(Notes of a Lecture given in the Priory, Islington, by J. N. D. on 30th November 1863. Matthew 11)
THIS chapter, beloved friends, is full of beauty in this way. It passes in review all the ways and dealings of God and the effects of them in the mind of Christ, then what goes on in men’s hearts as the result of His dealings with them.
We find the Lord in all this, and one thing is especially touching—to have what was passing in the Lord’s heart with regard to us, it is sweet to hear the Lord’s voice, after all that He had gone through, saying “Come unto Me,” and oh! how little can we enter into His feelings as He said, as the final comfort for a broken heart, ‘‘Come unto Me.” He finds men’s hearts, as it were, passing in review the world around, to learn that it is empty and vain―well, He enters into their thoughts and says,” Just come to Me. “It is only vanity and vexation of spirit―but” come to Me.” Christ, beloved friends, presents Himself, One that has had experience of it as well as you―knows all about it; He can tell you had better come out of it to Him, and with the fullest experience of what the world was, the Lord Himself tells us where alone our souls can have rest, and that is in Himself!
Take a converted man, if he is not full of Christ he is empty, and he cannot bear it; he will turn to this and that, but his heart is dissatisfied―it is a place in which the soul continually learns that if it turns in upon itself it preys upon itself. Now, beloved friends, the Lord calls us out of it―the world is a world that has tried to sweep up its empty chambers of a dissatisfied will to try to live without God and it can not.
Well now, there is another place; the world floats down the stream because it cannot help it, but in verse 13. a great change comes in, “for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John”: we see man from the Fall getting far away from God; the law tries to bring them back, to love God and their neighbor as themselves, but it was not so. Then the prophets strive with them to deliver them from the heathen world—a people for His name, to bring them back to God; but it was all in vain―then comes John and says, “His fan is in His hand,” the winnowing has begun, it is a new scene, the ax is laid to the roots of the tree, He is setting up something else and the kingdom of God comes in. God comes in in judgment to tell you are all lost. Well, the Lord is passing all this in review.
It is a terrible thing to be at ease away from God, and not at case in His presence―a child may be so totally insensible to his father as to be indifferent to him, and in this way John awakens the conscience; but the world would not stand it, and he is put in prison. This, too, the Lord passes in review. Well, John came mourning they were away from God―he would have them return and repent―he could say, “The tree that bringeth not forth fruit must be hewn down and cast into the fire.” One fruit is repentance, and he called them to it―then he gets out into the wilderness alone. Well, then comes another, and pipes to them, but they will not dance―there was no returning to God. The goodness was spent on man, but there is no returning heart, no! Let God pipe to the world; they would rejoice far from God, but not with Him! Then the Lord’s heart passes in review all this, verses 20-24, “Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not.”
“But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.” What would come of all this but judgment? He had come with a heart full of love and goodness only to discover that man would not come to Him. Perfect love in His nature discovering that it was useless to man. Now what must the Lord have felt? what must have been the sorrow of His heart in passing through this world to find He was spending His love for them and it was no use. “Wherefore when I came, was there no man; when I called, was there none to answer? The Lord God hath given Me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a word in season to Him that is weary. He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear as the learner.” Because I’ve clothed Myself in lowliness only to give “My back to the smiters and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair” (Isa. 1.). Only think, beloved, what the path of Christ was in this world, and “how am straitened till it be accomplished.”
Well now, has He to say anything of this to you? Where’s the meeting Him, where’s the heart going out to Him? Are there not hearts that have to say, I never heard His call?” It is like the deaf adder that stops her ears at the voice of the charmer charm he ever so wisely. Is there no cause for sorrow in Christ’s heart on account of what there is in yours? But we get the perfect rendering of His will to God’s, and after passing it all in review He sees the grace that is in it all, and can say,” I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” There were these babes. He was not going to minister to the pride of man’s heart, to its intellect or its wisdom―but to their wants, and these were babes. When I see the Son of God coming down from heaven for me, I say,” Oh, was there ever anything like this?” and so it is, beloved friends, with our souls, we get all our wants supplied.
