Chapter II: CHRIST doth Invite all of you to be his spouse (11)

If they could do us what mischief they would, very few of us should be permitted to see our habitations any more; but, blessed be GOD, we can commit ourselves to his protection; he has been our protector hitherto, he will be so still. Then earnestly intreat of the LORD to support you under those temptations, which the devil may assault you with; he is a powerful adversary, he is a cunning one too; he would be too hard for us, unless we have the strength of CHRIST to be with us. But let us be looking up unto JESUS, that he would send his Spirit into our hearts, and keep us from falling. O my dear brethren in CHRIST JESUS, how stands it now between GOD and your souls? Is JESUS altogether lovely to your souls? is he precious unto you? I am sure, if you have not gone back from CHRIST, he will not from you; he will root out the accursed things of this world, and dwell in your hearts. You are candidates for heaven; and will you mind earth? What are all the pleasures of earth, without an interest in the LORD JESUS CHRIST? And one smile from him is more to be desired than rubies, yea more than the whole world.

O you who have found JESUS CHRIST assisting you, and supporting you under all the temptations of this life, will you forsake him? have you not found him a gracious master? is he not the chiefest of ten thousand, and altogether lovely? Now you see a form and comeliness in CHRIST, which you never saw before. O! how do you and I wish we had known JESUS sooner, and that we had more of his love; it is condescending love, it is amazing, it is forgiving love, it is dying love, it is exalted and interceding love, and it is glorified love. Methinks when I am talking of the love of JESUS CHRIST, who loved me before I loved him; he saw me polluted in blood, full of sores, a slave to sin, to death and hell, running to destruction, then he passed by me, and said unto my soul, “Live;” he snatched me as a brand plucked from the burning. It was love that saved me, it was all of the free grace of GOD, and that only. The little experience I have had of this love, makes me amazed at the condescension, the love, and mercifulness of the blessed JESUS, that he should have mercy upon such a wretch. O, my brethren, the kingdom of GOD is within me, and this fills me so full of love, that I would not be in my natural state again, not for millions of millions of worlds; I long to be with JESUS, to live with the LORD that bought me, to live forever with the Lamb that was slain, and to sing _Hallelujah_’s unto him. Eternity itself will be too short to set forth the love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST. I cannot, indeed I cannot forbear speaking again, and again, and again, of the LORD JESUS.

And if there are any here who are strangers to this love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, do not despair; come, come unto CHRIST, and he will have mercy upon you, he will pardon all your sins, he will heal all your backslidings, he will love you freely, and take you to be with himself. Come therefore, O my guilty brethren, unto JESUS, and you shall find rest for your souls. You need not fear, you need not despair, when GOD has had mercy upon such a wretch as I; and he will save you also, if you will come unto him by faith.

Why do ye delay? What! do you say, you are poor, and therefore ashamed to come? It is not your poverty that CHRIST mindeth; come in all your rags, in all your pollution, and he will save you. Do not depend upon any thing but the blood of JESUS CHRIST; do not stand out an hour longer, but give your hearts to CHRIST, give him the firstlings of the flock; come unto him now, lest he should cut you off before you are prepared, and your soul be sent to that pit from whence there is no redemption.

Do not waver, but give him that which he desires, your hearts; it is the heart the LORD JESUS CHRIST wanteth; and when you have an inward principle wrought in your hearts by this same JESUS, then you will feel the sweetness and pleasure of communion with GOD. O consider, my brethren, the love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, in dying for you; and are you resolved to slight his dying love? Your sins brought CHRIST from heaven, and I humbly pray to the LORD that they may not be a means of sending you to hell. What language will make you leave your sins and come to CHRIST? O that I did but know! and that it lay in my power to give you this grace; not one of you, not the greatest scoffer here should go hence before he was changed from a natural to a spiritual life; then, then we would rejoice and take sweet council together; but all this is not in my power: but I tell you where you may have it, even of the LORD JESUS; he will give it to you, if you ask it of him, for he has told us, “Ask, and you shall receive;” therefore ask of him, and if you are repulsed again and again, intreat him more, and he will be unto you as he was to the poor _Syrophœnician_ woman, who came to CHRIST on account of her daughter; and if she was so importunate to him for a body, how much more should we be solicitous for our souls? If you seek to him in faith, his answer will be to you as it was to her, “Thy faith hath saved thee, be it as thou wouldest have it.”

O, do not forsake the seeking of the LORD; do not, I beseech you, neglect the opportunities which may be offered to you, for the salvation of your souls; forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, to build up and confirm and strengthen those who are weak in faith; to convince sinners, that they may feel the power of GOD pricking them in their hearts, and make them cry out, “What must we do to be saved?”

