those that he will in no wise cast out Thus also the word All Israel is sometimes to be taken though sometimes it is taken for the whole Family of Jacob. And so All Israel shall be saved Rom. 11. By All Israel here he intendeth not All of Israel in the largest sence For they are not All Israel which are of Israel neither because they are the Seed of Abraham are they All Children but in Isaac shall thy seed be called That is they which are the Children of the flesh these are not the Children of God but the Children of the promise are counted for the seed Rom. 9. 6 7 8. This word All must therefore be limited and enlarged as the truth and argument for the sake of which it is used will bare else we shall abuse Scriptures and Readers our selves All. And I if I be lifted up from the earth said Christ will draw All men after me Joh. 12. 32. Can any man imagine that by All in this place he should mean All and every individual man in the World and not rather That All that is consonant to the scope of the place And if by being lift up from the earth he means as he should seem his being taken up into Heaven and if by drawing All men after him he meant a drawing of them into that place of Glory then must he mean by All Men Those and only Those that shall in truth be eternally Saved from the Wrath to Come For God hath concluded them All in unbelief that he might have mercy upon All Rom. 11. 32. Those intended in this Text are the Jews even All of them by the first All that you find in the words The second All doth also intend the same People but yet only so many of them as God will have Mercy upon He hath concluded them All in unbelief that he might have Mercy upon All. The All also in the Text is also to be limited and restrained to the Saved and to them only But again The word Giveth or hath given must be restrained after the same manner to the same limited number All that the Father giveth me Not all that are given if you take the gift of the Father to the Son in the largest sence For in that sence there are Many given to him that shall never come unto him Yea many are given to him that he will cast out I shall therefore first shew you the truth of this and then in what sence the gift in the Text must be taken First That All that are given to Christ if you take the Gift of the Father to him in the largest sence cannot be intended in the Text is evident 1. Because then all the men yea all the things in the World must be Saved All things saith he are delivered unto Me of my Father Mat. 11. V. 27. This I think no rational man in the world will conclude Therefore the Gift intended in the Text must be restrained to some to a Gift that is given by way of speciality by the Father to the Son 2. It must not be taken for All that in any sence are given by the Father to him because the Father hath given some yea many to him to be dashed in pieces by him Ask of me said the Father to him and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession But what must be done with them Must he Save them All No Thou shalt brake them with a rod of iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potters vessel Psal. 2. This method he useth not with them that he saveth by his Grace but with those that Himself and Saints shall rule over in Justice and Severity Rev. 2 26 27. Yet as you see they are given to him Therefore the gift intended in the Text must be restrained to some to a gift that is given by way of speciality by the Father to the Son In Psalm 18. he saith plainly That some are given to him that he might destroy them Thou hast given me the necks of mine enemies that I might destroy them that hate me ver 40. These therefore cannot be of the number of those that are said to be given in the Text for those even All of them shall come to him and he will in no wise cast them out 3ly Some are given to Christ that he by them might bring about some of his high and deep designes in the world Thus Judas was given to Christ to wit that by him even as was determined before he might bring about His death and so the Salvation of his Elect by his Blood Yea and Judas must so manage this business as that he must lose himself for ever in the bringing of it to pass Therefore the Lord Jesus even in his losing of Judas applies himself to the Judgment of his Father if he had not in that thing done the thing that was right even in suffering of Judas so to bring about his Masters death as he might bring about his own eternal Damnation Those saith he that thou gavest me have I kept and none of them is lost but the Son of perdition that the Scripture might be fulfilled Joh. 17. 12. Let us then grant that Judas was given to Christ but not as others are given to him to wit not as those made mention of in the Text for then he should not have failed to have been received by Christ kept to Eternal life Indeed he was given to Christ but he was given to him to lose him in the way that I have mentioned before that is he was given to Christ that he by him might bring about his own death as was before determined and that in the overthrow of him that did it Yea he must bring about his Dying for us in the loss of the instrument that betrayed him that he might even fulfill the Scripture in his destruction as well as in the Salvation of the rest And none of them is lost but the Son of perdition that the Scripture might be fulfilled The gift therefore in the Text must not be taken in the Largest sence but even as the Words will bare to wit for such a gift as he accepteth and promiseth to be an Effectual means of their Eternal Salvation All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Mark They shall come that are in special given to me and they shall by no means be rejected For this is the Substance of the Text. Those therefore intended as the gift in the Text they are those that are given by Covenant to the Son those that in other places are called the Elect the Chosen the Sheep and the Children of the promise c. These be they that the Father hath given to Christ to keep them those that Christ hath promised Eternal Life unto those to whom he hath given his Word
