that is his very soul his life his peace his comfort al his happiness he had committed to him and so left al with him Now then take al these together and when Christ cals the sinner to come to him that is O! Sinner first beleeve this that I am the great redeemer that is come into the world to stand between Gods wrath and your soules and to make up peace between God and you and let there be an unsettling of your hearts from whatsoever heretofore your Souls did Rest in Creature comforts your own Righteousness Duties self respects and ends whatsoever they are let your hearts be taken off from them all and let your hearts now be in a stirring working disposition towards me let all your whole Souls be stretching forth to me and come and cast all your burdens upon me and leave your Souls with me and I will take care of them thus come to me Now then when any soul that is thus Laden shall answer to this cal of Christ and shal say Lord I come here is the very voice and answer of Faith when the Soul can say Oh! Lord I come I see thee to be the blessed Mediator between God and my Soul and for whatsoever my heart hath setled in heretofore Oh! Lord it shal be no more and my heart begins to stir after thee and I stretch forth my Soul to thee O Blessed redeemer and here I cast my burdens upon thee none can ease me but thy self and I leave my self with thee I commit all to thee and betrust all that I have or can do my eternal estate with thee Lord I come here is the soul that comes to Christ Then may the Soul be said to come to Christ when there is an answer in these five Particulars All this is contained in this word COME though you cannot apprehend it til it be unfoulded as a piece of needle work when it is foulded up there is all the work indeed within but we cannot see it til it be laid open and spread before us then we can see all that is in it So though there be many expressions in the Scripture that we understand not yet there they be but this is the work of the Ministry to spread them and to lay them before you and lay them open to you that you may see the Grace of God in another manner when they be unfolded now thus doth Christ call those that are Laden to come to him CHAP. XIX How Christ calls Sinners unto him set forth in two Particulars Namely 1. By an outward and general call 2. By a Particular call to Particular Sinners And how to know the voice of Christ YOu will say how and in what manner doth Christ call to me Christ is in Heaven I cannot hear Christ call to me Now for the call of Christ First There is a general cal in the word there Christ calls under the sound of the Gospel to come to him but this call is rather a command of Christ then an invitaion to shew unto al what is their Duty to do rather then to invite them But now there is a more special call unto those whom the Father hath given to Christ and though they make use of the general call in the word yet there is a special call to them that is Christ by his Spirit doth open the Riches of the Gospel of the Grace in him to their Souls by his Spirit inwardly he doth shew them to their Souls Others come and hear the outward cal that is when a Minister of God shal come and open the Gospel and there shew how God hath given his Son to us he hath taken our Nature upon him and died for sin and tel them that God requires all here in the Gospel to beleeve in his Son they hear his outward cal I but they whom the father gives to Christ have the Spirit of God sent together with the word to open the Riches of Christ that though they have heard it a hundred times before Yet when the spirit comes there is a shewing of the beauty and Riches of the Gospel more then ever that allures their Souls to come to Christ Secondly Not only this but the Lord when he cals such as shall indeed have mercy by Christ and have his invitation to be effectual he doth give a Particular cal unto that Soul besides the general cal God doth not only in the word cal sinners and saith Christ came to save Sinners and those that were lost but Christ comes in Particular to such and such Souls and cals them in a Particular special manner For the Ministers of God they are bound in the Preaching of the Gospel to give a general invitation to come to him but God beside the general hath a Particular cal there is a voice of God in Particular to the Soul that he intends to bring to his Son such a one hears a voice behind him as the Scripture speaks saying this is the way to Salvation the way you have gone all this while is not the way to life you will perish in that way Christ is the right way As thus I will open it in the general and Particular call by this similitude A Prince that hath had many of his subjects Traitors yet he is pleased to send forth a general Proclamation makes a Proclamation to those subjects and makes it in general tearms that though you have been thus and thus Traiterous against me yet I am content every one that will come to such a place at such a day and submit himself he shall have a pardon here is the general Proclamation and this is incouragement to come But now suppose there were some poor Traitor that because sensible of his wickedness and how unreasonably he hath dealt with his Prince and may be sits alone bemoaning his condition and troubled in his spirit and thinks with himself how shall I be able to see the Face of my Prince Oh! woe to me for the wickedness of my waies Suppose the Prince should come by and behold such a one take notice of him that is got into some corner or other and is there smiting of his Breast and lamenting his condition that he should so provoke his Prince as he hath done And should call this poor creature and say to him Oh thou poor Creature that art in such a place come thou to me For so is the work of faith God comes in particular to the soul doth not only come in general but after his general Call when he doth see the soul troubled the Lord doth give a particular Call to him and saith O! thou poor Creature thou art under this burden and thus sensible of it and lamentest that thou hast lived thus and thus and made such a breach between me and thy soul do thou come to me And the truth is till God speak in particular to the soul the proclamation of God in general will not bring in sinners so Christ doth
in Christ 4 There is abundance of present good in affliction Page 360 Chap. 46. Containeth the conclusion of the last doctrine in the two former Chapters shewing how unbeseeming a thing it is for a beleever to be troubled in affliction Page 366 Chap. 47. Sheweth that beleevers are often under inward affliction and spiritual desertions Page 368 Chap. 48. Containeth Seven Directions how a beleever may get Rest from Christ in spiritual Desertions First Look upon Christ as once in the same condition Secondly Look to Christ as ful of Grace and Goodness Thirdly Look to Christ as an advocate at the right hand of God Fourthly Look to Christ for fulfilling the promise of sending the comforter Fifthly Go to Christ as at first in thy Conversion Sixthly Keep good thoughts of God Seventhly Resolve never to take Rest in any thing else beside Christ Page 371 Chap. 49. Sheweth that beleevers have not only Rest in but Rest also from afflictions Page 379 Chap. 50. Five markes of true rest in Christ I It is not but upon discovery of glorious things the soul knew not before II. It comes upon the soul ceasing from its own work III. It makes the beleever active for God IIII. Rest in those things wherein Christ rested V. True Rest wil abide the trial of the word Page 382 Chap. 51. Eight means to get and keep Rest in Christ 1 Beware of secret Sins 2 Be thankful for what good God hath given thee 3 Judg not thy self in time of temptation 4 In trouble wait upon God in the use of means 5 Meditate much upon the promises 6 Proportion humiliation to thy comfort 7 Be throughly grounded that thou art in Christ 8 Improve the Rest thou hast to God by doing much work to him Page 388 CHRIST INVITING SINNERS TO COME TO HIM MATTH 11.28 Come unto me al ye that Labor and are heavy laden and I will give you Rest CHAP. 1. Wherein There 's 1. The Dependance of this verse upon the former with the Scope of the Holy Ghost herein 2. The Meaning of the words 3. The Division thereof into three parts HAving opened unto you that great Doctrine of Reconciliation with God in Christ and of the willingness of God and Christ to be Reconciled to Sinners sending his Messengers to invite intreate and beseech in his Name though there was something else followed in the Chapter that I could willingly have handled yet because I would press on what hath been delivered about our Reconciliation with God in Christ and urge it further with a suitable argument I have pitched upon this text wherein we have set forth the willingness of Christ to be Reconciled to Sinners and a most gracious invitation of Jesus Christ to poor Sinners to come in unto him that they might have Rest for their Souls A Text that breatheth forth nothing but mercy and goodness to Sinners a Heart melting invitation In Jer. 31.12 we have a prophesie that Sinners shal come and flow together to the goodness Or to the bountifullness of the Lord as some of your books have it surely if there be any Scripture that holds forth the goodness and bountifulness of the Lord to Sinners so as to melt their hearts that they may flow unto it it is this in the Text. This invitation of Christ Come unto me ye that are Weary and heavy laden and I will give you Rest is that which hath been the Comfort of many a wounded Conscience of many a troubled Sinner having fastned upon it their Souls have been staied and they have been kept from sinking into the bottomless Gulf of dispaire thereby A Text that hath been of as great use unto afflicted Consciences as any in al the Book of God If ever there were a Heart breaking Scripture certainly here it is Come unto me ye that are weary and heavy Laden c. It is in it self an intire sentence if we take the 28. verse and no more it is ful of abundance of sweetness and filled up to the top with the Grace and goodness of the Lord. But â—ow if you observe the dependence of these words on the former the words that go before then you wil see that there is indeed a soul satisfying fulness of Mercy and goodness in the Lord held forth from this text and though many of you I question not have heard this Text often quoted Come unto me ye that are weary and heavy laden and I wil give you Rest yet perhaps few of you have observed how these words come in and have a sweet dependance upon the former If you compare these words with those that go before you shal see that they are very heart breaking expressions What did Christ say in the very verse before I 'll go no further Al things saith he are delivered unto me of my Father and no man knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son wil reveal him and then follows Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I wil give you Rest The Text seems to be so ful of sweetness alone that it is seldom observed how this comes in after it But now we should look upon them thus and consider that they are the words of Christ Who after he had said Al things are delivered to me of my Fathet and no man knoweth the Son but the Father c. Immediately saies Oh! Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy Laden and I will give you Rest We may observe in this dependance of the words on the former these two things 1. Christ saith That al things are delivered to him of the Father and therefore come to me this depends upon the beginning of the 27. verse All things are delivered to me of my Father as if Christ should say Be it known unto you poor troubled afflicted Sinners that mourne under the weight and burden of your Sins I have all things delivered by the Father to me that is al the mercy al the Riches of Grace all the treasures al the goodness and Grace that is in the Father is given to me to dispence to you and al power is given to me of the Father to do good to poor troubled Sinners And therefore come to me Oh! come to me ye poor troubled and afflicted Sinners 2. No man knows the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him that 's the second thing observable in the dependance of these words on the former saith Christ there is a most infinite communion between me and my Father and I know fully whatsoever is in the mind of God the Father what his Heart is towards sinners I know what his thoughts have been from al eternity about doing good unto poor Sinners there is a most neer conjunction between me and my Father and I alone can reveal the Father to poor sinners that are
