Come!
by J. C. Ryle
"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden—and
I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28.
The name of the tract before you is short—but the subject
which that name unfolds is deeply important. It is the first word of a text
of Scripture which deserves to be written in letters of gold. I offer that
text to you as a friendly invitation: I entreat you to look at it, and
ponder it well. That single text may be the salvation of your soul.
Our years are passing quickly away. As each successive
stage of the year comes round, we hear of gatherings and invitations: Easter
and Christmas are times when friends invite friends to come and see them.
But there is one invitation which demands attention every day in the
year—that invitation is the one which I bring you this day. It may be unlike
any that you have yet received; but it is of unspeakable importance—it
concerns the eternal happiness of your soul.
Reader, do not shrink back when you read these words. I
do not want to spoil your pleasures, provided always that your pleasures are
not mixed with sin. I know that there is a time to laugh, as well as a time
to weep. But I do want you to be thoughtful—as well as happy; to consider—as
well as to make mirth. There are some missing every Easter who a year before
were alive and well; there are some every year gathering round Christmas
fire-sides, who a year afterwards will be lying in their graves!
Reader, how long have you yourself to live? Will another
Easter, or another Christmas find you alive? Once more I entreat you to
listen to the invitations which I bring you this day. I have a message for
you from my Master. He says, "Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy
laden—and I will give you rest."
There are four points in the text before you, to which I
ask your attention. On each of these I have something to say.
I. First. Who is the Speaker of this invitation?
II. Secondly. To whom is this invitation
addressed?
III. Thirdly. What does the Speaker ask you to do?
IV. Lastly. What does the Speaker offer to give?
May the Holy Spirit bless the reading of this tract to
your everlasting benefit. May this day be a day to be specially remembered
in the history of your soul!
I. In the first place, Who is the Speaker of the
invitation which heads this tract?
Who is it that invites so
freely—and offers so largely? Who is it that says to your conscience this
day, "Come—come unto Me"?
Reader, you have a right to ask these questions. You live
in a lying world. The earth is full of cheats, shams, deceptions, impostors,
and falsehoods. The value of a promissory note depends entirely on the name
which is signed at the bottom. When you hear of a mighty Promiser you have a
right to say, Who is this? and what is His name?
The Speaker of the invitation before you is the greatest
and best Friend that man has ever had. It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the
eternal Son of God.
He is One who is almighty. He is God the Father's
Fellow and equal; He is truly and fully God—by Him were all things made. In
His hand are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; He has all power in
heaven and earth; in Him all fullness dwells. He has the keys of death and
hell. He is now the appointed Mediator between God and man—He will one day
be the Judge and King of all the earth. Reader, when such a One as this
speaks, you may safely trust Him. What He promises He is able to perform.
He is One who is most loving. He loved us so—that
He left heaven for our sakes, and laid aside for a season, the glory which
He had with the Father. He loved us so—that He was born of a woman for our
sakes and lived thirty-three years in this sinful world. He loved us so—that
He undertook to pay our mighty debt to God, and died upon the cross to make
atonement for our sins. Reader, when such a One as this speaks—He deserves a
hearing. When He promises a thing, you need not be afraid to trust him.
He is One who knows the heart of man most
thoroughly. He took on Him a body like our own, and was made like man in all
things, sin only excepted. He knows by experience what man has to go
through. He has tasted poverty, and weariness, and hunger, and thirst, and
pain, and temptation. He is acquainted with all our conditions upon earth;
He has "suffered Himself being tempted." Reader, when such a One as this
makes an offer, He makes it with perfect wisdom. He knows exactly what you
and I need.
He is One who never breaks His word. He always
fulfils His promises—He never fails to do what He undertakes. He never
disappoints the soul that trusts Him. Mighty as He is, there is one thing
which He cannot do—it is impossible for Him to lie. Reader, when such a One
as this makes a promise, you need not doubt that He will stand to it. You
may depend with confidence on His word.
