EXACTLY SUITED TO MY CASE

"Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price." -Isaiah 55:1 [KJV]

A free gospel is the glory of God’s grace, the joy of humble souls, the envy of malicious devils, and the contempt of proud, self-righteous pharisees. Milk is the pure, sweet, soul-nourishing doctrine of Christ. Wine is the generous, heart-reviving comforts of pardon of sins, and peace with God through the blood of Christ. The Lord knows we cannot grow strong, nor 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. Make 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, terms thou hast fulfilled, and conditions performed to buy with? then, instead of wine and milk, thou wilt receive a scourge from the Lord. Remember, those who bought, he whipt 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 penniless; 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 with good things. O precious word of marvellous grace! Buy— without money and without price, or money’s worth. 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 miserable sinner? 

Must I come, as at first, poor and penniless? Yes: or not at all. The Lord knows what thou art. He invites thee just as thou art. This 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 bastard 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.” Revelation 22:17. 

 

I thank Thee, Lord, Who fix’d Thy price 

Exactly suited to my case: 

Tho’ poor and vile in my own eyes, 

I’m freely welcome to Thy grace. 

No works, no worthiness have I, 

To bring before my Lord to plead; 

But still Thou sayest, come and buy: 

Thy grace, my Lord, is free indeed.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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