Hos. 11. 10 11. When God Roars as oft-times the Coming Soul hears him Roar what Man that is coming can do otherwise than Tremble Amos 3. 8. But Trembling he comes He sprang in and came Trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas Act. 16. Should you ask him that we mentioned but now How long is it since you began to fear you should miss of this Damosel you Love so The Answer would be Ever since I began to Love her But did you not fear it before No nor should I fear it now but that I vehemently Love her Come Sinner let us apply it How long is it since thou begannest to Fear that Jesus Christ will not Receive thee Thy Answer is Ever since I began to desire that he would save my Soul I began to Fear when I began to Come And the more my Heart burns in Desires after him the more I feel my Heart fear I shall not be Saved by him See now Did not I tell thee That thy Fears were but the Consequence of strong Desires Well fear not Coming-Sinner Thousands of Coming-Souls are in thy Condition and yet they will also get safe into Christ's Bosom Say sayes Christ to them that are of a fearful Heart Be strong fear not Your God will come and Save you Isa. 35. 4. Chap. 63 1. Thirdly Thy Fear that Christ will not Receive thee May arise from a Sense of thine own Unworthyness Thou seest what a poor sorry wretched worthless Creature thou art And seeing this thou fearest Christ will not Receive thee Alas say'st thou I am the Vilest of all Men a Town-Sinner a Ring-leading Sinner I am not only a Sinner my self but have made others two-fold worse the Children of Hell also Besides Now I am under some Awakenings and Stirrings of Mind after Salvation even now I find my heart Rebellious Carnal Hard Treacherous Desperate prone to Unbelief to Despair It forgetteth the Word it wandreth it runneth to the Ends of the Earth There is not I am perswaded one in all the World that hath such a desperate wicked Heart as mine is My Soul is careless to do Good but none more earnest to do that which is Evil Can such an one as I am Live in Glory Can an Holy a Just and Righteous God once think with Honour to his Name of Saving such a Vile Creature as I am I fear it Will he shew Wonders to such a dead Dog as I am I doubt it I am cast out to the loathing of my Person yea I loath my self I stink in mine own Nostrils How can I then be accepted by an Holy and Sin-abhorring God Psal. 38. 5 6 7. Ezek. 16. Chap. 20. 42 43 44. Saved I would be and Who is there that would not were they in my Condition Indeed I wonder at the Madness and Folly of others when I see them so Merry in their Chains while I see them Leap and Skip so carelesly about the Mouth of Hell Bold Sinner How darest thou tempt God by Laughing at the Breach of his Holy Law But Alas They are not so bad one way but I am worse another I wish my Self were any Body but my Self And yet here again I know not what to wish When I see such as I believe are coming to Jesus Christ O I bless them But am confounded in my self to see how unlike as I think I am to every good Man in the World They can Hear Read Pray Remember Repent be Humble and Do every thing better than so Vile a Wretch as I. I Vile Wretch am good for nothing but to burn in Hell-Fire and when I think of that I am confounded too Thus the Sense of Unworthyness creates and heightens Fears in the Hearts of them that are coming to Jesus Christ But indeed it should not For who needs the Physitian but the Sick Or who did Christ come into the World to Save but the Chief of Sinners Mar. 1. 17. 1 Tim. 1. 15. Wherefore the more thou feest thy Sins the faster fly thou to Jesus Christ. And let the Sense of thy own Unworthyness prevail with thee yet to go faster As it is with the Man that carrieth his broken Arm in a Sling to the Bone-setter still as he thinks of his broken Arm and as he feels the Pain and Anguish he hastens his Pace to the Man And if Satan meets thee and asketh Whether goest thou Tell him Thou art Maimed and art going to the Lord Jesus If he objects thine own Unworthiness Tell him That even as the Sick seeketh the Physitian and as he that hath broken Bones seeks him that can Set them So thou art going to Jesus Christ for Cure and Healing for thy Sin-sick-Soul But it oft times happeneth to the Coming-Soul as it happeneth to him that flies for his Life He despairs of Escaping and therefore delivers up himself into the Hand of the Purfuer But up up Sinner be of good chear Christ came to Save the Unworthy Ones Be not Faithless but Believe Come away Man the Lord Jesus calls thee saying And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Fourthly Thy Fear that Christ will not Receive thee may arise from a Sense of the exceeding Mercy of being Saved Sometime Salvation is in the Eyes of him that desires it so great so huge so wonderful a thing that the very Thoughts of the Excellency of it ingenders Unbelief about obtaining it in the Heart of those that unfeignedly desire it Seemeth it to you said David a Light thing to be a King's Son-in-Law 1 Sam. 18. 