Revised Jun 22 2021
The following sermon was preached by Mr. Nobbs in the church at Pitcairn:—
Rev. xxii. 17.—The Spirit and the Bride say, Come: And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
"There is in the Holy Scriptures such an adaptation to the wants of man, as a mortal and a sinner, that independently of the command to 'search' them, we ought to make the Bible 'the man of our counsel.' In all conditions of life, in prosperity or adversity, in sickness or health, in all places and at all times, the Bible, if referred to with a single eye and a prayerful disposition, will prove 'a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.'
"Such considerations as these ought to stimulate us in our inquiries after happiness, even if it ended with this life. But if we believe that our time of sojourning here is merely probationary, and to be viewed only as an introduction to another and eternal state, yet that our everlasting happiness or misery depends entirely upon the use we make of the very short period allotted to us in the flesh, then are we not inexcusable, if we neglect those means which God, of his infinite mercy and goodness, has been pleased to put within our reach?—the only means which, by the Divine blessing, can make us wise unto salvation. For 'faith,' we are assured, 'cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' Open the Bible, and you can scarcely look upon a page that does not inform you of our wretched state by nature, and by actual transgression. It asserts that 'by one man's transgression many were made sinners;' that 'the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;' and it declares in unequivocal language, 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die.' Dreadful as this view of the subject may appear,—and dreadful it really is to the impenitent offender,—yet, blessed be God! wherever in his holy word He has pronounced a curse against sin, an offer of pardon to the sinner, if he will turn from his evil way, invariably follows. So far from desiring the death of a sinner, God hath declared, 'It is because he is God, and not man, therefore we are not consumed.' And again, 'O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help!' But, though numberless exceedingly precious promises for the encouragement of the 'weary and heavy-laden' are to be found in the Old Testament, yet it is in the life and death of Jesus Christ that all the promises of his Father are fully developed; for they are all 'Yea and Amen' in Christ Jesus our Lord: 'For God so loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' How encouraging, then, the thought that we have an Advocate with the Father—a compassionate High-priest, who died for our sins, and rose again for our justification; who ever liveth to make intercession for us; and who now urgeth us by his word and by his Spirit to repent and be converted, that our sins may be blotted out! May we be made 'willing in the day of his power,' even now, while we consider the importance of the words in the text, in which we have:—
"1. An exhortation. 'The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.'
"2. A command. 'Let him that heareth say, Come.'
"3. An encouragement. 'Let him that is athirst come.'
"4. A general invitation. 'Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'
"1. An exhortation. 'The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.'
"Our blessed Saviour said to his disciples. a short time before He suffered, 'It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.' And it is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, that on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, descended upon the Apostles, and so endued them with power from on high, that, regardless of personal safety, they hastened forth into the midst of Jerusalem, and there, surrounded by a mixed and innumerable multitude, declared the wonderful works of God.
"But the Holy Spirit did not descend upon the Apostles merely to invest them with miraculous power, by which they might prove that Jesus was the Messiah, and that they, in consequence of their attachment to Him, while He sojourned upon earth, were thus singularly and favourably noticed. Far otherwise; for one especial purpose of the coming of the Holy Ghost was to 'convince the world of sin.' And that, this purpose was accomplished on the memorable day alluded to is certain; for the multitude, after hearing Peter's declaration, 'were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?'
"Oh, what a glorious specimen of divine mercy was here! what a proof that God is long-suffering, slow to anger, and willeth not the death of a sinner, but that all should turn unto Him, and live! Here, in the very place where Christ was crucified, among those who demanded his blood, did the Holy Spirit commence his operations, and say to each one of them, 'Come,' Brethren, we by nature and practice are exactly in the same state in which those Jews were. 'In us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing.' But that same Holy Spirit who pricked the Jews in the heart is now striving with us, and convinces us, as it did them, of sin. It is allowed that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit have ceased long since, but his ordinary operations in the heart of man are continued, and will continue, till the great and notable day of the Lord come. But how do we treat them? Do we encourage them? Do we desire that they may be increased within us in frequency and power? Do we pray to be 'endued with the grace of the Holy Spirit, to amend our lives according to God's holy word?' Or when, in effect, He says to us, 'Come, now, and let us reason together,' do we resist his gracious influences and say, ' Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways?' If, alas! this is the case, and that which the holy martyr Stephen said of the Jews, 'Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost,' is applicable to us, then 'there remaineth nothing but a certain fearful looking for of judgment arid fiery indignation.' For the Almighty, whom we have insulted, will say unto us, 'Because I have called and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as a desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.'
"But there is another thing to be observed in this exhortation, viz. 'the BRIDE says, Come.' It is by this endearing appellation that Christ condescends to call the Church, that is, the congregation of the faithful in all ages up to the present time wherever their lot may be cast, whatever their situation in life. The constant theme of their conduct and conversation to those around is 'We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.'
"When Peter exhorted the alarmed Jews to repent, the members of the visible Church were few in number, and oppressed with poverty; but did they on this account consider themselves excused from declaring the whole counsel of God, and making known the great salvation which had been effected by the death of the Lord Jesus? Certainly not. And what was the result? Multitudes of bigoted Jews alarmed, and at least three thousand souls added to the Church. Well might St. Paul exclaim, at a somewhat later period, 'God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty.' But time would fail me were I to attempt describing a millionth part of what the Bride has been ever ready to do, for the honour of her Beloved. Let it suffice to say, every individual tinder this roof has been invited by her to come unto the Lord.
