"I WILL ARISE AND GO TO JESUS"
Matthew 9:13

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A favorite hymn of Burnett Magruder was Joseph Hart's Come, ye sinners as altered and sung to the tune "Arise":

On this occasion of his funeral, we would expound the gospel truths set forth in this hymn, particularly as they are related to the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 9:13.

1. "Come ..." Whom does the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ call to come to Him? Those to whom He has already come for them! Jesus said that "the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost" (Matthew 18:11); the lost He came to save are now called to come to Him for salvation. Jesus had said that "the Son of Man [has] come ... to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28); the many He ransomed are now called to come to Him for liberty. Jesus said, "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46); those who have seen His light are now called to live in it. Those whom Jesus came to save are now identified in various ways descriptive of their native spiritual condition:

"Come, ye sinners ..." Burnett Magruder was grieved by the self-righteousness and "holier than thou" attitude so prevalent in his day. He often was heard to say, "I wish I could find a sinner! I have good news, but it is only for sinners." He was fond of the saying of Joseph Hart, "A sinner is a sacred thing; / The Holy Ghost has made him so" (from the hymn When Adam by transgression fell). In the church bulletin of August 15, 1993 (my first Lord's Day as pastor of his church) he inserted these words: "This church is for sinners. The Lord loves sinners. The Lord saves sinners. The Lord's mercy is for sinners only." (I therefore felt right at home here.) His sentiments here reflect the saying of Christ, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Matthew 9:13), because "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick" (v.12). You are not qualified to come to Christ until you forsake all your personal righteousnesses, which are but "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6), and acknowledge "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:15). Then you will be glad to hear it said of Jesus Christ, "This Man receives sinners" (Luke 15:2).

"Come, ye ... poor ..." These are all who are "poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3). All are so spiritually bankrupt that "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him" (Psalm 49:7). Burnett Magruder was such a person. He possessed very little of this world's wealth. But he confessed that in and of himself he was penniless before God, and owed a debt he could not pay. But he delighted in hearing that Christ came "to preach good tidings to the poor" (Isaiah 61:1 / Luke 4:18). And he rejoiced in hearing Christ call, "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1).

"Come, ye ... wretched ..." I remember the first time I led the congregation here in singing "Alas! and did my Savior bleed, / And did my Sovereign die! Would He devote that sacred head / For sinners such as I!" (Isaac Watts, 1707). Brother Magruder protested after the hymn was sung that someone had changed the words of that last line from "For such a worm as I!" He added that henceforth we should sing that hymn as it had been originally written. We did - and still do! He often reminded us that Holy Scriptures emphatically declare that man is at best a "maggot" and a "worm" (Job 25:6; Psalm 22:6; Isaiah 41:14). Indeed, one person who often heard him say so described his sentiments as "Dr. Magruder's wormy doctrine". We also heard him lament with Paul the apostle, "O wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:24). But such wormy wretches are the only people Christ calls to come to Him.

"Come, ye ... weak ..." Burnett Magruder enjoyed physical strength until his final affliction. But he ever acknowledged that spiritually he was born "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) and "without strength" (Romans 5:6). Jesus says, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. ... no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father" (John 6:44, 65). But He also says, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (v.37). This was true of lifeless Lazarus (John 11:43f). All who hear Him call will come!

"Come, ye ... wounded ..." Jesus calls to Himself those who confess, "I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me" (Psalm 109:22). This is the heart that is wounded with the acute sense of its guilt. This is the lament of the man who is blessed to confess, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Burnett Magruder was such a man. But such people rejoice to hear Christ declare, "Jehovah has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted" (Isaiah 61:1 / Luke 4:18)

"Come, ye ... sick ..." Burnett Magruder was a specimen of good physical health all his life until his final affliction. But he was ever keenly aware of his spiritual infirmity. He therefore rejoiced in knowing Jesus came as the Great Physician to "those who are sick", because "Those who are well have no need of a physician" (Matthew 9:12). These are those who are sick in sin, as Christ Himself explains: "For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (v.13). Christ vicariously suffered their spiritual infirmities as their Substitute, because "the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6); they therefore confess that "by His stripes we are healed" (v.5).