23. So the Thoughts of the Greatness and Glory of the Thing propounded as Heaven Eternal Life Eternal Glory to be with God and Christ and Angels These are great Things Things too Good saith the Soul that is little in his own Eyes Things too Rich saith the Soul that is truly poor in Spirit for me Besides the Holy Ghost hath a way to greaten Heavenly things to the understanding of the coming sinner yea and at the same time to greaten too the sin and unworthiness of that sinner Now the Soul staggeringly wonders saying What! to be made like Angels like Christ To live in Eternal bliss joy and felicity This is for Angels and for them that can walk like Angels If a Prince a Duke or Earl should send by the Hand of his Servant to some poor sorry beggarly scrub to take her for his Master to wife and the Servant should come and say My Lord and Master such an one hath sent me to thee to take thee to him to wife he is rich beautiful and of excellent qualities he is Loving Meek Humble Well-spoken c. What now would this poor sorry beggarly Creature think what would she say or how would she frame an answer When King David sent to Abigail upon this account and though she was a rich woman yet she said Behold Let thine hand maid be a Servant to wash the feet of the Servants of my Lord. 1 Sam.
Sin so the Law of Moses as it is a Perfect Holy Law hath a Voice against thee before the Face of God There is one that accuseth you even Moses's Law Jo. 5. Yea it accuseth all Men of Transgression that have sinned against it for as long as Sin is Sin there will be a Law to accuse for Sin But this Accusation shall not prevail against the Coming-Sinner because 't is Christ that dyed and that ever lives to make Intercession for them that Come to God by him Rom. 8. Heb. 7. 25. These things I say do accuse us before Christ Jesus yea and also to our own Faces if perhaps they might prevail against us But these words I will in no wise cast out secureth the Coming-Sinner from them all The Coming-Sinner is not saved because there is none comes in against him but because the Lord Jesus will not hear their Accusations will not cast out the Coming-Sinner When Shimei came down to meet King David and to ask for Pardon for his Rebellion up starts Abishai and puts in his Caveat saying Shall not Shimei dye for this This is the Case of him that comes to Christ He hath this Abishai and that Abishai that presently steps in against him saying Shall not this Rebel's Sins destroy him in Hell Read further But David answered What have I to do with you ye Sons of Zeruiah that you should this day be Adversaries to me Shall there any Man be put to Death this Day in Israel for do not I know that I am King this Day over Israel 2 Sam. 19. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22. This is Christ's Answer by the Text to all that accuse the Coming Shimeis What have I to do with you that accuse the Coming-Sinners to me I count you Adversaries that are against my shewing Mercy to them Do not I know that I am Exalted this Day to be King of Righteousness and King of Peace I will in no wise cast them out Secondly But again These Words do closely imply that the Coming-Souls are afraid that these Accusers will prevail against them as is evident because the Text is spoken for their Relief and Succour For that need not be if they that are coming were not subject to fear and despond upon this account Alas there is Guilt and the Curse lies upon the Conscience of the Coming-Sinner Besides He is Conscious to himself what a Villain what a Wretch he hath been against God and Christ. Also he now knows by woful Experience how he hath been at Satan's Beck and at the Motion of every Lust. He hath now also new Thoughts of the Holyness and Justice of God Also he feels that he cannot forbear sinning against him For the Motions of Sin which are by the Law do work in his Members to bring forth Fruit unto Death Rom. 7. But none of this needs be since we have so Good so Tender-hearted and so Faithful a Jesus to come to who will rather overthrow Heaven and Earth than suffer a little of this Text to fail And him that comes unto me I will in no wise cast out Now We have yet to enquire into two things that lie in the Words to which there hath yet been nothing said As 1. What it is to cast out 2. How it appears that Christ hath Power to Save or to Cast out For the First of these What it is to Cast out to this I will speak 1. Generally 2. More Particularly More Generally First To cast out Is to Slight and Despise and Contemn as it is said of Saul's Shield It was vilely cast away that is Slighted and Contemned Thus it is with the Sinners that come not to Jesus Christ He Slights Despises and Contemns them that is Casts them away 2 Sam. 1. 