SAFETY, FULLNESS, ANDSWEET REFRESHMENT,
TO BE FOUND IN CHRIST
by Jonathan Edwards(1752), minimally edited from Works, 2.929–36
Part 3 of 3

“And a man shall be as an hiding placefrom the wind, and a covert from the tempest;
as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a wearyland.”
(Isaiah 32:2)

III. There are quiet restand sweet refreshment in Christ Jesus,
for those who is weary

He is “as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” The comparison that isused in the text is very beautiful and very significative. The dry, barren, andscorched wilderness of Arabia is a very livelyrepresentation of the misery that men have brought upon themselves by sin. Itis destitute of any inhabitants but lions and tigers and fiery serpents. It isbarren and parched, and without any river or spring. It is a land of drought,wherein there is seldom any rain, a land exceedingly hot and uncomfortable. Thescorching sunbeams, that are ready to consume the spirits of travellers, are afit representation of terror of conscience, and the inward sense of God’sdispleasure.

And there being no other shade in which travellers may rest, but only here andthere that of a great rock, it is a fit representation of Jesus Christ, whocame to redeem us from our misery. Christ is often compared to a rock, becauseHe is a sure foundation to builders, and because He is a sure bulwark anddefence. They who dwell upon the top of a rock, dwell in a most defensibleplace. We read of those whose habitation is the munitions of rocks. He may alsobe compared to a rock, as He is everlasting and unchangeable. A great rockremains steadfast, unmoved, and unbroken by winds and storms from age to age.Therefore God chose a rock to be an emblem of Christ in the wilderness, when Hecaused water to issue forth for the children of Israel. The shadow of a great rockis a most fit representation of the refreshment given to weary souls by JesusChrist.

There is Rest in Christ for theGuilt-Laden

First, there is quiet rest and full refreshment in Christ forsinners that are weary and heavy laden with sin. Sin is the most evil andodious thing, as well as the most mischievous and fatal. It is the most mortalpoison. It, above all things, hazards life, and endangers the soul, exposes tothe loss of all happiness, and to the suffering of all misery, and brings thewrath of God. All men have this dreadful evil hanging about them, and cleavingfast to the soul, and ruling over it, and keeping it in possession, and underabsolute command: it hangs like a viper to the heart, or rather holds it as alion does his prey.

But yet there are multitudes who are not sensible of their misery. They are insuch a sleep that they are not very unquiet in this condition, it is not veryburthensome to them, they are so sottish that they do not know what is theirstate, and what is like to become of them. But there are others who have theirsense so far restored to them that they feel the pain, and see the approachingdestruction, and sin lies like a heavy load upon their hearts. It is a loadthat lies upon them day and night: they cannot lay it down to rest themselves,but it continually oppresses them. It is bound fast unto them, and is ready tosink them down. It is a continual labour of heart to support itself under thisburden. Thus we read of them “that labour and are heavy laden” (Mt 11:28).

Or rather, it is like the scorching heat in a dry wilderness, where the sunbeats and burns all the day long, where they have nothing to defend them, andwhere they can find no shade to refresh themselves. If they lay themselves downto rest, it is like lying down in the hot sands, where there is nothing to keepoff the heat.

Here it may be proper to inquire who are weary and heavy laden with sin, and inwhat sense a sinner may be weary and burdened with sin. Sinners are not weariedwith sin from any dislike to it, or dislike of it. There is no sinner that isburdened with sin in the sense in which a godly man carries his indwelling sin,as his daily and greatest burden, because he loathes it, and longs to get ridof it. He would fain be at a great distance from it, and have nothing more todo with it. He is ready to cry out as Paul did, “O wretched man that I am! whoshall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom 7:24). The unregenerate manhas nothing of this nature, for sin is yet his delight, he dearly loves it. Ifhe be under convictions, his love to sin in general is not mortified. He lovesit as well as ever, and he hides it still as a sweet morsel under his tongue.

But there is a difference between being weary and burdened with sin, and beingweary of sin. Awakened sinners are weary with sin, but not properly weary ofit.

