as you are, labouring and heavy laden, they waited for him long, had a share in such temptations and conflicts as you now feel, were often at a stand, and

upon

the point of concluding their case to be desperate, as you may think yours at present; but at length they were enabled to come unto him, and they have found rest. Every such instance should encourage you to gird up the loins of your minds, to be patient and hope to the end. As they have known your troubles, so shall you partake of their consolations in due time. What is it then should hinder you from coming to Jesus that you may find rest? What exceptions can your unbelief devise against the invitations, motives, and examples, which the Lord sets before you by his preached Gospel ?

(1.) Is it a sense of your load which makes you say, you are not able? But consider that this is not a work but a rest. Would a man plead, I am so heavy laden, that I cannot consent to part with my burden ; so weary, that I am not able either to stand still or lie down, but must force myself further? The greatness of your burden, so far from being an objection, is the very reason why you should instantly come to Christ, for he alone is able to release you.

(2.) But perhaps you think you do not come aright. I ask, how would you come? If you can come as a helpless unworthy sinner, without strength, without righteousness, without any hope but what arises from the worth, work, and word of Christ, this is to come aright. There is no other way of being accepted. Would

you

refresh and strengthen yourself, wash away your own sins, free yourself from your burden, and then come to him to do these things for you? May

the Lord help you to see the folly and unreasonableness of your unbelief.

I have observed already, that coming to Christ signified more at first than merely to come into his presence: so likewise it means more now than to be found among his worshippers. Let none of you be deceived with a form of godliness. Examine your religious profession by this test. Have

you

laboured under a sense of your misery ? Have you known the burden of sin ? Has Jesus given you rest? Or are you earnestly seeking to him for it? If you understand not the meaning of these questions, you are not yet in that state to which the promises are made. And why are you not labouring and heavy laden? Are you not sinners! Has not the righteous God revealed a law? Has he not guarded this law with the sanction of a dreadful curse? Have you not transgressed this holy law in thought, word, and deed, times without number? If you have not, why do you join in the public confession, and call for mercy when the commandments are repeated ? If you have, how will you escape the penalty? How indeed, if you dare to neglect this great salvation? The law condemns you already; if you receive not the Gospel, you must perish without remedy: for other name or mcans whereby men can be saved there is none under heaven. Once more you are warned of danger; once more the refuge is set before you. We preach Jesus, who came to seek and to save those who were lost; Jesus who was wounded with whips, and thorns, and nails, that his enemies might be healed. Does not this thought affect you? Will you slight his love, despise his blood, and crucify him afresh? God forbid ! Is there not some heart now relenting, begin

ning to feel impressions of fear, shame, and grief? Happy beginning! Obey the voice of God now opening in your

conscience! Now is the time to pray; before, you knew not what to pray for: but now you see you want the blood of Christ, and the teaching of his Spirit. - Ask, and you

shall receive; and seek, and you shall “ find.” Take your warrant from my text; Jesus has said, “ Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” Let your hearts answer, “ Take away our iniquity, and re“ceive us graciously: Behold, we come unto thee, for “ thou art the Lord our God; and in thee the father “less, the helpless, the comfortless, find mercy.

SERMON XI.

THE PRESENT AND FUTURE REST OF BELIEVERS IN

CHRIST.

MATTI. xi. 28.

Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I

will give you rest. THE learned have a variety of arguments whereby to prove the Scripture to be the word of God. But though that kind of proof, which may be brought in a way of reasoning and external evidence, is doubtless useful upon proper occasions; yet, I apprehend, the chief and most satisfactory argument to those who are capable of receiving it, arises from the correspondence between the subject-matter of the Scripture, and the state of an awakened mind. When the eyes of the understanding are opened, we begin to see every thing around us, to be just so as the Scripture has described them. Then, and not till then, we perceive, that what we read in the Bible concerning the horrid evil of sin, the vileness of our fallen nature, the darkness and ignorance of those who know not God, our own emptiness, and the impossibility of finding relief and comfort from creatures, is exactly true. We cannot but apply the words of the woman, and say, Come* and see a book that has told me all that ever I did, the ground of all

my complaints, the true cause and nature of all the evil I either see, hear, or feel, from day to day. And as we find our disease precisely described, so we perceive a suitableness in the proposed remedy. We need a Saviour, and he must be a mighty one; but though our wants and sins, our fears and enemies, are great and numerous, we are convinced that the character of Christ is sufficient to answer them all. We need a rest, a rest which the world cannot give. Inquire where we will among the creatures, experience brings in the same answer from all, It is not in me. This again confirms the word of God, which has forewarned us that we shall meet nothing but disappointment in such pursuits, but there is a spiritual rest spoken of which we know to be the very thing we want, and all our remaining solicitude is, how to attain it. From hence, as I said, we may assuredly conclude, that the book which gives us such just views of every thing that passes, must be given by inspiration from him who is the searcher of hearts. This proof is equally plain and conclusive to all capacities that are spiritually enlightened, and such only are able to understand it. We are now to speak, III. Of this promised rest.

And here two thinge offer to our consideration.

John is. 29.

1. What this rest is?

2. How it is obtained?

1. The Greek word aaauw expresses something more than rest, or a mere relaxation from toil; it denotes refreshment likewise. A person weary with long bearing a heavy burden, will need not only to have it removed, but likewise he wants food and refreshment, to restore his spirits, and to repair his wasted strength. Such is the rest of the Gospel. It not only puts a period to our fruitless labour, but it affords a sweet reviving cordial. There is not only peace, but joy in believing. Taken at large, we may consider it as twofold. "We

1st, A present rest. So the apostle speaks,

"who have believed do enter into rest*."

"

(1.) The common wearisome pursuit of the world is described, as "spending their money for that which is not bread, and their labour for that which satisfieth "nott;" wandering from object to object in quest of good, but still mortified by incessant and repeated disappointment. We should pity a person whom we should see seeking some necessary thing day after day, which we knew was impossible to be found there. It is, however, the case with all till they come to Christ. Satisfaction is what they profess to aim at, and they turn every stone, (as we say,) try every expedient, to meet with it, but in vain. It is only to be found in him. When they come to him, their wishes are answered. This is exemplified by our Lord in the character of a merchant-man seeking goodly pearls, who was still upon the inquiry till he had found one pearl of great

Heb. iv. 3.
§ Matth. xiii. 46.
VOL. II.

† Isa. lv. 2.

3 P

Ps. iv. 6.