Return unto thy rest, O my soul
To a quiet and tranquil state after much distress F11; a
soliloquy, an address to his own soul to return to God his
resting place, as Kimchi; or to Christ, whose rest is glorious,
and which lies in a cessation from a man's own works; not from
doing them, but from depending on them, or from labouring for
life by them; in a deliverance from the bondage of the law, its
curse and condemnation, and from the dominion and tyranny of sin,
and from the distressing guilt of it on the conscience; in
spiritual peace and joy, arising from the application of the
blood of Christ, and from a view of his righteousness and
justification by it, and of his sacrifice, and of the expiation
of sin by that; which is enjoyed in the ways and ordinances of
Christ, and oftentimes amidst afflictions and tribulations: this
is sometimes broke in upon and interrupted, through the
prevalence of sin, the temptations of Satan, and divine
desertions; but may be returned to again, as Noah's dove returned
to the ark when it could find rest nowhere else; as the believer
can find none but in Christ, and therefore after he has wandered
from him he returns to him again, encouraged by the following
reason.
For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee;
in times past, even in an eternity past, having loved him with an
everlasting love, chosen him in Christ, made a covenant with him
in him, blessed him with all spiritual blessings in him, and made
unto him exceeding great and precious promises; provided a
Redeemer and Saviour for him, whom he had made known unto him,
having enlightened, quickened, and converted him; and had laid up
good things for him to come, and had done many great things for
him already; all which might serve to encourage his faith and
hope in him. The Targum is,
``because the Word of the Lord hath rendered good unto me.''