Words To Rest On

Words To Rest On

(No. 2250)

INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, APRIL 3, 1892.

DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING,
SEPTEMBER 18, 1890.

"And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, king of
Judah." 2 Chronicles 32:8.

IT is very beautiful reading, the story of Hezekiah, to see how the
people always went with him. God had prepared the nation for a change
and when the hour came, the man came with it. Under his father Ahaz,
the people had been idolaters and had forsaken God. But, when Hezekiah
became king, he had a zeal for the worship of Jehovah, and on the very
threshold of his reign he began what proved to be a glorious
reformation in the land. He seems to have been a man who was attractive
to the people and they took up his line of things at once with
enthusiasm. Whether he proposed to break down the idols, to cleanse the
Temple, or to bring tithes into the House of God, they made no
objections, but, on the contrary, they followed his word with much
vigor and earnestness. It is a grand thing when God sends a man who can
guide others aright–especially when, in times of apostasy and
spiritual declension, a leader is given who becomes a guide back to the
old paths. We should feel exceedingly grateful whenever, in any place,
God raises up a judge to deliver Israel and when the people serve God
all the days of that judge.

When our text comes in, the people of Judah were in great straits. The
Assyrians, who were both cruel and barbarous in their treatment of
others, had invaded the land and had captured all the country, with the
exception of Jerusalem. The city of the Great King was yet untrod by
the armies of the alien, but it looked as if it could not hold out very
long, and Hezekiah encouraged his men of war by exciting their faith in
their God. "Be strong and courageous," he said to them. "Be not afraid
nor dismayed for the King of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is
with him." With a ring of triumph in his tone, he told them that with
Sennacherib was only an army of flesh and though it was a powerful one,
yet with them was the Omnipotence of God and, therefore, there was more
with them than with the Assyrians! The past glory of his reign and the
evident depth of his own faith added weight to his words–and the
people believed his testimony. In such a time of great difficulty, when
people are apt to mutiny, to find fault with their leaders and to break
up into cliques and parties, they still held to their king and
comforted themselves with the assurance he had given them of help in
God. They were not distressed because of invasion, nor did they despair
of their cause. They were, of course, conscious of their great danger,
but they had found peace, even in their extremity, by quoting to
themselves and to one another, the emboldened language of their king.
"The people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, the king of
Judah."

It is not always a good thing to rest upon man's words. It may often be
a very evil thing and because some error has been introduced by "such a
dear, good man," it has had the deadlier hold upon masses of men. There
have been thousands who have found their way to Hell resting upon the
words of some priest or pretended teacher who taught other than the
Truth of God. And yet, with this grain of caution, we cannot but
commend these people who, when they had a God-sent leader, had both the
commonsense and the uncommon confidence to banish their fears at his
bidding, seeing that his trust was in the name of the Lord. The people
were not perfect, nor was their king, but we commend them in that they
did wisely when they "rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, the
king of Judah."

I. Our first consideration shall be THE KIND OF MAN WHOSE WORDS ARE
LIKELY TO BE RESTED ON. There are some in whose words you never have
much confidence because they are flippant in their utterance. They do
not appear to be sincere and those who hear them make nothing of what
they say, for they are evidently making nothing of it, themselves! You
cannot rest in the words of a man who contradicts himself, nor rely
much upon one who is of one opinion today, who will be of another
opinion tomorrow and, who, before the third day is over, will be seized
with some new

notion! There are men whom we all know in whose word nobody is tempted
to put any kind of trust whatever! But, thanks be to God, there are in
the Christian Church still some in whose words men do trust, men who
are as transparent as the clearest crystal and as reliable as the best
steel! These are the kind of men I want to describe and this man who
won the confidence of the people of Jerusalem shall serve us as a type,
thereof, and enable us to discover the kind of man whose words are
likely to be rested on.

