Skip to main content

Manton on Rest

And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2Th 1:7 
 
Rest for the troubled
 
I. What is this rest? It is—
1. A felicitating rest. In it there is—
(1) Freedom from all troublesome evils.
(a) Sin (Rom 7:24) is the most grievous, but in heaven there is no sin (Eph 5:27). In paradise there was a tempter, but not in heaven.
(b) Misery and affliction (Rev 22:4).
(2) An enjoyment of all good, even God. To our felicity three things are necessary.
(a) A prepared faculty;
(b) a suitable object;
(c) the conjunction of these.
In a state of glory these things concur. The faculty is more prepared than here as we are purged from sin and fleshly delusions—the object is more manifested (1Co 13:12); the conjunction is more intimate; for here it is by faith, there by vision, here by an imperfect, there by a perfect love.
2. A holy rest, a perpetual sabbatizing (Heb 4:9). The Sabbath is not a time of idleness; on it the sacrifices were doubled (Num 28:1). So our service is not ended with our lives; holy work will be part of the blessedness of heaven (Rev 7:14-15).
3. A rest for the whole person—body and soul.
 
II. Why our reward is represented as rest. Because it suits—
1. The aim of the saints. It is the end of motion. None have it but those that seek after it. We are all travelling to the other world. Some are posting to eternal torment on the broad road, others to life and rest by the narrow way (Mat 7:13-14). Every day a Christian gets nearer the goal (Rom 13:11).
2. The goodness of God, who delights to recompense His people for their pain and weariness. He has a care for His weary servants here and gives them rest (Isa 50:4; Mat 11:28).
 
III. "rest with us."
1. All Christians have the same felicity for substance though the degrees are different. Those who have been together in the labor, duty, and danger shall be together in the rest and recompense (Mat 25:1). The grounds of essential happiness are the same to all.
(1) The same Redeemer (Exo 30:15; 1Co 1:2; Rom 3:22).
(2) The same covenant which is the common charter of the saints (Act 2:39). It is a covenant which—
(a) Offers the same benefits, pardon, life (Rom 4:23-24; 2Ti 4:8).
(b) Requires the same duties (Gal 6:16; Rom 1:16).
2. Though the essential happiness of the saints is the same, yet there are degrees in glory. What relation holiness has to heaven, so more holiness here means more happiness there.
3. It is a comfortable adjunct to our felicity that we shall have such company there (Mat 8:11; Heb 12:22-23; Eph 2:19; Eph 3:15). Let this promote church unity.
(T. Manton, D. D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God's Way of Peace, 1

GOD'S WAY OF PEACE. CHAPTER I GOD's TESTIMONY CONCERNING MAN                                                  Gen. 6:5-12.             Eccl. 7:29                Rom. 3:9-1                                                 Job 15: 14-16.         Isa. 53:6                   Eph. 2:1-4                                                Psa.14:1-3                John 15:18-24.      Titus...
Post a Comment
Read more

Faith, and the witness upon which it is founded

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son . 1Jn 5:9 -10   Faith, and the witness upon which it is founded Faith stands, under the covenant of grace, in a leading position amongst the works of the regenerate man and the gifts of the Spirit of God. The promise no longer stands to the man who doeth these things that he shall live in them, else we were shut out of it, but " the just shall live by faith ." God now biddeth us live by believing in Him. I. First, then, since our great business is that we believe God, let us see what reason we have for believing Him. I. The external evidence given is stated in the first verse of the text, as the evidence of God to us, and it is prefaced by t...
Post a Comment
Read more

John the Baptist first, then Jesus

John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.  J oh n 3:27 -31   John the Baptist first, then Jesus I. WHAT DID JOHN PREACH? 1. He delivered the whole law against sin; even in the case of Herod Mar 6:18-20) and of the Pharisees (Luk 3:7). He showed how the law extended to the words and thoughts of men (Mat 3:8-9). He counselled circumspection in the walks of ordinary life, with a view to the final account. Thus he aroused...
Post a Comment
Read more