When God at first made man,
Having a glasse of blessings standing by;
Let us (said he) poure on him all we can:
Let the worlds riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.
So strength first made a way;
Then beautie flow’d, then wisdome, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that alone of all his treasure
Rest in the bottome lay.
For if I should (said he)
Bestow this jewell also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts in stead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlesnesse:
Let him be rich and wearie, that at least,
If goodnesse leade him not, yet wearinesse
May tosse him to my breast.
with backward mutters of dissevering power 
I love this poem! Your sermon yesterday where you brought out that rest is only found in God, and it is designed that way really hit home. many of us talked about that point over lunch. It seemed to struck a chord. It's freeing to realize that chasing peace is all a waste of time, that it is only actually available from God, and he sets the rules, namely repentance, and worship and getting to his heart, and that we were designed that way, to need him, and to be restless without him. Sure takes the pressure off our relationships and work and finances to know they never will provide rest. Speaking for myself, I always have put that pressure on all those things, and tried to work the problem of why I have no rest by attacking various perceived lacks in those areas.
LikeLike