"The valuable presents, of a religious kind, which have, from time to time, been sent to the distant island in which my lot is cast, are just so many invitations from the Church of Christ, saying, 'Come with us, and we will do thee good. The Bibles, Prayer-books, sermons, tracts, and a variety of other good books which have been liberally bestowed upon us, all join in expressing the desire of their donors, 'Save yourselves from this untoward generation.' And, blessed be God! the invitation has been accepted. The benevolent call has been responded to: 'Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.' My brethren, we live in a glorious time. Never before was there such a simultaneous movement made against the powers of darkness. Multitudes who, a few years since, had never heard of a Saviour, now have the glad tidings of salvation by Jesus Christ preached, every nation in their own language. And tens of thousands from distant lands and isles of the sea are still stretching out their hands, and saying to the Church of Christ, 'Come over and help us.'
"Nor will they call in vain. Every year many holy men leave their country and friends, to endure persecution, famine, nakedness, and encounter even death itself, to unstop the deaf ears, to open the blind eyes, to turn the heathen from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive the forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ.
"2. A command. 'Let him that heareth say, Come.'
"Our blessed Saviour knew that the Church collectively, as a body, would always be anxious for the salvation of sinners, inasmuch as thereby the glory of her Lord would be eminently exalted. But he also foresaw that individual members of that Church would be prone to lukewarmness in his cause, and bury their talent in the earth. To prevent this, He says in the text, 'Let him that heareth say, Come.' As if He had said, 'Ye profess to be my disciples—to have received the remission of your sins through faith in my blood, which was shed for many. Do not, then, desire to keep so great a salvation for 'yourselves'' only, or for a few of your nearest and dearest relations. It was not my design, when I left the bosom of my Father and came down upon earth, to die for the sins of any particular kindred, or tongue, or nation of mankind: my blood was shed for all the sons of Adam, that as there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby they must be saved, and as my Father desireth not the death of a sinner, but that all should turn unto him and live—so whosoever cometh to him by me shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Publish, then, abroad this great salvation. Declare unto sinners what I have done for your souls; tell them that although they have destroyed themselves, yet in me there is help; that ye have found joy and peace in believing, and a good hope, through grace, to enable you to go on your way rejoicing.'
"This, my friends, appears to be the purport of that part of the text now under consideration; and, if correct, does it not loudly say to every sincere professor 'Up and be doing, that the Lord may be with thee?' Barren fig-trees will not be permitted to stand in Christ's vineyard. We should be instant, in season and out of season, exhorting with all long-suffering, never weary of our work of faith and labour of love; but should strive by word and deed to convince sinners of their danger, that they may turn from their evil ways. Thus doing, we shall comply with the commands of our Master, procure for ourselves an increase of happiness, and illustrate the promise of the Apostle, that 'he which converteth a sinner from the evil of his ways, shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins.'
"3. Encouragement. 'Let him that is athirst come.'
"It is one of the glorious attributes of the Gospel, that a sincere reception of it renders null and void all the denunciations of the law. For whosoever has fled to it as the shadow of a great rock in a dry and weary land, whosoever is subjected to its salutary influences, is 'no longer under the law, but under grace.' The awakened sinner may write bitter things against himself, but to such an one it may be said, 'Be of good cheer, he calleth thee.' Jesus was fully aware of the obstacles that would arise in the way of a penitent sinner. He knew also that, as no one would flee from the wrath to come without his suggesting the necessity, so no one could escape but by his special assistance. He has, therefore, cheered the road from death unto life with encouragements and consolations. Let us, then, for the benefit of the thirsty soul, recite two or three of them. They are the words of the blessed Jesus himself—'There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.' 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' 'I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.' 'Him that cometh unto me I will in nowise cast out.' 'Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that my Father may be glorified in me. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.' Are not these rills exceedingly delicious to the parched, fainting soul? Ye that hunger and thirst after righteousness, declare, is it not such consolation as this that ye have need of? Yes, you may reply, if I were included, such inviting language would cheer my heart: my sincere desire is, to be admitted into Christ's fold: but I am so laden with sin, my corruptions are so many, I am so vile in my own eyes, and consequently must be so much more vile in His sight who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, that my heart faileth, and I know not wherewith to come before the Most High.
"O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt? Is not obedience better than sacrifice? What is it that Christ requires of thee, but that thou shouldst close with his unqualified offer of free salvation? If thou comest to Him polluted, He will cleanse thee; if thou art naked, He will clothe thee; if thou art wretched, He will cheer thee. He will give thee joy for sorrow, riches for poverty, health for sickness. To sum up the whole, come to Christ without delay. While the Spirit worketh within you, speak to Him in earnest, persevering prayer, and He will hear your supplications: you may remain in heaviness for a time; but be not weary in well-doing, and the certain result will be that He will speak comfort to thy soul. He will enlighten thy mind, and bid thee 'go in peace, thy sins are forgiven.'
"4. A general invitation. 'Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'
"Glory be to God! salvation by Jesus Christ is so fully made known, and so frankly offered in the Gospel, that whosoever will, may take the water of life freely. Nor is the invitation confined to Gospel times. Long before Christ appeared in the flesh, the proclamation was extant. Hear the prophet Isaiah, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, crying aloud— 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.' Again– Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and lie will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.' Hear also what God saith by the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel 'Have I any pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, and not that he should return from his ways, and live? As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his ways and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die? 'Here are no exceptions made; God willeth not the death of a sinner. He says to no one, Thou art condemned from eternity; but contrariwise, 'Turn ye, turn ye; why will ye die?'
"John the Baptist testified of Christ that He was the 'Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.' And the Lord himself said to his disciples—'If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.'
"My object in reciting these passages of Scripture is, to illustrate the great Scripture truth, that God will accept the returning penitent; and that, while the day of salvation lasts, we are encouraged to come unto Him that 'willeth not the death of a sinner, but that all should turn to Him and live.'
"But let not this forbearance and long-suffering of God be perverted to our own ruin. 'Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.'"