2. They have this their reft in God: In God truly, and in God only.

(1.) They have a reft in God truly. It is not a name only, but a reality, though it is better felt than defcribed. Whatever tranquility and peace, content and pleasure, fatisfaction and joy go to make up the reft of a foul, which others feek in vain in the creatures, these the faint hath in God. The Pfalmift here fpeaks of it as one that knew what it meant, as one who was experimentally acquainted with it. There is a reft for fouls, a reft in God, which how empty a notion it may feem to be to others, the real christian knows to be a truth, and something which he would not part withal, for all other pleasures in the world.

(2.) Holy fouls reft in God only. Nothing below him can fatisfy their defires; and beyond him, and besides him they can neither defire, nor want any thing more. They look upon all this world, and feeing and fore-feeing its vanity, they deprecate their having of their portion in it, and being put off with it. O Lord, deliver me from the men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou filleft with thy hid treasure, &c. O let me be none of the number who have this to be their all, and who can be fatisfied with it: my bufinefs, O Lord, lies with thee, and my happiness in thee. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; 1 (ball be fatisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness, Pfalm xvii. 14.

By this a faint is diftinguished from all others, his taking up his reft only in God, Pf. iv. 6, 7. There be many that fay, Who will shew

II.

us any good? But any good will not fatisfy fuch as God has fet apart for himself: It is therefore added, as that which they moft defire, Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon

us.

And the granting of fuch a request, gives them the greatest joy: Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. And in taking the reft here found for the gracious foul, it follows, I will both lay me down in peace, and fleep: for thou Lord only, makeft me dwell in fafety. We have an appeal of fuch a foul to God himself, as quitting the whole creation, and centering in him, as better than all. Pfalm. lxxiii. 25. Whom have I in heaven, but thee? And there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee.

(3.) Gracious fouls reft in God, . e. They and none elfe, They and all of their number.

(1.) They and none else. Whatever others may speak of a reft in God, only holy fouls know what it means. Return unto thy reft, O my foul, to thy reft in calm and cheerful fubmillion to God's will, delight in his fervice, fatisfaction in his prefence, in joy in communion begun with him here below, which is to be perfected above in its full fruition.

Holy fouls reft in God, and in his will; in his will of precept as their fovereign Lord, whose commands concerning all things are right, and in the keeping of which there is great reward: In his will of providence as their abfolute owner, and who does all things well: In himself as their God, their portion, and their chief good, in whom

they shall have all that they can need, or are capable of enjoying to compleat their bleffednefs for ever.

This can be faid of none elfe: Men of the earth have their portion much lower, and rest in it. They are best pleased, when they have most of the world, and bid their foul take its ease, when they have goods laid up for many years. But a child of God is then most easy and at reft, when nearest to him, faying, It is good for me to draw nigh to God; nothing refreshes me like this; nothing quiets and comforts me like this: It is therefore good for me to draw nigh to God, the best thing in all the world.

This is true only of the children of God, They rest in him, and none elfe do: They have a different temper from all others, and therefore have a different center of reft. They have that likeness to God which none else have; and therefore place the happiness of their fouls in him, which none else do.

(2.) They reft in God, that is, all of them do fo. This is true of every one that belongs to God, from fuch as are got nearest to heaven, or gone into it, down to those that are but just entered into the way thither. There is a vaft difference between the people of God and the men of the world and it lies in this, the different objects in which they place their reft. The former without exception, place it in God; the latter as univerfally in the creature, how infinitely foever below him. But in this, in which all faints are distinguished from others, they agree among themselves, God the fountain of bleffedI 2

nefs

nefs is the common centre of their reft. Thofe among them that have most of the world, would think and own themselves miferable without God, for any thing this could do for them; and therefore humbly and folemnly profefs, they will not be put off with it. They among them that have leaft of the world, believe God alone to be fufficient for their happiness; and therefore in the abfence of all lower comforts, will acquiefce with pleasure and fatisfaction in himself.

The prophet fpeaks the common sense of fuch, Hab. iii. 17, 18. Although the fig-tree fhall not bloffom, neither fhail fruit be in the vine, the labour of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fhall yield no meat, the flock fhall be cut off from the fold, and there fhall be no herd in the ftalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my falvation, i. e. the fountain is full and inexhauftible, and fo enough to my happiness, though all the streams of creature comforts be cut off and dried up. Here, therefore, will I fit and drink, and lift up my head and fing, The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, &c. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage, Pial. xvi. 5, 6. Let others take up their reft in whom they will, God is my reft, my portion, my All.

In the midst of all earthly comforts, God is the fpring and center of his people's happiness and hopes, and in the abfence of these he is fill the fame; and therefore in him holy fouls fee reafon ftill to be at reft. They can fet God and an interest in him against all the wants and

trou

troubles they meet with, and find in him enough to their fatisfaction notwithstanding them. Let who will be difquieted when denied or dprived of this world, Lord give me thyfelf, and I have enough. Had I ten thousand worlds without God, I have nothing; but if I have him, I have all.

Thus they reft in God: They, and none else They, and every one of their number.

;

4. Reft in God is theirs, that is, upon fpecial and most comfortable grounds, it belongs to holy fouls. The Pfalmift here put in his claim to it, Return unto thy reft, O my foul.

Reft in God may be faid to be theirs on a fourfold account, viz. By defignation, purchase, promife, and choice.

(1.) By defignation. The reft which the people of God have in him, is the refult of his own purpose and defign, taken up from his meer good pleasure and love. He forefaw and pitied the cafe of fouls wandring from their proper reft: and how unworthy foever they were, as having forfaken him without caufe, he determined to give them that rest in himself that could no where elfe be found. This was with him an early refolve which in time appears, his fetting apart every one that is godly for himself, to take up their reft in him, in oppofition to all things elfe, P/. iv. 3. They are called a chofen generation, a peculiar people, as afpiring upward, looking over all this world, and refting in God: And this is the refult of a gracious purpose from eternity, taken up concerning them. This foul fhall not go without a reft; and as this is what I determine to bestow, I will be its reft, myself. It shall reft