ion, and various editions are now in
circulation. The saintliness of this broad-minded divine's
character emerges unsullied from an age of contentious
bigotry.

_I.--THE NATURE OF REST_

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."
--Heb. iv, 9.

It was not only our interest in God and actual fruition of Him which was
lost in Adam's covenant-breaking fall, but all spiritual knowledge of
Him, and true disposition towards such a felicity. Man hath now a heart
too suitable to his low estate--a low state, and a low spirit. And when
the Son of God comes with tenders of a spiritual and eternal happiness
and glory, He finds not faith in man to believe it; but, as the poor man
would not believe that any one man had such a sum as a hundred
pounds--it was so far above what he possessed--so no man will hardly now
believe that there is such a happiness as once he had, much less as
Christ hath now procured.

The Apostle bestows most of his epistle against this distemper, and
clearly and largely proves that the rest of Sabbaths and Canaan should
teach men to look for further rest, which indeed is their happiness.
What more welcome to men under personal afflictions, tiring duty,
successions of sufferings, than rest? What more welcome news to men
under public calamities, unpleasing employment, plundering losses, sad
tidings, than this of rest?

Now let us see what this rest is. Though the sense of the text includes
in the word "rest" all that ease and safety which a soul hath with
Christ in _this life_--the rest of grace--yet because it chiefly intends
the rest of eternal glory I shall confine my discourse to this last.

Rest is the end and perfection of motion. The saints' rest, here in
question, is _the most happy estate of a Christian having obtained the
end of his course_.

May we show what this rest containeth. Alas! how little know I of that
whereof I am about to speak. Shall I speak before I know? If I stay till
I clearly know I shall not come again to speak. Therefore will I speak
that little which I do know of it rather than be wholly silent.

There is contained in this rest a cessation from motion or action. When
we have obtained the haven we have done with sailing; when we are at our
journey's end we have done with the way. There shall be no more prayer
because no more necessity, but the full enjoyment of what we prayed for.
Neither shall we need to fast and weep and watch a