The devil and his agents have their clubs of revelling, and their societies of drunkenness; they are not ashamed to be seen and heard doing the devil their master’s works; they are not ashamed to proclaim him; and sure you are not ashamed of the LORD JESUS CHRIST; you dare proclaim that JESUS, who died that you might live, and who will own you before his Father and all the holy angels: Therefore, dare to be singularly good; be not afraid of the face of man; let not all the threats of the men of this world move you: what is the loss of all the grandeur, or pleasure, or reputation of this life, compared to the loss of heaven, of CHRIST and of your souls? and as for the reproaches of the world, do not mind them; when they revile you, never, never revile again; do not answer railing with railing; but let love, kindness, meekness, patience, long-suffering, be found in you, as they were in the blessed JESUS; therefore, I beseech you, do not neglect the frequent coming together, and telling each other, what great things JESUS CHRIST hath done for your souls.

I do not now, as the Pharisees say I do, encourage you to leave your lawful callings, and your business, in which GOD, by his providence, hath placed you; for you have two callings, the one a general, and the other a special one; it is your duty to regard your ♦families, and if you neglect them out of any pretence whatsoever, as going to church or to societies, you are out of the way of your duty, and offering that to GOD which he commanded you not. But then, my brethren, you are to take care that the things of this life do not hinder the preparing for that which is to come; let not the business of the world make you unmindful of your souls; but in all your moral actions, in the business of life, let all be done with a view to the glory of GOD, and the salvation of your souls.

♦ “familes” replaced with “families”

The night draws on, and obliges me to hasten to a conclusion; though, methinks, I could speak until my tongue clave to the roof of my mouth, yea, until I could speak no more, if it was to save your souls from the paws of him who seeketh to devour them.

Therefore let me beseech you, in all love and compassion: Consider, you, who are Pharisees; you, who will not come to CHRIST, but are trusting to yourselves for righteousness; who think, because you lead civil, honest, decent lives, all will go well at last; but let me tell you, O ye Pharisees, that harlots, murderers, and thieves, shall enter the kingdom of GOD before you. Do not flatter yourselves of being in the way to heaven, when you are in the broad way to hell; but if you will throw away your righteousness and come to CHRIST, and be contented to let JESUS CHRIST do all for you, and in you, then CHRIST is willing to be your Saviour; but if you bring your good works with you, and think to be justified on the account of them, you may seek to be justified by them for ever, and never be justified; no, it is only the blood of JESUS that cleanseth us from the filth and pollution of all our sins; and you must be sanctified before you are justified. As for good works, we are justified before GOD without any respect to them, either past, present, or to come: when we are justified, good works will follow our justification, for we can do no good works, until we are cleansed of our pollution, by the sanctification of the Spirit of GOD.

O ye scoffers, come and see this JESUS, this LORD of glory whom you have despised; and if you will but come to CHRIST, he will be willing to receive you, notwithstanding all the persecution you have used towards his members: However, if you are resolved to persist in your obstinacy, remember, salvation was offered to you, that CHRIST and free grace were proposed; but you refused to accept of either, and therefore your blood will be required at your own hands.

I shall only say this unto you, that however you may despise either me or my ministry, I shall not regard it, but shall frequently shew you your danger, and propose to you the remedy; and shall earnestly pity and pray for you, that GOD would shew you your error, and bring you home into his sheepfold, that you, from ravenous lions, may become peaceful lambs.

And as for you, O my brethren, who desire to chuse CHRIST for your Lord, and to experience his power upon your souls, and as yet do not find your desires and prayers answered; go on, and CHRIST will manifest himself unto you, as he does not unto the world; you shall be made to see and feel this love of JESUS upon your souls; you shall have a witness in your own breast, that you are the LORD’s; therefore, do not fear, the LORD JESUS CHRIST will gather you with his elect, when he comes at that great day of accounts, to judge every one according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good, or whether they be evil: and, O that the thought of answering to GOD for all our actions, would make us more mindful about the consequences that will attend it.

And now let me address all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to accept of mercy and grace while it is offered to you: Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation; and will you not accept it, now it is offered unto you? do not stand out one moment longer; but come and accept of JESUS CHRIST in his own way, and then you shall be taken up at the last day, and be with him for ever and ever: and sure this should make you desirous of being with that JESUS who has done so much for you, and is now interceding for you, and preparing mansions for you; where may we all arrive and sit down with JESUS to all eternity!

Which GOD of his infinite mercy grant, &c.

SERMON XX.

Worldly business no Plea for the Neglect of Religion.

MATTHEW viii. 22.

