Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest

RULE I.

First, Though God requires that thou shouldest seek Christ in all his ordinances, in the performance of all Duties, yet it must be thy great care not to rest in the means that lead to Christ, before thou comest to enjoy Christ himself. This is the great mistake in the world, that those things that are the means to lead to Christ, they rest in, though indeed they have not Christ. As ⟨p. 144⟩now for instance: to come to hear the word, I suppose if I ask you, why you come, you will say, you come that you might find Christ there, yet how many people rest in this merely, that they do hear the word, they hear Sermons, and scarce ever call this into question, have I met with Jesus Christ in the word to day, have I found Jesus Christ there, this their Hearts are not so much troubled about, but they come merely to hear the word, it's a good thing, But now they Rest in the means, that lead to Christ before they are got thither. As if a man were a going a journey to such a place about such business, and he satisfies himself in this, I am going on my way, but have I got the thing I go for? We are to know that Prayer, the word, the Sacraments are all but as means to bring us to Christ, now what a foolish thing is this, to satisfy our selves, that we are in the way, going to the thing, but have we the thing that we journey for? Jesus Christ is the thing that we seek for, have we him? The wise Merchant had the Field, I but he saw that there was a Pearl in the field, and then he went and sold all that he might have the Pearl. The field is the Preaching of the word, and other ordinances, in these ordinances is the Pearl, now that which we should look for in the ordinances is the pearl, and so use the field but only for the Pearls sake. So that this is the way that we should take to come to Christ, that is, in the use of all duties, and all ordinances, to look at Christ, that we would have by them, and be sure to pass through the ordinances till we get hold on him whom our Soul loveth: most people in the world, they stick in the ordinances themselves, and have got no hold on Christ, but merely spend all in duties and ordinances, that they will do. God requires of them to pray, and they will pray, and God requires of them to hear the word, and they will hear the word, I but, they do not consider, that there is something beyond Prayer, and beyond the word.