that is one good means to help the soul towards Christ the very stopping of it in the course of sin Thirdly This is the means in a Rational way to make the soul attend to any call of Christ for before Christ may call to sinners out of his Word Come to me and beleeve in me but they do not feel the burden of their sin and therefore they do not come if a man be under a heavy burden in a dark night if he hears the least noise of the feet of any man then he cries out for help So the soul under the heavy burden of sin doth rejoyce to hear of any direction out of the Word to come to Christ Fourthly The soul comes to prize mercy and mercy will take a deep impression upon the heart that is burdened when the heart is burdened with sin Oh how dear and sweet and precious are mercies then Fiftly And further When the soul is burdened with sin it is in a Rational way prepared to take the yoak of Christ Before it did cast it off but now feeling sin to be a heavier burden than any other whatsoever it is more prepared to take upon it the yoke of Jesus Christ now when the soul is under this burden then Christ calls in love to ease and give rest to those souls that are under such a burden CHAP. V. The Reasons of the former Doctrine 1. Christ hath all mercy in him 2. The end why he came into the world was to give rest to burdened souls 3. Christ himself was once under some kind of this burden 4. He is to have the glory of all the ease which is given to sinners THe Third thing is Reasons why Jesus Christ doth desire and invite souls to come to him REASON I. First Because that all is given to Christ Christ hath all the mercy of the Father in him for the fulness of the Godhead dwels in him and therefore he must needs pitty such a soul There is a Law in Deuteronomy That if a Beast be under a burden and ready to perish God requires that you should not withdraw your self from the Beast though it be the Beast of your Enemy but to help it Now if God would have us to be so merciful who have but drops of mercy in us when we see a beast and that of our Enemies under a Burden Then surely the Lord Christ that hath the fulness of the mercy of the infinite God in him when he shall see an immortal soul under such a burden and ready to perish and it cries to him for Help certainly Christ will ease and help that soul REASON II. Secondly We know that Christ came into the world on purpose Christ was anointed and sent for that end to bind up the broken hearted and give them ease Christ is designed by God the Father for this very work and therefore he wil do it he is appointed by God the Father for to ease burdened Souls it is his work therefore when Christ sees any poor soul burdened under sin saith Christ here is work for me He came not to cal the Righteous but sinners to Repentance Here is that that I came from Heaven for it is the very business that I was sent from my Father to do it is the work my Father sent me into the world for REASON III. Thirdly Christ himself once felt some burden of this kind and he knows what it is to be burdened with Sin He was made sin for us So the Scripture saith in the 2 Cor. 5.21 He was made Sin Christ had the weight of al the Sins of the Elect upon him and did feel what the weight of sin was Christ hath experience what it is to be burdened with sin and with the wrath of God the Father for sin Certainly when Christ lay groveling with his Face upon the ground and sweated drops of blood then he was under a great burden Christ had the great burden of mans sin upon him and of the wrath of God that was due to mans sin and he had it upon him til he sweat under it Now Christ himself having been under it certainly he cannot but pitty poor burdened Sinners REASON IV. Fourthly It is Christ that is to have the Glory of the ease of sin and those souls that are burdened for sin if ever they have ease they wil give the Lord Jesus al the Glory Now first Christ having al the Mercy of God the Father and being sent into the world to bind up al broken hearts and having experience of the burden of sin And fourthly knowing that he shal have al the Glory in delivering and easing of Souls certainly Christ doth account it worth al his sufferings that he might have the Glory in easing of troubled Souls as many Chyrurgions account it to be their Glory to have the Honor of curing desperate cures the Lord Jesus wil Glory in this to al eternity When al the poor burdened Souls that ever he did ease shal be brought before him and shal be acknowledged before God and his Angels Oh! here are those many thousand Souls that were under their burdens and were ready to perish and I have eased them and here they shal rest from al their labors for ever Christ cals Sinners upon these groâ—ds CHAP. VI. The Application Exhorting Sinners to come unto Christ with Answers unto certain Objections APPLICATION NOw for a word of Application doth Christ cal for burdened Souls to come to him that they may have rest Then those that are burden'd should harken to what Christ saith in this Congregation this morning Is there any poor soul that is ready to perish under the weight of sin that goes under the Load of it Christ cals to that Soul to come to him It were a grievous thing for Christ to come and cal into such a Congregation and there should be none there Nay I cannot but think there may be many in this Congregation that shal hear the cal of Christ Christ many times cals where there are none to answer we may say in this case as our Saviour Christ said in another the harvest is great but the Laborers are but few So we may say the harvest of sin is great but the Laborers under the burden of Sin are but very few many there are that would cast the burden of sin upon Christ but they do as the Pharisees did cast heavy burdens upon others but they themselves wil not touch them with one of their fingers So many would cast the burden of sin upon Christ but they will not feel it themselves O! let me speak to you What Chamber or Closet can witness that you have been sending strong cries unto God as being under that grievous burden A beast if it lies under a burden it wil roar and cry out for help So certainly if your souls were prest with the burden of sin there would be mighty cries to God to ease you of that burden But to most people in
God but there is somthing comes between God and you all things are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods so that God himself is the infinite Fountain of all good Christ is as it were the Cisterne into which all the mercy and goodness of God is to be conveyed and beleevers by Faith have every one a Pipe as it were put into this Cisterne so they come to have conveyed all good the fullness of the divine Nature they are united unto Christ and so have all Mercy conveyed from God unto them here is a strong argument to draw the heart to come to Christ because Christ is the great conveyance of all good from the â—her unto the Soul is not the mercy of God sweet unto a Soul that is Laden with the Burden of Sin This mercy you must have in me saith Christ or else you shall never have a drop of it We are to know therefore that by our sins the conduit Pipe of all the Mercy in God is stopt so as not one drop of saving mercy for eternity can be let into the Soul and though we should cry for mercy never so much and shreeke out yet we are to know that the Pipe is stopt by sin and there is no other way to open this pipe but only by Jesus Christ he is the opener of the pipe of Gods infinite Grace let out to the Children of men Now if we look upon the Grace of God we are first to consider that by our sins we have stopt the current of al the Grace of God and it is only Christ that lets out this current and now Christ saith come to me all you that would have mercy Would you have Mercy O yes it is true we would have mercy but we find this Mercy of God is stopt by our sins Now saith Christ come to me and by me all the sluces of the Grace and mercy of God are opened to poor Souls we know God is a God of mercy the God of all consolation in himself the Father of mercies he is infinitly merciful so that when we come to God we come to the God of mercy the God of all consolation we come to the Father of mercies we come to him who is infinite in mercy whose Nature is mercy to him that is imfinitely above all creatures in mercy All the merciful creatures in Heaven and Earth in comparison of him are nothing Yea take all the merciful Saints in the world the most merciful dispositions that were in all the creatures in the world and put them into one man you would say this were a merciful man If all the mercies in all the bowels of all the Saints that ever were from the beginning of the world were put into one man would not you think him to be a merciful man if he called you to come to him for mercy would you not come Such a man that hath all mercies of all the Saints that ever were in the world put into him yet this man would be a most cruel man in comparison of the infinite mercy that is in God If we were in cruel straites and had to deal with such a man that had the bowels of the mercy of all the men in the world those that are in misery they go to their friends and say Oh! it is wel I did fal into such a merciful mans hand But now thou that art a poor troubled sinner if thou comest to Christ thou comest into the Arms into the bowels of the infinite God that is infinitely