Sermon #10
Pullquote
What have you to do then, my friends, but to come? — The table of his love is spread; his feast is prepared, and what is wanting but guests? — Go out quickly, says the master of the feast, go into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. — The servant said, Lord it is done as thou hast commanded and yet there is room! What then says the Lord of the feast? — Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled — So tenderly does Jesus invite you, my friends, and will you not come? Thousands and ten thousands have entered his house already, AND YET THERE IS ROOM!
Comment
This is a fine example of an evangelistic sermon by Jonathan Fisher, delivered on various occasions, after the manner of Jonathan Edwards and others in the New Light, revivalist stream, to what were certainly Congregational gatherings. To his mind, Fisher is addressing a mixed multitude of both believers and non-believers within the context of a state church, where the audience was likely composed of faithful members, mixed with nominal members and, perhaps, baptized individuals who had not yet made a public, credible profession of faith. This is evident under the first point or thesis in the sermon:
I am to consider to whom this invitation is given. All ye that labor and are heavy laden. Here I would observe that the word translated labor, is derived from a word which signifies trouble and painfulness as well as labor; and what we translate, heavy laden, may be traced to a word signifying not /merely/ a load or burden, but also something disagreeable and hateful.— This authorizes the following translation; “All ye that struggle with pain and are oppressed with a disagreeable burden, come unto me, and I will relieve and refresh you.” — The invitation is to weary, burdened sinners. I am come, says our Savior, to call not the righteous, but sinners, to repentance; and again they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Fisher spends the bulk of his time describing the state of the regenerate or the confirmed believer in the Gospel, distinguishing those nominal Christians who have yet to enter into rest in Christ and those who enjoy true, saving grace:
The believer having come unto Christ as his Savior, is still, while in this life, at a distance from him through the remaining corruption of his nature, through the infirmities of the flesh. —He labors to get still nearer to Christ, by engaging in prayer and thanksgiving; by mortifying his evil affections; by exercising good affections; by waiting upon him in his ordinances; and finally by imitating him in his benevolence to all mankind.
Finally, Father Fisher describes the rest enjoyed by the faithful, followed by the invitation to come to Christ and the Lord’s table. Was this a sermon delivered before partaking in the Eucharist? It may very well have been so.
But, to come more particularly to the consideration of that rest which Christ has promised, we find it is always shadowed forth in the word of God by something desirable or glorious.— It is a rest, a relief and deliverance from all the trials, pains, and perplexities we pass through and endure in this world.
Transcription
Title Page
N. 10.
Jonathan Fisher
April 28th. 1794.
Come unto Christ.
Inside Cover
Princeton May 8th. 1794. P.M.
Holden May 11th. 1794. A.M.
Bluehill August 10th. 1794. P.M.
Penobscot August 24. 1794. P.M.
Sedgwick Sept. 25 P.M. 1794.
Cambridge Dec. 12. P.M. 1794
Dedham Feb. 21. P.M. 1796
Bluehill August 13. 1797
Page 1.
Num. 10
Jonathan Fisher 1794
23 Psalm F.&B. 23 Psalm L.M. 1.6.
2 & 22 Hymns, small [ ] 7 Hymn 1.6.
127.
Matthew 11:28 δεῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶ[ν]τες[1] καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Here, my friends, is a kind, an endearing invitation to come to Christ.
I propose first to consider to whom this invitation is given.[2]
2. What it is to come to Christ; and
3. What is the promised rest.
- I am to consider to whom this invitation is given. All ye that labor and are heavy laden.