To begin with, he must be a great man. So it was in the case of
"Hezekiah, king of Judah." If the people cannot trust their king in
matters of war, in whom can they trust? But if they see him to be a
good Sovereign, walking in the fear of God and doing his utmost for
them, how shall they do otherwise than trust their king? Yet in this
matter we must take care, for they who trust in the great may find
themselves greatly deceived. "Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and
makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord." That man
is not truly great who leads us away from the greatest of all, even the
Lord who rules over all. "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in princes." There is a kind of greatness that is only a
cover for littleness. Sometimes a great title has great selfishness,
even great sensuality lying just underneath it. But Hezekiah was not a
little great man–he was truly a king. He was born a monarch, a kingly
man. He was a man of royal mind and noble deed–therefore the people
did not ill, when, having respect to his greatness, they "rested
themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, the king of Judah."

Moreover, the man who will be trusted will be found to be a good man.
If he is not really so, he will, at least, be thought to be so. Men
will put great trust in the words of one whose life agrees with his
teaching. If they can detect something inconsistent in his character,
the man's power is ended. But if a man is evidently carried away with
the one idea of being and doing good–and consumed with the purpose of
glorifying God–then his utterances have power. I know a man who is not
an orator. He speaks but very plainly and yet, if I had my choice, I
would sooner hear him than almost any man I ever heard, because, when
he speaks, I remember the wondrous life of faith in God which
accompanies his words. I will not say who he is, but almost everybody
will guess. It is not what he says, but the man who says it, that makes
the impression! It is the life behind the words, the holy confidence
exhibited in God every day, the calm restful walk with God which
everybody can see in his very face, which, to a thoughtful man, makes
his feeblest accent more powerful than the most furious declamation of
a mere rhetorician. As Dr. Bonar says–

"You must be true, yourself, If you the Truth would teach. Your soul
must overflow, if you Another's soul would reach– It needs the
overflow of heart To give the lips full speech."

The man in whose words we are likely to find rest must be a good man.
Hezekiah, from all we read of him, was evidently such a man. When
greatness and goodness are blended, as in his case, there is sure to be
a wide influence exerted. When there is eminence of ability as well as
eminence of character found in a man, it often follows that what is
described in this verse is true–the people rest themselves upon his
words, even as they did upon Hezekiah's.

Again, a man whose words are to be rested upon must be a courageous
man. Hezekiah had this qualification. He had waited upon God in prayer
and knew God would deliver him, so he had bid farewell to fear. He was
calm and, therefore, bold. When he spoke to the captains of the
soldiers, there was no trepidation in his voice or in his manner. He
spoke like one who was–

"Calm amid the bewildering cry, Confident of victory."

Courage in one man breeds courage in another–but one coward has the
contagion of cowardice about him–many will turn tail when one runs.
But, if a man stands like a rock, unmoved, he will soon have a body of
others behind him who will have borrowed courage from his example!
Paul, in the storm, is an example of this. I suppose he was a little
insignificant-looking Jew, yet when the sailors and the soldiers were
alarmed at the tempest, he calmly and quietly told them not to be
afraid, and they borrowed courage from his faith. He told them that no
harm would come to them–that though the ship would be lost, their
lives had been given to him in answer to his prayer–and since they had
fasted long, he bade them to eat, and they did eat. All his orders were
carried out as fully as if he had been the centurion in command of the
soldiers, or the captain in charge of the ship!

Because he was bold, he made them brave! He commanded them because he
could command himself. Oh, my Brothers and Sisters, may you have the
courage of your convictions! May you be brave enough to do right and to
speak right, and to stand up for the Gospel, whoever rails at it! If
you do, you have only to bide your time and you will be master over
meaner men who cannot be trusted. He that will but "hold the fort" when
others are giving up their castles, shall, by-and-by, God helping him,
behold a race of valiant men, who, like himself, shall believe in their
Master's coming and will not quit the field until He appears. God grant
to many here to be bold in the way of holiness, in their own circle, in
their own families! They must be assured that there will be found some
who will rest upon their words because they see their courage.

