Baptists -- Sermons; Sermons, English -- 19th century
But how may a good workman for Christ lawfully go to sleep? I answer,
first, he may sleep the sleep of _restfulness_ born of confidence. You
are afraid the kingdom of Christ will not come, are you? Who asked you
to tremble for the ark of the Lord? Afraid for the infinite Jehovah that
his purposes will fail? Shame on you! Your anxiety dishonors your God.
Shall Omnipotence be defeated? You had better sleep than wake to play
the part of Uzzah. Rest patiently; God's purpose will be accomplished,
his kingdom will come, his chosen will be saved, and Christ shall see of
the travail of his soul. Take the sweet sleep which God gives to his
beloved, the sleep of perfect confidence, such as Jesus slept in the
hinder part of the ship when it was tossed with tempest. The cause of
God never was in jeopardy, and never will be; the seed sown is insured
by Omnipotence, and must produce its harvest. In patience possess your
soul, and wait till the harvest comes, for the pleasure of the Lord must
prosper in the hands of Jesus.
Also take that sleep of _joyful expectancy_ which leads to a happy
waking. Get up in the morning and feel that the Lord is ruling all
things for the attainment of his own purposes, and the highest benefit
of all who put their trust in him. Look for a blessing by day, and close
your eyes at night calmly expecting to meet with better things
to-morrow. If you do not sleep you will not wake up in the morning
refreshed, and ready for more work. If it were possible for you to sit
up all night and eat the bread of carefulness you would be unfit to
attend to the service which your Master appoints for the morning;
therefore take your rest and be at peace, and work with calm dignity,
for the matter is safe in the Lord's hands. Is it not written, "So he
giveth his beloved sleep"?
Take your rest because you have consciously resigned your work into
God's hands. After you have spoken the word, resort to God in prayer,
and commit the matter into God's hand, and then do not fret about it.
It cannot be in better keeping, leave it with him who worketh all in
all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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