Therefore, they are only weary of the guilt of sin: the guilt that cleaves totheir consciences is that great burden. God has put the sense of feeling intotheir consciences, that were before as seared flesh, and it is guilt that painsthem. The filthiness of sin and its evil nature, as it is an offence to a holy,gracious, and glorious God, is not a burden to them. But it is the connectionbetween sin and punishment, between sin and God’s wrath, that makes it aburden. Their consciences are heavy laden with guilt, which is an obligation topunishment. They see the threatening and curse of the law joined to their sins,and see that the justice of God and His vengeance are against them. They areburdened with their sins, not because there is any odiousness in them, butbecause there is hell in them. This is the sting of sin, whereby it stings theconscience, and distresses and wearies the soul.

The guilt of such and such great sins is upon the soul, and the man sees no wayto get rid of it, but he has wearisome days and wearisome nights. It makes himready sometimes to say as the psalmist did, “Oh that I had wings like a dove!for then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, andremain in the wilderness…. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm andtempest” (Ps 55:6–8).

But when sinners come to Christ, He takes away that which was their burden, ortheir sin and guilt, that which was so heavy upon their hearts, that sodistressed their minds.

He Takes Away Guilt

(1) He takes away the guilt of sin, from which the soulbefore saw no way how it was possible to be freed, and which, if it was notremoved, led to eternal destruction. When the sinner comes to Christ, it is allat once taken away, and the soul is left free. It is lightened of its burden,it is delivered from its bondage, and is like a bird escaped from the snare ofthe fowler (cf. Ps 91:3). The soul sees in Christ a way to peace with God, anda way by which the law may be answered, and justice satisfied, yet he mayescape: a wonderful way indeed, but yet a certain and a glorious one. And whatrest does it give to the weary soul to see itself thus delivered, that thefoundation of its anxieties and fears is wholly removed, and that God’s wrathceases, that it is brought into a state of peace with God, and that there is nomore occasion to fear hell, but that it is forever safe!

How refreshing is it to the soul to be at once thus delivered of that which wasso much its trouble and terror, and to be eased of that which was so much itsburden! This is like coming to a cool shade after one has been travelling in adry and hot wilderness, and almost fainting under the scorching heat.

And then Christ also takes away sin itself, and mortifies that root ofbitterness which is the cause of all the inward tumults and disquietudes thatare in the mind, that make it like the troubled sea that cannot rest, andleaves it all calm. When guilt is taken away and sin is mortified, then thefoundation of fear and trouble and pain is removed, and the soul is left inpeace and serenity.

He gives Strength and New Life

(2) Christ puts strength and a principle of new life intothe weary soul that comes to Him. The sinner, before he comes to Christ, is asa sick man that is weakened and brought low, and whose nature is consumed bysome strong distemper: he is full of pain, and so weak that he cannot walk norstand. Therefore, Christ is compared to a physician. “But when Jesus heardthat, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they thatare sick” (Mt 9:12; Mk 2:17; Lk 5:31). When He comes and speaks the word, Heputs a principle of life into him that was before as dead. He gives a principleof spiritual life and the beginning of eternal life. He invigorates the mindwith a communication of His own life and strength, and renews the nature andcreates it again, and makes the man to be a new creature.

So that the fainting, sinking spirits are now revived, and this principle ofspiritual life is a continual spring of refreshment, like a well of livingwater. “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall neverthirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of waterspringing up into everlasting life” (Jn 4:14). Christ gives His Spirit, thatcalms the mind, and is like a refreshing breeze of wind. He gives that strengthwhereby He lifts up the hands that hang down, and strengthens the feeble knees(cf. Heb 12:12).