Reader, you have now heard who sends you the invitation
which is before you today. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. Give Him the credit
due to His name—grant Him a full and impartial hearing. Believe that a
promise from His month deserves your best attention—see that you refuse not
Him who speaks. It is written, "If they escaped not who refused Him who
spoke on earth—much more shall not we escape, if we refuse Him who speaks
from heaven." (Heb. 12:25.)
II. I will now show you, in the second place, to WHOM the
invitation before you is addressed.
The Lord Jesus addresses "all who labor and are
heavy-laden." The expression is deeply comforting and instructive. It is
wide, sweeping, and comprehensive. It describes the ease of millions in
every part of the world.
Where are the laboring and heavy-laden? They are
everywhere—they are a multitude that man can scarcely number; they are to be
found in every climate, and in every country under the sun. They live in
Europe, in Asia, in Africa, and in America; they dwell by the banks of the
Seine, as well as the banks of the Thames; by the banks of the Mississippi
as well as the banks of the Niger. They abound under republics as well as
under monarchies; under liberal governments as well as under despotism.
Everywhere you will find trouble, care, sorrow, anxiety, murmuring,
discontent, and unrest. What does it mean? What does it all come to? Men are
"laboring and heavy-laden."
To what class do the laboring and heavy-laden
belong to? They belong to every class—there is no exception. They are to be
found among masters as well as among servants; among rich as well as among
poor; among kings as well as among subjects; among learned as well as among
ignorant people. In every class you will find trouble, care, sorrow,
anxiety, murmuring, discontent, and unrest. What does it mean? What does it
all come to? Men are "laboring and heavy-laden."
Reader, how shall we explain this? What is the cause
of the state of things which I have just tried to describe? Did God
create man at the beginning to be unhappy? Most certainly not! Are human
governments to blame because men are not happy? At most to a very slight
extent. The fault lies far too deep to be reached by human laws. There is
another cause, a cause which many unhappily refuse to see—that cause is SIN.
Reader, sin and departure from God, are the true reasons
why men are everywhere laboring and heavy-laden. Sin is the universal
disease which infects the whole earth. Sin brought in thorns and thistles at
the beginning, and obliged man to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow;
sin is the reason why the whole creation groans and travails in pain, and
the foundations of the earth are out of course; sin is the cause of all the
burdens which now press down mankind. Most men know it not, and weary
themselves in vain to explain the state of things among them. But sin is the
great root and foundation of all sorrow, whatever proud man may think. How
much men ought to hate sin!
Reader, are you one of those who are laboring and
heavy-laden? I think it very likely that you are. I am firmly persuaded that
there are thousands of men and women in the world who are inwardly
uncomfortable; and yet will not confess it. They feel a burden on their
hearts, which they would gladly get rid of; and yet they do not know the
way. They have a conviction that all is not right in their inward man, which
they never tell to anyone. Husbands do not tell it to their wives, and wives
do not tell it to their husbands; children do not tell it to their parents,
and friends do not tell it to their friends; but the inward burden lies
heavily on many hearts! There is far more unhappiness than the world
sees! Disguise it as some will, there are multitudes uncomfortable
because they know they are not prepared to meet God; and you, who are
reading this tract, perhaps are one.
Reader, if you are laboring and heavy-laden, you are the
very person to whom the Lord Jesus Christ sends an invitation this day. If
you have an aching heart, and a sore conscience; if you want rest for a
weary soul, and know not where to find it; if you want peace for a guilty
heart, and are at a loss which way to turn; you are the man, you are the
woman, to whom Jesus speaks today. There is hope for you. I bring you good
tidings. "Come unto Me," says Jesus, "and I will give you rest."
You may tell me this invitation cannot be meant for you,
because you are not good enough to be invited by Christ. I answer,
that Jesus does not speak to the good, but to the laboring and heavy-laden.
Do you know anything of this feeling? Then you are one to whom He speaks.
You may tell me that the invitation cannot be meant for
you, because you are a sinner, and know nothing about religion. I answer,
that it matters nothing what you are, or what you have been. Do you at this
moment feel laboring and heavy-laden? Then you are one to whom Jesus speaks.
