Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest

7. If there be nothing required but to come, then another consequence will follow from hence, and that is this. Hence then believers that come to Christ may learn this lesson, to be willing to do and to suffer very much for Christ after they come, because there was nothing required of them to the pardon of their sins, but only to Come. I strengthen the inference thus; If God had said thus indeed, I have sent a mediator to pacify my wrath and to pardon your sins, and before you come to Rest, I require that you should suffer so many hundred years of torment in fire, and that should be a preparation to come, and then after you have suffered so much, then you shall come and have rest; suppose this had been the condition of the covenant, now had it been so, we had all had cause to have fallen upon our face and have blest his great name, that we can have peace on any terms, and we should have been, not only willing to accept of these terms, but to magnify Gods grace that we can be thus saved at last. But the Lord hath not required that first we should suffer such and such hard things, and then Come to Christ, but he calls upon us first to come, and requires nothing before. And therefore before we are able to do the Lord any service, the Lord will first accept of us, and pardon us, and heal us, and interest us in himself, and be our God, and take us to be his Children, and make us heirs of heaven and eternal life, & this at first before we shall ever be able to do him any service. What an infinite grace of God is this? how is he beforehand with us? for he calleth to the greatest sinner, that knows what his sin is, and is Laden, saith God, I require nothing before the receiving you to mercy, but merely to come and cast your souls upon me. You may say, Lord! we that have been guilty of so many sins, so many years, might it not be just that God should require, and say, I but, you shall live so many years to my honour, live so many years to my service, and then I will pardon and accept of you, no, but saith God, I will receive you, and ⟨p. 140⟩accept of you upon your coming, before ever you are able to do me any kind of service;

7. If there be nothing required but to come, then another consequence wil follow from hence, and that is this. Hence then beleevers that come to Christ may learn this lesson, to be willing to do and to suffer very much for Christ after they come, because there was nothing required of them to the pardon of their sins, but only to Come. I strengthen the inference thus; If God had said thus indeed, I have sent a mediator to pacifie my wrath and to pardon your sins, and before you come to Rest, I require that you should suffer so many hundred yeares of torment in fire, and that should be a preparation to come, and then after you have suffered so much, then you shal come and have rest; suppose this had been the condition of the covenant, now had it been so, we had al had cause to have fallen upon our face and have blest his great name, that we can have peace on any termes, and we should have been, not only willing to accept of these termes, but to magnifie Gods grace that we can be thus saved at last. But the Lord hath not required that first we should suffer such and such hard things, and then Come to Christ, but he calls upon us first to come, and requires nothing before. And therefore before we are able to do the Lord any service, the Lord wil first accept of us, and pardon us, and heale us, and interest us in himself, and be our God, and take us to be his Children, and make us heirs of heaven and eternal life, & this at first before we shal ever be able to do him any service. What an infinite grace of God is this? how is he beforehand with us? for he calleth to the greatest sinner, that knowes what his sin is, and is Laden, saith God, I require nothing before the receiving you to mercy, but meerly to come and cast your souls upon me. You may say, Lord! we that have been guilty of so many sins, so many years, might it not be just that God should require, and say, I but, you shal live so many yeares to my honor, live so many yeares to my service, and then I wil pardon and accept of you, no, but saith God, I wil receive you, and