Here I would observe that the word translated labor, is derived from a word which signifies trouble and pain- 2. fulness as well as labor; and what we translate, heavy laden, may be traced to a word signifying not /merely/ a load or burden, but also something disagreeable and hateful.— This authorizes the following translation; “All ye that struggle with pain and are oppressed with a disagreeable burden, come unto me, and I will relieve and refresh you.” — The invitation is to weary, burdened sinners. I am come, says our Savior, to call not the righteous, but sinners, to repentance; and again they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. — The whole race of man is guilty before God; All are included in unbelief; we all, from the least to the greatest have a burden of sin upon our souls. — But here is the difficulty, we are not all sensible of it, a very large portion of mankind thinks themselves in a safe and whole condition, they do not see 3. their danger, nor consequently their need of a Savior. They have a righteousness of their own,[3] and upon /this/ they lean, and say to themselves, “All is well.” — The kind invitation in our text is not to such as these; no, they are by no means in a proper frame to come to Christ. These are burdened indeed, and are sinking down, down, into ruin beneath the weight of their sins, and do not perceive it. — To such miserable wretches what shall we say? Go to the lies wherein ye trust, go, and fulfil it to a tittle, and then demand salvation as your due. — But remember if you fail in one point, your labor is lost,[4] you have toiled in vain, the building of your Babel is defeated, you are cut off from all hope, and it remains that you lie down in despair. — The law of God is our schoolmaster 4. to drive us to Christ;[5] it is by consulting this as contained in the holy scriptures, and comparing our actions with it that we come to the knowledge of sin. This makes us feel our burden, this opens our eyes to behold our danger. — The humble soul [ ] who cherishes the influences of the divine Spirit, who reads the law of God with an understanding heart, and takes an impartial survey of his own conduct, is so impressed with a sense of the purity and holiness of the law, and of his own vileness and imperfection, that he feels his guilt lie on his heart like a stone; he feels himself sinking beneath an insupportable burden, he finds not even a straw to [catch?] at for safety, and is ready to cry out in agony of soul “what shall 5. I do to be saved.[6] — To such a one is the invitation given, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — What a soul reviving word is this! It comes at an unexpected moment, and places his feet upon a rock. Strengthen the feeble knees, and lift up the hands, that hang down,[7] for God has laid help upon one that is mighty to save.[8] —
Thus you see, my friends, to whom this invitation is sent; it is to the sick, and not to the whole, it[9] to the sinner, and not to the righteous; it is to the burdened sinner, to the weary and heavy laden soul; It is to the hungry and thirsty soul; “Ho, (Isa. 55:1 right margin) every one that thirsteth, says the prophet Isaiah, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea come, 6. buy wine and milk without money and without price.[10] Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, says our savior, for they shall be filled. —[11]
- I am now to show what it is to come unto Christ. —
Here I pray that I may be guided by the Holy Spirit, that I may not lead you into error.— That I may point out what it is to come to Christ in such a manner, that ye, who have embraced him, may feel that I speak the truth, and that your hearts may leap with joy on the recollection of that happy time, when you received him as your own. — and in such a manner that you, who have hitherto slighted the blessed Savior, may know what in some measure ye must feel, before you can truly say that Jesus is 7. your own. — A sinner, having the eyes of his understanding opened by the influence of the divine Spirit, is brought at length to behold his sins in their true colors, he sees their deformity, how odious their nature, how displeasing they are to God; and how they have stained his soul. — He has a lively and convincing sense of the purity and perfection of God’s law;/ that it / and makes no provision for the pardon of the last offence. — He sees therefore his danger and his utter inability to help himself; he finds himself on the brink of the pit of destruction, and sees no way of escape, he feels a burden bearing him irresistibly down. Then Jesus is presented /before him/ as a kind and merciful deliverer; he sees him, he feels him to be a savior every way suited to his wants. — He renounces at once all dependence upon himself; Jesus 8. is holy to his soul; he feels his affections drawn out after him; he approaches to embrace him. — But Oh! Can a holy God accept of such a vile wretch as I am? Can Jesus receive me so sinful, so unclean to his arms? ¿Why is not the wrath of God enflamed, why does he not banish me from his presence, and destroy me in a moment! — Such is the language of the soul, when again it views its baseness! But now it is tethered with a load of guilt, and help it must have — it perseveres in seeking, til at length it has a glimpse of the love of God and his promises — It sees the Mediator in his work, and thus breaks forth in the language of hope. — Yes, yes, Jesus 9. is ready to rescue me! Behold him condescending to be born, behold him submitting to the threats, the trials, the miseries and temptations of life, and this for whom? For the chief of sinners;[12] and will he reject me? No. Behold him praying in the garden; see with what weight the wrath of God lies upon /his/ soul, the wrath of God which is due for sin! Oh, what agony is that, which forces the sweat in such abundance through every pore! See him yielding to cruel mocking and scourging; and to a death more cruel still; and this for whom? For the chief of sinners; ¿and will he reject me? Oh, what love! Behold him in heaven; he intercedes the Father for me; he even extends 10. his arms to embrace me! Blessed Jesus, I come to thee, thou art my hope, thou art my all! — The sinner now casts his burden upon the Lord, he feels a sweet relief, he is swallowed up in love. — Having come thus far it is now the believer’s ardent desire to approach daily more near to his dear Lord. He now engages in good works to some purpose; and that because they flow from a new principle; his works are now the fruit of faith, they flow from love to God and love to holiness. — While he depended upon his good works to secure happiness, to render him acceptable in the sight of God, he depended upon something within himself, which he thought he might call to 11. his aid at any time, and therefore was willing for the present to indulge his lusts; but now being beaten off from this holding place, he sees an absolute necessity of seeking somewhere else for salvation, he is now convinced that there is no time to lose, but that he must fly immediately to the throne of grace and seek for pardon. — Having repaired to the fountain of mercy, and beholding the fulness of God, and the all-sufficiency of the Savior, he is now filled with love, he now loves God from his soul, and loves holiness, because God loves it. — You may well conceive, my friends, from the human operation of love that he now engages with new ardor in the practice of holiness. — Let us illustrate 12. the matter by a familiar example; with how much more zeal, alacrity, and carefulness do you labor in doing a service for a friend, whom you dearly love, than in discharging a debt to a person, whom you do not love? With so much more ardor do we engage in good works from love to God, while we place no dependence on them as to merit, than we do when we engage in them as the price of our salvation. —
The believer having come unto Christ as his Savior, is still, while in this life, at a distance from him through the remaining corruption of his nature, through the infirmities of the flesh. —He labors to get still nearer to Christ, by engaging in prayer and thanksgiving; by mor- 13. tifying his evil affections; by exercising good affections; by waiting upon him in his ordinances; and finally by imitating him in his benevolence to all mankind.