You may tell me that you cannot think the invitation is
meant for you, because you are not yet converted, and have not got a new
heart. I answer, that Christ's invitation is not addressed to the converted,
but to the laboring and heavy laden. Is this what you feel? Is there any
burden on your heart? Then you are one of those to whom Christ speaks.
You may tell me that you have no right to accept this
invitation, because you do not know that you are one of God's elect. I
answer, that you have no right to put words in Christ's mouth, which God has
not used—He does not say, "Come unto Me, all you that are elect." He
addresses all the laboring and heavy laden ones, without any exception. Are
you one of them? Is there weight within on your soul? This is the only
question you have to decide. If you are, you are one of these to whom Christ
speaks.
Reader, if you are one of the laboring and heavy-laden
ones, once more I entreat you not to refuse the invitation which I bring you
today. Do not forsake your own mercies. The harbor of refuge is freely
before you—do not turn away from it. The best of Friends holds out His hand
to you—let not pride, or self-righteousness, or fear of man's ridicule, make
you reject His offered love. Take Him at His word. Say to Him, "Lord Jesus
Christ, I am one of those whom Your invitation suits—I am laboring and
heavy-laden. Lord, what will You have me to do?"
III. I will now show you in the third place, what the
Lord Jesus Christ asks you to do.
Three words make up the sum and
substance of the invitation which He sends you today. If you are laboring
and heavy-laden, Jesus says, "Come unto Me!"
Reader, there is a grand simplicity about the three words
now before you. Short and plain as the sentence seems, it contains a mine of
deep truth and solid comfort. Weigh it—look at it—consider it—ponder it
well. I believe that it is one half of saving Christianity, to understand
what Jesus means when He says, "Come unto Me."
Mark well, that the Lord Jesus does not bid the laboring
and heavy-laden "go and work." Those words would carry no comfort to heavy
consciences—it would be like requiring labor from an exhausted man. No! He
bids them "Come!" He does not say, "Pay Me what you owe." That demand would
drive a broken heart into despair—it would be like claiming a debt from a
ruined bankrupt. No! He says, "Come!" He does not say, "Stand still and
wait." That command would only be a mockery—it would be like promising to
give medicine at the end of a week to one at the point of death." No—He
says, "Come!" Today; at once; without any delay, "Come unto Me!"
But, after all, what is meant by coming to Christ? It is
an expression often used, but often misunderstood. Beware that you make no
mistake at this point. Here, unhappily, thousands turn aside out of the
right course, and miss the truth. Beware that you do not make shipwreck at
the very mouth of the harbor.
Take notice, that coming to Christ means something more
than coming to church and chapel. You may fill your place regularly at a
place of worship; and attend all outward means of grace, and yet not be
saved. All this is not coming to Christ.
Take notice, that coming to Christ is something more than
coming to the Lord's table. You may be a regular member and communicant; you
may never be missing in the lists of those who eat that bread and drink that
wine, which the Lord commanded to be received, and yet never be saved. All
this is not coming to Christ.
Take notice, that coming to Christ is something more than
coming to ministers. You may be a constant hearer of some popular preacher,
and a zealous partizan of all his opinions, and yet never be saved. All this
is not coming to Christ.
Take notice, once more, that coming to Christ is
something more than coming to the possession of head-knowledge about Him.
You may know the whole system of Evangelical doctrine, and be able to talk,
argue, and dispute on every jot of it, and yet never be saved. All this is
not coming to Christ.