Further, a man who is to have his words much rested in, must also be a
hearty man. Indeed, he must be an enthusiast. Of such a spirit was
Hezekiah, for we read in the last verse of the previous chapter, "and
in every work that he began in the service of the House of God, and in
the Law, and in the Commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all
his heart." This is the kind of man whom people will follow! Let them
but see that the whole of the man leads them, and not only a bit of
him, and they will quickly learn to rely on his word. Put all your
heart into what you do, or else put none of it! There are some people
who seem as if they have no heart, or at least their heart is only a
kind of valve for the expulsion of blood and not over vigorous in that
direction, I fear. Any other kind of heart you cannot discover. Nobody
will follow mere head. There must be a heart displayed by the man who
would have a hearty following. If you want to lead others aright, lead
them by showing that you, yourself, love the way. Be intense! Be
emphatic! Throw your whole being into it! Be hearty when you are
working, when you are praying, when you are singing! In all that you do
for God and for your fellow Christians, let your heart be manifest–and
then it is highly probable that it may happen to you, as it did to
Heze-kiah–that many will rest upon your words.

In the case of such a man, God will add His sanction by granting
success–he will be a prosperous man. I did not finish the last verse
of the previous chapter just now. It reads–"He did it with all his
heart, and prospered." He prospered because he did everything with all
his heart! God set His seal to that which he did so heartily. A man may
be devout and holy, but not be outwardly prospered. Such a man may do
useful work for the Lord. But the man whom God chooses for a leader, He
will also qualify and bless. He will put His mark upon him–and when
people see that a man is enabled by God to go from strength to
strength, that his enterprises do not end in disaster–but that, by the
Grace of God he leads his followers from victory to victory, they are
sure to rest themselves upon his word.

Let me add, that he who could help others must be a man who has respect
for God's Word. We may safely rest ourselves upon a man's words when,
like Hezekiah, his words are full of God, and when, evidently, he has
nothing to say but what God has first said to him. Such a man becomes
the medium by which God speaks to your soul. "With him is an arm of
flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our
battles." Even had this been spoken by another, it was a Divine Truth
and any man might have rested upon it. If any of us must be very
original–if we must think out our own theology and go on speculating
from day to day–our people will be very foolish if they ever rest
themselves upon our fickle, vapid words!

But if the minister of Christ is as God's mouth. If he is dependent
upon the Spirit of God for teaching, then God will speak through him
and the people will hear. If his one aim is not to be original, but to
repeat God's thought as far as he knows them–and to speak the Truth of
God revealed as far as he can get a grip of it–such a man will often
come to know that the people are resting themselves upon his words, for
his words will be not so much his, but God's Words through him. May our
prayer then be–

"Lord, speak to me, that I may speak In living echoes of Your tone; As
You ha ve sought, so let me seek Your erring children, lost and lone."
Here a word of caution is necessary. Since men are permitted to say
words upon which other people rest, let us be careful how we speak.
There may be some here who have attained, by years of holy living and
deep experience, to a position of great influence–one of you in a
Bible class, another in a village station, several of you, perhaps, in
your pulpits. Brothers and Sisters, what a very responsible position we
occupy when young people and others are resting upon our words! I will
not say whether they are altogether right or wrong in doing so, but I
know this is their habit. Therefore, what manner of people ought we to
be! How choice should be our language! How determined we ought to be to
let all

our teachings be Scriptural and not to mingle the precious with the
vile–remembering the promise–"If you take forth the precious from the
vile, you shall be as My mouth."

Do not let us, even in sport, say what may injure others. I have known
children take in earnest what others have said in jest. It were often
better that some things were not said even in sport, for such flippant
utterances have either misled the children, or they have injured the
influence of those who have uttered them when they have spoken another
time. Since it so happens that many of those around us are of feeble
minds and need a strong mind to guide them, let those who lead be
doubly careful of their conversation and conduct! Since those who know
their own weakness lean, perhaps, too much upon their teachers, let
their teachers cry to God that they may be helped to teach nothing but
what is right! May you and I never lead another astray even one inch!
May none of us ever be in communion with that which is not true! May we
stand right out from all connection with that which we feel to be
contrary to the mind of God! Let us try to live in such a way that if
another were to take us for an example, he might copy us through and
through and do himself no harm.