— 1. The believer strives to get nearer to Christ, by engaging in prayer and thanksgiving. —He now sees with new eyes that his dependence is wholly upon God. He sees that all he is, all that he enjoys comes from him; he sees now more than ever his own frailty and weakness; his vileness and insufficiency; this leads him often to bow himself before the throne of God, and to pour out his soul in earnest prayer and supplication. He pleads with God for strength to enable him to withstand the remaining force of sinful nature for grace to resist the further attacks of Satan; and for the comforts of this life to support him while going 14. on pilgrimage towards the heavenly Jerusalem. — He now sees more than ever the value of the blessings he is constantly receiving from God. His soul therefore breaks forth into thanksgiving and praise to God for creating goodness, for preserving mercy, and above all for redeeming love. — He thanks God with peculiar affection for bringing him to a proper sense of his wretched state by nature, and of his need of a Savior. —
2. The believer endeavors to get nearer to Christ by mortifying his evil affections. — He still has a love for the creature which often exerts itself to gain an ascendance in his mind over his love for his Creator. This earthly affection he checks, he strives to force it from his mind, and that by turning his thoughts to the vanity 15. and fleeting nature of all earthly enjoyments; by considering how inadequate they are to the supplying of the wants of an immortal soul.
— 3. The believer endeavors to advance in his nearness to Christ by the exercise of good affections. Everything is the object of love in proportion to its real value, its intrinsic excellence; the believer, weaning his affections from the things of time and sense, places them upon things that are spiritual and eternal; he dwells with delight upon redeeming love, upon the riches of divine grace, upon the perfections of God, upon the nature of holiness; he contemplates with rapture the joys of heaven, as made known in some measure in the word of God. — By such an exercise of his affections, placing them upon their proper objects, 16. he daily advances in a likeness, and consequently in a nearness to God. —
4 The believer endeavors to gain a nearness to Christ by waiting upon him in his ordinances. — Here I have particularly in view the sabbath, and the Lord’s supper. — While continuing in this world, the best of Christians are cumbered with an earthly burden, this has a strong tendency to lay their souls asleep with respect to heavenly things. This being the case, the believer finds it and excellent thing to assemble one day in seven with the multitude of them that keep holy day; it awakens his dull affections, it gives him more animation in his Christian course, and affords him new themes for meditation through the week. — 17. And by occasionally commemorating ≠≠≠ / the / death and sufferings / of Christ / he has a sweet foretaste of that feast of love provided for the saints in heaven. — When the bread is broken he sees by an eye of faith the body of his Lord broken on the cross for sin; and when the wine is poured forth, he views in like manner his precious blood, which was shed for the cleansing of the nations. — His soul is now elevated above the narrow bonds of this world. — Earth and her glory dwindles into nothing in his view. — He now converses with pleasure with his God and Redeemer in heavenly subjects. — He feels his soul going forth in love to meet his Lord, and in this manner he advances in his nearness to him. — 18.
5. Finally, the believer endeavors to get near to Christ by imitating his benevolence to all mankind. — Jesus went about doing good,[13] and it is the delight of the true disciple of Jesus, as far as his influence can extend, to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures. He feels a pleasure in wiping the tear of sorrow from the eye of distress; in giving a portion to the needy; in gladdening the widow’s heart, and in supporting the fatherless against the arm of the oppressor; and when he can infuse the joys and consolations of religion into the breast of the mourning sinner, and, either by the terrors, or mercies of the Lord, can win over souls to the Redeemer; then his soul is in an ecstasy and he enjoys something like heaven upon earth! — 19.
Such it is in several respects to come unto Christ.
