Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ.
Containing the first general Use of Exhortation, inviting all Men to apply Jesus Christ.
Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy luden, and I will
X HE impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ, being finished in the first part, and the way and means by which Christ is applied to sinners in the foregoing part of this treatise ; I am now orderly come to the general use of the whole ; which in the first place shall be by way of exhortation, to invite and persuade all men to come to Christ; who, in all the former sermons, had been represented in his garments of salvation, red in his apparel, prepared and offered to sinners as their all-sufficient and only remedy : And in the following sermons, will be represented in his perfumed gar- ments coming out of his ivory palaces, Psalm xlv. 8. to allure and draw all men unto him.
For a general head to this use, which will be large, I have cho- sen this scripture, " Come unto me all ye that labour, and are " heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
These words are the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, in which there is a vital, ravishing sound : It is your mercy to have such a joyful sound in your ears this day. And in them I will consider their dependence, parts, and scope.
As to their dependence, it is manifest they have an immediate relation to the foregoing verse, wherein Christ opens his commis- sion, and declares the fulness of this authority and saving power, and the impossibility of coming to God any other way- " Ail " things are delivered to me of my Father, and no man knoweth " the Son but the Father : Neither knoweth any man the Father
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" save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him," ver. 27.
The 28th verse is brought in proleptically to obviate the dis- couragements of any poor, convinced, and humbled soul, who might thus object : Lord, I am fully satisfied of the fulness of thy saving power, but greatly doubt whether ever I shall have the benefit thereof; for I see so much sin and guilt in myself, so great vilencss and utter unworthiness, that I am over weighed, and even sink under the burden of it: My soul is discouraged because of sin. This objection is prevented in the words of my text, " Come unto " me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden," q. d. Let not the sense of your sin and misery drive you from your only remedy : Be your sins never so many, and the sense and burden of them never so heavy, yet, for all that, Come unto me : You are the persons whom I invite and call. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In the words, three things are especially remarkable.
1. The soul's spiritual distress and burthen: Weary and heavy laden.
2. Its invitation to Christ under that burthen : Come unto me.
3. Its encouragement to that great duty : / will give you rest. First, The souPs spiritual distress and burthen expressed in two
very emphatical words *, ot %o^imnc, y,a,i vspopriffptvoi " Ye that la- " hour and are heavy laden." The word which we translate labour, signifies a labouring even to faintness and tiring, to the con- sumption and waste of the spirits; and the other word signifies such a pressure by a burthen that is too heavy to be borne, that we do even sink down under it.
There is some difference among expositors about the quality of this burthen. Chrysostom, and some others after him, expound it of the burthen of the legal rites and ceremonies, which was a heavy burthen indeed, such as neither they, nor their fathers could bear. Under the task and burthen of these legal observances, they did sweat and toil to obtain a righteousness to justify them be- fore God, and all in vain : and this is a pious sense : But others expound it of the burthen of sin in general ; the corruption of na-
* 0/ xofivamc, i. e. They who labour even to fainting and tiring, for this Greek word to xoriav differs by this emphasis from the word xoveiv, which signifies only in general to labour. Piscator on the place, explains it thus, Ye who feel the burden of your sins, and yet do not sink under the weight thereof. Chrysostom expounds it of those who are burdened with the legal rites and ceremonies ; but we under- stand it in general, of all those who being pressed with the burden of their sins, and the sense of the malignity of their corrupt natures, do strive with all their might to throw off this depravity, and to obtain righteousness. Musculus on the place.
158 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. IX.
ture, and evils of practice, which souls are convinced have brought them under the curse, and will bring them to hell, and therefore labour and strive, all that in them lies, by repentance and reforma- tion, to clear themselves from it ; but all in vain, whilst they strive in their own strength. Such are they that are here called to come to Christ, which is the second thing ; namely,
Secondly, The invitation of burthened souls to Christ : " Come " unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden : Come unto " me,1' i. e. believe in me, lean and rest your burthened souls upon me. I am able to ease all your burthens ; in me are that righte- ousness and peace which you seek in vain in all the legal rites and ceremonies ; or in your repentance, reformations, and duties ; but it will give you no ease, it will be no benefit to you, except you come unto me. Faith is often expressed under this notion, see John vi. 37. and John vii. 37. and it is to be further noted, that [all] burthened souls are invited to come, " All ye that labour." What- ever your sin or guilt have been, whatever your fears or discourage- ments are, yet come, i. e. believe in me.
Thirdly, Here is the encouragement Christ gives to this duty, And I will give you rest : um<rav<fu pag, * I will refresh you, I will give you rest from your labour, your consciences shall be pacified, your hearts at rest and quiet in that pardon, peace and favour of God which I will procure for you by my death. But here it must be needfully noted, that this promise of rest in Christ is not made to men simply as they are sinners, nor yet as they are burthened and heavy laden sinners, but as they come to Christ, i. e. as they are be- lievers *(•* For let a man break his heart for sin, let him weep out his eyes, let him mourn as a dove, and shed as many tears for sin (if it were possible) as ever there fell drops of rain upon the ground, yet if he come not to Christ by faith, his repentance shall not save him, nor all his sorrows bring him to true rest. Hence note,
Doct. 1. That some souls are heavy laden with the burtliensome sense of sin.
Doct. 2. That all burthened souls are solemnly invited to come to Christ.
Doct. 3. That there is rest in Christ for all that come to him under the heavy burthen of'ain.
* Why doth thou seek that where thou canst not find it ? I am he only that can help thee. Mus. on the place.