Coming to Christ is coming to Him with the heart by
simple faith. Believing on Christ is coming to Him, and coming to Christ is
believing on Him. It is that act of the soul which takes place when a man,
feeling his own sins, and despairing of all other hope, commits himself to
Christ for salvation, ventures on Him, trusts Him, and casts himself wholly
on Him. When a man turns to Christ empty—that he may be filled; sick—that he
may be healed; hungry—that he may be satisfied; thirsty—that he may be
refreshed; needy—that he may be enriched; dying—that he may have life;
lost—that he may be saved; guilty—that he may be pardoned; sin-defiled—that
he may be cleansed; confessing that Christ alone can supply his need—then he
comes to Christ. When he uses Christ as the Jews used the city of refuge, as
the starving Egyptians used Joseph, as the dying Israelites used the brazen
serpent; then he comes to Christ. It is the empty soul's venture on a full
Savior; it is the drowning man's grasp on the hand held out to help him; it
is the sick man's reception of a healing medicine. This, and nothing more
than this, is coming to Christ.
Hearken, my beloved reader, whoever you may be, listen to
a word of caution. Beware of mistakes as to this matter of coming to Christ.
Do not stop short in any half-way house; do not allow the devil and the
world to cheat you out of eternal life; do not suppose that you will ever
get any good from Christ, unless you go straight, direct, thoroughly, and
entirely to Christ Himself. Trust not in a little outward formality—content
not yourself with a regular use of outward means. A lantern is an excellent
help in a dark night, but it is not home. Just so, means of grace are useful
aids, but they are not Christ. Oh, no! Press onward, forward, upward, until
you have had personal, business-like dealings with Christ Himself.
Hearken again, my beloved reader. Beware of mistakes as
to the manner of coming to Christ. Dismiss from your mind forever all idea
of worthiness, merit, and fitness in yourself; throw away all notions of
goodness, righteousness, and deserts. Do not think that you can bring
anything to recommend you, or to make you deserving of Christ's notice. You
must come to Him as a poor, guilty undeserving sinner, or you might just as
well not come at all. "To him that works not but believes on Him that
justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4.
5.) It is the peculiar mark of the faith which justifies and saves—that it
brings to Christ nothing but an empty hand.
Hearken once more, my beloved reader. Let there be no
mistake in your mind as to the special character of the man who has come
to Christ, and is a true Christian. He is not an angel; he is not a
half-angelic being, in whom is no weakness, or blemish, or infirmity—he is
nothing of the kind. He is nothing more than a sinner who has found out
his sinfulness, and has learned the blessed secret of living by faith in
Christ. What was the glorious company of the apostles and prophets? What
was the noble army of martyrs? What were Isaiah, Daniel, Peter, James, John,
Paul, Polycarp, Chrysostom, Augustine, Luther, Ridley, Latimer, Bunyan,
Baxter, Whitefield, Venn, Chalmers, Bickersteth, M'Cheyne? What were they
all, but sinners who knew and felt their sins, and trusted only in Christ?
What were they, but men who accepted the invitation I bring you this day,
and came to Christ by faith? By this faith they lived—in this faith they
died. In themselves and their doings they saw nothing worth mentioning; but
in Christ they saw all that their souls required.
Reader, the invitation of Christ is now before you. If
you never listened to it before, listen to it today. Broad, full, free,
wide, simple, tender, kind; that invitation will leave you without excuse if
you refuse to accept it. There are some invitations, perhaps, which it is
wiser and better to decline. There is one which ought always to be
accepted—that one is before you today. Jesus Christ is saying, "Come—come
unto Me!"
IV. I will now show you, in the last place—what the Lord
Jesus Christ promises to give.
He does not ask the laboring and
heavy-laden to come to Him for nothing. He holds out gracious inducements;
He allures them by sweet offers. "Come unto Me," He says, "and I will give
you rest."
Rest is a pleasant thing. Few are the men and women in
this weary world, who do not know the sweetness of it. The man who has been
laboring hard with his hands all the week, working in iron, or brass, or
stone, or wood, or clay; digging, lifting, hammering, cutting—he knows the
comfort of going home on Saturday night, and having one day of rest. The man
who has been toiling hard with his head all day; writing, copying,
calculating, composing, sketching, planning—he knows the comfort of laying
aside his papers and having a little rest. Yes—rest is a pleasant thing.
Rest is one of the principal offers which the world
promises, "Come to me—and I will give you riches and pleasure." "Come
with me," says the devil, "and I will give you greatest, power, and
wisdom." "Come unto Me," says the Lord Jesus Christ, "and I will give you
rest."