kill us we shall but die Here now was necessity at work and this necessity drove them to go thither for life whether else they would never have gon for it Thus it is with them that in truth come to Jesus Christ Death is before them they see it and feel it he is feeding upon them and will eat them quite up if they come not to Jesus Christ and therefore they come even of necessity being forced thereto by that Sense they have of their being utterly and everlastingly undone if they find not safety in him These then are they that will come indeed these are they that are invited to come Come unto me all ye that Labor and are Heavy Laden and I will give you rest Matt. 11. 28. Take two or three things to make this more plain to wit that coming to Christ floweth from a sound sense of the absolute need that a Man hath of him as afore 1. They shall come with Weeping with Supplication will I lead them I will cause them to walk by the Rivers of Waters in a plain way wherein they shall not stumble Jer. 31. 9. Mind it they come with Weeping and Supplication they come with Prayers and Tears Now Prayers and Tears are the effects of a right Sense of the need of Mercy Thus a senseless Sinner cannot Come he cannot Pray he cannot Cry he cannot come sensible of what he sees not nor feels In those Days and at that time the Children of Israel shall come they and the Children of Judah together going weeping they shall seek the Lord their God they shall ask the way to Zion with their Faces thitherward saying come and let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that shall not be forgotten Jer. 50. 4 5. Secondly This coming to Christ it is called a running to him as flying to him a flying from Wrath to come By all which Termes is set forth the sense of the man that comes to wit That he is affected with the sense of his sin and the Death due thereto that he is sensible that the avenger of Blood pursues him and that therefore he is cut off if he makes not speed to the Son of God for Life Mat. 3. 7. Psal. 143. 9. Flying is the last work of a man in danger all that are in danger do not Fly No not all that see themselves in danger flying is the last work of a man in danger all that hear of danger will will not fly Men will consider if there be no other way of escape before they Fly Therefore as I said flying is the last thing When all Refuge fails and a man is made to see that there is nothing left him but Sin Death and Damnation unless he flyes to Christ for Life then he flies and not till then Thirdly That the true coming is from a sense of an absolute need of Jesus Christ to save c. is evident by the Out-cry that is made by them that come even as they are coming to him Lord save or I perish Men and Brethren what shall we do Sirs what must I do to be saved and the like This Language doth sufficiently discover that the truly coming Souls are Souls sensible of their need of Salvation by Jesus Christ and moreover that there is nothing else that can help them but Christ. Fourthly It is yet further evident by these few things that follow it is said that such are pricked in their Hearts that is with the sentence of Death by the Law and the least prick in the Heart kills a Man Acts 2. 37. such are said as I said before to Weep to Tremble and to be astonished in themselves at the evident and unavoidable danger that attends them unless they fly to Jesus Christ Acts 9 chap. 16. Fifthly Coming to Christ is attended with an honest and sincere forsaking of all for him If any Man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be my Disciple And whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple Luk. 14. 26 27. By these and the like expressions elsewhere Christ describeth the true Commer or the man that indeed is coming to him he is one that casteth all behind his Back he leaveth all he forsaketh all he hateth all things that would stand in his way to hinder his coming to Jesus Christ. There are a great many pretended Commers to Jesus Christ in the World And they are much like to the man that you read of in Matt. 21. 30. that said at his Fathers bidding I go Sir and went not I say there are a great many such Commers to Jesus Christ they say when Christ calls by his Gospel I come Sir but still they abide by their Pleasures and carnal Delights They come not at all only they give him a Courtly Complement but he takes notice of it and will not let it pass for any more than a Lie He said I go Sir and went not he dissembled and lied Take heed of this you that flatter your selves with your own deceivings words will not do with Jesus Christ coming is coming and nothing else will go for coming with him Before I spake to the other Head I shall answer some Objections that usually lie in the way of those that in Truth are coming to Jesus Christ. Objection I. Though I cannot deny but my mind runs after Christ and that too as being moved thereto from a sight and consideration of my lost Condition For I see without him I perish yet I fear my ends are not right in coming to him Quest. Why what is thine end in coming to Jesus Christ Answer My end is that I might have Life and be saved by Jesus Christ. This is thy Objection well let me tell thee that to come to Christ for Life and to be saved though at prethou hast no other end is a lawful and good coming to Jesus Christ. This is evident because Christ propoundeth Life as the only Argument to prevail with sinners to come to him and also blameth them because they come not to him for Life And ye will not Come to me that ye might have Life Joh. 5. Besides there are many other Scriptures whereby he allureth Sinners to come to him in which he propoundeth nothing to them but their safety As He that believeth in him shall not perish he that believeth is passed from Death to Life He that believeth shall be Saved He that believeth on him is not condemned And believing coming are all one So that you see to Come to Christ for Life is a lawful coming and good And let me add over and above that for a man to come to Christ for Life though he comes to him for nothing else but Life he gives much honour to him First He Honoureth the Word of Christ and consenteth to the Truth of it and that in