above the bowels of all mercies that are either in Heaven or Earth and therefore come to him Secondly Further not only come unto the bowels of mercy but by coming to Christ thou comest to God as a Father Come to me saith Christ thou shalt not only come to the Father but the first moment you come to me I shall present you to God as a Child and God to you as a Father the infinite God is a deadly enemy to all out of Christ but by coming to Christ there is peace with him you come to have union with him and you come to be made one with God into the neerest union with God next unto the Hypostatical union There is divers sortes of union with God there is the Hypostatical union but next unto that is a Mistical union and such a union have the Saints the Soul that was before an enemy unto God and cast out from him the first moment that such a Soul comes to Christ it hath such a union with God that is the neerest union that any creature can have next unto the human Nature of Jesus Christ Thirdly Yea Not only to be united to him but thou shalt come presently to have his Image stamped upon thee his Spirit put into thee to live the Life of God to have communion with him here and thou shalt be saved the very moment thou comest to him thou shalt have Righteousness to stand in the presence of the infinite Holy God I You will say if we come to God we come by Christ but God is a Holy and a Righteous God and how shall we be able to stand before him being a Righteous God and we such sinners Therefore this is answered by this that the first moment thou comest to Christ he will put the holy Robes of his Righteousness upon thee that shall make thee able to stand before the infinite God so that whatever thou art in thy self it is impossible but God should be wel pleased with thee and should take delight in thee as his own thou may'st walk up and down in the presence of God and all because He sees thee in the Robes of Christs Righteousness Fourthly And further The first moment thou comest to Christ thou shalt be safe to eternity for all the hazard of miscarrying to eternity is over at the first moment thou comest to Christ this thou shalt have in the first moment of thy coming to Jesus Christ this is for the comfort of those that come to Christ More of these Particulars we shall have when we come to the promise that is here made in the Text And you shall have Rest ARG. VI. Sixtly For a further argument of drawing the Heart unto Jesus Christ when he cals to come to him consider what a poor wretch thou art in thy self a vile base forlorne Deformed Miserable Succourless Helpless Shiftless Creature a Beggar If a Prince as he goes along in the Streets seeing a poor Beggar lying upon the ground in the durt should be pleased to call to such a creature and say to him come to me would it not reviue his Spirit If one should tel him the King the Prince cals how would he stir himself Now thou art the poorest Creature in the world never any poor creature that lay groveling in the durt ful of Sores and wounds was in a worse condition then thou art when thou seest such a one think that thy condition is far
out against this invitation it is that that wil aggravate al your sins It may be some of you may think wel this is an incouragment to sinners we are called to Christ and we are tould that the vilest may come to him and Christ wil receive them This is wel but yet if thou wilt reject this invitation and shalt yet let out thy heart to other vanities and to the satisfying of thy sinful lusts this I say this invitation of Jesus Christ wil be the greatest aggravation of al thy sins that ever thou Committedst in al thy life thy whoredome thy drunkenness thy swearing al thy sabbath breaking wil not be so heavy upon thee wil not be so deep upon the score as one rejection of Jesus Christ calling thee to come to him and therefore take heed of abusing the grace of Christ in calling you to come to him For know if there could be any sign given to know who are Reprobates and who not I would rather pitch upon this signe one that should go away after the grace of God is opened to him and he invited to come to Christ one that should go away notwithstanding hardned in sin I say I should rather pitch upon this than any other signe There is no sin hardeneth the heart of God more than this I wil give you one Scripture for this In Luke 14.16 17. When God as the master of the great feast sends his servants and invites men to come to the wedding that is in truth to do that that I have been doing al this while to invite poor sinners to come to Christ Now divers make excuses some had bouhgt oxen others had bought farmes and others had married Wives wel marke at the 24. verse the doom of those that did not come in upon their invitation Verily saith God those men that were bidden shall never taste of my supper What! saith God to his servants have ye invited them to come in and wil they not No they have other things in their heads their Farmes their Yoke of Oxen their profits and pleasures what wil they reject such grace and favour when I invite them to come to the marriage of my son verily saith God they shal never have any good by Jesus Christ Oh! it were a dreadful doom to be past upon any soule God forbid it should be past upon any soul and yet when we come to open the grace of God in Jesus Christ in the ministry of the Word we cannot speake of it without trembling hearts without feare least some should be hardened and so God provoked by their resisting of thiâ— grace of his this man and this woman that sits upon such a stool that is not taken with this grace of God offered in Jesus Christ they shal never tast of my supper Beloved Sermons of mercy are more quicker than any other sermons whatsoever men and women may sit under a minister of the word that may preach many wholsome points of Divinity and many moral truthes against drunkenness swearing prophaning the sabbath deceit cozening and cheating they may sit along time under such a minister and God may be patient with them though they do not obey the voice of the minister but now when the Lord comes to invite men and women to come to his son let them look to it then God expects that they should fal down before that infinite grace of his and should admire it and their hearts should be taken with it and they should joyne with him and say Oh! Lord we come and our hearts do close with this bountifulness of thine in thy son the neglect of our not profiting by such sermons and casting out what we heare letting of it pass from us doth the quickest seal up mens hearts to condemnation Ye wil not come to me that ye might have life Wherfore take in what hath been spoken to you and labor to work it upon your hearts Quest You wil say Here are many things that have been spoken to poor sinners to come to Christ if these things be so what is the reason then that there is no more that come to Christ how comes it to pass that the hearts of men and women can stand out against such offers as these Ans Would you know the reason Christ himself gives it you in John 6.43 after he had been inviting some to come to him and told them that he was the bread of life Jesus answered and said unto them murmur not among your selves there were some murmured against Christ â—nd Christs words did not prevail with them no marvel that the ministers of Christ do not alwaies prevaile when Christs words Christs own preaching did not prevail with many but they did murmur at him and went away from his sermons and did reject his sermons at the 44. verse saith Christ There can no man come to me except the father which hath sent me draw him Quest You wil say then why are you speaking al this while to exhort people to come to him we are dead and you had as good speake to dead men Ans To that is answered God the father doth use to draw those soules that belong to his eternal election by the ministry of the word by such exhortations as these God the father doth make use of the ministry of man to set before poor miserable souls the excellency of Jesus Christ and so to draw their soules to him and therefore if you do belong to Gods election God wil make use of his ministry to draw your hearts to come to Christ Doth God begin to draw you by the ministry of his word have you found God by the ministry of his word begin to draw your soules Oh! do not you draw back again as loth to leave your sins to leave such a sweat pleasure such a profitable lust but if God hath taken hold of your hearts to draw you to him Oh! do not you draw back again Indeed the scripture saith many are called but few are Chosen few do come to Christ but you are al called to come to Christ Oh! let not that scripture be made true that many are called but few chosen if thou findest God drawing thy heart and thy heart ready to answer unto the Lord that is an argument that thou art not onely called but one of the Chosen ones of the Lord. There are three waies that God the father drawes those to his son that he intends shal be saved for ever by him First he draws them by the cord as I may so speak of Illumination by enlightning their minds by shewing them what his son is Secondly He draws them by the cords of mercy Thirdly he drawes them by setting conscience upon them to put them forward when the Lord is drawing the soul to Christ he makes use of the consciences of men and women to put them on to come to Christ O! thou wretched soul is not that that thou hearest in the word the truth of God is