But what is the nature of that rest which the Lord Jesus
promises to give? It is no mere repose of body. A man may have that and yet
be miserable. You may place him in a palace, and surround him with every
possible comfort; you may give him money in abundance, and everything that
money can buy; you may free him from all care about tomorrow's bodily needs;
and take away the need of laboring for a single hour—all this you may do to
a man, and yet not give him true rest. Thousands know this too well by
bitter experience. Their hearts are starving in the midst of worldly plenty;
their inward man is sick and weary, while their outward man is clothed in
purple and fine linen, and fares sumptuously every day! Yes—a man may have
houses, and lands, and money, and horses, and carriages, and soft beds, and
good fare, and attentive servants—and yet not have true rest!
The rest that Christ gives—is an inward thing. It
is rest of heart, rest of conscience, rest of mind, rest of affection, rest
of will. It is rest from a comfortable sense of sins being all forgiven and
guilt all put away; it is rest from a solid hope of good things to come,
laid up beyond the reach of disease, and death, and the grave; it is rest
from the well-grounded feeling—that the great business of life is settled,
its great end provided for, that in time all is well done, and in
eternity heaven will be our home.
Rest such as this, the Lord Jesus gives to those who come
to Him, by showing them His own finished work on the cross, by clothing them
in His own perfect righteousness, and washing them in His own precious
blood. When a man begins to see that the Son of God actually died for his
sins, his soul begins to taste something of inward quiet and peace.
Rest such as this, the Lord Jesus gives to those who come
to Him, by revealing Himself as their ever-living High Priest in heaven, and
God reconciled to them through Him. When a man begins to see that the Son of
God actually lives to intercede for him, he will begin to feel something of
inward quiet and peace.
Rest such as this, the Lord Jesus gives to those who come
to Him, by implanting His Spirit in their hearts, and witnessing with their
spirits that they are God's children. They find that old things are passed
away, and all things are become new. When a man begins to feel an inward
drawing towards God as a father, and a sense of being an adopted and
forgiven child, his soul begins to feel something of quiet and peace.
Rest such as this, the Lord Jesus gives to those who come
to Him, by dwelling in their hearts as King, by putting all things within in
order, and giving to each faculty its place and work. When a man begins to
find order in his heart in place of rebellion and confusion, his soul begins
to understand something of quiet and peace. There is no true inward
happiness until the true King is on the throne.
Rest such as this, is the privilege of all believers in
Christ. Some know more of it—and some less; some feel it only at distant
intervals—and some feel it almost always; few enjoy the sense of it without
many a battle with unbelief, and many a conflict with fear—but all who truly
come to Christ, know something of this rest. Ask them, with all their
complaints and doubts, whether they would give up Christ and go back to the
world. You will get only one answer. Weak as their sense of rest may be,
they have got hold of something which does them good, and that something
they cannot let go.
Rest such as this, is within reach of all who are willing
to seek it and receive it. The poor man is not so poor—but he may have it;
the ignorant man is not so ignorant—but he may know it; the sick man is not
so weak and helpless—but he may get hold of it. Faith, simple faith, is the
one thing needful in order to possess Christ's rest. Faith in Christ is
the grand secret of happiness! Neither poverty, nor ignorance, nor
tribulation, nor distress can prevent men and women feeling rest of soul—if
they will only come to Christ and believe.
Rest such as this, is the possession which makes men
independent of all the fluctuations of life. Banks may break, and money make
itself wings and flee away; war, pestilence, and famine may break in, and
the foundations of the earth be out of course; health and vigor may depart,
and the body be crushed down by loathsome disease; death may cut down wife,
and children, and friends, until he who once enjoyed them stands entirely
alone. But the man who has come to Christ by faith will still possess
something which can never he taken from him. Like Paul and Silas, he will
sing in prison; like Job, bereaved of children and property, he will bless
the name of the Lord. He is the truly independent man—who possesses that
which nothing can take away!
