you will not only be disappointed, but you will be in danger of perishing under the aggravated guilt of having stifled your convictions and quenched the Spirit. If after you have escaped the pollutions of the world, you be again entangled therein and overcome; the latter end will be worse with you than the beginning.
As we would not have you to look again to the world for rest, so neither would we have you to remain where you are. You are advanced so far as to be deprived of rest, but you have not advanced far enough to be happy: why not proceed another step, and lay hold of those consolations which will never fail? In order to this, it is necessary that you do indeed receive the gospel, and positively join the company of pilgrims. If you would have the security of God’s people, you must occupy their ground. You cannot expect the peace and joy of confirmed disciples, if you continue hesitating and irresolute. Let not him that wavereth think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord (James 1:6). Ye cannot serve two masters; “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24). Are you then longing for deliverance from this distressing inquietude? and are you ready to cry out with the psalmist, “Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then I would fly away, and be at rest” (Ps. 55:6)? Know assuredly that rest can only be found in the way of thorough determination, and of an entire surrender to the grace and government of the Redeemer. “How long halt ye between two opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21). If you would be happy, be decided. Abandoning, from the very heart, all those false refuges from which one after another you feel yourselves driven, yield yourselves up without reserve to the Lord Jesus Christ, and he has pledged his word that he will give you rest. In full reliance on his merits, and in the steady prosecution of the spiritual journey, you will even now enjoy a fixedness and satisfaction of mind to which you have hitherto been strangers, and in due time you will arrive at that blessed country from which disappointment, and restlessness, and painful longings shall be completely and eternally excluded. God grant that this may be your happy decision; and to his name be all praise, now and ever, Amen.
Footnotes
- 1nitre – potassium nitrate, especially as a naturally occurring mineral. When combined with acids, like vinegar, it bubbles and fizzes. Apparently, it was used to wash clothes in ancient times. (Ed.) ↩︎
- 2plenitude – an abundance (Ed.) ↩︎
- 3sublunary – belonging to this world as contrasted with a better or more spiritual one (Ed.) ↩︎
- 4In reference to the glories of the Church in the postmillennial period (Ed.) ↩︎
- 5sequestered – isolated and hiiden away (Ed.) ↩︎
- 6evanescent – quickly fading or disappearing (Ed.) ↩︎
- 7deprecated – to express disapproval of (Ed.) ↩︎
- 8expatiate – speak or write at length (Ed.) ↩︎
- 9anodynes – painkillers (Ed.) ↩︎