it not the word of the Lord hast thou not now a gracious offer Is it not a mercy that thou art out of hel this day and is it not a mercy that thou art not drowned in the sea that thou art brought to land to heare one more offer to come to Christ Wilt thou yet go on in thy sins Wilt thou yet prize thy lusts before al that infinite good that is in Jesus Christ dost thou think this wil be peace in the end How wilt thou be able to look God in the face another day It s mercy thou needest and Mercy thou must have or else thou art for ever miserable and wilt thou reject this mercy Oh! that the Lord would cal in your consciences to help on this work There hath been I hope by al that hath been said some Illumination about Christ yea and some cords of Mercy have been fastened upon your hearts Now if God would but stir up conscience give a command to conscience and say never suffer this man or this woman to be at quiet til they come to my son til their hearts be taken off from al things that hinder them from coming to my son let them never be at quiet til then it were a happy thing if God would give this command to conscience that so many might answer to this invitation of Christ that when Christ saith come to me ye that are laden the soul answers Lord I come Quest I but you wil say Suppose God hath been calling me and I have rejected him I have been in some forwardness to come to Christ and my lusts have drawn my heart back again for you tel us that the Lord useth to be quick with sinners when they have rejected his grace now have you any word of comfort for such if these shal come that have abused Gods grace and mercy and turned back upon him have you any comfort for such Ans I wil onely give you one scripture for those and that is in Jeremiah 3. and the 22. verse and Oh! that the Lord would fasten this scripture upon your hearts Returne ye back-sliding children and I wil heale your back-slidings Mark here is the answer Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God This scripture in the name of God do I present to you that have drawn back from the grace of God that once were in a good frame and now are back-sliders once more in the name of God do I cal to you Oh! returne thou back-slider the Lord Jesus Christ is ready now to healthy back-slidings now then secretly say Lord I come and when thou comest into thy closet in a more solemn manner and art al alone resigne up thy soul to Jesus Christ and say Lord thou hast invited me this day to come to Christ now Lord I give up my self and all that I have and am to thee my estate my Body my honor and all that I have to come to thee and then not only those good things shall be made good but the promise likewise then Christ shall give you Rest These times are times of distress and therefore seasonable to hear of Rest whatever troubles fal out yet if thou come to Christ thou shalt be safe thy self Christ doth ingage himself to give Rest unto thy Soul And so much for the Invitation it self CHAP. XXIII The Doctrine arising from the dependance of the promise upon the Invitation That God will have us when we are coming to Christ to have respect to our selves NOw the next thing that follows is the promise that Christ makes to poor Laden sinners that do come unto him He will give them Rest And I will give you Rest It is too much for any creature to say thus Yea it were too much boldness and presumption for all the Angels in Heaven to make these words as their own for them all to say thus Come unto us all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and we will give you Rest Yet here in this text there is not only one that is greater than Solomon but one that is greater than all the Angels in Heaven and men that ever lived upon the Earth that saith Come unto me all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest They are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father that is equal with the Father God blessed for ever He saith Come unto me ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest This is that that now we are come unto The gracious promise that Christ makes to draw Souls unto himself he will give them Rest And I will give you Rest And what more fit Argument and seasonable can there be at this time this time we know is a time of trouble a time of disturbance there is much perplexity and distress in our Nation and what will be more acceptable unto us than this to hear of Rest this is that that Christ doth promise to al them that come to him that beleeve in him he saith he will give them Rest Before I come to open this gracious promise which is exceeding ful of marrow and fatness as we shall find when we come to the opening of it I shall first give you one note briefly from the connexion of these words with the former Come to me ye that Labor and I will give you Rest You see Christ that he might draw sinners to himself makes a gracious promise of that that he knows will do good to sinners at the Heart he will give them Rest From hence the note is this in the general That God would have us even when we are coming to Christ have some respect to our selves and Christ encourageth us in coming to him even to have some aime at our own good That is the note cleerly from the Connexion of the words Before we open the promise I will give you Rest saith he if you come to me in that Christ doth propound that which he knows will take the Hearts of sinners as a great good unto them to draw them to himself hence I say the note it cleer That in our coming to Jesus Christ it is lawful for us to have some aime at our own good Yea not only lawful for us but we ought so to do for we are to look upon Christ so as Christ propounds himself unto us not only lawful I say to look upon Christ so as he propounds himself to us but it is our duty so to look upon him Now when Christ propounds himself unto us as an object to draw our Hearts to him he doth propound himself as one wherein our souls shal gaine abundance of good one that we shall get much by Now though it is true we should Labor to be above our selves as much as may be we should Labor to deny our selves in some sence yet not so but that we are to look at our own good even in our coming unto Jesus Christ
Treatise of the Rickets being A Disease common to Children wherein is shewed 1 The Essence 2 The Causes 3 The Signs 4 The Remedies of the Disease Published in Latin by Dr. Glisson Dr. Bates and Dr. Regemorter translated into English And corrected by N. Culpeper 33 Medicaments for the Poor Or Physick for the Common People 34 Health for the Rich and Poor by Dyet without Physick The London Dispensatory in Folio of a large Character in Latine The London Dispensatory in twelves a smal Pocket Book in Latine Six Sermons preached by Dr. Hill Viz. 1 The Beauty and Sweetness of an Olive Branch of Peace and Brotherly Accommodation budding 2 Truth and Love happily married in the Church of Christ 3 The Spring of strengthening Grace in the Rock of Ageâ— Christ Iesus 4 The strength of the Saints to make Iesus Christ their strength 5 The Best and Worst of Paul 6 Gods Eternal preparation for his Dying Saints A Commemoration of King Charls his Inauguration In a Sermon By William Laud then Bishop of Canterbury Abrahams Offer Gods Offering Being a Sermon by Mr. Heâ—le before the Lord Major of London Mr. Spurstows Sermon being a Pattern of Repentance Englands Deliverance from the Northern Presbitery compared with its Deliverance from the Roman Papacy In a Sermon on the 5 of Nov. 1651. before the Parliament By Peter Sterry The Way of God with his People in these Nations Opened in a Thanksgiving Sermon preached on the 5 of Novemb. 1656 before the Right Honorable the High Court of Parliament By Peter Sterry Mr. Sympsons Sermon at Westminster Mr. Feaks Sermon before the Lord Major The Best and Worst Magistrate By Obadiah Sedgwick A Sermon A Sacred Panegyrick By Stephen Marshal A Sermon The Craft and Cruelty of the Churches Adversaries By Matthew Newcomen A Sermon The Magistrates Support and Burden By Mr. John Cardel A Sermon Mr. Owens stedfastness of the Promises A Sermon Mr. Phillips Treatise of Hell of Christs Genealogy The Cause of our Divisions discovered and the Cure propounded King Charls his Case or an Appeal to al Rational men concerning his tryal A Relation of the Barbadoes A Relation of the Repentance and Conversion of the Indians in New-England by Mr. Eliot and Mr. Mayhew THE CONTENTS OF THE Treatise on Math. 11.28 CHAP. 1 Wherein There 's 1. The Dependance of this verse upon the former with the Scope of the Holy Ghost herein 2. The Meaning of the words 3. The Division thereof into three parts Page 1 Chap. 2. Containing a Description of them whom Christ invites to come unto him which is laid down in this doctrine That they whom Christ calls to come unto him are such as Labor and are heavy Laden whether 1. Vnder the burden of the righteousness of the Law or 2. Vnder the weight of their sins Or 3. Vnder the power of any corruption Or 4. Vnder any outward trouble or Affliction Page 6 Chap. 3. The Burden under sin laid open in nine Particulars 1. When the Soul not only apprehendeth but is sensible of the Evil of Sin in the reality of it 2. Finds all the comfort that did attend Sin before to vanish and come to nothing 3. Looks upon it self as loathsome and is in Some measure bowed to God 4. Trembles at the least thoughts and Temptations to Sin 5. Feel Sin heaviest where it is indeed heaviest 6. Feels the weight of Sin to be such as that no Creature is able to remove it 7 Had rather be under any burden then the burden of Sin 8 Doth notwithstanding the weight thereof justifie God 9. Doth not lie sullenly and despair under it but attend for direction from God how it may befreed there from Page 15 Chap. 4. Two Cautions touching the Burden of Sin 1. That 't is no condition of the Covenant of Gace 2. That it doth not interest the Soul in Christ nor gâ—ve it rest in him Whereunto certain Consequences are annexed Page 21 Chap. 5. The Reasons of the former Doctrine 1. Christ hath all mercy in him 2. The end why he came into the world was to give rest to burdened Souls 3. Christ himself was once under some kind of this burden 4 He is to have the glory of all the ease which is given to sinners Page 24 Chap. 6. The Application Exhorting Sinners to come unto Christ with Answers unto certain Objections Page 26 Chap. 7. The Burden under the Law laid open in Eleven particulars 1. The Law Requireth of us such things which we are unable to perform 2. It Requireth absolute perfection 3. It Accepteth not of any of our Endeavours 4. Vpon any one breach of the Law the sinner looseth al ability for ever keeping any part of it afterward 5. Vpon any breach thereof it presently bindeth over the sinner to eternal death 6. It requireth constant obedience 7. Being once broken it cannot be satisfied with any after obedience 8. It accepts of no repentance 9. It only lays open a mans misery and there leaves him without shewing him any remedy 10. There is no appeal from it nor repealing of it 11. The more it cometh to be revealed the more are our corruptions Stirred up Where some Objections are answered or Doubts resolved Page 31 Chap. 8. Three Conclusions arising from the former Doctrine concerning the Burden under the Law Namely 1. That man by Nature is in an evil case 2. That it is a mighty work to save a Soul 3. That those vain thoughts wereby men think to pacifie their Consciences will stand them in no stead Page 47 Chap. 9. Of the Burden of Legal Performances What it is With the burdensomness thereof laid open in twelve Particulars 1. There is no inward principle of doing 2. In men that are only under the Law there 's a principle contrary to the performance thereof 3. Such are wearied with doing getting no supply of strength to perform duty 4. By their performances they stil contract more Guilt upon their Souls 5. What they do in Obedience unto the Law is only out of fear 6. And with much straitness of Spirit 7. Nothing comes of such Performances 8. They that perform Duty in a meer Legal way never attain their end which is peace with God 9. They know not whether God accepts of them or rejects them 10. They are forced unto Duties instantly presently and upon the sudden though to the hinderance of other Duties of greater concernment Which God requireth of them at the same time 11. Though they go on toyling yet know they not whether they shal hold out unto the end 12. Their Humiliation and trouble for not doing what they ought to do hinders them from doing what God requires Page 50 Chap. 10. The Sad condition of such as are under the Burden of Legal Performances set forth in Six Particulars 1. That which should be accounted their happiness is their Misery 2. It is a means to cause hard thoughts of God 3. It causeth great discouragement 4. They bring an evil
