Come & welcome to Jesus Christ, or, A plain and profitable discourse upon the…

Come & welcome to Jesus Christ, or, A plain and profitable discourse upon the sixth of John, 37 vers showing the cause, truth and manner of the coming of a sinner to Jesus Christ, with his happy reception and blessed entertainment / written by J. Bunyan.Come & welcome to Jesus Christ, or, A plain and profitable discourse upon the sixth of John, 37 vers shewing the cause, truth and manner of the coming of a sinner to Jesus Christ, with his happy reception and blessed entertainment / written by J. Bunyan.

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Answ. Freely: Sinner, Dost thou hear? Thou mayest have it Freely. Let him take the Water of Life Freely: I will give him of the Fountain of the Water of Life Freely. And when they had nothing to pay, he Frankly forgave them both, Luk. 7.

Answ. Freely: Sinner, Dost thou hear? Thou may'st have it Freely. Let him take the Water of Life Freely: I will give him of the Fountain of the Water of Life Freely. And when they had nothing to pay, he Frankly forgave them both, Luk. 7.

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Freely, without Money, or without Price. Ho! Every one that Thirsteth, come ye to the Waters; and he that hath no Money, Come ye, Buy and Eat: Yea, come, buy Wine and Milk, without Money, and without Price, Isa. 55. 1.

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Sinner, Art thou Thirsty? art thou Weary? art thou Willing? Come then, and regard not your Stuff; for all the Good that is in Christ, is offered to the Coming-Sinner, without Money, and without Price. He has Life to give away, to such as want it, and that have not a Penny to purchase it; and he will give it Freely: Oh, What a blessed Condition is the Coming-Sinner in!

Sinner, Art thou Thirsty? art thou Weary? art thou Willing? Come then, and regard not your Stuff; for all the Good that is in Christ, is offered to the Coming-Sinner, without Mony, and without Price. He has Life to give away, to such as want it, and that have not a Penny to purchase it; and he will give it Freely: Oh, What a blessed Condition is the Coming-Sinner in!

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But, Thirdly, This Doctrine of Coming to Jesus Christ for Life; Informeth us, That It is to be had no where else: Might it be had Any where else, the ⟨p. 260⟩Text, and Him that spoke it, would be but little set-by: For, What great Matter is there in, I will in no wise cast out, if another stood by that could Received them? But here appears the Glory of Christ, that none but He can Save! And, here appears his Love, that though none can Save but He, yet he is not Coy in Saving! But him that comes to me (saith he) I will in no wise cast out.

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That none can Save but Jesus Christ, is evident from Acts 4. 12. Neither is there Salvation in any other; and he hath given us Eternal Life, and this Life is in his Son. If Life could have been had any where else, it should have been in the Law; but it is not in the Law: For, by the Deeds of the Law, no Man living shall be Justified; and if not Justified, then no Life. Therefore, Life is no where to be had, but in Jesus Christ; Gal. 3.

That none can Save but Jesus Christ, is evident from Acts 4. 12. Neither is there Salvation in any other; and he hath given us Eternal Life, and this Life is in his Son. If Life could have been had any where else, it should have been in the Law; but it is not in the Law: For, by the Deeds of the Law, no Man living shall be Justifyed; and if not Justifyed, then no Life. Therefore, Life is no where to be had, but in Jesus Christ; Gal. 3.

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Quest. But why would God so order it, that Life should be had no where else, but in Jesus Christ?

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Answ. There is Reason for it; and that both with Respect to God, and to Us.

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First, With Respect to God.

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First, That it might be in a way of Justice, as well as Mercy: And in away of Justice it could not have been, if it had not been by Christ; because He, and He only, was able to answer the Demand of the Law; and give for Sin, what the Justice thereof required. All Angels had been Crushed down to Hell for ever, had that Curse been laid upon them for our Sins, which was laid upon Jesus Christ: But 'twas laid upon Him, and He bare it; and answered the Penalty, and Redeemed his People from under it, with that Satisfaction to Divine Justice, that God himself doth now proclaim; That he is Faithful and Just to forgive us, if by Faith we shall venture on Jesus, and trust to what he has done for Life; Rom. 3. 24, 25, 26. 1 Joh. 1. 9.

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Secondly, Life must be by Jesus Christ, that God might be Adored, and Magnified, for finding out this Way. This is the Lord's Doings, that in all Things he might be Glorified, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Secondly, Life must be by Jesus Christ, that God might be Adored, and Magnifyed, for finding out this Way. This is the Lord's Doings, that in all Things he might be Glorifyed, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Thirdly, It must be by Jesus Christ, that Life might be at God's dispose; who hath great Pity for the Poor, the ⟨p. 262⟩Lowly, the Meek, the Broken in heart; and for them that others care not for, Psal. 34. 6. Psal. 138. 6. Psal. 25. Psal. 51. 17. Psal. 147. 3.

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Fourthly, Life must be in Christ, to cut off boasting from the lips of men. This also is the Apostles reason, in Rom. 3. 26, 27. And Ephes. 2. 8, 9, 10.

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Secondly, Life must be in Jesus Christ, with respect to us.

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First, That we might have it upon the easiest Terms, to wit, Freely, as a gift, not as wages; was it in Moses hand, we should come hardly at it. Was it in the Popes hand, we should pay soundly for it: but thanks be to God, it is in Christ, laid up in him, and by him, to be communicated to sinners upon easy Terms, even for receiving, accepting and embracing with Thanksgiving. As the Scriptures plainly declare, Joh. 1. 11, 12. 2 Cor. 11. 4. Heb. 11. 13. Col. 3. 13, 14, 15.

First, That we might have it upon the easiest Termes, to wit, Freely, as a gift, not as wages; was it in Moses hand, we should come hardly at it. Was it in the Popes hand, we should pay soundly for it: but thanks be to God, it is in Christ, laid up in him, and by him, to be communicated to sinners upon easie Termes, even for receiving, accepting and imbraceing with Thanksgiving. As the Scriptures plainly declare, Joh. 1. 11, 12. 2 Cor. 11. 4. Heb. 11. 13. Col. 3. 13, 14, 15.

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Secondly, Life is in Christ for us, that it might not be upon so brittle a foundation, as indeed it would, had it been any where else. The Law it self is weak because of us, as to this: But Christ is a tried stone, a sure foundation, ⟨p. 263⟩one that will not fail to bear thy burden, and to receive thy Soul; coming sinner.

Secondly, Life is in Christ for us, that it might not be upon so brittle a foundation, as indeed it would, had it been any where else. The Law it self is weak because of us, as to this: But Christ is a tryed stone, a sure foundation, ⟨p. 263⟩one that will not fail to bear thy burden, and to receive thy Soul; coming sinner.

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Thirdly, Life is in Christ, that it might be sure to all the seed. Alas! the best of us, was life left in our hands, to be sure, we should forfeit it, over, and over, and over: or was it in any other hand, we should by our often backslidings, so offend him, that at last he would shut up his bowels in everlasting displeasure against us. But now it is in Christ, it is with one that can pity, pray for, pardon, yea multiply pardons: It is with one that can have Compassion upon us, when we are out of the way; with one that hath an heart to fetch us again, when we are gone astray; with one that can pardon without upbraiding. Blessed be God, that life is in Christ! For Now 'tis sure, to all the seed.

Reformers309

Puritans1,782

Westminster Assembly24

Evangelicals36