Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to Him for Rest, Treatise · Chapter 23
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. Now this I might ſhew you in abundance of Scriptures, in the very firſt commiſſion that Jeſus Chriſt gave unto his Apoſtles, after his Reſurrection, to go and Preach throughout the world, he ſaith unto them, in Mark, 16.15. verſe, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Goſpel to every creature, he that beleeveth and is Baptized ſhal be ſaved. This is cleer, that Chriſt would have us in our firſt beleeving, to have an aime at our own good. And ſo we find ſuch a kind of promiſe as this is in the Text, In Jer. 6.16. verſe. Thus (ſaith the Lord) ſtand in the waies, and ſee, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk therein, and ye ſhall find Reſt for your Souls. Inquire after the good waies, and you ſhall find Reſt for your Souls. So that you ſee, God propounds duties together with promiſes, the Lord knows what is beſt for us, and what wil work moſt upon us, and therefore, for us to think, that we muſt have no aime at all of any good to our ſelves in coming to Chriſt, and that it is no grace, but ſelf-love to come to Chriſt for our own good, this is a temptation. I ſpeak the rather this point, becauſe I know how uſeful it is unto many poor Souls, whom the Lord is drawing unto Jeſus Chriſt, the Lord hath taken off their Hearts from ſinful ſelf, they would not enjoy themſelves in the luſts of the fleſh as formerly, the Lord hath made them willing to deny their own opinion, their own wills, their own affections, their former waies, to deny themſelves in the comforts of the things of this world, ſo as to prize him, and Chriſt, and his waies, the way of Chriſt more than they prize their very lives here in this world, and yet for all this, there comes a temptation upon them. I but, you ſeek Chriſt only to free you from Hell, and to ſave you, and therefore it is but ſelf-Love, it is no true Grace, becauſe that you ayme at your ſelves, rather than Chriſt, the Devil cannot prevaile with a Heart that is drawing to Chriſt, thus, telling of it, Oh! but you prize your luſts more than Chriſt, or you prize your eaſe more than Chriſt; or you prize your eſtate, and your liberty more than Chriſt, or your life more than Chriſt, if ſo be that the Devil ſhal come thus and tempt, ſuch a ſoul could in ſome meaſure be able to anſwer, and to appeal unto God, and ſay, Lord! thou that knoweſt all things knoweſt it is otherwiſe, that howſoever my Heart heretofore went after my luſts, after the world, after my eaſe and liberty, and I followed the common courſe of the world, and made thoſe things to be my greateſt good and comfort, yet Lord, thou knoweſt it is otherwiſe with me now, my Heart is ſet for Chriſt, and I can ſay, from the bottom of my Soul, with that bleſſed martyr Lambert, None but Chriſt, none but Chriſt. Now when the Heart is got thus farr, one would think thou mighteſt be above the Devil, and come to get aſſurance, I, ſaith the Devil, though you be taken off thus far, that you dare not commit any known ſin, and you ſeek after Chriſt, more than your eſtate and your liberty, yet there is one thing more that your hearts is not taken off from, you do not prize Chriſt moſt of all, you ſeek Chriſt to ſave you from Hell, and bring you to Heaven, that is it that you ſeek Chriſt for, and therefore I know your Heart is not right all this while, this is a temptation that ſeizeth upon many men. Now I confeſs, it is a temptation that is beyond many men, they do not know what this temptation is, that I prize Chriſt only to deliver me from Hell, and bring me to Heaven, this temptation is above the higheſt form of the courſe of the world, then ordinary profeſſors. Now the Spirit in the Text thus anſwers this temptation, the Soul thus anſwers: It is true, I do ſeek Chriſt to ſave me from Hell, and bring me to Heaven, the fear of the wrath of the great God under which I ſaw my ſelf to be, and the diſpleaſure of God, was mighty upon my Spirit, the Lord hath made my Soul to be ſenſible of the dreadful breach that ſin hath made between him and my Soul, and the Lord hath cauſed the fear of eternity to fall upon my ſoul, and I come to be convinced of this, that ſuch is the breach between God and my ſoul, that there is none but Jeſus Chriſt, the Mediator of the ſecond Covenant, that is able to make up the breach, and my ſoul makes after him as the Mediator, as he is propounded in the word, in the Goſpel, to be a Mediator between God and mankind, ſo my ſoul makes after him, and cloſeth with him: and what can the Devil ſay to this? For my heart doth cloſe with Chriſt, in the way that Chriſt is tendred unto me in the Goſpel; for ſo he is tendered, God himſelf ſaith thus, God ſo loved the world that he ſent forth his only begotten Son, that whoſoever beleeveth in him ſhould not periſh, but have everlaſting Life. Thus God ſets forth his Son, as if God ſhould ſay thus, Be it known unto you, O poor wretched ſinful creatures, that are in danger of eternal periſhing, that I have ſent forth my only begotten ſon into the world, and tender him unto your ſouls, to the end that your ſouls may not periſh, but have everlaſting Life. Thus God tenders his Son. Now then, when a ſoul ſhal be made ſenſible of the danger of eternal periſhing; and the Lord ſhall make it apeare to the ſoul, what the excellency, and the glory of eternal life is, and the ſoul ſhal come to ſee that the being delivered from periſhing, and the obtaining of eternal Life, is only to be had in Chriſt, and upon this doth cloſe with Jeſus Chriſt, and caſt it ſelf upon him, and adventure it ſelf to lay the weight of its eternal eſtate upon Chriſt, the ſoul that doth thus receive Chriſt, according as he is tendred in the word, whatever objection may be to the contrary, this is to receive Chriſt, according as he is tendred in the word. Yet further, for the helping againſt this temptation it fals ful in this Text, Come unto me, and I wil give you reſt. Now many poor ſouls do come to Chriſt that they might have reſt, but then the devil puts this in, Oh! but you come to Chriſt for your owne good.
