A free Gospel is the glory of God's grace, the joy of humble souls, the envy of devils, and the contempt of the proud and self-righteous. MILK is the pure, sweet, soul-nourishing doctrines of the Gospel of Christ. WINE is the heart-reviving comfort of pardon of sin and peace with God through the blood of Christ: the Lord knows we cannot grow strong, or be comfortable in our souls, without this precious milk and animating wine. Here is the Lord's open house, public market, free invitation, and fixed price.
Come, draw nigh to me; keep not at a distance from me, saith the Lord; maize no excuse, nor any delay; come now, this moment; here is a free invitation, and a hearty welcome. O the love of our Lord's heart!
Buy. Art thou rich? Such the Lord sends empty away. Hast thou brought a stock of thine own faithfulness, and good deeds that thou hast done, to buy with! Then, instead of wine and milk, thou wilt receive a scourge from the Lord. Remember, those who bought and sold he drove out of his temple. "O," saith the poor self-emptied, soul-humbled sinner, "this word buy puts me to a stand: I am poor and pennyless; I have nothing to bring but misery and poverty; I am perishing for want of comfort." Thou art the very person invited: the Lord "filleth the hungry soul with good." O precious word of marvellous grace!
Buy –without money and without price. What! have I been five, ten, twenty years or upwards in Christ, and have I got no inherent stock of grace, no more worth or value to buy with than I had when I first came to him as a poor, naked, and perishing sinner? Must I come as at first, poor and pennyless? Yes: or not at all. The Lord knows what thou art; he invites thee just as thou art; his price just suits thy abject poverty. What an affront would it be to a dear friend to bring a price in our hands for a rich entertainment, with a free invitation? No affectionate mother more freely administers the breast of nourishment to her hungry infant, than the Lord his milk and wine to thirsty souls. Faith works by the love of this: it operates upon the heart, so as to produce sincere love to God and cheerful obedience to his word and will: but base unbelief, with a false humility, raises jealousies and suspicions of the Lord's rich love and free grace. One says, It cannot be for me, I am too vile; another, I am unworthy of it. Christ says, "whosoever will, let him come." Rev. 22:17.
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