man of any way of Redemption of any way of deliverance but meerely shews unto us our misery and so leaves us I do not mean the law that is in the book of the old testament for there is Gospel mingled I do not say that Moses doth not tel us of any way of Redemption but I mean the Law of the Covenant of works so far as that is revealed in Moses and that is revealed in the new Testament in a great pâ—rt of it that only shewes us our misery and there leaves us but grace and truth and mercy that comes in by Jesus Christ Tenthly A tenth particular wherein the greivous bondage under the law appeares is this That it is such a Law as there can be no appeal from it no nor no repealing of it though it be thus strict and thus severe yet I say there is no appeale from it nor no repealing of it there are many Laws that we may appeal from one to another or if that Law be hard it may be called in again we cannot appeale from the Authority of this law nor can it be repealed You wil say this excluds us from al help though there be many hard Laws made by men and as long as they stand in force people are in a very sad Condition yet there may be meanes to repeal them but as for this Law there can it seems be no appeale from it nor repealing of it May we not appeale from Gods justice to Gods mercy seat I have indeed spoken of such an expression but that expession must be warily understood for the truth is there is no proper appealing from the justice of God to his mercy when the sinner comes to Christ it hath the pardon sealed in the Court of justice as wel as in the Court of mercy there is no soule that is saved but Gods justice is as wel satisfied as his mercy is glorified nor no repeale of this law What must the law stand in force then yes the law shal stand in force and yet there shal be thousands of soules saved How is that you wil say This is the mistery of the Gospel that the law shal stand in force and yet men shal be saved there shal be a way to save men for al this Certainly if the Law went on in its course one would think that it would carry on al mankind to eternal destruction yea and so it would have done but onely for this great Saviour and redeemer Jesus Christ that cals Sinners to him that they might have rest He comes and puts himself under the Law and what the Law requires he doth and he Suffers so that here is al the alteration the Law goes on and hath its course onely whereas it might have required to have had the course of it upon our selves in person now God is content that it should have its course upon our security When a man oweth a debt the Law requires performance it s one thing to have the law repealed and an other to have the debter delivered if a sureâ—â— wil come and undertake the debt he is delivered though he hath not paid it yet the law hath its course for the surety dischargeth what the debter should have done so the way of salvation for any soul it is not either by appealing from the law or by the repealing of the law but we must look upon the Law to have its course only to have its course upon Christ our surety who hath fully satisfied the law and Christ looked thus upon is the true object of our faith and except we apprehend Christ thus as one made under the Law as the Scripture saith and one that did indure the law to have its course upon him and so to satisfie the law except we look upon Christ thus we look not upon him as the right object of our faith and Christ he thus cals upon you that are weary and heavy laden to come to him as if he should say poor Sinners that are under such a Covenant as this is you know that though it be not repealed I have come and put my self under this law it hath had its course upon me come to me and the law shal be sattisfied it shal have nothing to say against you but you shal have through rest in me come therefore to me Eleventhly The Eleventh thing in the Law is That it is so far from inabling us to perform that obedience which it requires that in regard of our own wretched condition that we are now in the more it comes to be revealed the more are our Corruptions stirred up it doth through our fault not from any fault in the Law stir up our Corruptions so much the more Luther compares it to Water cast upon Lime the Law coming into the heart being in its Natural Condition till God oovercomes it by the Grace of the Gospell is stirred up so much the more You have a notable expression for this in the example of Paul who felt it thus in himself in Rom. 7.5 For when we were in the Flesh the motions of sin which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death and again in ver 8. For sin taking occasion by the Commandment wrought in me all manner of Concupiscence It took occasion by the Commandment there are many people that are the worse by hearing the Law revealed unto them until God pleaseth to overcome their hearts by the grace of the Gospel Now put all these together and the soul that comes to be enlightened to understand these do you not think that such a soul wil be burdened Is it not a burden to be in this Condition Is it possible that the soul can have any rest in this Condition You will say these things are hard in themselves But first if you did but understand the infinite holiness there is in God and the infinite Justice of God with whom you have to deal And if you did but understand the perfect Condition that God did make man in at the first present before your souls the infinite Holiness and Justice of the great God with whom you have to do and then present before your souls that perfect state that God did make man in Innocency and then these things wil be clear unto you And if these things were only preached to you and nothing else they would seem to be hard but it is all in order to this Invitation of Christ CHAP. VIII Three Conclusions arising from the former doctrine concerning the Burden under the Law Namely 1. That man by Nature is in an evil case 2. That it is a mighty work to save a Soul 3. That those vain thoughts whereby men think to pacifie their Consciences will stand them in no stead NOw upon the hearing of these things we may truly draw such Conclusions as these First That certainly man is in an ill case by Nature It is observed of the people of Israel when
not only say in general Come to me but cals them in particular 3. You will say How shall we know it is the voyce of Christ that is the third particular Christ doth by the Spirit secretly perswade the soul that it is his voyce and not the voyce of delusion according to that in Cant. 2 8. The voyce of my beloved As it is when the Soul is departed from God and comes again to him the Lord Christ makes the Soul to know his voyce So when he was in this world after his Resurrection he confers with Mary a while and she thought it had been the Gardiner and Christ he speaks but a word speaks to her and saies Mary Rabboni saith she Master presently Christ did not tell her he was the Christ but he said Mary and presently Mary knew it was the voyce of Christ And so when the Spirit of Christ speaks to the soul there is such a secret instinct a perswasion and manifestation of God to it that it doth know indeed that it is the voyce of God I have been often at a Sermon and heard many good men preach Christ but I hear the voyce of Christ this day in my soul and I know it is the voyce of Christ Thus doth the soul that comes to Christ effectually 4. And further The invitation of Christ when it is indeed effectual as I know it is Christs voyce Christ comes and knocks at the door and the soul knows who it is that is to be applyed to his particular Call As Christ saith I stand at the door and knock that is to be referred to the second particular I stand and knock at the door and if any man will open to me I will come in to him and sup with him God doth not only proclaim pardon but comes to the door of the soul and stands at thy door particularly you cannot but find this by experience you that have the work of Grace upon you you have lived under the means a long time but God comes and knocks at your doors also which is a mighty condescention of a Prince that doth not only send sorth a Proclamation but knocks at the poor Traitors door and so doth Christ and when that is done before the soul doth indeed come and cast himself so upon Christ and commit himself to Christ there are some secret items and intimations that God doth intend love to it in particular that he hath thoughts of love and mercy to the soul though I have been very vile and very wretched yet partly I gather it by the way of God towards me that there is thoughts of mercy to me Quest You will say How doth that appear that there is any such intimation of Gods goâ—ness to a soul in particular when it is called to come to Christ Answ I will give you this Ground When the soul comes to Christ and casts it self upon Christ it doth it not at a meer venture and knows not whether he shall have mercy or no. It is true I come to Christ and there is no other help but I know not whether I shall have mercy or no or whether there be any mercy or no for me this is not the work of faith this way is neer to faith indeed when the soul can say thus It is true in the way I have been there is no mercy to me and I know not whether there be mercy for me but I wil try it it hath not the reflect act of faith but some secret perswasion of the soul whereby it doth cast it self upon God though not by a reflect act it can certainly say God intends mercy for me but though it be very weak yet some intimation the soul hath that there is mercy from God towards it because Faith is not a bare venture but Faith hath some kind of certainty though very weak for to say I will cast my soul upon God but I may perish I have no ground to think why God should save me this is unbelief the work of Faith according to the degree of it hath some kind of certainty in it though the soul for the present be not able to discern it 5. The invitation of Christ when it comes to be effectual hath together with the voyce of Christ an inward effectual power that goes along with it a prevailing power to draw the heart to him Christ doth not only speak to the heart and say to it Come but with the voyce he lets out a power upon the heart to come to him I express it thus When Christ was in the flesh he goes and calls Disciples to him comes to Matthew that sate at the receit of Custom saith he Come and follow me presently Matthew leaves his sitting at the Custom House leaves all his Friends and leaves all he had and comes to him presently And so when Christ comes to Peter and Andrew his Brother that were a fishing and saith to them Come to me they leave their old Father leave their Nets leave their Ship leave all and follow