_Let the dead bury their dead._

ST. _Paul_ preaching at _Athens_, tells them, that as he passed by and beheld their devotions, he perceived they were in all things too _superstitious_. But was this apostle to rise, and come publishing the glad tidings of salvation in any of our populous cities, he would see no reason why he should charge the inhabitants with this; but rather as he passed by and observed the tenor of their life, say, I perceive in all things ye are too _worldly-minded_; ye are too eagerly bent on pursuing your lawful business; so eagerly, as either wholly to neglect, or at least too heedlesly to attend on the one thing needful.

There cannot then be a greater charity shewn to the christian world, than to sound an alarm in their ears, and to warn them of the inexpressible danger, of continually grasping after the things of this life, without being equally, nay a thousand times more concerned for their well-being in a future state.

And there is still the more occasion for such an alarm, because worldly-mindedness so easily and craftily besets the hearts of men. For out of a specious pretence of serving GOD in labouring for the meat which perisheth, they are insensibly lulled into such a spiritual slumber, as scarce to perceive their neglect to secure that which endureth to everlasting life.

The words of the text, if not at first view, yet when examined and explained, will be found applicable to this case, as containing an admirable caution not to pursue the affairs of this world, at the expence of our happiness in the next.

They are the words of JESUS CHRIST himself: the occasion of their being spoken was this; As he was conversing with those that were gathered round about him, he gave one of them an immediate summons to follow him: but he, either afraid to go after such a persecuted master, or rather loving this present world, says, “Suffer me first to go home and bury my father,” or, as most explain it, let me first go and dispatch some important business I have now in hand. But JESUS said unto him, “Let the dead bury their dead;” leave worldly business to worldly men, let thy secular business be left undone, rather than thou shouldst neglect to follow me.

Whether this person did as he was commanded, I know not; but this I know, that what CHRIST said here in person, he has often whispered with the small still voice of his holy Spirit, and said to many here present, that rise up early and late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness, Come draw off your affections from the things of this life; take up your cross and follow me. But they, willing to justify themselves, make answer, LORD, suffer us first to bury our fathers, or dispatch our secular affairs. I say unto all such, “Let the dead bury their dead,” let your worldly business be left undone, rather than you should neglect to follow him.

From the words thus explained, naturally arises this proposition, that no business, though ever so important, can justify a neglect of true religion.

The truth of which I shall first shew, and then make an application of it.

I. _First_ then, I am to prove, that no temporal business, though ever so important, can justify a neglect of true religion.

By the word _religion_, I do not mean any set of moral virtues, any partial amendment of ourselves, or formal attendance on any outward duties whatsoever: but an application of CHRIST’s whole and personal righteousness, made by faith to our hearts; a thorough real change of nature wrought in us by the invisible, yet powerful operation of the Holy Ghost, preserved and nourished in our souls by a constant use of all the means of grace, evidenced by a good life, and bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit.

This is true and undefiled religion, and for the perfecting this good work in our hearts, the eternal Son of GOD came down and shed his precious blood; for this end were we made, and sent into the world, and by this alone can we become the sons of GOD. Were we indeed to judge by the common practice of the world, we might think we were sent into it for no other purpose, than to care and toil for the uncertain riches of this life: but if we consult the lively oracles, they will inform us, that we were born for nobler ends, even to be born again from above, to be restored to the divine likeness by JESUS CHRIST, our second _Adam_, and thereby be made meet to inherit the kingdom of heaven; and consequently, there is an obligation laid upon all, even the most busy people, to secure this end; it being an undeniable truth, that all creatures ought to answer the end for which they were created.

Some indeed are for confining religion to the clergy, and think it only belongs to those who serve at the altar: but what a fatal mistake is this, seeing all persons are indifferently called by GOD to the same state of inward holiness. As we are all corrupt in our nature, so must we all be renewed and sanctified. And though it must be granted, that the clergy lie under double obligations to be examples to believers, in faith, zeal, charity, and whatever else is commendable and of good report, as being more immediately dedicated to the service of GOD; yet as we have been all baptized with one baptism into the death of CHRIST, we are all under the necessity of performing our baptismal covenant, and perfecting holiness in the fear of GOD: for the holy scriptures point out to us but one way of admission into the kingdom of CHRIST, through the narrow gate of a sound conversion: and he that does not enter into the sheepfold, whether clergy or lay-man, by this door, will find, to his everlasting confusion, there is no climbing up another way.

Besides, what a gross ignorance of the nature of true religion, as well as of our own happiness, does such a distinction discover? For what does our Saviour, by willing us to be religious, require of us? but to subdue our corrupt passions, to root out ill habits, to engraft the heavenly graces of GOD’s most holy Spirit in their room; and, in one word, to fill us with all the fulness of GOD.