3. I am now in the third place to show what is the promised rest.
This rest, my friends, you may find several times spoken of by the apostle Paul, in the third and fourth chapters of his epistle to the Hebrews. — He there alludes to the (Heb. 4:4 right margin) sabbath; “And God did rest the seventh day from all his works;” he alludes also to Israel’s entering the land of Canaan; — ¿With whom was he (3:17. :18 right margin) grieved forty years? ¿Was it not with those that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? ¿ And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? — And he ≠≠≠ of both says as shadowing forth the 20. rest which Christ has given to (Heb. 4:9 right margin) prepare for the Godly; “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” — Perhaps it will not be a disagreeable, and I am sure not an unworthy employment of some of your leisure moments, to spend time in contemplating the beautiful analogy between the Israelites journeying through the wilderness; their passing the river Jordan; their entering the land of Canaan; and the journeying /of/ mankind through this world, their passing the river of death, and entering the new Jerusalem.— That part of Arabia through which the children of Israel passed was mostly a barren land, there was indeed here and there a fountain and a grove of 21. palm trees; but water, so near and plenty among us, was in that country hard to be found.— On the other hand, the land of Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey,[14] the glory of all lands. This world also, through which we hold our pilgrimage, is, with respect to spiritual delights, a wilderness, a desert, compared with that heavenly Canaan, which we are seeking. —Moses received and gave the children of Israel the law; he, you may observe, was not permitted to lead them into Canaan, but this charge was committed to Joshua, who was a type of Jesus;— thus by the law no flesh shall be saved;[15] if we ever enter the heavenly Canaan we must be led by the hand of Jesus. — 22. But, to come more particularly to the consideration of that rest which Christ has promised, we find it is always shadowed forth in the word of God by something desirable or glorious.— It is a rest, a relief and deliverance from all the trials, pains, and perplexities we pass through and endure in this world. — “Sleep is sweet to the laboring man;”[16] how pleasant it is after the severe trials of the day to lie down at night, and rest. But, what is a rest like this compared with the rest of the children of God? The former is rather a degree of relief from pain and weariness than absolute happiness; but the latter is not only a freedom from all pain and every degree of uneasiness, but also a state of absolute happiness, and that of 23. the most exalted nature. — It is a state of rest in this sense, that it is a cessation from all toil, weariness and whatever is disagreeable; but it is not a state of inactivity; far from it; perhaps our activity in that state will be far greater than we can conceive of at present. — Our bodies will not be [ ] to us as they now are, they will not confine us down to a little spot of earth; the body will then be raised incorruptible; “It is sown, says the apostle, a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”[17] Then doubtless we shall be able to move from world to world with the utmost ease. The great book of nature, the book of the wisdom of God will be displayed before us, and our understandings will be enlarged for the contemplation 24. of it. — All the noble faculties of the soul will then have full employ, all the virtuous and benevolent affections will have full scope, every desire will be virtuous, and it will meet its object. — Has the soul any powers of melody or harmony, they will then break forth in full concert with kindred souls in the work of praise. — Has she any benevolence? It will embrace thousands of thousands in the arms of love. — Has she any curiosity? Creation and redemption are inexhaustible fountains. — Hast time for idleness, hast time for inactivity in all this? None. — The soul will be ever employed yet ever at ease. She will be ever searching, yet ever satisfied, ever active, yet in a happy sense, ever at rest. — 25. Such is the rest, which Christ promises to those that come unto him. And, they that do come, shall in no wise be cast out.[18] —
What have you to do then, my friends, but to come? — The table of his love is spread; his feast is prepared, and what is wanting but guests? — Go out quickly, says the master of the feast, go into (Luke 14:21 :22 :23 right margin) the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. — The servant said, Lord it is done as thou hast commanded and yet there is room! What then says the Lord of the feast? — Go / out / into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled[19] — So tenderly does Jesus invite you, my friends, and will you not come? ≠ Thousands and ten thousands have 26. entered his house already, AND YET THERE IS ROOM!
N. 10
Amen
Princeton May 7th 1794
[1] Fisher left out the ν “nu” in kopiontes
[2] Fisher did not number the first point/line in this list.
[3] Romans 10:3 and Philippians 3:9
[4] “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10 King James Version)
[5] “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24, King James Version)
[6] No closed quotation mark here. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30 King James Version)
[7] “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees” (Hebrews 12:12 King James Version). See also Job 4:4 and Isaiah 35:3
[8] “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” (Isaiah 63:1 King James Version )
[9] I think an “is” would be anticipated here..
[10] A closed quotation is anticipated here, but there is none.
[11] Fisher expanded on: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6 King James Version)
[12] 1 Timothy 1:15
[13] This is a reference to the Apostle Peter’s description of Jesus of Nazareth in Acts 10:38.
[14] This is the description of Canaan or the Promised Land throughout the Pentateuch, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
[15] This is a paraphrase of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:20. “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20 King James Version)
[16] Fisher appears to be quoting John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, “Hopeful: Why, my brother? Sleep is sweet to the laboring man…”Or, it is a reference to “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much…” (Ecclesiastes 5:12a King James Version)
[17] 1 Corinthians 15:44
[18] John 6:37
[19] A period is anticipated here, but is omitted. The foregoing section on page 25 of the sermon is a paraphrase of Luke 14:16-24 King James Version
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