And therefore, if there be any here that have lived in sinful courses, and have a purpose to break them off, that are weary of the government of their lusts, and of Satan that rules them by their lusts, — for all are under one government or other, either under the ' sealed' government of Christ, or
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under the base government of Satan that tends to damnation, — Oh leave it, and come under this governor * scaled' by God the Father, authorised from heaven by the blessed Trinity, by miracles, and by all the arguments that can be ; come under his blessed government and you shall do well. God the Father, the party offended with your sins, he hath ' scaled' him ; and he cannot refuse a mediator of his own sealing.
And do not say your sins have been thus and thus ; for consider what were these parties that he offers himself to here, that he saith to, ' Labour for the meat that endures to everlasting life.' Were they not cursed hypo- crites, that followed him for the loaves, and yet he saith to them, ' Labour for the meat that endures,' &c. I am ' sealed' even for your salvation, if you will come out of your hypocrisy and be ruled by me. Therefore let none stand out from coming under the government of Christ, for he offers mercy, you see here, to the worst of men, even to cursed hypocrites.
And, to conclude with a word of comfort, if there be any poor distressed Boul frighted in conscience with the sight of his sins and Satan's temptations, Oh let such consider the love of God in Christ. Satan pictures out God as a terrible judge ; and so he is indeed to men that go on in their sins, ' a consuming fire.' But art thou weary of thy courses ? art thou willing to come under a better covenant ? Let not Satan abuse thee by setting God before thee as a terrible judge, and Christ as one that would not save thee. No. Come in, kiss the Son, ' for him hath the Father sealed,' ' sealed' for thee if thou be weary of thy sins. Enforce not upon thy soul any unwillingness to be in God. Wherefore doth God stoop" so low, and labour by all these arguments here, as that Christ is the Son of man, and that he shall give it you, and that the Father hath sealed him for that end ; where- fore is all this, but to shew his willingness to receive thee ? Wherefore hath the Father ' sealed' Christ but in love to thee ? Come in, therefore, and then, if you will seal to his truth, if you will believe and cast yourselves on God's gracious promise, even against doubting and distrust, you shall find God sealing j^ou by his Spirit ; you shall find his Spirit witnessing to your spirits that you are the ' sons of God.'
Here then you see is sure footing for poor doubting souls to fasten upon. God the Father, the party offended, hath * sealed' his Son ; hath authorised him to save thee, if thou repent and come in. What are all thy sins and unworthiness to Christ, God-man, ' sealed' and authorised by the Father, who is the party offended ? If thou art willing to come in, bring all thy sins and oppose them to Christ, God-man, ' sealed' by the Father, and they will vanish as a cloud. But, as I said before, if thou wilt not come in and accept of this Saviour, if thou wilt not submit thyself to his government, thou sealest thy damnation.
Thus you see I have unfolded this blessed portion of Scripture. Christ Jesus, and all the prerogatives and benefits that come by him, is the food that endureth to everlasting life. You see the arguments our blessed Saviour useth to enforce us to labour after this food. It is ' food.' It is food that ' endures,' and it is food that ' endures to everlasting life ;' and he ' will give it,' for ' him the Father hath sealed' and authorised so to do. He is both the gift and the giver ; both the food and the inviter to the food ; both the priest and the sacrifice. Labour therefore after this food.
There is an objection which I will briefly answer, and so end.
Labour after it. Why ? Christ will give it ; if ho will give it, why must we labour after it ? And if we must labour for it, how doth he give it ? How can these two, gift and labour, stand together ?
380 THE FRUITFUL LABOUR
I answer, Ycr}- well ; Christ will give himself, and forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting, and yet we must labour too. But we must know for what wo must labour. Wo must not labour for any merit to the title unto heaven and happiness. Christ indeed gives that. But labour in the use of all good means to get knowledge and faith to receive this gift, to get the knowledge of Christ, what he is in his natures and offices, what he hath promised, what he hath done and what he hath suflcred, what the intent of the gospel is ; what the giver is ; and what the authority is, that his Father hath given him. This requires labour. It is a labour to crack the shell, to understand the letter of the Scripture ; to know what the gift and what the giver is. And it is likewise a labour to get faith to receive this gift ; to get the soul emptied of all self-confidence ; of all worth in itself and in the creature ; for Christ must be received with a beggar's hand ; and it will ask much labour to deny a man's self; for proud flesh will always have somewhat to trust to either in itself or in the creature.