The Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 116:7

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain

Rest.

These well-known words show—

I. THAT REST IS ONE OF THE RIGHTFUL POSSESSIONS OF THE SOUL. It was designed for the soul. God would not have created a soul to be the perpetual victim of fret, worry, and distress, as we see many souls now are. It must have belonged to the soul. Hence it is called "thy rest." In the primal paradise, in which our first parents were placed, they enjoyed this rest. Theirs was the repose of the intellect, of the affections, of the will; all were at rest in God.

II. BUT THE SOUL HAS GOT AWAY FROM THIS REST. What need to labor any proof of this?

1. You can read the fact in men's very looks—the careworn countenance, the anxious mien, the sad, disappointed air.

2. In their words, whether spoken or written; weariness is written on them all.

3. In the frantic but futile efforts they make to find a substitute for what they have lost.

III. THAT IT CAN, IF IT WILL, RETURN UNTO ITS REST. Yes, in forsaking sin, surrender to Christ, and trust in him, rest is still attainable.—S.C.

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