Rest such as this, is the possession which makes men
truly rich! It lasts; it wears; it endures; it lightens the solitary
home; it smoothes the dying pillow; it goes with men when they are placed in
their coffins; it abides with them when they are laid in their graves. When
friends can no longer help us, and money is no longer of use; when doctors
can no longer relieve our pain, and nurses can no longer minister to our
needs; when sense begins to fail, and eye and ear can no longer do their
duty; then, even then, the "rest" which Christ gives will be shed abroad in
the heart of the believer. The words "rich" and "poor" will change their
meaning entirely one day. He is the only rich man—who has come to Christ by
faith, and from Christ has received rest.
Reader, this is the rest which Christ offers to give to
all who are laboring and heavy-laden; this is the rest for which He invites
them to come to Him; this is the rest which I want you to enjoy, and to
which I bring you an invitation this day. May God grant that the invitation
may not be brought to you in vain!
1. Reader, do you know anything of the "rest" of which I
have been speaking?
If not, what have you got from your religion?
You live in a Christian land; you profess and call yourself a Christian; you
have probably attended a Christian place of worship many years—you would not
like to be called an infidel or a heathen. Yet all this time what benefit
have you received from your Christianity? What solid advantage have you
obtained from it? For anything one can see, you might just as well have been
a Turk or a Jew.
Take advice this day, and resolve to possess the
realities of Christianity, as well as the name; and the
substance, as well as the form. Do not be content until you know
something of the peace, and hope, and joy, and consolation which Christians
enjoyed in former times. Ask yourself what is the reason that you are a
stranger to the feelings which men and women experienced in the days of the
Apostles—ask yourself why you do not "joy in the Lord," and feel "peace with
God," like the Romans and Philippians, to whom Paul wrote. Religious
feelings, no doubt, are often deceptive; but surely the religion which
produces no feelings at all—is not the religion of the New Testament. The
religion which gives a man no inward comfort—can never be a religion from
God. Reader, take heed to yourself. Never be satisfied until you know
something of the "rest that is in Christ."
2. Reader, do you desire rest of soul, and yet know not
where to turn for it?
Remember this day, that there is only one
place where it can be found. Governments cannot give it; education will not
impart it; wordily amusements cannot supply it; money will not purchase it.
It can only be found in the hand of Jesus Christ; and to His hand you must
turn, if you would find peace within.
There is no royal road to rest of soul. Let that never be
forgotten. There is only one way to the Father—Jesus Christ. There is only
one door into heaven—Jesus Christ. There is only one path to heart
peace—Jesus Christ. By that way all laboring and heavy-laden ones must go,
whatever be their rank or condition. Kings in their palaces, and paupers in
the workhouse, are all on a level in this matter. All alike must come to
Christ, if they feel soul-weary and tired; all must drink of the same
fountain, if they would have their thirst relieved.
You may not believe what I am now writing. Time will show
who is right and who is wrong. Go on, if you will, imagining that true
happiness is to be found in the good things of this world. Seek it, if you
will, in reveling and banqueting, in dancing and merry making. In races and
theaters, in sports and cards. Seek it, if you will, in reading and
scientific pursuits, in music and painting, in politics and business. Seek
it—but you will never find it, unless you change your plan. Real heart-rest
is never to be found except in heart-union with Jesus Christ. There is no
true rest for any one, excepting in Christ! Happy will it be for your soul
if that lesson is never forgotten!
3. Reader, do you desire to possess the rest that Christ
alone can give, and yet feel afraid to seek it?
I beseech you, as
a friend to your soul, to cast this needless fears away. For what did Christ
die on the cross—if not to save sinners? For what does He sit at the right
hand of God—if not to receive and intercede for sinners? When Christ invites
you so plainly, and promises so freely—why should you rob your own soul, and
refuse to come to Him?
