There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest!

(William Nicholson, "HEAVEN!" 1855)   LISTEN to audio!  Download audio

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"There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest!" Job 3:17

In Heaven, the Righteous will enjoy an uninterrupted repose. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." "There remains a rest for the people of God." It is not however, the repose of apathy, or of indolence, or of selfishness, to which the righteous are destined in their final glorification. It is . . .
  a rest from the burden of sin,
  a rest from the toil of labor,
  a rest from the dangers of warfare,
  a rest from the anguish of guilt,
  a rest from the torment of fear,
  a rest from the power of temptation,
  a rest from internal disquietude,
  a rest from external assault from the world.

In Heaven:
   the passions that have agitated the bosoms of mankind in the present world, will be unknown;
   the follies that have torn their very heart-strings asunder, will eternally cease;
   the woes that have depopulated empires and filled them with blood and carnage, will be no more;
   rebellion will have spent all its force;
   the iron rod of oppression will be broken;
   the battle trumpet will have blown its final blast;
   calamities will have come to a perpetual end;
   the olive branch of peace shall be continually waved on the wall of mount Zion;
   and the Prince of peace Himself shall secure its perfect tranquility.

"There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest!"