He gives Comfort and Pleasure

(3) Christ gives to those who come to Him such comfort andpleasure as are enough to make them forget all their former labour and travail.A little of true peace, a little of the joys of the manifested love of Christ,and a little of the true and holy hope of eternal life, are enough tocompensate for all that toil and weariness, and to erase the remembrance of itfrom the mind. That peace which results from true faith passes understanding,and that joy is joy unspeakable. There is something peculiarly sweet andrefreshing in this joy, that is not in other joys. What can more effectuallysupport the mind, or give a more rational ground of rejoicing, than a prospectof eternal glory in the enjoyment of God from God’s own promise in Christ? Ifwe come to Christ, we may not only be refreshed by resting in His shadow, butby eating His fruit: these things are the fruits of this tree. “I sat down underhis shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste” (Song 2:3).

Before proceeding to the next particular of this proposition, I would applymyself to those that are weary; to move them to repose themselves underChrist’s shadow.

The great trouble of such a state, one would think, should be a motive to youto accept of an offer of relief, and remedy. You are weary, and doubtless wouldbe glad to be at rest. But here you are to consider,

(a) That there is no remedy but in Jesus Christ. There is nothing else willgive you true quietness. If you could fly into heaven, you would not find itthere. If you should take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermostparts of the earth, in some solitary place in the wilderness, you could not flyfrom your burden. So that if you do not come to Christ, you must eithercontinue still weary and burdened, or which is worse, you must return to yourold dead sleep, to a state of stupidity, and not only so, but you must beeverlastingly wearied with God’s wrath.

(b) Consider that Christ is a remedy at hand. You need not wish for the wingsof a dove that you may fly afar off, and be at rest, but Christ is nigh athand, if you were but sensible of it. “But the righteousness which is of faithspeaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?(that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into thedeep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? Theword is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word offaith which we preach” (Rom 10:6–8). There is no need of doing any great workto come at this rest. The way is plain to it. It is but going to it, and it isbut sitting down under Christ’s shadow. Christ requires no money to purchaserest of Him: He calls to us to come freely, and for nothing. If we are poor andhave no money, we may come. Christ sent out His servants to invite the poor,the maimed, the halt, and the blind. Christ does not want to be hired to acceptof you, and to give you rest. It is His work as Mediator to give rest to theweary. It is the work that He was anointed for, and in which He delights. “TheSpirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preachgood tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, toproclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them thatare bound” (Isa 61:1).

(c) Christ is not only a remedy for your weariness and trouble, but He willgive you an abundance of the contrary, joy and delight. They who come toChrist, do not only come to a resting place after they have been wandering in awilderness, but they come to a banqueting house where they may rest, and wherethey may feast. They may cease from their former troubles and toils, and theymay enter upon a course of delights and spiritual joys.

Christ not only delivers from fears of hell and of wrath, but He gives hopes ofheaven, and the enjoyment of God’s love. He delivers from inward tumults andinward pain, from that guilt of conscience which is as a worm gnawing within,and He gives delight and inward glory. He brings us out of a wilderness of pitsand drought and fiery flying spirits, and He brings us into a pleasant land, aland flowing with milk and honey. He delivers us out of prison, and lifts usoff from the dunghill, and He sets us among princes, and causes us to inheritthe throne of glory. Wherefore, if anyone is weary, if any is in prison, ifanyone is in captivity, if anyone is in the wilderness, let him come to theblessed Jesus, who is as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Delay not,arise and come away.

There is Rest in Christ for the Weary

Second, there are quiet rest and sweet refreshment in Christ forGod’s people that are weary.

The saints themselves, while they remain in this imperfect state, and have somuch remains of sin in their hearts, are liable still to many troubles andsorrows, and much weariness, and have often need to resort anew unto JesusChrist for rest. I shall mention three cases wherein Christ is a sufficientremedy.

The Case of Persecution

(1) There is rest and sweet refreshment in Christ for thosethat are wearied with persecutions. It has been the lot of God’s Church in thisworld for the most part to be persecuted. It has had now and then some lucidintervals of peace and outward prosperity, but generally it has been otherwise.This has accorded with the first prophecy concerning Christ; “I will put enmitybetween thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed” (Gen 3:15). Thosetwo seeds have been at enmity ever since the time of Abel. Satan has bornegreat malice against the Church of God, and so have those that are his seed.And oftentimes God’s people have been persecuted to an extreme degree, havebeen put to the most exquisite torments that wit or art could devise, andthousands of them have been tormented to death.