And will men be so much their own enemies, as to affirm this belongs only to those who minister in holy things? Does it not equally concern the most active man living? Is it the end of religion to make men happy, and is it not every one’s privilege to be as happy as he can? Do persons in business find the corruptions of their nature, and disorder of their passions, so pleasing, that they care not whether they ever regulate or root them out? Or will they consent that ministers shall be alone partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light? If not, as they desire the same end, why will they not make use of the same means? Do they think that GOD will create a new thing upon the earth, and, contrary to the purity of his nature, and immutability of his counsel, admit them into heaven in their natural state, because they have been encumbred about many worldly things? Search the scriptures, and see if they give any room for such a groundless hope.

But farther, one would imagine there was something of the highest concern and utmost importance in our temporal affairs, that they should divert so many from purifying their hearts by faith which is in CHRIST JESUS.

A covetous miser, who neglects religion by being continually intent on seeking great things for himself and those of his own houshold, flatters himself he herein acts most wisely; and at the same time will censure and condemn a young prodigal, who has no time to be devout, because he is so perpetually engaged in wasting his substance by riotous living and following of harlots. But yet a little while, and men will be convinced, that they are as much without excuse who lose their souls by hunting after riches, as those who lose them by hunting after sensual pleasures. For though business may assume an air of importance, when compared with other trifling amusements, yet when put in the balance with the loss of our precious and immortal souls, it is equally frivolous, according to that of our Saviour, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul; or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

And now what need we any further proof? We have heard the decision out of CHRIST’s own mouth. But because it is so difficult to convince such of this important truth, whose hearts are blinded by the deceitfulness of riches, that we had need cry out to them in the language of the prophet, “O earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD,” I shall lay before you one passage of scripture more, which I could wish were written on the tables of all our hearts. In the xivth of St. _Luke_, the 18th and following verses, our blessed LORD puts forth this parable, “A certain man made a great supper, and bade many, and sent his servant at supper-time, to call them that were bidden: but they all, with one consent, began to make excuse. The one said, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it, I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought a yoke of oxen, and I must needs go and prove them, I pray thee therefore have me excused. So the servant returned, and shewed his master all these things.” And what follows? Did the master accept of their excuses? No, the text tells us the good man was angry, and said, “that none of those which were bidden, should taste of his supper.” And what does this parable teach, but that the most lawful callings cannot justify our neglect; nay, that they are no longer lawful when they in any wise interfere with the great concerns of religion? For the marriage supper here spoken of, means the gospel; the master of the house is CHRIST; the servants sent out, are his ministers, whose duty it is, from time to time, to call the people to this marriage-feast, or, in other words, to be religious. Now we find those that were bidden, were very well and honestly employed. There was no harm in buying or seeing a piece of ground, or in going to prove a yoke of oxen; but here lay their fault, they were doing these things, when they were invited to come to the marriage feast.

Without doubt, persons may very honestly and commendably be employed in following their respective callings; but yet, if they are engaged so deeply in these, as to hinder their working out their salvation with fear and trembling, they must expect the same sentence with their predecessors in the parable, that none of them shall taste of CHRIST’s supper: for our particular calling, as of this or that profession, must never interfere with our general and precious calling, as christians. Not that christianity calls us entirely out of the world, the holy scriptures warrant no such doctrine.

It is very remarkable, that in the book of life, we find some almost of all kinds of occupations, who notwithstanding served GOD in their respective generations, and shone as so many lights in the world. Thus we hear of a good centurion in the evangelists, and a devout _Cornelius_ in the _Acts_; a pious lawyer; and some that walked with GOD, even of _Nero_’s houshold, in the epistles; and our divine master himself, in his check to _Martha_, does not condemn her for minding, but for being cumbered or perplexed about many things.

No, you may, nay, you must labour, out of obedience to GOD, even for the meat which perisheth.

But I come, in the _Second_ place, to apply what has been said.

I beseech you, by the mercies of GOD in CHRIST JESUS, let not your concern for the meat which perisheth be at the expence of that which endureth to everlasting life; for, to repeat our blessed Saviour’s words, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul; or, what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Were we always to live in the world, then worldly wisdom would be our highest wisdom: but forasmuch as we have here no continuing city, and were only sent into this world to have our natures changed, and to fit ourselves for that which is to come; then to neglect this important work for a little worldly gain, what is it but, with profane _Esau_, to sell our birth-right for a mess of pottage.

