Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
That there is nothing required of Sinners but to come to Chriſt, with nine Conſequences ariſing from hence, and what hath been laid down in the two former Chapters. 1. There is not any worthineſs required in ſuch as come to Chriſt. 2. The Soul needs not to be troubled about the time and meaſure of its Humiliation before its coming to Chriſt. 3. Nor about what intereſt it hath in Chriſt, before its comming to him. 4. That the leaſt degree of Faith will give the Soul intereſt in Chriſt. 5. That the work of Faith is Supernatural. 6. That Faith is an humbling Grace. 7. That beleevers after their coming to Chriſt ſhould be willing to do and ſuffer much for Chriſt. 8. That they who are once in Chriſt, ſhal never be caſt off. 9. That they know not what to do when they looſe their intereſt in Chriſt.
NOw the third thing is, That there is nothing elſe required, ſaith Chriſt, Come to me and I will give you Reſt. Bleſſed Chriſt! is this all that thou requireſt; yes, come to me, and you ſhal have Reſt. You have it often expreſt in Scripture thus, Come, and buy Wine and Milk and Honey without price, it is but coming: and indeed the very coming is buying. And ſo in the 22. of the Revel. and the 17. And the Spirit and the Bride ſay come, and let him that heareth, ſay come, and he that is athirſt come, and whoſoever will let him take of the Water of Life freely. Here is nothing but come, three times come, and there is nothing elſe required, nothing that thou ſhouldeſt bring with thee, but only come. Only in this remember how I opened it, what it is to Come, and then there is nothing elſe required, but only come. Then this gives light to many things.
1. That there is no unworthineſs of any ſinner, be he what he will be, before this invitation, that is ſufficient to hinder, Why? Becauſe Chriſt doth not ſay you that have been thus vild and wretched, you ſhal do thus and thus firſt, and then come to me. No, Whatever you have been, the firſt thing that Chriſt requires to eaſe, Reſt and peace, is, to come to him. It is true, there are ſome things in the Nature of comming required that muſt needs be done, before the compleat act of coming; as I muſt know what Chriſt is, and know my ſelf, &c. theſe things of neceſſity are required not becauſe theſe are any condition of the Goſpel, but becauſe the other cannot be done without them. For I would open it thus to follow the former Metaphor. Suppoſe the King ſhould tel a Traitor, that upon condition that you come to ſuch a place at ſuch a time, you ſhall have your pardon. Well, all that is required for his pardon is but coming to that place, how if this man be at a great diſtance from that place, and many difficulties that hinder him, S…ormes, Tempeſtuous weather, and many friends to hinder him, this is implyed, that he muſt have ſuch a deep apprehenſion of the worth of his pardon, and of his miſerable condition if he be not pardoned, that there muſt be a ſtrong reſolution in him to go through all difficulties whatſoever. But marke, this reſolution of his and the difficulties that he meets withal in the way, theſe are no part of the condition of the pardon; all the condition of the pardon is, but to be at ſuch a place, ſuch a time, but yet the other things they follow of themſelves, that if he doth come, and there be ſuch difficulties in the way, then he muſt have ſuch a ſenſe and apprehenſion of the good of his pardon as may ſtir up in him ſuch reſolutions, to paſs through all difficulties. But the firſt thing that brings him his pardon is his being there. So it is here with the Soul, its true, the thing that bring… my Soul and yours to pardon. Reſt and Peace with God, it is our coming to Chriſt, but now becauſe there is a great diſtance between Chriſt and us, many difficulties in the way, many things that would keep us from Chriſt, the wickedneſs of our Hearts, this temptation and that luſt. Now it cannot poſſibly be, If we come to Chriſt, but we muſt know, and become apprehenſive of the worth of the pardon, which may raiſe up in our hearts ſuch ſtrong reſolutions to paſs through all Difficulties whatſoever, and there is no Reaſon, why God troubles any man for ſin, but only this, that he might have ſuch an apprehenſion of the Good of the pardon of his ſin, as may ſtir in him ſtrong reſolutions to get to Chriſt. But now this reſolution is not the condition of the Covenant, the condition is only to come, the condition is not becauſe we are afflicted, becauſe we ſee our ſins, but to come to Chriſt.