But even in such a case there are rest and refreshment to be found in ChristJesus. When their cruel enemies have given them no rest in this world, and whenas oftentimes has been the case, they could not flee, nor in any way avoid therage of their adversaries (but many of them have been tormented gradually fromday to day that their torments might be lengthened), still rest has been foundeven then in Christ. It has been often found by experience: the martyrs haveoften showed plainly that the peace and calm of their minds were undisturbed inthe midst of the greatest bodily torment, and have sometimes rejoiced and sungpraises upon the rack and in the fire. If Christ is pleased to send forth HisSpirit to manifest His love, and speaks friendly to the soul, it will supportit even in the greatest outward torment that man can inflict. Christ is the joyof the soul, and if the soul be but rejoiced and filled with divine light, suchjoy no man can take away. Whatever outward misery there be, the Spirit willsustain it.

The Case of Affliction

(2) There is in Christ rest for God’s people, whenexercised with afflictions. If a person labour under great bodily weakness, orunder some disease that causes frequent and strong pains, such things will tireout so feeble a creature as man. It may to such an one be a comfort and aneffectual support to think that he has a Mediator who knows by experience whatpain is, who by His pain has purchased eternal ease and pleasure for him, andwho will make his brief sufferings to work out a far more exceeding delight tobe bestowed when he shall rest from his labours and sorrows.

If a person be brought into great straits as to outward subsistence, andpoverty brings abundance of difficulties and extremities. Yet it may be asupporting, refreshing consideration to such an one to think, that he has acompassionate Saviour, who when upon earth, was so poor that He had not whereto lay his head (Mt 8:20; Lk 9:58), and who became poor to make him rich (2 Cor8:9), and purchased for him durable riches, and will make his poverty work outan exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Cor 4:17).

If God in His providence calls His people to mourn over lost relations, and ifHe repeats His stroke and takes away one after another of those that were dearto Him, it is a supporting, refreshing consideration to think that Christ hasdeclared that He will be in stead of all relations unto those who trust in Him.They are as His mother, and sister, and brother (Mt 12:49–50; Mk 3:34–35): Hehas taken them into a very near relation to Himself. In every other afflictiveprovidence, it is a great comfort to a believing soul to think that he has anintercessor with God, that by Him he can have access with confidence to thethrone of grace, and that in Christ we have so many great and preciouspromises, that all things shall work together for good and shall issue ineternal blessedness. God’s people, whenever they are scorched by afflictions asby hot sunbeams, may resort to Him who is as a shadow of a great rock, and beeffectually sheltered, and sweetly refreshed.

The Case of Temptation

(3) There is in Christ quiet rest and sweet refreshment forGod’s people, when wearied with the buffetings of Satan. The devil, thatmalicious enemy of God and man, does whatever lies in his power to darken andhinder, and tempt God’s people, and render their lives uncomfortable. Often heraises needless and groundless scruples, and casts in doubts, and fills themind with such fear as is tormenting, and tends to hinder them exceedingly inthe Christian course. He often raises mists and clouds of darkness, and stirsup corruption, and thereby fills the mind with concern and anguish, andsometimes wearies out the soul. So that they may say as the psalmist, “Manybulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gapedupon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion” (Ps 22:12–13).

In such a case if the soul flies to Jesus Christ, they may find rest in Him,for He came into the world to destroy Satan, and to rescue souls out of hishands. And He has all things put under His feet, whether they be things inheaven, or things on earth, or things in hell. Therefore He can restrain Satanwhen He pleases. And that He is doubtless ready enough to pity us under suchtemptations, we may be assured, for He has been tempted and buffeted by Satanas well as we. He is able to succour those that are tempted, and He haspromised that He will subdue Satan under His people’s feet. Let God’s peopletherefore, when they are exercised with any of those kinds of weariness, maketheir resort unto Jesus Christ for refuge and rest.

