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SERMON VII.

MATTHEW xi. 28.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft.

T was prophefied of our Lord long be

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fore his manifestation in the flesh, that he fhould "proclaim liberty to the captives, " and the opening of the prifon to them "that are bound:" And lo! here he doth it in the kindest and most endearing manner, offering rest, or spiritual relief, to every labouring and heavy laden finner.—Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft.

In difcourfing from which words, I propofe, in dependence upon divine aid,

First, To open the character of those to whom the invitation is addreffed :

Secondly, To explain the invitation itfelf, and fhow. what is included in coming

to

to Chrift: After which I fhall endeavour,

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Third place, To illuftrate the gracious condescending promife with which our Lord enforces the call: I will give you reft.

I BEGIN with the character of those to whom the invitation is addreffed. They are fuch, you fee, as labour and are heavy laden; that is, who feel the unfupportable load of guilt, and the galling fetters of corrupt affections, and earnestly long to be delivered from both; for these were the perfons whom our Saviour always regarded as the peculiar objects of his attention and care. By our fatal apoftacy, we forfeited at once our innocence and our happiness; we became doubly miferable, liable to the juftice of God, and slaves to Satan and our own corruptions. But few, comparatively fpeaking, are fenfible of this mifery! The bulk of mankind are fo hot in the pursuit of perishing trifles, that they can find no leifure feriously to examine their spiritual condition. Thefe indeed have a load upon them, of weight more than fufficient to fink

them

them into perdition; but they are not heavy laden in the fenfe of my text. Our Saviour plainly speaks to those who feel their burden, and are groaning under it; otherwise the promise of rest, or deliverance, could be no inducement to bring them to him. And the call is particularly addreffed to fuch, for two obvious reasons :

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First, Because our Lord knew well that none else would comply with it. "full foul loaths the honey-comb." Such is the pride of our hearts, that each of us would wish to be a faviour to himself, and to purchase heaven by his own personal merit. This was the "rock of offence" upon which the Jews fumbled and fell: they could not bear the thought of being indebted to the righteousness of another for pardon and acceptance with God; for fo the Apostle teftifies concerning them, (Rom. x. 3.)," Being ignorant of God's righteousness,

they went about to establish their own righteoufnefs, and did not fubmit them"felves unto the righteousness of God." And still this method of juftifying finners is oppofed and rejected by every "natural

man.

man." He feels not his disease, and therefore treats the phyfician with contempt and fcorn: whereas the foul that is enlightened by the Spirit of God, and awakened to a fense of its guilt and pollution, lies prostrate before the mercy-feat, crying out with Paul when ftruck to the ground, Lord, "what wilt thou have me to do?-It was therefore with peculiar fignificancy, that our Lord introduced his fermon upon the mount, by adjudging the kingdom of heaven to the poor in fpirit," placing humility in the front of all the other graces, as being the entrance into a religious temper, the beginning of the divine life, the first step of the foul in its return to God.

2dly, The labouring and heavy laden are particularly diftinguifhed; because otherwife, perfons in that fituation, hopeless of relief, might be in danger of excluding themselves from the offer of mercy. If there was only a general call to come to the Saviour, the humble convinced foul, preffed down with a fenfe of its guilt and depravity, might be ready to object, Surely it cannot be fuch a worthlefs and wicked creature as

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I am, to whom the Lord directs his invitation. And therefore, he "who will not "break the bruifed reed, nor quench the "fmoking flax," doth kindly encourage them by this fpecial addrefs, that the very thing which to themselves would appear the greatest obstacle in the way of mercy, might become the means of affuring them, that they are the very perfons for whom mercy is prepared.

Let this then encourage every weary selfcondemning finner : The greater your guilt appears in your own eye, the greater ground you have to expect relief if you apply for it. Mercy looks for nothing but an affecting fense of the need of mercy. Say not, If my burden were of a leffer weight, I might hope to be delivered from it; for no burden is too heavy for Omnipotence: he who is "mighty to fave," can eafily remove the most oppreffive load; "his blood cleanseth " from all fin," and "by him all who be"lieve, are juftified from all things.". This great phyfician did not come to heal fome flight diftempers, but to cure thofe inveterate plagues, which none befides him

felf