Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 1
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 *See my Treatiſe, on 2 Cor. 5.19, 20.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 …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 in darkneſs, they can have God the Father made known to them by no means, but by me, there is no way for them to know, what is in the Heart of God the Father towards them but by me, and therefore, Oh! Sinners come to me. Here is the dependance of the words upon the former. Likewiſe conſider what follow…. If the poor ſhould ſay, Oh! bleſſed Saviour, we are vild unworthy creatures, we lie under the weight and burden of the guilt of our Sins: and ſhal ſuch as we come to thee? Yea, ſaith Chriſt, notwithſtanding that, yet come to me. The word in the Greek here hath an emphaſis beyond that which you have in your Books; it is not Venice, that is uſually tranſlated come, but adeſte; it is a word exhortation, not a meer word commanding, but a word of Exhortation, as one friend calls to another in a familiar ſweet way, and ſaies, come hither: I come to thee, Oh! bleſſed Saviour, (ſaith the poor Sinner) thou art the Holy one of the Father; thou art God bleſſed for ever, and how ſhould I be able to come to thee? now ſaith Chriſt, I am meek, and I am lowly, come to me, and I wil lay no further burden upon you, no other yoke upon you, I am meek and lowly, and I wil ſhew my ſelf to be meek and gentle, and loving to you; I wil not upbraid you; if you come, I wil not ſay to you, as Jeptha ſaid to the Elders of Gilead, you did hate me and caſt me out, and why are you come to me in your diſtreſs? but if you come to me, you ſhal find reſt to your Soules, and be ſure that whatſoever yoke ſhal be layed upon you, it ſhal be but an eaſie yoke, and whatſoever burden ſhal be layed upon you, it ſhal be but a light burden. And thus you have the dependance of the words, and the ſcope of them.
Now further for the meaning of them; come to me, ye that Labor. The word tranſlated here [Labor] is (I think) in ſome of your books [Weary] al ye that are weary. And it ſignifies a cutting Labor, it comes from a word that ſignifies to cut; any kind of trouble or vexation that is upon ones ſpirit that is cutting; a cutting trouble; ſomtimes it is uſed for any kind of trouble in the world; as in Revel. 14.13. Bleſſed are the dead which die in the Lord, for they reſt from their Labors; from al their trouble and affliction; Al you that Labor and are heavy Laden; the word comes from a word that ſignifies the Lading of a Ship, ſuch a loade that would load a Ship: heavy laden, this is the meaning of the words. You that are under ſuch afflictions of ſpirit, as you are even cut again; you that Labor under the trouble, anguiſh, and ſorrow of your hearts. And then you that are under ſuch a burden, that even would lade a Ship; that is ready to ſink your ſouls down into the bottom of diſpaire; you that are in ſuch a condition, come to me; you that can find no reſt any where elſe, come to me, and I wil give you reſt. So that here in verſ. 28. You have theſe three things for the diviſion of it.
1. The diſcription of thoſe whom Chriſt would invite to himſelf; what kind of people they are; or the condition of ſuch as are invited and required to come to Chriſt; the ſubject, Such as Labor, and are heavy Laden.
2. The ſweet and gracious invitation of Chriſt to ſuch [Come to me] come to me you that do thus Labor, and are thus heavy Laden. And,
3. A Gracious promiſe unto ſuch as come unto Chriſt; that Chriſt wil give reſt unto their Souls. Theſe are the three things in verſ. 20.
For the firſt; I ſhall only ſpeak of that at this time; though the other two are the Chief that I do intend. And I ſpeake of the firſt only, as making way unto the other two that follow. For the reaſon why I choſe this ſcripture was to draw the Soul unto Chriſt, and to open the riches of this promiſe of rest; to ſhew what reſt the Soul ſhal have in Chriſt that doth come unto him.