"Come, ye ... sore ..." The English word "sore" appears thirty times in the Old Testament (NKJV). All are found in Leviticus chapters 13-14, and every reference is to the hideous sores of leprosy. All men are afflicted with the defiling sores of spiritual leprosy, which renders them "unclean" before God (as in Leviticus 13:20, 22, 25, 27), and results in their being sentenced to live outside His camp (vv.44-46). But here Christ calls to leprous sinners, "Come, ye sore, and 'the blood of Christ [will] cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God'" (Hebrews 9:14).

"... Jesus ready stands to save you ..." "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ..." (John 3:17-19). Christ is able to save (Hebrews 7:25), willing to save (Matthew 8:2f), and stands ready to save all who come to God through Him.

"... Full of pity joined with pow'r." Many a mortal has pity on sinners; but none has the power to save them. But Christ is "full of pity" for sinners, with a "pity joined with power" to save them. "In His love and in His pity He redeemed them" (Isaiah 63:9). Now He bids them come to Him.

2. "Come, ye needy, come and welcome ..." Here Christ calls all who feel their need of the greatest necessities of life, those of their souls. He says to those in need of nourishment, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger" (John 6:35). He says to those in need of spiritual refreshment, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink" (John 6:37). Those who cast off all their filthy rags of self-righteousness and flee to Christ for clothing receive His imputed righteousness and exclaim, "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (Isaiah 61:10).

"... God's free bounty glorify ..." Every blessing from Christ is from the bounty of God's free and sovereign grace. God declares that in bestowing them "I will also glorify them" (Jeremiah 31:19). And they reply, "I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol" (Psalm 86:12f). Among these blessings of God's grace are ...

"... True belief and true repentance, / Every grace that brings you nigh." Sinners are brought nigh to Christ by their "repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Their repentance is of God's grace, because "the goodness of God leads you to repentance" (Romans 2:4). Their faith is of God's grace, because "faith [is] not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8f).

3. "Come, ye weary, heavy laden ..." Here is the call of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Jesus here is not calling those laboring for Satan and laden with iniquity; they are insensible of their plight, not weary of their sin nor burdened with it, and therefore seek no rest from it. Rather, Jesus here calls all who are burdened with the guilt of their sin upon their conscience, and burdened with the yoke of the law upon their shoulders. Jesus calls them to lay all these burdens at His feet, rest forevermore in His salvation and righteousness, and live under the yoke of His law and ordinances, which, unlike the yoke of the law, is easy and light, borne with pleasure.

"... Bruised and broken by the fall ..." When Adam fell from his original righteousness in the Garden of Eden (Genesis ch.3), we fell with him because he was the federal head or representative of our race (Romans 5:12ff): "... through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all [in Adam] sinned ...." As the consequence of our fall in Adam, God describes us in this manner (Isaiah 1:5f): "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment."

"... If you tarry till you're better, / You will never come at all." Man cannot of his own supposed "free will" cure himself from a common cold, much less from his spiritual infirmity. And the more we try to make ourselves better, the worse we become. Salvation is not obtained through a self-recovery program. Rather, salvation is coming now to Christ saying, "Just as I am, without one plea / But that Thy blood was shed for me, / And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, / O Lamb of God, I come, I come" (Charlotte Elliott, 1836).

4. "Let not conscience make you linger ..." Be not like the Roman procurator Felix who, upon hearing of Christ "the Way", and of "righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come", said, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you" (Acts 24:22-25). "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7). Come to Christ now!

"... Nor of fitness fondly dream ..." Men say, "God helps those who help themselves." The gospel declares, "God helps those who cannot help themselves, and who will say, 'My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth'" (Psalm 121:2). Come to Christ in all your unfitness, because this is the only way He will receive you. Do not wait until you think you are more fit, because He then will reject you.

"... All the fitness He requireth / Is to feel your need of Him." Remember: Christ receives none but those who are "sinners, poor and wretched, weak and wounded, sick and sore", and who see in Him alone the remedy for their plight. If this describes you, then join Burnett Magruder in singing:

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