I’ll suppose that you have not listened to the voice of the charmer, that the Lord has gone through it all, and you have, like the deaf adder, stopped your ears; every appeal, every proof of grace and goodness has been rejected―well now, suppose the pride of that is gone, and you have the world, a wretched place, and you have got a broken heart, and that for a broken heart the world has no heart (the Lord has in that sense separated Himself from the world; it had no place for Him). Well, He says, “I know thoroughly now what the world is, I have gone through it, and like the dove that Noah sent from the ark, that found no rest―if you find in any way the world will not meet you nor satisfy the cravings of your heart, well, come and try Me! If you are tired with yourself and the world too, come to Me, and I will give you rest!”
Now let us see, beloved friends, how the Lard not only is a divine sympathizer (for He went through the world Himself, and found it to be a dry and thirsty land where no water is), but if there is a thirst, if there is a want, if there is a yearning unmet, He says, Come to Me, and I will meet it all ―and first, I will tell you, “God is love;” but I can tell you more, His love has not driven you away but called you― “Come to Me.” I have gone through it; put your foot upon Me. I know your guilt, I know it all thoroughly, I have been amongst men, I have gone through it all; if you will come to Me, I will give you rest from it―Come to Me. If you want to be rid of the fear of death, I have been in it, I have overcome it, I have conquered its terrors―Come to Me.
The Son of God that came out of death says, Come unto Me. If your heart is tired of the world, wearied of it Come to Me. It is after the Lord has gone through all this, and did not get an answer or sympathy, met no returning heart, after all this He says, Come to Me. If your sin and guilt and hardness of heart made you wearied (and “rest” is a large word, beloved friends), there is no more uneasiness about it—the rest is complete. He has perfected forever them that are sanctified. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” “I will give you rest.” Then, I say, I may rest. God rests in Christ, and I say, Oh, I rest in Him; and Christ is resting too at God’s right hand, then I rest.
But now the question comes, Can God love? because I am not satisfied with myself. Can I expect that I have His favor and love? Then I say, He gave His Son for us, and then, “Thou hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me.” Then my heart can rest in the divine righteousness, and putting away of sin, I can rest because it is divine. An end of weariness, it is rest.
He does not merely say you shall have it, but He has as much and more delight in giving it, than I in receiving it. Do your souls really believe His Word when He says, “I will give you rest.” Do you simply believe in the finished work so that your souls are at rest? Have you got that? He does not deceive us.
There is one word I would add, suppose the conscience is purged from dead works, there is another kind of rest, and you do not always get it, there is a restlessness of heart. Now, I say, beloved brethren, you who know the Lord, do not you find sometimes a restlessness of heart, a craving after other things? Well, the Lord says to you another thing, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, . . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” “Ye shall find” not merely that He will give it, but He says, “If I can get you to be meek and lowly in heart, ye shall find rest.” Have you a will at work? Was HE ever restless? NEVER! Here we have Him thanking God for the very thing He was reproaching the cities for.
Take another case―in the garden. “Father, save Me from this hour, yet for this cause came I unto this hour.” Then says Christ, “I shall draw all men unto Me,” ―instant submission. He was meek and lowly! Then as regards such He says, Let go your will; learn of Me; bow as I bow. There should be the entire bowing to the will of God.
Now do not you find the will at work making you restless? Cannot you look through it to God? If you do you cannot help having rest! There are things to make me sorrow and grieve, well, I meet it with God, and the blessing and quiet and peace of heart flow from this, that I am no more: Christ is all.
I only return now to say we see the Son of God as man here, passing through all things, and in and with this, knowing it all, He says, come to Me. I have given myself entirely up to God, and in love I have come now to tell you. I know the world as you don’t, you will never get rest in it.
How wonderful it is to see the blessed Lord say, It’s under the flood that I have gone, through and in Me you have rest. Now, beloved friends, have you got this rest? In Himself (as contrasted with the world) is divine rest.
The Lord only give you, beloved friends, to know and to hear the voice of that charmer saying, “I will give you rest.” He is the truth, and in Him we have rest to our souls.