Morning, January 18
Go To Evening Reading
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
Hebrews 4:9
How different will be the state of the believer in heaven from what
it is here! Here he is born to toil and suffer weariness, but in the
land of the immortal, fatigue is never known. Anxious to serve his
Master, he finds his strength unequal to his zeal: his constant cry
is, “Help me to serve thee, O my God.” If he be thoroughly active, he will have much labour; not too much
for his will, but more than enough for his power, so that he will
cry out, “I am not wearied of the labour, but I am wearied in it .” Ah! Christian, the hot day of weariness lasts not forever; the sun
is nearing the horizon; it shall rise again with a brighter day than
thou hast ever seen upon a land where they serve God day and night,
and yet rest from their labours. Here , rest is but partial, there , it is perfect . Here , the Christian is always unsettled; he feels that he has not yet
attained. There , all are at rest; they have attained the summit of the mountain;
they have ascended to the bosom of their God. Higher they cannot go.
Ah, toil-worn labourer, only think when thou shalt rest forever! Canst
thou conceive it? It is a rest eternal ; a rest that “remaineth.” Here, my best joys bear “mortal” on their brow; my fair flowers fade; my dainty cups are drained to
dregs; my sweetest birds fall before Death’s arrows; my most pleasant days are shadowed into nights; and the
flood-tides of my bliss subside into ebbs of sorrow; but there , everything is immortal; the harp abides unrusted, the crown unwithered,
the eye undimmed, the voice unfaltering, the heart unwavering, and
the immortal being is wholly absorbed in infinite delight. Happy day!
happy! when mortality shall be swallowed up of life, and the Eternal
Sabbath shall begin.