Christ Certainly we cannot but apprehend that there was a secret vertue went out from Christ with this his Word that did thus prevail upon their hearts As the poor woman in the Gospel that had the bloody issue she did but touch the hem of Christs Garment and she finds a secret vertue to cure her so where ever Christs invitation comes to be effectual it comes with a mighty power a secret vertue that goes together with his word to the soul to prevail upon it Come to me say many Why doth Christ call me am I able to come to him Christ saith Come to them as he did to Matthew Peter and others Christ did not call them and say Come only but he put vertue into his word and look what vertue was then the same is now in the ministry of the word when he speaks and saith come to Christ together with this word there goes a secret power to prevaile upon the Soul that they must come Now it may be the Father or Mother or friend of a poor yong man perswades him not to come but he must come to Chirst for all that the truth is it 's as strong a work of God to come to Christ now as it was then to cal Matthew and Peter to come to Christ Lastly He not only calls them but he reacheth out his hand before he comes to be joyned with Christ to have union with him Christ when he sees the Soul making after him he reacheth forth his hand to draw the Heart You will say what is that for Christ to reach forth his hand and invite that way By that I mean those gracious incouragements that Christ gives to all the beginnings of the working of the Soul after him the Lord Christ not only invites such but gives forth his hand to reach forth strength unto them he will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the Smoaking Flax. Thus you see what the second
acknowledg that it is through grace that he hath but somewhat which God works through him that is the most natural to a rational creature to rest upon somewhat that he doth to make up his peace with God and to be his righteousness before God And it is a mighty work of God to beat off the heart from this especially The heart comes thus far to say it is true I can do nothing of my self but it is by the grace of God that I do al now for the heart not to rest upon this as its own righteousness this is the hardest thing in the world And although men may be convinced in their judgments that they should not rest in any such thing but go out of themselves to another principle yet it is the hardest thing in the world to come off from it and it is that makes the work of faith the most difficult thing in the world because it carries the soul out of it self from its own bottom from its own principles and the mistake of this thing is that that is the undoing of thousands of those that live under the sound of the gospel that when they have somewhat reformed their lives and think they are able to do thus and thus yet here they rest and go not out of themselves to look for rest out of themselves and do not come to Christ Quest You wil say What not rest upon what we do and are inabled to do upon Gods grace Faith it self is a resting upon Christ Ans No but this you must observe in your comming you must not rest upon your comming but upon Christ that you come unto for their may be a deceit in that too There be some that rest upon works of humiliation mourning for sin reforming their lives and they think that is their rest and peace Others go further and think they must beleeve in Christ but they wil rest upon their beleeving so they rest upon their comming and not upon the object that they come unto but we must be taken off from resting upon our comming upon our very beleeving and Christ must be all in all to have true rest in Therefore faith is a Supernatural grace because by that we are taken off from what we are in our selves and carryed on to somewhat else 6. Upon this follows likewise That faith is an humbling grace it is that that must needs humble the soul where it is for indeed it is the greatest self denial in the world for a creature to come to be willing to rely upon free grace for the soul to be so emptied of it self as to acknowledg there is no worthiness no good at al in it self and yet it is content to live eternally upon meere almes and to give God the glory of al. Is there any thing more hard to any of you then to live to be beggers al your daies to be beholding to others so as to live upon meer almes and nothing else al the dayes of your lives Now for the creature to be so emptied of it self as to live upon meere almes to al eternity upon nothing but meer free grace and upon a principle of life without our selves this is a mighty work of emptying of our selves and of self denyal And therefore in Rom. 10.3 It s spoken of the Jewes For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God This plainly shewes that the bringing the heart to rest upon the righteousness that is of God by faith for that is meant here requires a submission of the heart a laying down the heart and a humbling of the heart and indeed this is the very ground why the Lord doth so humble the spirits of men and women when he brings them to Christ because that the Lord knows that the very act the coming to Christ is an act of the greatest self denial in the world because the heart must be emptied of it self in that that is so much against the pride of mans heart to live eternally upon meer free grace and nothing else For there is nothing that man doth more desire then to have somewhat some stock of himself to live upon And indeed herein man comes to be more humble then Adam in innocency could be for Adam had a stock to live upon in his own hand to live upon in himself not but God was the principle of it but then God gave it him to live upon the stock of Grace he had in his owne hand But now in the second Adam the way of God towards us is otherwise the second Adam keepes the stock of life and grace upon which our soules must live eternally in his own hand I say they are in Christs hand not in our selves and therefore our life is a better and safer life then that was and thereby we cannot fal from God because we live by the principle of life that is in him It is a great mistery and almost impossible to unfould only some glimmering we have in the word that this is so 7. If there be nothing required but to come then another consequence wil follow from hence and that is this Hence then beleevers that come to Christ may learn this lesson to be willing to do and to suffer very much for Christ after they come because there was nothing required of them to the pardon of their sins but only to Come I strengthen the inference thus If God had said thus indeed I have sent a mediator to pacifie my wrath and to pardon your sins and before you come to Rest I require that you should suffer so many hundred yeares of torment in fire and that should be a preparation to come and then after you have suffered so much then you shal come and have rest suppose this had been the condition of the covenant now had it been so we had al had cause to have fallen upon our face and have blest his great name that we can have peace on any termes and we should have been not only willing to accept of these termes but to magnifie Gods grace that we can be thus saved at last But the Lord hath not required that first we should suffer such and such hard things and then Come to Christ but he calls upon us first to come and requires nothing before And therefore before we are able to do the Lord any service the Lord wil first accept of us and pardon us and heale us and interest us in himself and be our God and take us to be his Children and make us heirs of heaven and eternal life this at first before we shal ever be able to do him any service What an infinite grace of God is this how is he beforehand with us for he calleth to the greatest sinner that knowes what his sin is and is Laden saith God I require nothing before the receiving you to mercy but meerly to
saith to it regard not the stuff let your Heart be wholly taken off from all Creature comforts that are most dear unto you it is all but stuff here is Heaven here is the Riches of Heaven the Riches of Christ is yours and then doth the Soul come to Christ indeed when it laies all upon Christ and is satisfied with him alone RULE IV. Fourthly When thy Soul is making towards Christ labor to keep him continually in thine Eye and look upon him in his excellency Glory and beauty keep the object before thee all the while thou art coming towards him As it is in any journey if I am going to a place and I can see the journeys end it is in mine eye I can see the steeple before me of the place that I am going unto when the Marriner can see the harbour that he is going unto this is comfortable So the Soul that comes to Christ must resolve and say I must keep him in mine Eye in his lustre Beauty and Glory that so I may see a greater good in Jesus Christ than in all things else that the goodness that is in him doth out-bid all good whatsoever Now this is a great help to come to Christ for one of the greatest hinderances of the Soul in coming to Christ is this that it looseth the sight of Christ in coming and the Devil propounds other spectacles before its Eyes in coming and so it lookes into the deep pit of its own Heart and sees no other matter but discouragement whereas it should keep up its Eyes upon Christ the Son of God who is opening his Arms ready to imbrace it And there is a secret power and influence that comes from Christ unto the Soul to draw the Soul to him So long as the Soul keeps Christ in his Eye as the poor Woman said If I can but touch the hem of his Garment Nay you may go further then so and have a degree of Faith Nay If I may have but a sight of Christ I say there is that in the sight of Christ that will draw the Heart unto Jesus Christ As they say of some kind of creatures the very sight of them will kil a Man that if they do but see you or you them there will come poyson from them that wil kill you say the Naturalists But I am sure it is true of this that if you can keep Christ in your Eye the very sight of the excellency of Christ wil be of excellent vertue to draw the Soul to Christ And therefore you that are coming to Christ observe this some that are coming to Christ it fares with them as with the Children of Israel when they were going to Canaan they had gone a pretty way and made some progress but then they fel into discontent when they found a little discouragement and upon that they were brought back again and wandred forty Years up and down in the Wilderness and this was the punishment of their murmuring and discontent So it is with many that are going out of their natural State unto Jesus Christ they are come very near to him many times and then fal into fits of discontent pining fretting and discouragement and so are brought back again and made to wander in the Wilderness of discouragement for many Years together RULE V. Fifthly Labor throughly to convince thy Soul of this thing that whatsoever