Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 19
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 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 go…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 thing is, Chriſt invites in another manner.