Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest

Now the third thing is, That there is nothing else required, saith Christ, Come to me and I will give you Rest. Blessed Christ! is this all that thou requirest; yes, come to me, and you shall have Rest. You have it often expressed in Scripture thus, Come, and buy Wine and Milk and Honey without price, it is but coming: and indeed the very coming is buying. And so in the 22. of the Revel. and the 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say come, and let him that heareth, say come, and he that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take of the Water of Life freely. Here is nothing but come, three times come, and there is nothing else required, nothing that thou shouldest bring with thee, but only come. Only in this remember how I ⟨p. 131⟩opened it, what it is to Come, and then there is nothing else required, but only come. Then this gives light to many things.

NOw the third thing is, That there is nothing else required, saith Christ, Come to me and I will give you Rest. Blessed Christ! is this all that thou requirest; yes, come to me, and you shal have Rest. You have it often exprest in Scripture thus, Come, and buy Wine and Milk and Honey without price, it is but coming: and indeed the very coming is buying. And so in the 22. of the Revel. and the 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say come, and let him that heareth, say come, and he that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take of the Water of Life freely. Here is nothing but come, three times come, and there is nothing else required, nothing that thou shouldest bring with thee, but only come. Only in this remember how I ⟨p. 131⟩opened it, what it is to Come, and then there is nothing else required, but only come. Then this gives light to many things.

1. That there is no unworthiness of any sinner, be he what he will be, before this invitation, that is sufficient to hinder, Why? Because Christ doth not say you that have been thus vild and wretched, you shall do thus and thus first, and then come to me. No, Whatever you have been, the first thing that Christ requires to ease, Rest and peace, is, to come to him. It is true, there are some things in the Nature of coming required that must needs be done, before the complete act of coming; as I must know what Christ is, and know my self, &c. these things of necessity are required not because these are any condition of the Gospel, but because the other cannot be done without them. For I would open it thus to follow the former Metaphor. Suppose the King should tell a Traitor, that upon condition that you come to such a place at such a time, you shall have your pardon. Well, all that is required for his pardon is but coming to that place, how if this man be at a great distance from that place, and many difficulties that hinder him, Storms, Tempestuous weather, and many friends to hinder him, this is implied, that he must have such a deep apprehension of the worth of his pardon, and of his miserable condition if he be not pardoned, that there must be a strong resolution in him to go through all difficulties whatsoever. But mark, this resolution of his and the difficulties that he meets withal in the way, these are no part of the condition of the pardon; all the condition of the pardon is, but to be at such a place, such a time, but yet the other things they follow of themselves, that if he doth come, and there be such difficulties in the way, then he must have such a sense and apprehension of the good of his pardon as may stir up in him such resolutions, to pass through all difficulties. But the first thing that brings him his pardon is his being there. So it is here with the