sorrow for sin whatsoever humiliation whatsoever trouble of spirit keeps thy Heart from Jesus Christ it is not of God but rather from thine own corruption it is not of God in thee except you will say it 's of God as an affliction it is not of God but suffering the Devil to try thee but whatever sorrow it be for thine own wretchedness or unworthiness if this keep thee off from Christ and discourage thee from coming to Christ convince thy Soul of this that it is not the gracious work of God in thee but the troubling of the Devil in thee The truth is many poor sinners when they are once troubled for their sins they take a kind of Satisfaction in this they think this is a good thing and they are glad of it I grant you trouble for sin is a good thing and you are to be glad of it but if your trouble for sin hinder you from coming to Christ and makes you think because you are so unworthy you may not come to him this trouble is not mixt with godly sorrow be convinced of this RULE VI. Sixthly Take heed of all kind of discouragements and hinderances in your coming to Christ but then take heed especially of all determinations take heed of insnaring your Souls by determining against your selves as saying surely the Lord will never shew mercy to me the time is past the Lord hath forsaken me I have used so much meanes so long time and God is not yet come to me No The Lord never intends good to me Oh! Take heed of these determinations for they are sinful wherever they are there can be no just cause in thy Heart be it as vile as it will for such determinations as these are and know when thou givest way to such determinations as these thou dost but insnare and fetter thy Legs by this and then thou sayest thou canst not come to Christ Christ calls to thee and thou art infettered with thy own thoughts for so one may lay fetters upon ones own Legs by ones own thoughts to hinder this spiritual coming to Christ As if a man should tie fetters about his Legs and say when he is called to come to such a place I cannot come Do not sit down and say I shall never have Mercy and I am one that belongs not to the election of Grace and I shall never come to Christ take off such thoughts when thou art about coming to Jesus Christ RULE VII Seventhly At those times when thou canst not feel thy Heart active as thou desirest to go after Christ yet keep thy Heart stil towards Christ keep it tending that way Why cannot I go to Christ Christ calls me to go to him Oh! I have a dead Heart and a heavy dull Heart yet I know I am neerer Christ there than if I should neglect his Ordinances I wil present my Soul where Jesus Christ is and may be he may cast in some Vertue into my Heart to make it more stirring after him but however I am resolved upon this I will not turne away from Christ I will keep my Heart where I am howsoever If I can go no further and here I will stand and here I wil look and I will cry to him and cry to God as the Church doth Draw me and I will run after thee and though I cannot beleeve yet here I will stand and sigh and cry and cal and if I perish I will perish crying to God that God would draw my Heart Oh draw draw our Hearts and we will run after thee Blessed Redeemer dost thou cal us
It would seem a strange thing that if a king should come to a woman and tel her he would be married to her and she should say no if I were a Queene I would take him but she must first be married to him and that makes her to be a Queen So here the soul must not first say if I were first sanctified and had overcome such and such corruptions I would come to Christ no but by coming to Christ renewing thy act of coming to Christ that sanctifies thee That is a rule that I would leave with al young beginners spend more time and more strength in renewing the very act of beleeving of rolling thy soul upon the grace of God in Christ and casting thy burden upon him then in any other worke what soever there is no other thing that thou canst spend thy time thy strength more profitably in then the renewing the act of coming to Christ Come saith Christ saith the soul I had thought I had come but I was deceived saith Christ yet come again and come again and again this is the onely way to overcome any corruption in thy heart So that when Christ cals thee to come remember these rules Oh! that you would lay them up to make use of them at al times When you heare such things out of Gods word remember what hath bin said in this text what is implyed in the coming what way you would come and O! that the Lord would help poor soules thus to come to him and know for your incouragement that if God give you a heart to answer to his cal to come to his Son this is an evident signe of your predestination for whom he cals he hath elected yea do but think thus with your selves what an infinite mercy is it to me that I am in such a condition as that God calls me to come I might have had my eares filled with this depart from me ye cursed Thus many are cast off from God and God bids them depart from me ye cursed thou art as great a sinner may be as they are now whereas God might have said depart from me thou vild soul thou passionate soul thou filthy unclean soul I say this sound might have been in thin eares but instead of that sound there is the spirit of Jesus Christ in the ministry of this word calling to thee come to me yea he doth not onely cal thee but he hath given thee many rules how thou shouldest come to him If a Prince shal first make a proclamation for a rebel to come to him for pardon and shal send to him and make out many rules how he shal come and direct him to such a place what a mighty incouragement would this be to such an one to come in Now this the Lord Christ hath done to thee he hath not only proclaimed that he is mediator between God and thee but he hath sent his spirit to cal thee and he hath sent his messenger to give thee rules how to order thee that thou shouldest take heed of such a by way and such a turning and observe these and these things for thy help thus Christ hath done for thee If the Lord doth give thee a heart to answer to Christs cal know that this calling to thee by Christ in his word wil be no other but a forerunner of that cal that Christ shal make to thee another day There 's a cal come to me al ye that are weary and heavy Laden and I wil give you rest Inherit the kingdome prepared for you This is worth ten thousand worlds and when the soul answers to his cal such a soul may go away and be comforted that Christ wil cal you after another manner He cals the poor laden soul to give you now rest but he wil cal you afterwards before men and Angels to receive the inheritance Come not to rest only but come to an inheritance the kingdom prepared for you before the beginning of the world CHAP. XXIII Nine means to draw Sinners to Christ namely That 1. He that cals us is the Son of God 2. He is our neer Kinsman wherein three strong arguments are included First The terror of Gods glory is taken away Secondly He is infinitely inclined to do good unto the Sons of men Thirdly In uniting the divine nature with the human he hath done a greater work than to save a soul 3. He is the mediator 4. He deserves that we should come to him 5. The soul gets infinite good by coming to Christ instanced in four particulars 6. We are miserable in our selves 7. Christ wil certainly receive them that come to him which is opened in three particulars 8. We stand in great need of Christ 9. The not coming to Christ wil aggravate all other Sins With an answer unto some Objections NOW that which followes to be spoken unto in this second part of the text the invitation it self is the drawing of the hearts of sinners to come to Christ the work that we have to do is that in Luke 14.17 He sent his servants at supper time to say to them that were bidden Come for al things are now ready There the gospel is set out unto us by a rich mans making a great wedding supper and when he had prepared al his dainties he sends his servants to invite the guests saying al things are ready this wedding is nothing else but the excellent things in the Gospel the excellent things that are in Christ and the servants are the Ministers of the Gospel they are sent out to cal sinners to cal the guests to come for all things are ready So then in the name of Christ I cal unto al laden sinners to come to Christ And for the drawing of the soules of those that are thus laden these several things are to be propounded ARG. I. First consider who Christ is that calls and what he is Come to me saith Christ What is Jesus Christ that doth cal you to come to him The very knowledg of him what he is would be a mighty argument to prevail with the heart to come to him he that cals you to come to him is the Son of God the second person in the Trinity the brightness of the glory of God the character and image of his person as he is said to be in Heb. 1.3 He is equal with the Father he hath the glory of the Father in him he is the glory of heaven and earth the adoration of Angels he hath al fulness of al good in him If a great Prince should cal to you as you go in the streets and say come to me would not you presently adress your selves to make towards him to go to him know when Christ calls you to come to him it is more than if al the Angels in heaven should stand together to cal you to come to him When once the soul comes to know who it is that cals to know the voice of Christ and
