Chapter 72. The Twelfth Argument: Manifesting the Exceeding Willingness of God and Christ to Be Reco
Chapter 72.
The Twelfth Argument: Manifesting the Exceeding Willingness of God and Christ to Be Reconciled to Sinners
Another way is this: in answering all objections that lie in the hearts of sinners. Whatever objections lie in the hearts of sinners, God has ways to answer all of them, and He does so through His word and by His Spirit. Now, what would a sinner object? If you object to your unworthiness of such mercies as God offers to you, and therefore think it unlikely that God will ever bestow that mercy upon you, observe Isaiah 55. There is a place that God intends directly to answer that objection so that it may never hinder any sinner from coming unto Him. God says, "Come to the waters, and he that has no money, come, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."
Note that in one verse, "Come without money" is mentioned three times: "he that has no money, come and eat"; then, "buy without money"; and finally, "without price." What is the meaning of this?
Here you should understand that the promises of the Gospel are represented by wine, milk, and bread—things most delightful and useful for human nature. The Gospel is represented in Scripture by things that are most excellent of all. Sometimes it is described as a kingdom, as when "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" serves as an argument. At other times, it is described as a marriage, where God sends people to be reconciled, using the argument that it is to marry them to His Son. Sometimes it is described as a supper, to which God the Father invites us—a supper wherein there are all kinds of delicacies, as the great King prepares a feast at the marriage of His
Son. These are the powerful arguments that God uses.
"Oh, but I am unworthy," says a poor soul. "What? That someone like me, so vile, so wretched, and utterly unworthy, should receive such things?" This was the Devil's tactic from the beginning. The Devil labours to make sinners disregard the Gospel, to set God's counsels at nought, as you see in Proverbs 1, to consider the blood of the Covenant a common thing—that is the first way. But if he cannot prevail in that way, and the Lord shines through all mist and misconceptions about the Gospel, showing the soul the excellence and beauty of His Son and the glorious things of the Gospel, then the Devil tries another way. He says, "Indeed, there are glorious things, but you are unworthy. You are a wretched, base, vile creature. How can you think that God would grant such things to you?" Now, the Lord answers this objection. What does God say? "Come without money." What does that mean? It means that, though you have no worthiness in yourself, though you lack the ability to buy anything good, yet come, come and embrace My grace. That shall make you rich enough; you shall have all you need that way. "Come without money and without price." Let that objection never hinder you—that you are unworthy or unable to do anything. The Lord calls you without money and offers freely to you. Therefore, in the latter part of the Book of Revelation, in the last chapter, verse 17, it is said, "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let him that hears say,
'Come.' And let him who is thirsty come; and whoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
"How shall I ever think to have it?" It is free, so this objection cannot hinder.
Objection: "Oh! But there may be another objection. Perhaps the Lord will require something from me—not before granting His mercy freely, but after I have come. Then perhaps things that are hard will be required of me. Oh! The ways of God are difficult, and then I must
live so strictly, I must be conscientious in all my ways, abandon all my sins and lusts. And what," says the Devil to a corrupt heart, "will you leave all such pleasant ways and be so strictly bound? Then you must do nothing but what aligns with the word of God and your conscience. Farewell to all the comforts and joys of your life if you become religious and godly."
These are the temptations that keep the hearts of men away. I appeal to you: have not some of your hearts been kept away from Jesus
Christ and the ways of God merely because of such temptations as these? And indeed, it may be so at first until the nature of man is changed.
But mark how this objection is addressed when sinners are called to Christ. (I suppose you know the passage): "Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
But that relates to the former point, and then, afterwards, when Christ had said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest; take my yoke upon you, and my burden," etc. It seems, then, that we must be yoked and burdened.
But notice what follows in verse 30: "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (As if Christ should say) never listen to such a temptation about difficulties in my ways. I assure you beforehand, you will find that the Devil merely tricks, deceives, and misleads you.
I can assure you that I will place no yoke upon you that, when you come to bear it, you will not say, "It is an easy yoke," and although it is a burden, you shall acknowledge that it is a light burden.
This, I dare say, in the name of God to all: come in, all you who stand off from the ways of God. Though God's ways may seem hard to you at first, yet I dare declare from God unto you, that you will find God's ways easier at last than you ever did in the ways of sin. For certainly,
there is more trouble in the ways of sin than there can be in the ways of God. And when God calls upon you to come in and be reconciled,
He professes this to you: He will require nothing of you but that which shall be more pleasant than any ways of sin in which you lived before. There will be more comforts and joy, and that in the present, than you ever had in the ways of sin. Just ask anyone who has tried this, and invite them to speak their conscience to you (I mean those who have had any sense of Christ's love towards them). Yes, if you have begun to walk in wisdom's ways, which are pleasant, and to tread in those paths that are strewn with roses and paved with peace, then speak plainly: how do you find yourself? Is it not better now than it was before? Do you not find more ease, more comfort, and joy in God's ways than you did before in any way of sin?
Oh, such a person will confess to you that they find more comfort than ever before; they find more sweetness in communion with God in His ways in one day than they found in the ways of sin throughout their entire life. The Holy Spirit, in pleading with the hearts of men, says the same in Proverbs 3:17: "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." If you believe the Spirit of God, the ways of godliness are indeed ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are paths of peace.
What, then, should hinder you? Neither your unworthiness nor the hardship of the way can be a hindrance. These are the two great obstacles that lie in the way, and God fully removes them in Scripture. And if there be any other objection, I dare undertake— present whatever objections you can (give me but a little time)—to find some clear word in Scripture that will address that very objection.