2. It follows likewiſe from hence, That no Man or Woman, that God is working upon to come to Chriſt, need trouble themſelves about the degree of humiliation, or the time of humiliation. You have a great many, that are ready to take advantage and to cry out againſt men that they Preach legally, when they ſay, they muſt be humbled and the like. I know no man living that ever Preached ſo, that they muſt be firſt under the Law, thus long under the Law, before they come to Chriſt, but if you would know what degree of humiliation is ſufficient, only ſo much as can bring you to Chriſt, that is, ſo much as can ſtir up your Hearts to reſolve to paſs through all difficulties to come to Chriſt, then you have the meaſure, and the time of humiliation ſufficient, and you need not trouble your ſelves any further about this, I have not been humbled ſo long as another Man, or ſuch a time, but if you come to Chriſt. For if I come to Chriſt, I muſt know what I come for, for a Pardon. A pardon of what? for my ſin, my ſin that I am condemned for; there muſt be a ſenſe of this, and if you come thus far, you need not be afflicted for any degree, or time of humiliation, or the like, for you have that that is ſufficient, and God wil accept of your coming: if once you be come to him, God wil not ſay, Oh! but Friend, how have you been humbled in your comming, God knows you have paſt through many difficulties, God knows you would never have priſed Chriſt, except you had known what the worth of Chriſt is, by knowing what a miſerable creature you are without him; God wil not do this, but wil welcome you when you come, let the ſinner be what he wil, Chriſt wil own him.
3. This helps us about intereſt in comming to Chriſt, you wil ſay, come to Chriſt, but how ſhal I know that I have any right to come to Chriſt? This very point anſwers it, that nothing is required but comming, that which hath given any ſoul from the begining of the world any intereſt to come to Chriſt, is only comming to Chriſt; thy comming to Chriſt doth give thee right to Jeſus Chriſt. If thy grace, the grace of God doth make thee come, that very act of thine in coming gives thee intereſt and right in him, though thou hadſt none before. There needs no other right and challenge to Chriſt but Gods offering of Chriſt in the Goſpel to thee, and thy comming to him. But now (for it is pitty to let this paſs) it may be, ſome may think, wil not this tend to looſeneſs to ſay, its nothing elſe but to Come to Chriſt? I know it is extreamly abuſed many wayes, many wil abuſe it thus, when we are preaching the Goſpel, that if at any time we preach the miſerable condition of men to humble them, they wil ſay, it is a contradiction, but I beſeech you take heed of theſe vain Spirited men, who ſeek not Jeſus Chriſt in the way of the Goſpel. And though it may be through their weakneſs or the diſtemper of their hearts, they wil not, or do not ſee the way of the Goſpel, but they wil come to young people and weake Chriſtians and ſay, there's contradiction in this, for if this be true, how can the other be true? But theſe things that ſeem contradictory, they are very agreeable one with another, if you would ſeem to give judgment upon what we apprehend we ſhal make the Scripture to contradict it ſelf. But now thoſe that are verſed in Scripture and underſtand the mind of God in the Scripture can tel how to joyn theſe together, though others think they contradict one another. As that of Paul to the Romans, That we are juſtified by faith without the works of the Law. And that in James, he ſaith, we are Juſtified by workes. A ſtranger would think, theſe contradict one another, but they that are acquainted with the way of the Scripture, they can underſtand what this meanes: So theſe men that would make contradiction in the preaching of Gods Miniſters in the Goſpel, they are ſtrangers to the way of God in the Goſpel, did they underſtand the way of God cleerly in the Goſpel, they would know how to make a ſweet agreement of ſuch things as they would make poor young ones, and weak beleevers to beleeve there is a contradiction in them. And therefore this I would hold, and hope we ſhal for ever hold as a ſtrong principle, That the condition of the Goſpel is only comming, and that which the weight of our ſoules and eternal eſtates lies upon is, not our humbling, but it is the comming to Jeſus Chriſt. Do not ſay, that this tends to looſneſs, for that ſoul that ſees Chriſt as the glorious mediator to come to ſave him, this ſight of Chriſt, hath a great deale of power to ſanctifie the heart, for when I ſee this, I ſee, firſt, that I have to doe with God, and that there muſt be a mediator between God and me, my ſins have made ſuch a breach between God and my ſoul, this tends not to looſeneſs. And then as you were taught before, comming notes a removing from one condition to another. Then it notes ſecondly, that my heart is taken off from the world, from my luſts, from my corruptions, my comming implies this. And thirdly, when I conſider the end of my comming, what the ſoul aimes at when it comes thus, I come to Chriſt to ſave me from the power of my ſins, as wel as the guilt of my ſins. I come to Chriſt as the fountain of al my happineſs, I come to him for life and grace and all good. I come to him that I might live in him, and that I might live to God by him, Certainly to ſay that Chriſt requires only to come to him, this doth not tend to looſneſs. I come to Chriſt that I may commit my whole ſoul to him, is not this a ſanctifying grace? Indeed to preach thus, that you may come to Chriſt and no more, this pleaſeth Libertines, but when we conſider what is the way of the Goſpel, I muſt firſt know what it is to come, and then I muſt know that it is to leave ſomewhat; to know wherfore I come, that I may have al my happineſs in him. I come to him for life, for ſalvation, for union with God the father, that I may enjoy communion with him to everlaſting, here is no liberty to looſeneſs in comming, but a bleſſed maintaining of the condition of the Goſpel in the way of the ſoules coming unto Chriſt.