Now for the helping againſt this temptation, know,
1. That the Lord at the firſt converſion, doth ordinarily make uſe of the creatures ſelf-love, but it is of ſelf-love for eternity, and that is a higher degree of ſelf-love, than the moſt people in the world do attaine unto; Some people in the world they love themſelves only for this preſent life, but when God makes a man or woman to love himſelf for eternity, it is a good ſigne that the hand of God is upon the heart, and that the Lord doth intend good unto that ſoul, when the Lord begins to make thee to love thy ſelf truly for eternity, to love that that is true and of eternal good, it is a good ſigne that the Lord doth intend good unto thy ſoul.
2. When the Lord proceeds, not only to make thee to begin to love thy ſelf for eternity, that is to love that immortal ſoul that the Lord hath put into thee, but when the Lord comes to ſhew thee wherein thy true good for eternity lies, that it doth lye in this, that thou ſhalt be delivered from the wrath of God, and ſhalt not be caſt out of his preſence, but ſhalt come to have union with God, and live in his preſence to the praiſe of his Grace to all eternity, this is thy good, this thou doſt account thy happineſs, that thou maiſt be delivered from being caſt out of Gods preſence, and that the Lord would bring thee unto himſelf to live with him, and to joyn with the Angels and Saints to the praiſe of his infinite Grace in Chriſt eternally: Thou accounteſt this to be the good that thou wouldeſt have in thy ſalvation, I ſay, the revealing of this to thee, and the carrying of thy Heart unto Chriſt upon this ground, this is faith, it is true Grace, for here God hath ſo twiſted, (as I may ſo ſpeak) the glory of his own Name, and the good of his creature together, as they both are joyned in one, and ſo the Heart may be carryed to both of them at one time, to joyn in one.
3. Yea further, Let me tell you, when thy Heart looks at this as thine own good, and this is the Reſt that thou wouldeſt have, whereas I ſee, that by my ſins I am cut off from God, and ſo I can have no peace nor Reſt, and I ſee my happineſs, and the Reſt of my ſoul is, to have union with that God, that my ſins hath cut me off from, and that I might live for ever to the praiſe of the infinite and glorious firſt being of all things, I ſay, herein though thou aimeſt at thy own good, before thou art aware of it, and thou doſt, it may be, explicitly Reaſon with thy own Heart; but I do regard God above any good in my ſelf, yet in that thy Heart is upon it to that end, that thou mayeſt have union with the Father, and live eternally with him to the praiſe of his Grace in his Son, I ſay, in this act, though thou art not able explicitly to conceive how thou lookeſt at God above thy ſelf. Yet God ſees it, there is that work of God in thy Heart, to raiſe God there above thy ſelf: and therefore, thoſe poor ſinners, that are much afflicted under the Burden of their ſins, let them but Labor and Eye God, ſo as to look at Chriſt as one that is a Mediator between God and them, to bring God and their ſouls together, to ayme at this, and they need not trouble themſelves with anſwering any further that temptation, O! I come to Chriſt, but it is only that I might be ſaved. I do not know that in all the Book of God (to give you this one note about it, and then we paſs from this point) that we find this as a note of an Hipocrite, that he doth love his own ſalvation too much, we never find it as a note of an Hipocrite, that he doth come to Chriſt that he might be ſaved, and ſeeing the word of God doth not ſet it out, as the note of an Hipocrite, let not us nouriſh this temptation in our own Hearts, ſo as to hinder us from coming to Chriſt, thy Heart would have Reſt in coming to Chriſt, therefore come to him, that thou mayeſt have Reſt. And thus much for this note from the Connexion of the promiſe, Come to Chriſt for Reſt.