Who, among all the readers of this tract, desires to be
saved by Christ, and yet is not saved at present? Come, I beseech—you come
to Christ without delay! Though you have been a great sinner, COME! Though
you have long resisted warnings, counsels, sermons, COME! Though you have
sinned against light and knowledge, against a father's advice and a mother's
tears, COME! Though you have plunged into every excess of wickedness, and
lived without prayer, yet COME! The door is not shut, the fountain is not
yet closed. Jesus Christ invites you. It is enough that you feel laboring
and heavy-laden, and desire to be saved. Come—come to Christ without delay!
Come to Him by faith, and pour out your heart before Him
in prayer. Tell Him the whole story of your life, and ask Him to receive
you. Cry to Him as the penitent thief did, when he saw Him on the cross. Say
to Him, "Lord, save me also! Lord, remember me!" COME—COME TO CHRIST!
Reader, if you have never come to this point yet, you
must come to it at last, if you mean to be saved. You must apply to Christ
as a sinner; you must have personal dealings with the great Physician, and
apply to Him for a cure. Why not do it at once? Why not this very day accept
the great invitation? Once more, I repeat my exhortation. COME—COME TO
CHRIST WITHOUT DELAY!
4. Reader, have you found the rest which Christ gives?
Have you tasted true peace by coming to him and casting your soul on him?
Then go on to the end of your days as you have begun, looking to Jesus and
living upon Him. Go on drawing daily full supplies of rest, peace, mercy,
and grace from the great fountain of rest and peace. Remember that, if you
live to the age of Methuselah, you will never be anything but a poor empty
sinner, owing all you have and hope for to Christ alone.
Never be ashamed of living the life of faith in Christ.
Men may ridicule and mock you, and even silence you in argument; but they
can never take from you the feelings which faith in Christ gives. They can
never prevent you feeling, "I was weary until I found Christ—but now
I have rest of conscience. I was blind—but now I see. I was dead—but
I am alive again. I was lost—but I am found."
Invite all around you to come to Christ. Use every lawful
effort to bring father, mother, husband, wife, children, brothers, sisters,
friends, relatives, companions, fellow-workmen; to bring all and every one
to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Spare no pains. Speak to them about
Christ—speak to Christ about them. Be instant in season, out of season.
Say to them, as Moses did to Hobab, "Come with us—and we will do you good!"
The more you work for the souls of others, the more blessing will you get
for your own soul.
Last, but not least, look forward with confidence to a
better rest in a world to come. Yet in a little while, and He who shall
come, will come, and will not tarry. He will gather together all who have
believed in Him, and take His people to a home where the wicked shall cease
from troubling, and the weary shall be at perfect rest. He shall give them a
glorious body, in which they shall serve Him without distraction, and praise
Him without weariness. He shall wipe away tears from all faces, and make all
things new. (Isa. 35:8.)
There is a good time coming for all who have come to
Christ and committed their souls into His keeping. They shall remember all
the ways by which they have been led, and see the wisdom of every step in
the way; they all wonder that they ever doubted the kindness and love of
their Shepherd—above all, they shall wonder that they could live so long
without Him, and that when they heard of Him they could hesitate about
coming to Him.
There is a pass in Scotland called Glencoe, which
supplies a beautiful illustration of what heaven will be to the man who
comes to Christ. The road through Glencoe carries the traveler up a long and
steep ascent, with many a little winding and many a little turn in its
course. But when the top of the pass is reached, a stone is seen by the
wayside, with these simple words engraved on it, "Rest, and be thankful."
Reader, those words describe the feelings with which every one who comes to
Christ will at length enter heaven. The summit of the narrow way will be
won—we shall cease from our weary journeying, and sit down in the kingdom of
God; we shall look back over all the way of life with thankfulness, and see
the perfect wisdom of every little winding and turn in the steep ascent by
which we were led; we shall forget the toils of the upward journey in the
glorious rest. Here in this world, our sense of rest in Christ at best is
feeble and partial; but, "when that which is perfect is come, that which is
in part shall be done away." Thanks be unto God, a day is coming when
believers shall rest perfectly, and be thankful.
Reader, the invitation is now before you. Will you accept
it? "Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden--and I will give
you rest."