I set before you a very high standard and one which no man will reach
except under Divine instruction. But since the necessary teaching is
freely given to all who seek it, I would urge you to be quick scholars
in the School of Grace. I fear very few of us have ever reached this
excellent standard, but that is no reason why we should not study our
lesson with redoubled energy. Remember that Hezekiah must speak aright
when the people of Jerusalem rest themselves upon his words. O
Hezekiah, be not silent when you ought to speak! Speak not when you
ought to be silent! And never speak except when the Lord shall open
your lips, that your mouth may show forth His praise! Since you have
this responsibility that the people rest upon your words, be sure to
give them words solid enough and reliable enough to rest upon! As you
have "worked that which was good and right and truth before the Lord,"
speak also true and right and good words to the people–and then it
shall be well both with them and with you.

II. In the second place, let us turn the other way and look at THE KIND
OF PEOPLE WHO REST ON SUCH A MAN'S WORDS. I am not going to praise all
these people, nor am I going to blame them. I wish to use
discrimination and judge each case upon its merits. Sometimes it is the
best possible thing for a man to rest himself on the words of
an-other–but often such a course is a very foolish one.

Children do so with their parents and if they have gracious and godly
parents, they do well to rest themselves on their father's or on their
mother's word. When I was a boy, I never doubted what my father
believed. And when I was under the influence of my grandfather, who
taught the Word of God, I was such a little simpleton that I never set
up my judgment against his. I find that very small boys are not now so
foolish! I wish they were wise enough to be as foolish as I was! When I
grew up, I never suspected a doctrine because my father believed it.
No, my leaning went the other way–and if my godly father found peace
and comfort in a Word of God, I thought that what was good for him was
good for his son. I was foolish enough to lean upon the words of my
elders in this way and, somehow, though others often think that such a
course is folly, I am glad that it was so.

I thank God, too, that my sons were as foolish as their father and that
what their father believed had an attraction for them. I hope that they
judged for themselves, as I, also, tried to do, when I came to riper
years, but, at the first, it was the words of my parents that led me to
Christ. What I knew of the elements of the Gospel, I received largely,
without a question, from them, and I do not think it was an ill
bequest. Now, dear parents, mind that your children are able to believe
in you. I like children to have fathers and mothers whom they can
trust. A young Friend has written me a letter, asking me to preach a
sermon on, "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger." Well, will
you kindly consider that I have preached it? I fear I could not make a
long sermon of it, but it is necessary to tell some of you parents that
I suspect you are not quite so considerate as you ought to be. I do not
know the man for whom the word is intended, but I wish he would take
the sermon as if I had preached it to him.

Now, fathers and mothers, your children do rest themselves upon your
words if you are fathers and mothers worth having. Be careful, then, of
what you say. I like that boy who said, "I know that it is true, for
mother said it. Whatever mother says is true, and it is true if it is
not true, if mother said it." It is a blessed thing when boys and girls
can feel such confidence in their parents that they are sure that their
word is beyond all question. It is so much easier for them to have
faith in God in the days to come if, first, they have been able to have
faith in their father and mother. Faith of any kind is

so tender a plant that is should be carefully nourished wherever it is
found. And as children often and, rightly, too, rest themselves upon
the words of their parents, it behooves the parents to give them words
whereon they may safely rest.

Illiterate people, who cannot read, belong to another class who must
rest themselves upon the words of others. They are but grown-up
children, if they are persons of no education, though I am glad to
think the number of those who cannot even read their Bible for
themselves is constantly decreasing. Still, there are many persons who
are so taken up with daily toil that they have no opportunity of
searching for themselves. Although God has given many of them gracious
judgments, so that they seem to know truth from error by a kind of
inward instinct, yet, for the most part, much of the teaching that they
receive must come to them as the utterance of some man in whose life
they believe–and whom they believe to be under a Divine influence
which makes him speak continually with an endeavor for their good.
Whether this is right or not, it is so. And every man who is placed in
a position where many such hang upon his words, must, therefore, learn
to speak only as God speaks to him, lest he should sin–and lest the
hundreds who accept what he says as being true–would be led astray.