Alas! how unlike are christians to christianity! they are commanded to “seek first the kingdom of GOD and his righteousness,” and all other real necessaries shall be added unto them; but they are fearful (O men of little faith!) that if they should do so, all other necessaries would be taken from them: they are strictly forbidden to be careful for the morrow, and yet they rest not night or day, but are continually heaping up riches for many years, though they know not who shall gather them. Is this acting like persons that are strangers and pilgrims upon earth? Is this keeping their baptismal vow? Or rather, is it not directly apostatizing from it, and deserting the service of JESUS CHRIST, to list themselves under the banner of mammon?

But what will be the hope of such worldlings, when GOD shall take away their souls? What if the almighty should say to each of them, as he did to the rich fool in the gospel, “this night shall thy soul be required of thee;” O then, what would all those things profit them, which they are now so busy in providing?

Was eternal life, that free gift of GOD in CHRIST JESUS, to be purchased with money; or could men carry their stocks beyond the grave, to buy oil for their lamps, i. e. grace for their hearts, when they should be called to meet the bridegroom, there might be some reason why GOD might well bear with them: but since their money is to perish with them; since it is certain, as they brought nothing into the world, so they can carry nothing out; or supposing they could, since there is no oil to be bought, no grace to be purchased when once the lamp of their natural life is gone out; would it not be much more prudent to spend the short time they have here allotted them, in buying oil while it may be had, and not for fear of having a little less of that which will quickly be another man’s, eternally lose the true riches?

What think you? Is it to be supposed, it grieved that covetous worldling before mentioned, when his soul sprung into the world of spirits, that he could not stay here till he had pulled down his barns and built greater? Or think you not that all things here below seemed equally little to him then, and he only repented that he had not employed more time in pulling down every high thought that exalted itself against the Almighty, and building up his soul in the knowledge and fear of GOD?

And thus it will be with all unhappy men, who like him are disquieting themselves in a vain pursuit after worldly riches, and at the same time are not rich towards GOD.

They may, for a season, seem excellently well employed in being solicitously careful about the important concerns of this life; but when once their eyes are opened by death, and their souls launched into eternity, they will then see the littleness of all sublunary cares, and wonder they should be so besotted to the things of another life, while they were, it may be, applauded for their great wisdom and profound sagacity in the affairs of this world.

Alas! how will they bemoan themselves for acting like the unjust steward, so very wisely in their temporal concerns, in calling their respective debtors so carefully, and asking how much every one owes to them, and yet never remembring to call themselves to an account, or enquire how much they owed to their own great LORD and master?

And now what shall I say more? The GOD of this world, and the inordinate desire of other things, must have wholly stifled the conscience of that man, who does not see the force of these plain reasonings.

Permit me only to add a word or two to the rich, and to persons that are freed from the business of this life.

But here I must pause a while, for I am sensible that it is but an ungrateful, and as some may imagine, an assuming thing, for such a novice in religion to take upon him to instruct men in high stations, and who perhaps would disdain to set me with the dogs of their flock.

But however, since St. _Paul_, who knew what best became a young preacher, commanded _Timothy_, young as he was, to exhort and charge the rich with all authority; I hope none here that are so, will be offended, if with humility I beg leave to remind them, though they once knew this, that if persons in the most busy employs are indispensibly obliged to “work out their salvation with fear and trembling,” much more ought they to do so, who are free from the toils and incumbrance of a lower way of life, and consequently have greater opportunities and leisure to prepare themselves for a future state.

But is this really the case? or do we not find, by fatal experience, that too many of those whom GOD has exalted above their brethren, who are “cloathed in purple and fine linnen, and fare sumptuously every day,” by a sad abuse of GOD’s great bounty towards them, think that their stations set them above religion, and so let the poor, who live by the sweat of their brows, attend more constantly on the means of grace than do they?

But woe unto such rich men! for they have received their consolation. Happy had it been if they had never been born: for if the careless irreligious tradesman cannot be saved, where will luxurious and wicked gentlemen appear?

Let me therefore, by way of conclusion, exhort all persons, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to make the renewal of their fallen nature, the one business of their lives; and to let no worldly profit, no worldly pleasure, divert them from the thoughts of it. Let this cry, “Behold the bridegroom cometh,” be ever sounding in our ears; and let us live as creatures that are every moment liable to be hurried away by death to judgment: let us remember, that this life is a state of infinite importance, a point between two eternities, and that after these few days are ended, there will remain no more sacrifice for sin; let us be often asking ourselves, how we shall wish we had lived when we leave the world? And then we shall always live in such a state, as we shall never fear to die in. Whether we live, we shall live unto the LORD; or whether we die, we shall die unto the LORD; so that living or dying we may be the LORD’s.

