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?
Come, come unto him. If your souls were not immortal, and you in danger
of losing them, I would not thus speak unto you; but the love of your
souls constrains me to speak: methinks this would constrain me to speak
unto you for ever. Come then by faith, and lay hold of the LORD JESUS:
though he be in heaven, he now calleth thee. Come, all ye drunkards,
swearers, sabbath-breakers, adulterers, fornicators; come, all ye
scoffers, harlots, thieves, and murderers, and JESUS CHRIST will save
you; he will give you rest, if you are weary of your sins. O come lay
hold upon him. Had I less love for your souls, I might speak less; but
that love of GOD, which is shed abroad in my heart, will not permit me
to leave you, till I see whether you will come to CHRIST or no. O for
your life receive him, for fear he may never call you any more. Behold,
the Bridegroom cometh; it may be this night the cry may be made. How
would you bear this, if you were sure to die before the morning light?
GOD grant you may begin to live, that when the king of terrors shall
come, you may have nothing to do but to commit your souls into the
hands of a faithful Redeemer.
Now to GOD the Father, GOD the Son, and GOD the Holy Ghost, be
all honour, praises, dominion, and power, henceforth and for
evermore, _Amen_, _Amen_.