Christ what dost thou think that mercy is worth that cost the Blood of Christ Thou thinkest thou art a great sinner and that it must be wonderful mercy that must save thy Soul It s true and it 's well thou thinkest So but now consider further sinner what dost thou think of the mercy that shall be as much worth as the Blood of the Son of God For him to be made a curse for sinners will that do it If that will do it thou mayest come to him How much dost thou think the mercy of Christs coming to take Mans Nature upon him is worth to take our sinful Nature upon him If he will do it thou mayest come to Christ Yea Further know That the Lord Jesus Christ never receives any that come to him but Beggars none but Beggars none but miserable creatures none but those that are wretched that are vile and Christ did never yet from the beginning of the world receive any man upon these tearms because he was not so vile as another man as thus here is one that is thus vile here is another that is not altogether so vile I will receive him upon this ground because he is not so vile this was never the ground but when he receives them he receives them upon free Grace and therefore it is not how vile thou art for that is the Glory of Christ to save vile creatures and he saves none but those that come as Beggars those that come and do see themselves as vile wretched worthless unworthy miserable damned dust and Ashes in themselves Only such are objects for the Heart of Christ to be set upon rather make it an argument to drive thee more to him as David did in the 25. Psalm O Lord have mercy upon me pardon my Sin for it is great So Lord I am vile I am wretched I am unworthy and therefore Lord receive me Lord therefore I come unto thee do not say as Peter once did Master depart from me I am a sinful Man No but the truth is he should rather have said thus Master Come to me or Master I come to thee because I am a sinful man So thou shouldest not say O Lord depart from me because I am a sinful creature Or Lord do thou come to me because I am a sinful wretch And know that upon thy coming to him thou wilt have wonderful welcome wonderful great entertainment above all that thy Heart can think of O the great imbracing by Jesus Christ of those Souls that come to him and this is the very Reason why poor sinners at their first conversion have their Hearts so filled with joy because at their first coming to Christ Christ doth give them such wonderful imbracements til they come to be more Strengthened and then perhaps Christ will have them live rather by Faith than by sence It is in the new Birth as in the Birth of Nature Children when they are first born they shoote up mightily take a Child that comes very little out of the Womb come to it a quarter of a Year after the Child is shot up a great deal you may see it a great deal taller and bigger every Limb increased but take it at ten years Old and it grows not so much then as at the first and the Reason is because it coming out of the worm Womb it could not subsist if Nature did not hasten to strengthen it self at first so men when they come to Christ at first they shoote up and grow to such inlargement of Spirit and they do so sensibly perceive Yea and others do so sensibly perceive a greater growth at their first coming than afterwards because when they first come Christ will Strengthen them against all discouragements Christ will use you tenderly Christ will not upbraid you for your former sins and say What! you that have lived a prophane life a prophaner of my ordinances a scorner at my waies and at my people Christ will not upbraid the Soul but he wil be render of you he will pass by your sins and heal your weakness He will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax. ARG. VIII Eightly Further Consider The infinite need thy Soul hath of Jesus Christ and therefore that should drive thee to him if the other Arguments do not draw thee Oh! Let that drive thee to Jesus Christ thou art an undone creature for ever without Jesus Christ all the mercy in Heaven can do thee no good without Christ all the Ordinances can do thee no good without Christ all the duties thou performest can do thee no good without Christ for before thou comest to Jesus Christ there is no Prayer no Duties that ever thou tenderest up to God that can be accepted and this is a sad condiâ—ion that all my Duties my Prayers my services are all cast away till I come to Jesus Christ Certainly this is so for thou must know that Jesus Christ is not only the great conveyer of all good from God to us but also all that comes to us from God must go through him and therefore there is cause thou shouldest hasten to Christ and never be at quiet all thy Life til thou hast some comfortable evidence that thy Heart hath closed with Jesus Christ there is an infinite necessity because al Ordinances Duties services whatever thou dost doth thee no good til thou come to Christ ARG. IX Ninthly Yea Further Christ is such a one as all the creatures one day will see a need of him Yea all that live under the sound of the Gospel they shall see a need of him and they shal curse themselves that when they lived under the sound of the Gospel and were called to come to Jesus Christ that yet notwithstanding they would satisfie themselves in the lusts of their spirits Christ came from Heaven once to us in the daies of his flesh but know that Jesus Christ shall come again in his Glory with all his Angels all his Saints about him and then how happy will those appear that in the time of their lives when they were called by the Ministery of the Gospell did come to Jesus Christ When Christ comes thus in his Glory perhaps you would then all go to Jesus Christ no friend if you will stay till then you will heaâ— another voice from Christ he will not come to call sinners to come to him then but he will come to bid them depart from him for all that the father gives him do come to him before then ARG. X. Yea and yet further let me tel you this that while you have heard the word of God by a poor minister in the name of Christ to cal you unto him to draw you to come unto him if you shal reject this invitation and other invitations that you have by the ministers of the Gospel know that of al the sins that ever you committed in al your lives this wil prove to be the greatest that you have stood
worse then his If the King were going in his Robes to the Parliament a long the streets and should see such a poor creature lying by the Walls and should take special notice of him and call him to him and say let that poor creature come to me it would incourage him exceedingly this invitation from Christ is just the very same for the Lord Jesus Christ sees thee lying in thy gore blood as it is described in Ezekiel 16. where the miserable condition of them that are in their Natural estate is most elegantly set down they lay in their blood none Eye pittyed them then I came saith God and said unto thee live and this time was the time of Love so when thou liest in thy poor wretched miserable condition in thy filth in thy baseness in the Gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity this blessed Redeemer this great Prince of al the world he cals to thee and saies Oh! thou poor creature Come to me I You will say this is the discouragement of all I would be glad to go to Christ the Lord knows this is that my Soul pants after that I might go to Christ but I am such a poor vile creature so Wretched so Miserable that it is impossible for me to be accepted you tel me that for an argument that is the greatest discouragement of my Heart because I am so vile and because I am so Wretched this is that discourageth me from coming to Christ ARG. VII To that I answer in the Seventh place Come to me and I will certainly receive you whatever you are Christ will certainly receive all those that come to him whatever they are and for that consider these three things that may make it plain First The Solemn expression of Christ for this purpose that you have in John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out He doth not say he that hath been such a great sinner such a vile wretched sinner but he speaks indefinitly he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out Now this that is translated in your Books In no wise cast out it hath a greater force in the Greek there is two Negatives for though we in English say two Negatives make an affirmative it is not so in Greek for it is for a stronger confirmation of a thing and so it may be read He that cometh to me I will not not cast out as if so be Christ should say he that comes to me I will not I will not cast out As we when we would express the fervency of our Spirits we double our speech so doth Christ he would express the Fervency of his spirit and therefore he saith he that cometh to me I will not I will not cast out Secondly Whoever thou art upon coming to him he will not cast thee off for this was the great errand that Christ came into the world for to receive poor troubled souls and to ease poor Laden sinners it was the very business that Christ came into the world about it is the work that God the Father hath sent his Son into the world about that he might receive such poor wretched sinful creatures as thou art and if it were not that he should receive those that come to him he should lose the end that he came into the world for and therefore he will receive you when you come for Christ saies I shal else lose the end of that that was the greatest work that ever was done since the world began or shal be done to al eternity that is my undertaking the Mediation between God and you if I should not receive poor Souls that come to me that great work would be lost that work wherein my Father and my self is so much glorified for this is the glory of Christ to do so and Christ saw there was so much glory to be had this way that it did move Christ to come into the world to take such a course as this is to save Souls Christ knows that he should to all eternity be magnified by Angels for the saving such Souls as thou art Yea Christ knows that the Father wil love him more for he saies The Father loves me because I laid down my life for the Sheep John 10.17 It is that that will delight God the Father it is that that wil make God the Father to delight in the Son it is that whereby Jesus Christ gets the very end of his death til he had laid down his life till he had made his Soul an offering for sin he was not satisfied This is it that satisfied him that he should see his Seed and amongst others thou art one thou that comest to Christ thou art of the Seed that Jesus Christ is so satisfied with that he gaines the very end of laying down his life for thee and certainly Christ will not cast thee off but wil receive thee and therefore come to him Thirdly He will receive thee for he hath heretofore received as vile wretches as thou art You will say There was never any so vile as we are It s true we may and ought to judg our Selves as vile as the worst though we have not committed such vile sins outwardly as others have yet because we know not the Hearts of other men nor do we know what means others have had therefore we are to judg ourselves as vile as any but know that Christ hath received as bad as thou art those that pierced Christ that shed his blood Christ received 3000. of them in one day he received three thousand in one day of those that had inbrued their hands in his blood and the story stands in the Scripture for an everlasting Monument to incourage poor sinners to come to Christ And besides though thou art a vile sinner and a wretched creature yet know the greater thou hast been in thy sin the more will the Grace of God in Christ be magnified and certainly there is in Christ such a Grace as is able to swallow up great sins as well as little as the infinite Ocean of the Sea is able to swallow up great Vessels as well as smal were it not a silly thing when we were to cast a Vessel into the Sea to say it is too great a Vessel God is willing to have his Grace magnified to thee though it be to the hardening of many thousands If there is an infinite Ocean in God to swallow up great as well as smal sins so long as this keeps thee off from coming to Christ so long thou dishonorest this infinite Grace of God in Christ Were Gods mercy only such as his common bounty is to other of his creatures this might keep thee off but now it being the infinite Ocean of mercy in his Son and purchased by Christ it is an infinite dishonor to the Grace of God in Christ to stand upon tearms and not to come to