To which end, let us beseech GOD, the protector of all them that put their trust in him, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, to increase and multiply upon us his mercy, that he being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

SERMON XXI.

CHRIST the only Rest for the Weary and Heavy-Laden.

MATTHEW xi. 28.

_Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will
give you rest._

NOTHING is more generally known than the duties which belong to christianity; and yet, how amazing is it, nothing is less practised? There is much of it in name and shew, but little of it in the heart and conversation; indeed, if going to church, and to the sacrament, or, if our being called after the name of CHRIST, and being baptized into that name; if that will make us christians, I believe all of us would have a claim thereto: but if it consists in the heart, that there must be an inward principle wrought in us by faith; that there must be a change of the whole nature, a putting off the old man with his deeds, a turning from sin unto GOD, a cleaving only unto the Son of Righteousness; and that there must be a new birth, and we experience the pangs thereof; and that you must feel yourselves weary and heavy laden with your sins, before you will seek for deliverance from them; if this is to be the case, if there is so much in being children of GOD, alas! how many who please themselves with an outside shew, a name to live whilst they are dead; and how few that have any share in this spiritual state, in this true and living name? How few are they who are weary and heavy laden with their sins, and seek to CHRIST for rest? They say, in a formal customary manner, we are sinners, and there is no health in us; but how few feel themselves sinners, and are so opprest in their own spirits, that they have no quiet nor rest in them, because of the burden of their sins, and the weight that is fallen and lays on their minds?

Under these burdens, these heavy burdens, they are at a loss what to do whereby they may obtain rest; they fly to their works, they go to a minister, and he tells them to read, to pray, and meditate, and take the sacrament: thus they go away, and read, and pray, and meditate almost without ceasing, and never neglect the sacrament whenever there is an opportunity for the taking of it. Well, when the poor soul has done all this, it still finds no ease, there is yet no relief: Well, what must you do then? To lie still under the burden they cannot, and to get rid of it they cannot: O what must the burdened soul do! Why, goes to the clergyman again, and tells him the case, and what it has done, and that it is no better. Well, he asks, have you given alms to the poor? Why no. Then go and do that, and you will find rest. Thus the poor sinner is hurried from duty to duty, and still finds no rest: all things are uneasy and disquiet within, and there remains no rest in the soul. And if it was to go through all the duties of religion, and read over a thousand manuals of prayers, none would ever give the soul any rest; nothing will, until it goes to the LORD JESUS CHRIST, for there is the only true rest; that is the rest which abideth, and will continue for ever. It is not in your own works, nor in your endeavours: no; when CHRIST comes into your souls, he pardons you, without any respect to your works, either past, present, or to come.

From the words, my brethren, I have now read, I shall

I. Shew you who are the weary and heavy laden.

II. Inquire what is meant by coming to CHRIST. And,

III. Conclude with exhorting you to accept of the invitation
which the LORD JESUS CHRIST gives unto you to come unto him,
with the assurance of finding rest.

_First_, I am to shew you, who are the weary and heavy-laden.

And here it will be necessary to consider who are not; and then, to consider who they are that are really so.

1. Those who think themselves good enough, and are pleased that they are not so bad as others, these are not weary or heavy laden.

No, these Pharisees are not thus troubled; they laugh and jest at those who talk of feeling their sins, and think there is no occasion to make so much ado about religion: it is to be righteous over-much, and the means to destroy yourselves. They think if they do but mean well, and say their prayers, as they call them, it is sufficient: though they may say a prayer, yea, thousands of prayers, and all the while be only offering up the sacrifice of fools. They may call GOD, Father, every day, when it is only mocking of GOD, and offering up false fire unto him; and it would be just for him to serve them, as he did _Nahab_ and _Abihu_, destroy them, cut them off from the face of the earth: but he is waiting to be gracious, and willing to try a little longer, whether you will bring forth any thing more than the leaves of an outward profession, which is not all that the LORD requires: no, he wants the heart; and unless you honour him with that, he does not regard your mouths, when the other is far from him. You may say over your prayers all your lives, and yet you may never pray over one: therefore, while you flatter yourselves you are good enough, and that you are in a state of salvation, you are only deceiving your own souls, and hastening on your own destruction. Come unto him, not as being good enough, but as vile sinners, as poor, and blind, and naked, and miserable, and then JESUS will have compassion.

O ye Pharisees, what fruits do ye bring forth? Why, you are moral, polite creatures; you do your endeavours, you do what you can, and so JESUS is to make up the rest. You esteem yourselves fine, rational, and polite beings, and think it is too unfashionable to pray; it is not polite enough: perhaps you have read some prayers, but knew not how to pray from your hearts; no, by no means: that was being righteous over-much indeed.