4. It followes from hence that the weakeſt, and the leaſt degree of Faith that is, wil give us intereſt in Chriſt becauſe that nothing but comming to him is required. It is not run to me, or come ſtrongly to me, if I can but get to him, though it be crawling, though it be never ſo poorly, never ſo weakely, that doth it, by comming and cloſing with Chriſt. If that be the condition to come to ſuch a place for a pardon, though they come creeping upon their hands and feet through weakeneſs, yet if they be but there, they ſhal have that that is promiſed: ſo ſay I, though the ſoul in coming to Chriſt creep as it were upon hand and feet, come with much weakeneſs, it is that that gives intereſt in Chriſt, not ſuch and ſuch degrees of Faith and confidence as ſome have. It may be ſome poore, weake Chriſtians, are troubled at this, that they have not ſuch confidence and aſſurance as others have, they are ful of doubts and feares. We are to know, that it is not the degree and ſtrength of Faith that is required in coming, but comming to Chriſt, Come to me, though it be with ſhaking, with trembling, though with mixture of much feare, yet come to me, and you ſhal have reſt.
5. It follows from hence, That the work of faith, and bringing true reſt unto the ſoul is a ſupernatural work, it is comming to him, that is, its the looking forward, by a righteouſneſs that is beyond our own, it is a leaving our own righteouſneſs, not reſting upon that, and confiding in what we have, are, or can be inabled to do by the power of God; I ſay, that the way of the ſouls getting reſt in Chriſt by faith, it is ſupernatural, for it is by ſuch a way, wherein the ſoul comes to deny it ſelf in whatever it hath, whatever it doth, whatever it can be inabled to do by the power of God. It reſts not upon any thing that is in it, or done by it, no nor in any thing that God himſelf by his grace and infinite power can do in it, I do not ſay, do for it, for that is in Chriſt, but do in it, beyond what is in it ſelf, or Gods infinite power is able to inable it to do, it is comming to Chriſt, and therefore going out of our ſelves, this is ſupernatural; for there is nothing more natural to mankind then this, to reſt upon his own bottom, to deſire the ſtaff in his own hand, to leane upon ſome worthineſs, and ſome good in himſelf, this though he wil 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. Its 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 come and caſt your ſouls upon me. You may ſay, Lord! we that have been guilty of ſo many ſins, ſo many years, might it not be juſt that God ſhould require, and ſay, I but, you ſhal live ſo many yeares to my honor, live ſo many yeares to my ſervice, and then I wil pardon and accept of you, no, but ſaith God, I wil receive you, and accept of you upon your comming, before ever you are able to do me any kind of ſervice; no, ſaith God, come to me, and you ſhal have firſt my favour, and you ſhal be firſt accepted, and firſt pardoned, and then indeed I expect ſervice from you, then I expect that you ſhould live as the redeemed ones of the Lord, and al that you ſhal do afterwards, ſhal be but in way of thankfulneſs to me for my grace. And indeed thus do beleevers live in the world, though they look upon what they do in a way of duty, but they do it in a way of thankfulneſs, that is the ſpecial thing that carries them on, the grace of God in his ſon, and that is a ſtronger argument to al kind of duties that now God requires of them, then what they had before. God doth not cal upon you to ſuffer firſt, and then he wil pardon your ſin, no, but ſaith God, I wil beſtow my favour firſt upon you, and try whither you wil ſuffer afterwards. God wil not do as men, try them whether they wil ſuffer and deſerve their favours, before they beſtow them on them, but ſaith God, I wil firſt beſtow my favours upon you, and then I wil try whether you wil ſuffer for me and do me ſervice. And therefore the leſs God requires as a condition before we come to Chriſt the more ſhould we be willing to do for God after we are come to Chriſt. As a man that ſhall receive a poor child into his family, and make him his heir, the leſs that was procured to the favour of the man, the more if the child be ingenious wil he do to him in way of thankfulneſs. Indeed if the friends of the Child come and indent with the man, and promiſe him a hundred pound, the Child thinks he is not ſo beholding to his maſter, for their was money given with him, I but now, if you ſhould ly at the dore and no friend to look after you, and not a rag upon you, and if then he wil take you in, and teach you his trade, and make you the heir of al he hath, Oh! now how infinitely ingaged are you to him, that how my maſter doth al this for me, and there was nothing done before to procure his love. Thus Jeſus Chriſt is a forehand with us, Come to me, only come to me, that you might have Reſt.