This is also the case with regard to unconverted persons who have no
spiritual discernment and who can have none, in their first hearing of
the Gospel. Very largely, men believe in Christ not only through the
Scriptures, but through the testimony of those who already know the
Lord. This was implied by our Savior's words in that wondrous
intercession with His Father. Christ said, concerning His disciples,
"Neither pray I for these alone; but for them, also, which shall
believe on Me through their word." It is part of the economy of Grace
that the testimony of the saints shall be used of the Spirit to lead
people to Christ. We bear witness to forgiveness which we have
received. We bear witness to a change of heart which we have
experienced. We bear witness to the power of prayer and, like the men
of Sychar, the people who hear us first, believe our word, and that
leads them to Christ. After they have met with Him, they may say, with
much truth, "Now we believe, not because of your saying: for we have
heard Him ourselves, and know that this is, indeed, the Christ, the
Savior of the world." Still, it will always be true that, at the
beginning, it was because of our words that they believed.

It is a large part of our ministry to bear witness to the Truth of God
recorded in the Book of God and, oftentimes, the witness, himself, is
believed and then what he says is believed because of the faith the
hearer has in him. Although some are unworthy of such credence, yet so
it does happen. Christian men, you are like the Bibles of the people.
They do not read the Book, but they read you! And if they see Christ in
you truly represented, they will, perhaps, come to the knowledge of
Him. But, if you caricature Him, dreadful evil will come of it. I
beseech you, be very careful! If the preacher, when he is addressing a
mass of people who never read the Word of God, contorts and distorts
the Truth of God, what wonder is it if the people miss the salvation of
Christ altogether, seeing that they rest upon his word? If he only
gives half of the Truth, or only one side of it–if he paints one
doctrine out of proportion to another. If he misses the love and
tenderness of Christ and even if he omits the justice and stern
truthfulness of God–he may so misrepresent God and Christ, and so
misinterpret the whole system of Grace to the people–that when they
rest upon his words they will be resting upon a broken reed and fall to
their eternal destruction!

Persons who naturally run in a groove form another class who rest upon
the words of men. There are some people of considerable capacity who,
nevertheless, partly from a want of elasticity of mind and partly from
excess of commonsense, are very apt to keep to beaten tracks. They are
not altogether to be censured, for some of them are the salt of the
earth. But they are a trifle monotonous in their method of life. Still,
with some, this is very natural. They are like the tramcars that only
get off line by accident. Well, I think that if I were a tramcar, I
should like to run on the trams after I got used to it. If they lead in
the right direction, we might do much worse than travel by tram. There
are, however, a number of people who always will live like that. Having
attended at such a place of worship and having been brought up in the
midst of a certain set of godly people, they scarcely deviate one jot
from the teaching that they have received. Almost by necessity of their
nature they rest on what they hear.

There is one more class I should like to mention, not because I am fond
of them, but for the opposite reason–I mean those who profess always
to do their own thinking–who will not have any creed and who say that
they will not follow anybody. If you will trace them home, they are, in
nine cases out of ten, the worse slaves that ever lived. They are the
bond-servants of some heretic or other who has put it into their heads
that, in following him, they become free men! Why, there are thousands
of people that laugh at us for believing in the old doctrine of the
Fall of Man, who, neverthe-

less, rest themselves implicitly upon the words of some infidel
philosopher, or else they follow some favorite heretic in broadcloth
upon whom they rest their confidence through thick and thin! They speak
much of their deep thought, but they never think–they make up for lack
of brains by talking the jargon supposed to be spoken by highly
intellectual people, though, in most cases, it requires a very vivid
imagination to make the supposition. These, who thus take for granted
the heterodox words of their favorite leaders, though they do not
acknowledge them, incur great guilt–and their leaders are doing
grievous mischief in uttering the words upon which their followers stay
themselves.