But when once you are sensible of your being lost, damned creatures, and see hell gaping ready to receive you; if GOD was but to cut the thread of life, O then, then you would cry earnestly unto the LORD to receive you, to open the door of mercy unto you; your tones would then be changed, you would no more flatter yourselves with your abilities and good wishes: no, you would see how unable you were, how incapable to save yourselves; that there is no fitness, no free will in you: no fitness, but for eternal damnation, no free will but that of doing evil; and that when you would do good, evil is present with you, and the thing that ye would not, that do ye. He knows the secret intent of every heart; and this is a pleasure to you, my dear brethren, who come on purpose to meet with him, though it be in a field. And, however some may esteem me a mountebank, and an enthusiast, one that is only going to make you methodically mad; they may breathe out their invectives against me, yet CHRIST knows all; he takes notice of it, and I shall leave it to him to plead my cause, for he is a gracious Master: I have already found him so, and am sure he will continue so. Vengeance is his, and he will repay it. Let them revile me; let them cast me out of their synagogues, and have my name in reproach, I shall not answer them by reviling again, or in speaking evil against them: no, that is not the Spirit of CHRIST, but meekness, patience, long-suffering, kindness, &c.

Ye pharisees, who are going about to establish your own righteousness; you, who are too polite to follow the LORD JESUS CHRIST in sincerity and truth; you, who are all for a little shew, a little outside work; who lead moral, civil, decent lives, CHRIST will not know you at the great day, but will say unto you, O ye Pharisees, was there any place for me in your love? Alas! you are full of anger and malice, and self-will; yet you pretended to love and serve me, and to be my people: but, however, I despise you; I, who am GOD, and knoweth the secret of all hearts; I, who am truth itself, the faithful and true witness, say unto you, “Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, into that place of torment, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Good GOD! and must these discreet polite creatures, who never did any one harm, but led such civil, decent lives, must they suffer the vengeance of eternal fire? Cannot their righteous souls be saved? Where then must the sinner and the ungodly appear? Where wilt thou, O sabbath-breaker, appear, thou, who canst take thy pleasure, thy recreation, on the LORD’s-day, who refusest to hear the word of GOD, who wilt not come to church to be instructed in the ways of the LORD? Where will you, O ye adulterers, fornicators, and such-like of this generation appear? Whoremongers and adulterers GOD will judge, and them he will condemn. Then you will not call these tricks of youth: no, but you will call on the rocks and the mountains to fall on you, to hide you from the fury and anger of the LORD. Where wilt thou, O man, appear, that takes pleasure in making a mock of sin, who despisest all reproof, who throws about thy jests as a madman does fire, and asks whether thou art not in sport? Where wilt thou, O man, appear, that makes it thy business to preach against the children of the Most High; thou, who art inventing methods in order to stop the progress of the gospel, and using thy utmost power to quash the preaching thereof; who art raising of evil reports against the disciples of CHRIST, and esteemest them madmen, fools, schismatics, and a parcel of rabble? Thou, O man, with all thy letter-learning, wilt surely see the judgment-seat of CHRIST, though, perhaps, sorely against your will; to be cast by him into eternal fire, a place prepared for the devil and his angels. There is a burning tophet kindled by the fury of an avenging GOD, which will never, never be quenched. The devil longs to embrace you in his hellish arms, whenever the sentence is past, where you must for ever bear the weight of your sin: there is no redemption then; the day of grace is past; the door of hope is shut; mercy will be no more offered, but you must be shut out from GOD for ever. O who can dwell with everlasting burnings!

However you may think of hell, indeed it is not a painted fire; it is not an imagination to keep people in awe: then, then you will feel the power of the almighty arm. If you will not lay hold on his golden sceptre, he will break you with his iron rod. O ye Pharisees, who are now so good, so much better than others, how will ye stand before CHRIST, when drest in his glory as judge? You Arians, may now despise his divinity; then you shall have a proof of it; he will shew, that he has all power, and that he was no subordinate GOD; he will shew you that he has all power in heaven and earth that he was King of kings, and Lord of lords; that he was the mighty GOD, the everlasting Father; and this power that he has, he will exercise in preserving you to no other end, but to punish you for ever. Thus you, who please yourselves with being good enough now, who are not weary and heavy laden with a sense of your sins here, will be weary and heavy laden with a sense of your punishment hereafter.

2. Those, my brethren, are not weary and heavy laden with a sense of their sins, who can delight themselves in the polite entertainments of the age, and follow the sinful diversions of life.