escape them and in conclusion come to him There are a company of shall-comes in the Bible that doth secure them Not but that they may be assaulted by them yea and also for the time intangled and detained by them from the Bishop of their Souls but these Shall-comes will break those Chains and Fetters that those given to Christ are intangled in and they shall-come because he hath said they shall-come to him Indeed errors are like that whore of whom you read in the Proverbs that sitteth in her seat on the High-places of the City To call Passingers who go right on their way Pro. 9. 13 14 15 16. But the persons as I said that by the Father are given to the Son to save them are at one time or other secured by Shall-come to me And therefore of such it is said God will guide them with his eye with his counsels by his spirit and that in the way of peace by the springs of water and into all truth Psal. 32. 8. Psal. 73. 24. Joh. 16. 13. Luk. 1. 79. Isa. 47. 10. So then he that hath such a guide and all that the Father giveth to Christ shall have it he shall escape those dangers he shall not Err in the way yea though he be a fool he shall not Err therein Isa 35. for of every such an one it is said Thine cars shall hear a word behind thee saying This is the way walk in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left Isa 30. 21. There were Thieves and Robbers before Christs coming as there are also now But saith he The sheep did not hear them And why did they not hear them but because they were under the power of shall come that absolute promise that had that grace in it self to bestow upon them as could make them able rightly to distinguish of voices My sheep hear my voice But how came they to hear it why to them it is given to know and to hear and that distinguishingly Joh. 10. 8 16. Chap. 5. 25. Eph. 5. 14. Further the very plain Sentence of the Text makes provision against all these things for saith it All that the Father giveth me shall come to me that is shall not be stopped or be allured to take up any where short of Me nor shall they turn aside to abide with any besides Me. Shall Come to me To me By these words there is further insinuated though not expressed a double cause of their coming to him First There is in Christ a fulness of Al-sufficiency of that even of all that which is needfull to make us happy Secondly Those that indeed come to him do therefore come to him that they may receive it at his hand For the first of these There is in Christ a fulness of all Sufficiency of all that even of all that which is needfull to make us happy Hence it is said For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell And again Of his fullness all we have received and grace for grace Colos. 1. 19. Joh. 1. 16. It is also said of him that his riches is unsearchable The unsearchable riches of Christ Ephes. 3. 8. Hear what he saith of himself Riches and honour are with Me even durable riches and righteousness my fruit is better than Gold yea than sine Gold and My revenue than Choice silver I lead in the way of Righteousness in the midst of the paths of Judgement that I may cause them that love Me to inherit Substance And I will fill their treasures Prov. 8. 18. 19 20. 21. This in general but more particularly First There is that Light in Christ that is Sufficient to lead them out of and from all that darkness in the midst of which all others but them that come to him stumble and fall and perish I am the light of the world saith he he that followeth me shall not abide in darkness but shall have the Light of Life Joh. 8. 12. Man by nature is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knows not whither he goes for darkness hath blinded his eyes neither can any thing but Jesus Christ lead men out of this darkness Natural Conscience cannot do it the Ten Commandments though in the heart of man cannot do it this prerogative belongs only to Jesus Christ. Secondly There is that life in Christ that is to be found no where else Joh. 5. 40. Life as a principle in the Soul by which it shall be acted and enabled to do that which through him is pleasing to God He that believeth in or cometh to me saith he as the Scriptures have said out of his belly shall flow Rivers of Living Water Joh. 7. 38. Without this life a man is dead whether he be bad or whether he be good that is good in his own and other mens esteem There is no true and Eternal life but what is in the Me that speaketh in the Text. There is also life for those that come to him to be had by faith in his flesh and blood He that eateth Me even he shall live by Me Joh. 6. 57. And this is a life against that Death that comes by the guilt of sin and the curse of the Law under which all men are and forever must be unlesse they eat the Me that speaks in the Text. Whoso findeth Me saith he findeth life deliverance from that everlasting death and destruction that without Me he shall be devoured by Prov. 8. Nothing is more desirable than life to him that hath in himself the Sentence of Condemnation and here only is life to be found This life to wit Eternal life this life is in his Son That is in him that saith in the Text All that the Father hath given Me shall come to Me 1 Joh. 5. 10. Thirdly The person speaking in the Text is he alone by whom poor sinners have Admittance with and Acceptance to the Father because of the Glory of his righteousness by and in which he presenteth them amiable and spotless in his sight neither is there any way besides him so to come to the Father I am the way sayes he the truth and the life no man cometh to the Father but by Me Joh. 14. 6. All other ways to God are dead and damnable the destroying Cherubins stand with flaming swords turning every way to keep all others from his presence Gen. 3. 24. I say all others but them that come by him I am the door by Me saith he if any man enter in he shall be saued Joh. 10. 1 2. The person speaking in the Text is He and only He that can give stable and everlasting peace therefore saith he My peace I give unto you My peace which is a peace with God peace of Conscience and that of an everlasting duration My peace peace that cannot be Matched net as the world gived give I unto you for the worlds peace is but Carnal and Transitory but mine is Divine and