Before I leave this point, I would urge you earnestly to be careful
both as to the man you hear, and the words of his on which you rest. I
beseech any of you who are attendants here, who are resting yourselves
upon my words, to cease that habit! If I tell you anything that is not
consistent with God's Word, away with my word, and away with me, too!
If you hear from me anything which Christ would not have taught, I
shall grieve to the last degree if you believe it. But if you fling it
away and ascribe it to the infirmity and fallibility of the preacher,
it will be better for you. Or if there are some of you here who are
resting yourselves upon any other man's words, I exhort you to know
thoroughly the man and his communications–and do not, even when you
know him–take his words without an appeal, "to the Law and to the
Testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because
there is no light in them." Bring all men's words to the test of God's
Words! "Beloved, believe not every spirit; but try the spirits, whether
they are of God." Blindly follow no man, "But though we, or an angel
from Heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you" from this blessed Book, "let them be accursed."

When a man has a message from God, listen to him earnestly, with an
open mind ready to be taught–but never think of making him the master
of your spirit. "The people rested themselves upon the words of
Hezekiah the king" and they did well in doing so, for he was a man
worthy of their trust. But had they been under another kind of king, or
a man of a different character and temperament, they might have ruined
themselves by relying upon the words which he spoke to them. Again,
therefore, I utter the caution–be careful both as to the man you hear
and the words of his on which you rest.

III. And now I close with my third head by asking you to consider THE
KIND OF WORDS THAT YOU MAY

REST ON. We come to speak, now, not of the kind of men who speak
restful words, nor of the kind of men who find rest in such words when
they are spoken, but of the kind of words in which you and I may rest.

You may safely rest in words which urge you to faith in God. Are you
exhorted, tonight, to lay your burden of sin down at Jesus' feet? Obey
such a word as that without questioning! You may well rest on words
which bid you to believe in Christ and you may, without fear, believe
in Him who has all Grace and wisdom and power to save and to bless you!
Through the hearing of such words, may you soon be able to say–

"I rest my soul on Jesus,

This weary soul of mine.

His right hand me embraces,

I on His breast recline.

I love the name of Jesus,

Immanuel, Christ, the Lord–

Like fragrance on the breezes,

His name abroad is poured."

Are you who are Believers encouraged to roll your care on your great
Father, according to that Word of God, "Casting all your care upon Him;
for He cares for you"? You will do no wrong in obeying to the fullest
every admonition to believe your God and to believe His Christ! If our
preaching tends to create faith and foster it, it goes the right way,
but, whatever clever things may be said, if the tendency is to
undermine faith–and if the words you hear increase that tendency–they
are mischievous, eternally mischievous, to the souls of men!

You may always rest, in the next place, on words which are the Words of
God, Himself. If God has said it, it is sure. If those men could rest
themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, the king, how is it that some of
you, who are God's people, cannot rest yourselves upon the Words of
God, our King? You believe His promises, you say, but still you are
very restless. You have some of that terrible fever of unbelief on you!
Beloved, try to practice the art of resting yourself upon the Word of
God. God has promised me such and such a thing. I believe it, therefore
I have it. "No," you say, "the Word is not yet fulfilled." Ah, but I
have got it, nevertheless! If a friend gives me a check for five
pounds, though I have never seen

his money, I have the five pounds! I do not need to see his money, for
I have his five-pound check in my pocket! I have his guarantee for the
amount and though I have not received the coin, I believe that I have
the five pounds, and so I have!

And if you believe that you have the blessing for which you have asked,
go your way and rejoice that you have it, for it is yours in the
promise, and God's promise is as valuable as God's fulfillment! Rest
yourselves, then, Beloved, in the Words of God. Are you afraid of being
too peaceful? Are you afraid of being too happy? Are you afraid of
living too blessed a life? Are any of you afraid of having too much
Heaven here below? Well, do not give way to such idle fears! The more
you can rest, the more will God be pleased with you. "Comfort you,
comfort you, My people," says your God! "Speak you comfortably to
Jerusalem." And if He bids us comfort you, you may be sure that He
wants you to be comforted! Be comforted, therefore. Rest yourselves in
His Word!

