Rest on earth into which the sinner enters, whensoever with the heart he hears and obeys the gracious call of the Gospel. This is the Rest, which at his birth the heavenly host proclaimed, when they sung, " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace; good-will to man." This is the Rest, into which you are all invited to enter; for it is that Rest, of which the promise is left to you; which is preached to you in the Gospel; and an entrance into which here is indispensably necessary, in order to your entrance into Heaven hereafter. No man will ever enter into that Rest, which Christ has prepared for his people above, who does not make Him their Rest, their only, their exclusive Rest on earth. Let us see then,

II. What is the Reason, why any to whom the Gospel is preached come short of this Rest. That some come short of it, is plain. When reminded of the promise, that if they enter in they shall have Rest, they enter not. And what is the Reason? The same Reason which prevented the Israelites from entering into Canaan, and from enjoying the Rest intended for them in that glorious land; and which the Apostle states in the verse before the text. "They entered not in because of unbelief;" or as he adds in the verse following the text; "The word preached did not profit, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." The Israelites in the Wilderness

did not believe the word and the promises of God. They did not believe His accounts of the Promised Land; they did not believe in His power and faithfulness to bring them into it. Though they had seen so many works, and had so often witnessed His interposition in their behalf; yet, when commanded by Him to go in and take possession of the country, they refused to advance. "They despised the pleasant land; they believed not His word."" But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord. Therefore He lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness.' This was the fruit of their sin. "They entered not in because of unbelief." And such is the Reason why many of those to whom the Gospel is preached, enter not in. It is because of their unbelief. They hear the word, but it is not mixed with faith in their hearts. They receive the call of the Gospel; they hear the Saviour saying unto them in the Scriptures, "Come and I will give you Rest;" but they give no credence to his word. They profess perhaps to believe; but they do not really believe. There is no faith in them. God announces to them in His word, the certain and everlasting misery which awaits the unbelieving and impenitent. He expressly says, that they will be cast into Hell. He "reveals his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness

of men." He concludes all under sin, and pronounces the whole world to be guilty before Him. He proclaims pardon and peace to every soul that will confess its guilt, and will flee for refuge to that Saviour whom he has provided as a propitiation for sin. He declares that His Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life: that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life that no sinner, who knocks at the door of mercy, shall be shut out; but that it shall be opened to him, and that by it he shall enter into Rest, present, future, everlasting Rest, a Rest here and hereafter; such as the world cannot give or take away; such as no tongue can describe, no heart can conceive; a Rest, which passeth all understanding; which will never satiate, never tire; and will be productive of increasing happiness for ever and ever.

Such are the declarations and promises of God. But how are they received? What credit, what faith is given to them? Alas! many believe them not. They hear this Gospel, but it is not mixed with faith in their hearts. They regard not the threatenings; they despise the mercies of the Lord. When He bids them come to Him for Rest, they hear with a stupid indifference: they ask with a presumptuous temerity, "What will it profit us to come ?" They refuse to

draw near, and to take refuge under the shadow of his wings. "Thus they enter not in through unbelief." Unbelief keeps them from coming to Christ; leaves them under the curse of unpardoned sin; and brings down upon them the heavy wrath of an offended God; whose mercies they reject, whose Son they contemn and crucify afresh. Oh! my Brethren, from unbelief and hardness of heart, from contempt of God's Holy Word and Commandment, may the Lord deliver us!

But how does this matter stand with ourselves? Putting all others out of the question, bring this subject home to your own hearts, and see whether you believe. It is an easy thing to profess belief; but a mere profession ought not to satisfy either you or me. I cannot but fear that there may be some who as yet have not entered into the Rest of which I have been speaking: and if so, we have seen the Reason. You enter not in because of unbelief. This is the real cause why you enjoy not this heavenly Rest. You do not with your heart believe the Word of God. All however are not alike in this respect. There are degrees of unbelief. Some may be further off from Rest than others; and I will try to adapt my application to different states and cases.

Perhaps you have no belief at all with re

You do not

spect to this promised Rest. believe that the real Christian has any peculiar privilege of this kind. You do not be

lieve that he is happier than others, or possesses a source of peace and joy which you have not. While such are your thoughts, it is clear that you will never enter in ; for you will never seek an entrance.

But let me reason this matter with you. And may the Spirit, whose office it is to convince the world of unbelief, convince you of yours!

Christ hath said, "Come to me, and I will give you Rest." He hath promised to bestow on his people an inward peace and satisfaction, which the world cannot give. Now this promise you do not believe. But how ureasonable is your unbelief! Surely, God who made the soul, is able to make it happy. And He has said, that He will make it happy. Why then should you distrust His word? You cannot produce a single instance, in which He ever has broken his word. Did He not say, that day and night, and summer and winter, and seed-time and harvest, should never fail? And they continue according to his word. Did He not say, that He would raise Himself from the dead on the third day? And exactly at the time predicted the event took place. Did He not say, that the Jews, for their unbelief,