8. Hence follows another note of very good uſe, ſeeing nothing is required firſt, but only coming to Chriſt, here is a ſtrong ground of aſſurance, that thoſe that are once in Chriſt, ſhall not be caſt away, but ſhall have eternal life, for there is not ſo great a diſtance between eternal life and the members of Chriſt, as there is between one that is in his Natural eſtate, and a member of Chriſt. Now God hath done more for thee in bringing thee unto Chriſt, then he ſhall do for thee when he brings thee unto Heaven. For there is a geater diſtance between thee and Chriſt, than there is between thee a Member of Chriſt and a glorified Saint in Heaven, and if God bring thee over this great diſtance, meerly out of free Grace, and nothing required but coming, that now thou art a member of Chriſt and therefore haſt right to Heaven, and thou canſt challeng Heaven through the Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt, and God hath put a principle of life into thee to live unto Jeſus Chriſt, a principle of everlaſting life into thee, when there was no principle at all; God brings thee to Jeſus Chriſt meerly out of free Grace. Now if thou comeſt ſo freely to him, ſurely thou ſhalt not be ſhut out of Heaven, and therefore it may be a mighty incouragment. What, if when we were enemies, we be Reconciled to Chriſt, much more now ſhall we be ſaved by his life. If when I was in the Gall of bitterneſs, and in the bond of iniquity, God gave me mercy upon coming to his Son, ſurely he will not caſt me out of Heaven.
9. Another note that we may learn from hence is this, That thoſe that are beleevers, if at any time through their negligence, ſluggiſhneſs, or fals, they looſe the aſſurance of Gods love in Chriſt, looſe their Reſt in Chriſt, here they have a direction to know what to do. Look how thou did'ſt at firſt, when thou attainedſt firſt Reſt in Chriſt, it was not by any Righteouſneſs of thine own, nor by thy humiliation, though that might make ſome way towards it. So now when thou art a beleever, and haſt loſt the aſſurance of Chriſts Love, and the comfort of Reſt in Chriſt, now thou muſt go and take the ſame way again, Chriſt cals thoſe that are beleevers to come to him; thoſe that have loſt the aſſurance of Faith, that is the way for Reſt, to renew the act of thy coming to Chriſt, juſt as thou did'ſt before. Though God did humble thee, yet the thing that did bring thee Reſt was, the coming to Jeſus Chriſt, ſo much more ſhould'ſt thou do now, being a beleever. When thou haſt not the Reſt in Chriſt thou deſireſt, thy way is to renew thy act of coming, of going to Chriſt, and ſo you may ſooner come to have Reſt that way, than by thinking thus. I know not whether my evidences be right or no, and I had need look to them, and therefore I had need to look whether my humiliation be right, and my Sanctification be right or no. I ſay, the renewing the act of thy faith in coming to Chriſt, will bring Reſt ſooner, and ſafer Reſt, and therefore thou ſhalt come to ſee thy Sanctification better too, by renewing the act of thy Faith in coming unto Chriſt, and thou wilt have thy Reſt ſooner that way, it follows from hence becauſe at firſt converſion there is coming. Thus much for the Conſequences that follow from the point of Chriſts requiring only to come.