2. When you are obliged to cry out under the burden of your sins, and know not what to do for relief; when this is your case, you are weary of your sins. It does not consist in a weariness all of a sudden: no, it is the continual burden of your soul, it is your grief and concern that you cannot live without offending GOD, and sinning against him; and these sins are so many and so great, that you fear they will not be forgiven.
I come, _Secondly_, to shew you what is meant by coming to CHRIST.
It is not, my brethren, coming with your own works: no, you must come in full dependance upon the LORD JESUS CHRIST, looking on him as the LORD who died to save sinners: Go to him, tell him you are lost, undone, miserable sinners, and that you deserve nothing but hell; and when you thus go to the LORD JESUS CHRIST out of yourself, in full dependance on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, you will find him an able and a willing saviour: he is pleased to see sinners coming to him in a sense of their own unworthiness; and when their case seems to be most dangerous, most distressed, then the LORD in his mercy steps in and gives you his grace; he puts his Spirit within you, takes away your heart of stone, and gives you a heart of flesh. Stand not out then against this LORD, but go unto him, not in your own strength, but in the strength of JESUS CHRIST.
And this brings me, _Thirdly_, to consider the exhortation CHRIST gives unto all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to come unto him that you may have rest. And if JESUS CHRIST gives you rest, you may be sure it will be a rest indeed; it will be such a rest as your soul wants; it will be a rest which the world can neither give nor take away. O come all of ye this night, and you shall find rest: JESUS CHRIST hath promised it. Here is a gracious invitation, and do not let a little rain hurry you away from the hearing of it; do but consider what the devil and damned spirits would give to have the offer of mercy, and to accept of CHRIST, that they may be delivered from the torments they labour under, and must do so for ever; or, how pleasing would this rain be to them to cool their parched tongues; but they are denied both, while you have mercy offered to you; free and rich mercy to come to CHRIST: here is food for your souls, and the rain is to bring forth the fruits of the earth, as food for your bodies. Here is mercy upon mercy.
Let me beseech you to come unto CHRIST, and he will give you rest: you shall find rest unto your souls. O you, my weary, burthened brethren, do but go to CHRIST in this manner, and though you go to him weary, you shall find rest before you come from him: let not any thing short of the LORD JESUS CHRIST be your rest; for wherever you seek you will be disappointed; but if you do but seek unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, there you will find a fulness of every thing which your weary soul wants. Go to him this night; here is an invitation to all you who are weary souls. He does not call you, O Pharisees; no, it is only you weary sinners; and sure you will not stay from him, but accept of his invitation; do not delay; one moment may be dangerous: death may take you off suddenly. You know not but that a fit of the apoplexy may hurry you from time into eternity: therefore, be not for staying till you have something to bring; come in all your rags, in all your filthiness, in all your distresses, and you will soon find JESUS CHRIST ready to help, and to relieve you: he loves you as well in your rags, as in your best garments; he regards not your dress; no, do but come unto him, and you shall soon find rest for your souls.
What say you? Shall I tell my Master you will come unto him, and that you will accept him on his own terms. Let me, my brethren, beseech you to take JESUS without any thing of your own righteousness: for if you expect to mix any thing of yourself with CHRIST, you build upon a sandy foundation; but if you take CHRIST for your rest, he will be that unto you. Let me beseech you to build upon this rock of ages. O my brethren, think of the gracious invitation, “Come unto me,” to JESUS CHRIST: it is he that calls you: And will you not go?