temporals the only realities. It is true, the converted soul may lose his estate, his liberty, yea, his life for Christ; but what then? Are they losers that exchange brass for gold? or part with their present comforts for a hundred-fold advantage? Mark x. 29, 30. So that none need be frightened at religion for the losses that attend it, while Christ and heaven are gained by it: they that count religion their loss, have their portion only in this life. 5. How securely is the saints' inheritance settled upon them, seeing they are in common with Jesus Christ ? Christ and his saints are joint-heirs, and the inheritance cannot be alienated but by his consent: he must lose his interest if you lose yours. Indeed, Adam's inheritance was by a single title, and, morever, it was in his own hand, and so he might (as indeed he soon did) divest himself and his posterity of it; but it is not so between Christ and believers: we are secured in our inheritance by Christ our co-heir, who will never alienate it; and therefore it was truly observed, that Job was happier upon the dunghill than Adam was in Paradise. The covenant of grace is certainly the best tenure; as it has the best mercies, so it gives the fullest security to enjoy them. 6. How rich and full is Jesus Christ, who communicates abundantly to all the saints, and yet has still infinitely more in himself than has ever been received by them all! Take all the faith of Abraham, all the meekness of Moses, all the patience of Job, all the wisdom of Solomon, all the zeal of David, all the industry of Paul, and all the tender-heartedness of Josiah; add to this all the grace that is poured (though in lesser measure) into all the elect vessels in the world, yet still it is far short of that which remains in Christ: "He is anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows;" and in all things he hath, and must ever have, the pre-eminence. There are many thousand stars glittering above our heads, and one star differs from another star in glory; yet there is more light and glory in one sun than in many thousand stars. Grace beautifies the children of men exceedingly, but still it is true of Christ, "Thou art fairer than the children of men, grace is poured into thy lips," Psalm xlv. 2. For all grace is secondarily and derivatively in the saints, but it is primitively and originally in Christ, John i. 16. Grace is imperfect and defective in them; but in him it is in its most absolute perfection and fulness, Col. i. 19. In the saints it is mixed with abundance of corruption; but in Christ it is altogether unmixed, and exclusive of its opposite, Heb. vii. 26. So that as the heathen said of moral virtue, I may much more say of Christ, that were he to be seen with mortal eyes, he would compel love and admiration from all men, for "he is altogether lovely," Sol. Song, v. 16. 7. What delight and singular advantage must there be in the communion of the saints, who have communion with Jesus Christ in all his graces and benefits! "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ," 1 John i. 3. O, it is sweet to have fellowship with those that have fellowship with God in Jesus Christ! Christ has communicated graces to the saints, in different measures and degrees; and as they all receive from Christ the fountain, so it is sweet and most delightful to be improving themselves by spiritual communion one with another. Yea, one is furnished with one grace more eminently than another for this end, that the weak may be assisted by the strong, as Mr. Torshell well observes. Athanasius was prudent and active, Basil of a heavenly sweet temper, Chrysostom laborious without affectation, Ambrose resolved and grave, Luther courageous, and Calvin acute and judicious. Thus every one has his proper gift from Christ, the fountain of gifts and graces, 1 Cor. vii. 7. One has quickness of parts; another solidity of judgment; one is zealous, another well-principled; one is wary and prudent, another open and plain; one is trembling and melting, another cheerful and joyous; one must impart his light, another his heat. The eye, the knowing man, cannot say to the hand, the active man, I have no need of thee. And O, how sweet would it be if gifts, graces, and experiences were frequently and humbly imparted! But idle notions, earthly mindedness, self-interest, and want of more communion with Christ, have almost destroyed the comfort of Christian fellowship in the world. 8. In a word, those only have ground to claim interest in Christ, who do really participate of his graces, and in whom are found the effects and fruits of their union and communion with him. If you have interest in Christ you have communion in his graces and benefits; and if you have such communion, it will appear in your maintaining daily actual communion with God in duties, by which will be produced the increase of your sanctification by fresh participations from the fountain. As cloth which is often dipped into the vat receives the deeper dye and livelier tincture, so will your souls by assiduous communion with God. It will also be discerned in your deeper humiliation and spiritual sense of your own vileness: the more any man partakes of God, and is acquainted with him, and assimilated to him, the more base and vile in his own sight he still grows, Job xlii. 5, 6; Isa. vi. 5. It will appear in your more vehement longings after the full enjoyment of God in heaven, 1 Pet. i. 8, and Rom. viii. 23. You that have the first fruits will groan within yourselves after the full harvest and satisfying fruition; you will not be so taken with things below, as to be content with the best lot on earth for your everlasting portion. O, if these communicated drops be so sweet, what is there in Christ the fountain! Thus I have shown the method of grace in bringing home Christ and his benefits to God's people by union, in order to communion with him. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ. THE WHOLE SUBJECT APPLIED IN A SOLEMN INVITATION TO COME TO CHRIST, WITH MOTIVES FROM HIS TITLES AND BENEFITS. SERMON IX. ALL MEN INVITED TO APPLY JESUS CHRIST. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. xi. 28. THE providing or procuring of our redemption by Jesus Christ having been discussed in the former treatise (the Fountain of Life), and the way and means by which Christ is applied to sinners in the foregoing part of this treatise, I now come to the general practical improvement of the whole; which, in the first place, shall be by way of exhortation, to invite and persuade all men to come to Christ. In all the foregoing discourses Christ has been represented in his garments of salvation, red in his apparel, prepared and offered to sinners as their all-sufficient and only remedy in those which follow, he will be represented in his perfumed garments coming out of his ivory palaces, Psalm xlv. 8, to allure and draw all men unto him. For a general head to this practical application, which will be large, I have chosen 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. It is manifest that these words have an immediate relation to the foregoing verse, wherein Christ opens his commission, and declares the fulness of his authority and saving power, and the impossibility of coming to God any other way: "All things are delivered unto me of my Father and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him," ver. 27. The text is brought in proleptically, to obviate the discouragements of any poor, convinced, and humbled soul, who might thus object: "Lord, I am satisfied of the fulness of thy saving power, but greatly doubt whether ever I shall have the benefit of it; for I see so much sin and guilt in myself, so great vileness and utter unworthiness, that I am overweighed, and even sink under the burden of it: my soul is discouraged because of sin." This objection is here met, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden:" 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 person whom I invite and call. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. : In these words three things are especially remarkable : 1. The soul's spiritual distress and burden expressed in two very emphatical words, "Ye that labour and are heavy laden." The word which we translate labour, signifies a labouring even to faintness and tiring, to the consumption and waste of the spirits; and the other word signifies a pressure, by a burden that is too heavy to be borne, so that we even sink down under it. But Chrysostom, and some others after him, expound this as the burden of the legal rites and ceremonies, which were as a heavy burden indeed, such as neither they nor their fathers could bear. Under the task and burden of these legal observances they did sweat and toil to obtain a righteousness to justify them before God, and all in vain. others more properly expound it of the burden of sin in general-the corruption of nature and evils of practice which souls are convinced have brought them under the curse, and will bring them to hell; and they therefore labour and strive all that in them lies, by repentance and reformation, 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. 2. The invitation of burdened souls to Christ: unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden:" in me, lean and rest your burdened souls upon me. "Come believe I am |