SERMON XXXIII.

The burdened sinner invited to Christ for rest.

Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly, and ye shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.—Matthew XỈ : 28-30.

AFTER Our Saviour had been preaching in different places for some time, very few seemed to take much interest in his preaching. At length he lifted up his voice in a strain of awful solemnity, wo, wo, wo— and it broke like a peal of thunder over the cities of Chorasin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, because they repented not. He then raised his eyes, and thanked his Father in heaven, that this was not true of all. There was another class to whom he now turned with a voice of welcome, like that on the judgment of the great day; "Come ye blessed of my Father," &c. He says, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."

I propose to consider,

I. The characters here addressed.

They labor and are heavy laden. In some sense all men labor, but not in the sense of the text. They seem to care little about their souls; but they labor to obtain the pleasures of sin, and vanities of this world. They are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest. Persons of this description are thus addressed in the

Bible, "Wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness."

Those who are addressed in the text, are of a different class. They have lost all their interest in the objects of time and sense. All their anxiety respects the salvation of the soul. They are said to labor. Those who are under deep concern for their souls, will not be idle. They feel that something must be done. They generally commence by laboring to build up a righteousness of their own. "Being ignorant of God's righteousness, they go about to establish their own righteousness," as the most probable method of securing their salvation. And thus they often continue for a long time, laboring and toiling, but without suc

cess.

They are said to be heavy laden-borne down under a sense of their sins, which are like a heavy burden. They find no rest, day nor night. And their burden often increases continually. These are the characters particularly addressed in the text.

And who is the person that speaks? Not a mere man-not an angel. No created being can save the sinner. It is the Lord Jesus Christ, who came from heaven to earth, and shed his own precious blood.

"Neither is there salvation in any other." This is the great errand on which he came from heaven to earth. Here in the text, he seems to fulfill the prediction uttered by the evangelical prophet. "In that day, there shall be a root out of Jesse, which shall

stand for an ensign to the people; to it shall the gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious."

"I will give you rest”—rest from all your self-righteous efforts-rest from the burden of sin. "Return unto thy rest, O my soul."

Rest to the body after toil, after laboring under a heavy burden, is sweet; but rest to the heavy laden soul, is infinitely more desirable.

Rest implies cessation from warfare-from the fruitless contest in which the sinner is engaged. He lays down the weapons of his rebellion. "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." "We who believe do enter

into rest."

"And I WILL GIVE you rest.” The sinner will never do any thing by which to purchase pardon and salvation. He has nothing to give in exchange-nothing but a poor sinful soul.

"Lo, glad I come, and thou blest Lamb,
Shalt take me to thee as I am;

Nothing but sin I thee can give,

Nothing but love shall I receive."

But the sinner lingers, hoping that he shall grow better that he shall do something to recommend him to favor. But this can never be, for so long as he refuses to come to Christ, he will surely wax worse and

worse.

"Let not conscience make you linger,

Nor of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness he requireth,

Is to feel your need of him.
This he gives you,

'Tis his Spirit's rising beam.

Come ye weary, heavy laden,

Lost and ruined by the fall,
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all.
Not the righteous,

Sinners, Jesus came to call

"Take my yoke upon you." What does this imply? It implies that the sinner must be henceforth employed in the service of Christ. He has heretofore been employed in the service of sin; henceforth he is to yield himself unto God, as one that is alive from the dead, and his members as instruments of righteousness unto holiness.

"And learn of me." He must abandon all his selfrighteous plans, and carnal wisdom, and learn at the feet of Christ all the doctrines and duties of religion. He must also imitate the example of Christ, and pos sess his spirit.

“For I am meek and lowly in heart.” This is the character of the Saviour who knew no sin, and the character which all who will enter heaven must finally possess. How directly opposite to the character of proud, stubborn, rebellious sinners.

"Meek and lowly in heart." Thus the sinner is required to come to Christ. We have sometimes heard of sinners coming up to the terms of salvation. In the text they are called upon to come down to the terms of salvation-to be meek and lowly in heart.

"And ye shall find rest to your souls." The sinner will no longer be like the troubled sea when it cannot He finds peace. The exercise of the christian graces is pleasant and delightful.

rest.

"For my yoke is easy." The service of Christ, when

contrasted with the service of sin, is easy.

The sin

ner often refuses to come to Christ for fear he shall have to be employed in his service; and indeed, it would be irksome and galling, with an unrenewed heart; for " no man can serve two masters." But all who have tried the service of Christ, can testify that it is easy that wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and that all her paths are peace.

"And my burden is light." Christ has a burden to place upon the sinner who comes to him. It may be a burden of affliction. He may be called to part with father or mother, or he may be called to suffer shame and reproach in the cause of Christ.

"If any man

will live godly in Christ Jesus he shall suffer persecution." But the burden will be light-light in comparison with the burden of sin-light in comparison with what those endure who have lost their souls, and whose consciences will torment them forever for rejecting Christ.

I know not how better to illustrate this subject than by a comparison which I have seen in the book of an ancient author. "I look around creation for an illustration of this text. I see a bird walking with folded wings, which he carries as a little burden on his back. But he is not willing to part with his burden. For the burden which he carries, often carries him. So they that wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.””