Reflections andConclusion (Part 3)

(1) We may here see great reason to admire the goodness and grace of God to usin our low estate, that He has so provided for our help and relief. We are byour own sin against God plunged into all sorts of evil, and God has provided aremedy for us against every sort of evil: He has left us helpless in nocalamity. We by our sin have exposed ourselves to wrath, to a vindictivejustice, but God has done very great things that we might be saved from thatwrath. He has been at infinite cost that the law might be answered without oursuffering. We by our sins have exposed ourselves to terror of conscience, inexpectation of the dreadful storm of God’s wrath, but God has provided for us ahiding place from the storm. He bids us enter into His chambers, and hideourselves from indignation. We by sin have made ourselves poor, needycreatures, but God has provided for us gold tried in the fire. We by sin havemade ourselves naked, and when He passed by, He took notice of our want, andhas provided us white raiment that we may be clothed. We have made ourselvesblind, and God in mercy to us has provided eye salve, that we may see. We havedeprived ourselves of all spiritual food. We are like the prodigal son thatperished with hunger, and would gladly have filled his belly with husks. Godhas taken notice of this our condition, and has provided for us a feast of fatthings, and has sent forth His servants to invite the poor, the maimed, thehalt, and the blind (Lk 14:21). We by sin have brought ourselves into a dry andthirsty wilderness, but God was merciful, and took notice of our condition, andhas provided for us rivers of water, water out of the rock. We by sin havebrought upon ourselves a miserable slavery and bondage. God has made provisionfor our liberty. We have exposed ourselves to weariness, and God has provided aresting place for us. We by sin have exposed ourselves to many outward troublesand afflictions. God has pitied us, and in Christ has provided true comfort forus. We have exposed ourselves to our grand enemy, even Satan, to be tempted andbuffeted by him; God has pitied, and has provided for us a Saviour and Captainof salvation, who has overcome Satan, and is able to deliver us. Thus God hasin Christ provided sufficiently for our help in all kinds of evils.

How ought we to bless God for this abundant provision He has made for us, poorand sinful as we were, who were so undeserving and so ungrateful. He made nosuch provision for the fallen angels, who are left without remedy in all thewoes and miseries into which they are plunged.

(2) We should admire the love of Christ to men, that He has thus given Himselfto be the remedy for all their evil, and a fountain of all good. Christ hasgiven Himself to us, to be all things to us that we need. We want clothing, andChrist does not only give us clothing, but He gives Himself to be our clothing,that we might put Him on. “For as many of you as have been baptised into Christhave put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and makenot provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom 13:14).

We want food, and Christ has given Himself to be our food. He has given His ownflesh to be our meat, and His blood to be our drink, to nourish our soul. Thus Christtells us that He is the bread which came down from heaven, and the bread oflife. “I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness,and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man mayeat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: ifany man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I willgive is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn 6:48–51). Inorder to our eating of His flesh, it was necessary that He should be slain, asthe sacrifices must be slain before they could be eaten; and such was Christ’slove to us, that He consented to be slain. He went as a sheep to the slaughter(cf. Isa 53:7) that He might give us His flesh to be food for our poor,famishing souls.

We are in need of a habitation: we by sin have, as it were, turned ourselvesout of house and home. Christ has given Himself to be the habitation of Hispeople. “LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (Ps 90:1).It is promised to God’s people that they should dwell in the temple of Godfor ever, and should go no more out, and we are told that Christ is the templeof the new Jerusalem.

Christ gives Himself to His people to be all things to them that they need, andall things that make for their happiness. “Where there is neither Greek norJew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; butChrist is all, and in all” (Col3:11). And that He might be so, He has refused nothing that is needful toprepare Him to be so. When it was needful that He should be incarnate, Herefused it not, but became man, and appeared in the form of a servant (Phil2:7). When it was needful that He should be slain, He refused it not, but gaveHimself for us, and gave Himself to us upon the cross.

Here is love for us to admire, for us to praise, and for us to rejoice in, withjoy that is full of glory forever.

— 30 June 2002

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