Now they can go to balls and assemblies, play-houses and horse-racing; they have no thought of their sins; they know not what it is to weep for sin, or humble themselves under the mighty hand of GOD; they can laugh away their sorrows, and sing away their cares, and drive away these melancholy thoughts; they are too polite to entertain any sad thoughts; the talk of death and judgment is irksome to them, because it damps their mirth; they could not endure to think of their sin and danger; they could not go to a play, and think of hell; they could not go quietly to a masquerade, and think of their danger; they could not go to a ball or an assembly in peace, if they thought of their sins.

And so it is proved, even to a demonstration, that these are not weary and heavy laden: for if they are not thoughtful about their sins, they will never be weary and heavy laden of them. But at the day of judgment all will be over: they shall lose all their carnal mirth, all their pleasure, all their delight will be gone for ever.

They will say then of their laughter, it is mad; and of mirth, What dost thou? Their merry conceits, and witty jests against the poor despised people of GOD, are then over. Their mirth was but as the crackling of thorns under a pot; it made a great blaze and unseemly noise for a while, but it was presently gone, and will return no more.

They think now, that if they were to fast or to pray, and meditate and mourn, they should be righteous over-much, and destroy themselves; their lives would be a continual trouble, and it would make them run mad. Alas, my brethren, what misery must that life be, where there is no more pleasant days, no more balls or plays, no cards or dice, those wasters of precious time, no horse-racing and cock-fighting, from whence no good ever came, unless abusing GOD Almighty’s creatures, and putting them to that use which he never designed them, can be called so. How miserable will your life be, when all your joys are over, when your pleasures are all past, and no more mirth or pastime? Do you think there is one merry heart in hell? one pleasing countenance? or jesting, scoffing, swearing tongue? A sermon now is irksome: the offer of salvation, by the blood of JESUS CHRIST, is now termed enthusiasm; but then you would give thousands of worlds, if in your power, for one tender of mercy, for one offer of grace, which now you so much despise.

Now, you are not weary of your diversions, nor are you heavy laden with the sins, with which they are accompanied; but then you will be weary of your punishment, and the aggravation which attends it. Your cards and dice, your hawks and hounds, and bowls, and your pleasant sports, will then be over. What mirth will you have in remembering your sports and diversions? I would not have you mistake me, and say, I am only preaching death and damnation to you; I am only shewing you what will be the consequence of continuing in these sinful pleasures; and if the devil does not hurry you away with half a sermon, I shall shew you how to avoid these dangers, which I now preach up as the effect of sin unrepented of. I mention this, lest you should be hurried away by the devil: but be not offended, if I point out unto you more of the terrors which will attend your following these polite and fashionable entertainments of the present age, and of not being weary and heavy laden with a sense of your sins.

They who delight in drinking wine to excess, and who are drunkards, what bitter draughts will they have instead of wine and ale? The heat of lust will be then also abated; they will no more sing the song of the drunkard; no more spend their time in courting their mistresses, in lascivious discourse, in amorous songs, in wanton dalliances, in brutish defilements: no, these are all over; and it will but prick each other to the heart to look one another in the face. Then they will wish, that instead of sinning together, they had prayed together; had frequented religious societies; had stirred up each other to love and holiness, and endeavoured to convince each other of the evil of sin, and how obnoxious they are to the wrath of GOD; and the necessity of being weary and heavy laden with a sense thereof; that they might have escaped the punishment which they suffer, by their following the sinful and polite diversions of the age they fell into. But as it was against GOD himself they had sinned, so no less than GOD will punish them for their offences: he hath prepared these torments for his enemies; his continual anger will still be devouring of them; his breath of indignation will kindle the flame; his wrath will be a continual burden to their souls. Woe be to him who falls under the stroke of the Almighty!

Thus they are not weary and heavy laden with their sins, who can follow the polite and fashionable entertainments of the age. But,

_Secondly_, I am to shew you what it is to be weary and heavy laden with sins. And

1. You may be said, my brethren, to be weary and heavy laden, when your sins are grievous unto you, and it is with grief and trouble you commit them.

You, who are awakened unto a sense of your sins, who see how hateful they are to GOD, and how they lay you open to his wrath and indignation, and would willingly avoid them; who hate yourselves for committing them; when you are thus convinced of sin, when you see the terrors of the law, and are afraid of his judgments; then you may be said to be weary of your sins. And O how terrible do they appear when you are first awakened to a sense of them; when you see nothing but the wrath of GOD ready to fall upon you, and you are afraid of his judgments! O how heavy is your sin to you then! Then you feel the weight thereof, and that it is grievous to be borne.

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.