humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the crofs. Wherefore God alfo hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name." The Son of God, who is Lord of all, needed no exaltation in the court of heaven, being equal with his Father; but his design was, to exalt man's nature, to make these that were the children of the devil-friends to heaven, and prepare for them room there: "I go (faid he) to prepare a place for you," John, xiv. 2. No wonder, then, that he should long to see the purchase of his blood, the fruit of the travail of his foul, come to him. He is kind and liberal,

4. Because of his love to them. Where true love is, there is an aptnefs to communicate; the lover cannot fee the beloved want what he has.

God's love is giving love : "He fo loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son," John, iii. 16. Chrift's love is alfo fuch; he loves indeed: "He loved us, and gave himself for us," Gal. ii. 20-For the improvement of this doctrine, I only add an ufe of exhortation.

Come to Chrift, then, O finners, upon this his invitation, and fit not his bleffed call. To enforce this, I urge these MOTIVES.

1. There is a fulness in him, all power is given him; want what you will, he has a power to give it to you; the Son of man had power, even on earth, to forgive fins. Grace without you, or grace within you, he is the dispenser of all: John, i. 16. "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." He is the great Secretary of heaven, the keys hang at his girdle; he shuts, and none can open; he opens, and none can fhut.— Confider,

2. You are welcome to it. He has it not to keep

keep up, but to give out, and to whom but to needy finners? Even the worst of you are welcome, if you will take it out of his own hand: “If any man thirst, (says he), let him come to me, and drink," John, vii. 37.

3. Would you do Chrift a pleasure? then come to him, Ifa. liii. 11. "He fhall fee of the travail of his foul, and shall be satisfied.” Would you content and eafe his heart? then come. It is a great ease to full breasts to be fucked. The breasts of his confolations are full, hear how preffingly he calls you to fuck! "Eat, O friends! drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved!"

Laftly, Would you fall in with the designs of the Father's and the Son's love, in the mystery of falvation? then come to him. Why is a fountain opened, but that ye may run to it, and wafh? Seal not, shut not that to yourselves, which God and Christ have opened.

II. THE fecond thing to be confidered in the words is, the perfons invited. These are they that labour, and are heavy-laden. The word labour fignifies not every labouring, but a labouring to weariness, and fo fome read it weary. Heavy-laden are they that have a heavy burden on their back, which they are not able to bear.

Who are meant by these? I cannot agree with those that restrain thefe expreffions to those that are fenfible of their fins and misery, without Christ, and are longing to be rid of the fame; but I think it includes all that are out of Chrift, fenfible or infenfible; that is, these that have not had, and thefe that have had, a law-work upon their confciences. And, to fix this interpretation, confider,

1. The words agree to all that are out of Christ, and none have any right to reftrain them. None

more

more properly labour, in the fenfe of the text, than thofe that are out of Chrift, feeking their fatisfaction in the creatures: Ecclef. i. 8. "All things are full of labour, man cannot utter it: the eye is not fatisfied with feeing, nor the ear filled with hearing." And who have fuch a burden of fin and wrath upon their back as they have? The word properly fignifies a fhip's lading, which, though infenfible of it, may yet fink under the weight.-Confider,

2. "The whole world lieth in wickedness," 1 John, v. 19. as men in a deep mire, still sinking. Chrift came to deliver men out of that cafe; having taken upon him our nature, Heb. ii. 16. he caught hold (Greek) as one doth of a drowning man, even as he did of Peter when finking, Mat. xiy 31. And what are the invitations of the gofpel, but Chrift putting out his hands to finking fouls, finking with their own weight. Confider,

"Be

3. That the words, in other scriptures, are, without controverfy applied to the most infenfible finners. See what labour and wearinefs! Hab. ii. 13. hold, is it not of the Lord of hofts, that the people fhall labour in the very fire, and the people fhall weary themselves for very vanity?" In the most folemn invitation to Chrift in all the Old Teftament, the word labouring is fo ufed: Ifa. lv. 2. "Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which fatisfieth not?" Luke, xi. 46. "Ye lade men with burdens grievous to be born." Lade is the fame Greek word ufed in the text. Ifa. i. 4. "Ah! finful nation, a people laden with iniquity." Were they fenfible? far from it; for, ver. 3. " Ifrael doth not know, my people doth not confider." And, 2 Tim. iii. 6. it is faid, "Silly women, laden with fins, led away with divers lufts."

4. Confider

4. Confider the parallel text: Ifa. lv. 1. "Ho, every one that thirfteth;" where by the thirsty is not fo much understood thofe that are thirsting after Chrift, as thofe that are thirsting after happiness and satisfaction, seeking to squeeze it out of the creature; for the thirsty invited are the fame that are spending their labour for that which fatisfieth not. But these that are thirsting after Christ are not fuch.

5. If the words be a restriction of the call to fenfible finners, then the most part of finners are excluded. If they are not included, fure they are excluded; and if the words are reftrictive, fure they are not included; and then, fo far from being the truth of the text, that it is no gofpeltruth at all; for all, without exception, that hear the gofpel, are called to come to Chrift: Rev. iii. 20. "Behold, I ftand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will fup with him, and he with me." And if any one be not called, they have no warrant to come; and if so, unbelief is not their fin, as in the cafe of the Pagans ;-which is abfurd.

Lafly, This is a moft folemn invitation to come to Chrift; and if I fay the moft folemn, there is fome ground for it by what is faid before. And fhall that be judged reftrained, that fo exprefsly and folemnly comes from that fulness of power lodged in Christ, more than that juft quoted? Rev. iii. 20. where there is no fhadow of restriction. Befides, this reftriction may well be a fnare to an exercised soul, which ordinarily, by a legal difpofition in all, will not allow that they may come to Christ, because fin is not heavy enough to them. But although finners will never come to Christ till they fee their need of him, ye this I will ever preach, that all, under pain of damnation, are obVOL. I.

A a

liged

liged to come to him, and that they fhall be welcome on their coming, be their cafe what it will; that such as are willing to come ought not to stop on a defect of their sensibleness, but come to him, that they may get a true sense of fin unto repentance; for he is "exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Ifrael, and remiffion of fins," Acts, v. 31. He is to give, not to stand and wait, till "folly bring repentance with it.”—

III. CONSIDER in the words, to what the labouring and heavy-laden are invited. They are invited to come to Jefus; that is, to believe on him, to take him as he offers himself in the gospel.

IV. OBSERVE the encouragement afforded to influence a compliance with this invitation. Reft is promised to them here and hereafter: I will give you reft. We may afterwards open up these things more largely, in handling the following doctrinal propofitions, which we draw from the words thus explained, viz.

DOCT. I. That finners, while out of Chrift, are engaged in a wearifome labour.

DocT. II. That all who are out of Christ are under a heavy load or burden, which by all their labours they cannot shake off.

DOCT. III. Whatever finful and vain labours finners are engaged in, whatever be the loads which are lying on them, they are welcome to Chrift; nay, he calls, invites, and commands them to come unto him.

I SHALL confider these in order.-I begin with DOCT. I. That finners, while out of Christ, are

engaged