I have had to praise with bated breath those who rested on Hezekiah's
word. I have thrown in little bits of necessary caution and
interjection of doubt, but, if you desire to rest on God's Word, I need
not caution you against trusting the Lord too much! Though you believe
God up to the hilt. Though you believe God desperately. Though you
believe God to the utmost–though you believe Him infinitely–He will
never fail you! Your confidence in Him can never exceed that which He
deserves. He will warrant it all. "Whoever believes on Him shall not be
ashamed." And again it is written, "You shall not be ashamed nor
confounded, world without end." You can never be wrong in resting upon
the Words of God, Himself! Even in your greatest weakness you may look
to Him and say–

"I am trusting You for power, You can never fail!

Words which You, Yourself, shall give me Must prevail."

You may always believe, also, in words which are sealed by the Lord
Jesus. If the mark of His blood is upon any Word, you need never doubt
it. If He has died, how can you perish? If He has bid you come, how can
He cast you out? If you rest upon His finished work, how can you be
condemned? Believe, I pray you, and rest on the blood-sprinkled Words
of this wondrous Book–

"The clouds may go and come,

And storms may sweep the sky.

The blood-sealed friendship changes not,

Your cross is ever nigh.

I change–He changes not,

The Christ can never die;

His word, not mine, the resting place,

His Truth, not mine, the tie."

Believe also, most firmly, and rest yourself most fully on words which
have been blessed to other men. If others have been saved by a Word,
that Word will suit you. If God's promise proved true to my father, it
will be true to me! There is no private interpretation of God's "great
and precious promises." They are not hedged about with a fence. They
are as much mine as they were Abraham's or Jacob's–as much mine as
they were Peter's or Paul's–and I will have them, too, by faith, and
have what those promises include! Beloved, rest yourselves upon the
Words of God, upon which others have rested, and you shall find them to
be as true in your experiences as in the experience of those who have
gone before.

Last of all, you may surely rest upon Words which breathe a sense of
rest into the soul. I love all the Words of God, but there are some
that have an aroma of rest around them. Were you ever in such trouble
that, when you read the chapter beginning with those sweet words, "Let
not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me,"
you read it in vain? I think I never did! With the tears in my heart as
well as in my eyes, I have read that blessed verse again and again–and
I have been comforted. That eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans
is a wonderful Light of God when you are in the dark. When I read those
glorious doctrines, I find golden stepping stones through the Slough of
Despond. And, as for the Psalms, why the man who wrote most of them
seemed to be, "not one, but all mankind's epitome." He has lived out
all our lives–yours, mine and millions besides–his Psalms breathe
peace around us and, as we accept the Truths of God they reveal, we are
enabled to rest upon them!

To all of us the time will come when we shall need rest. Dear young
people, however long you may live, unless the Lord descends from Heaven
in Glory, the time will come when you will die. You will need a pillow,
then, and, oh, may it

be said of all of us, then, "The people rested themselves upon the
Words of Jesus!" These promises are the best pillows for dying heads.
There is one that will suit you now, and suit you then–"He has said, I
will never leave you, nor forsake you." Go, Brothers and Sisters,
anywhere on earth and even up to Heaven with that in your hands–"I
will never leave you, nor forsake you." Or will this other Word of God
suit you better, "My Grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is
made perfect in weakness"? But I need not go on giving these Words of
God to you–you know them well. If you are not familiar with them, I
should advise you to get a little book called Clarke's Precious
Promises, where you will find them all arranged. General Gordon, who
was killed at Khartoum, used to carry a copy in his pocket wherever he
went. And he and many others have found it to be a great help to them.

Get hold of the promises of God and when you feel downcast–when the
wind is in the east, when the liver does not work, when you have a real
heart-ache, when the dear child is dead, when the beloved wife is sick,
when there is trouble in the house from any cause, then get you the
words of the Lord–and may it always be said of you, "The people rested
themselves on the words of King Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord
of lords!"

Oh, that the Holy Spirit might lead some poor soul to rest on these
precious Words of God, even now, for the first time! And unto the Lord
shall be praise forever and ever! Amen.

Port/on of Scripture Read before Sermon–2 Chronicles 32.