If you will not believe, you cannot be established ; till you come to Christ, peace cannot come to you : Christ and peace are undi- vided. Good souls, consider this ; you have tried all other ways, you have tried duties, and no rest comes ; you have tried reforma- tion, restitution, and a stricter course of life ; yet your wounds are still open, and fresh bleeding : these things, I grant, are in their places both good and necessary ; but, of themselves, without Christ, utterly insufficient to give what you expect from them : why will you not try the way of faith ? Why will you not carry your bur- then to Christ ? O ! that you would be persuaded to it, how soon would you find what so long you have been seeking in vain ! How long will you thus oppose your own good ? How long will you keep yourselves upon the rack of conscience ? Is it easy to go under the throbs and wounds of an accusing and condemning conscience ? You know it is not : you look for peace, but no good comes ; for a time of healing, and behold trouble. Alas ! it must and will be so still, until you are in the way of faith, which is the true and only method to obtain rest.
Inf. 3. What cause have we all to admire the goodness of God, in providing for us a Christ, in whom we may find rest to our souls !
How hath the Lord filled and furnished Jesus Christ with all that is suitable to a believer's wants ! Doth the guilt of sin terrify his conscience ? Lo, in him is perfect righteousness to remove that guilt, so that it shall neither be imputed to his person, nor reflect- ed by his conscience, in the way of condemnation as it was before. In him also is a fountain opened, for washing and for cleansing the
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filth of sin from our souls; in him is the fulness both of merit, and of spirit, two sweet springs of peace to the souls of men : well might the apostle say, " Christ the wisdom of God," 1 Cor. i. 30. and well might the Church say, " He is altogether lovely ," Cant. v. 16. Had not God provided Jesus Christ for us, we had never known one hour's rest to all eternity.
Inf. 4. How unreasonable, and wholly inexcusable, in believers, is the sin of backsliding from Christ! Have you found rest in him, when you could not find it in any other ! Did he receive, and ease your souls, when all other persons and things were physicians of no value ? And will you, after this, backslide from him again ? O what madness is this ! " Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon, which " cometh from the rock of the field ? Or shall the cold, flowing " waters, that come from another place, be forsaken ?" No man that is in his wits would leave the pure, cold, refreshing stream of a crystal fountain, to go to a filthy puddle, lake, or an empty cis- tern ; such the best enjoyments of this world are, in comparison with Jesus Christ.
That was a melting expostulation of Christ's with the disciples, John vi. 67, 68. when some had forsaken him, "Will ye also " go away ?" And it was a very suitable return they made, Lord, whither away from thee should we go ! q. d. From thee, Lord ! No, where can we mend ourselves ? be sure of it, whenever you go from Christ, you go from rest to trouble. Had Judas rest ? Had Spirarest? and do you think you shall have rest? No, no, "The " backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways," Prov. xiv. 14. " Cursed be the man that departeth from him, he shall be as the " heath in the desert, that seeth not when good cometh, and shall " inhabit the parched places of the wilderness," Jer. xvii. 5. If fear of sufferings, and worldly temptations, ever draw you off from Christ, you may come to those straits and terrors of conscience that will make you wish yourselves back again with Christ in a prison, with Christ at a stake.
Infer. 5. Let all that come to Christ learn to improve him to the rest and peace of their own souls, in the midst of all the troubles and outward distresses they meet with in ilie world.
Surely rest may be found in Christ in any condition ; he is able to give you peace in the midst of all your troubles here. So he tells vou in John xvi. 33. " These things have I spoken to you, that in " me you might have peace ; in the world ye shall have tribula- " tion." By peace he means not a deliverance from troubles, by taking off affliction from them, or taking them away by death from all afflictions ; but it is something they enjoy from Christ in the very midst of troubles, and amidst all their afflictions, that quiets, and gives them rest, so that troubles cannot hurt them. Certainly*
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believers, you have peace in Christ, when there is little in your own hearts; and your hearts might be filled with peace too, it' you would exercise faith upon Christ for that end. It is your own fault if you be without rest in any condition in this world. Set yourselves to study the fulness of Christ, and to clear your interest in him ; believe what the scriptures reveal of him, and live as you believe, and you will quickly find the peace of God filling your hearts and minds.
Blessed be God for Jesus Christ.
Wherein the general Exhortation is enforced by one Mo- tive drawn from the first Title of Christ.
But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole- need not a physician, bid they that are sick.
XXAVIXG opened, in the former discourses, the nature and method of the application of Christ to sinners ; it remains now that I press it upon every soul, as it expects peace and pardon from God, to apply and put on Jesus Christ, i. e. to get union with him by faith, whilst he is yet held forth in the free and gracious tenders of the gospel. To which purpose I shall now labour in this general use of 'exhortation, in which my last subject engaged me ; wherein divers arguments will be further urged, both from
2. The privileges of Jesus Christ.
The titles of Christ are so many motives or arguments fitted to persuade men to come unto him. Amongst which, Christ, as the Physician of souls, comes under our first consideration, in the text before us.
The occasion of these words of Christ, was the call of Matthew the publican, who, having first opened his heart, next opened his house to Christ, and entertains him there. This strange and un- expected change, wrought upon Matthew, quickly brings in all the neighbourhood, and many publicans and sinners resorted thither ; at which the stomachs of the proud Pharisees began to swell. From this occasion they took offence at Christ, and, in this verse, Christ takes off the offence, by such an answer as was fitted both for their conviction and his own vindication. But when Jesus
190 THE METHOD OF GRACE.
heard that, he said unto them, " The whole have no need of a " physician, but they that are sick."