2. Secondly Things cast away are reputed as Menstruous Cloaths and as the Dirt of the Street Isa. 3. 22. Psal. 18. 42. Matth. 5. 13. Chap. 15. 17. And thus it shall be with the Men that come not to Jesus Christ they shall be counted as Menstruous and as the Dirt in the Streets Thirdly To be cast out or off it is To be abhorred not to be pityed but to be put to perpetual Shame Psal. 44. 9. Psal. 89. 38. Amos 1. 11. But more particularly To come to the Text The Casting-out here mentioned is not limited to this or the other Evil Therefore it must be extended to the most extream and utmost Misery Or thus He that cometh to Christ shall not want any thing that may make him Gospelly Happy in this World or that which is to come Nor shall he want any thing that cometh not that may make him Spiritually and Eternally Miserable But further As it is to be Generally taken so it respecteth Things that are now and also Things that shall be hereafter For the Things that are now they are either 1. More General 2. Or more Particular First More General thus It is To be cast out of the Presence and Favour of God Thus was Cain cast out Thou hast driven or cast me out this Day from thy Presence and from thy Face that is from thy Favour shall I be hid A dreadful Complaint but the Effect of a more dreadful Judgement Gen. 4. 13 14. Jer. 23. 39. I Chron. 28. 9. Secondly To be cast out is to be cast out of God's Sight God will look after them no more care for them no more nor will he watch over them any more for Good 2 King 17. 20. Jer. 7. 15. Now they that are so are left like Blind Men to wander and fall into the Pit of Hell This therefore is also a sad Judgement Therefore here is the Mercy of him that Cometh to Christ He shall not be left to wander at Uncertainties The Lord Jesus Christ will keep him as a Shepheard doth his Sheep Psal. 23. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Thirdly To be cast out Is to be denyed a Place in God's House and to be left as Fugitives and Vagabonds to pass a little time away in this Miserable Life and after that to go down to the Dead Gal. 4. 30. Gen. 4. 13 14. Chap. 21. 10. Therefore here is the Benefit of him that Cometh to Christ He shall not be denyed a Place in God's House They shall not be left like Vagabonds in the World Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out See Prov. 14. 26. Isa. 56. 3 4 5. Ephes. 2. 19 20 21 22. 1 Cor. 3. 21 22 23. Fourthly In a word To be cast out Is to be Rejected as are the Fallen Angels For their Eternal Damnation began at their being cast down from Heaven to Hell So then Not to be cast out Is to have a Place a House and Habitation there and to have a Share in the Priviledges of Elect Angels These Words therefore I will not cast out will prove great Words one Day to them that come to Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 2. 4. Joh. 12. 31.
25. 40 41. She was confounded she could not well tell what to say the offer was so great beyond what could in reason be expected But suppose this great person should Second his Sute and send to this Sorry Creature again What would she say now Would she not say you Mock me But what if he affirms that he is in good earnest and that his Lord must have her to wife yea suppose he should prevail upon her to Credit his Message and to address her self for her Journey Yet behold every thought of her pedigree confounds her also her sense of want of beauty makes her ashamed and if she doth but think of being imbraced the unbelief that is mixed with that thought whirls her into tremblings And now she calls her self fool for believing the Messenger and thinks not to go If she thinks of being bold she Blushes and the least thought that she shall be rejected when she comes at him makes her look as if she would give up the Ghost And is it a wonder then to see a Soul that is drowned with the sense of glory and a sense of its own nothingness to be confounded in it self and to fear that the glory apprehended is too great too good and too rich for such an one That thing Heaven and Eternal Glory is so great and I that would have it so small so sorry a Creature that the thoughts of obtaining confounds me Thus I say doth the greatness of the things desired quite dash and overthrow the mind of the desirer O it is too bigg it is too big It is too great a mercy But coming sinner let me reason with thee Thou say'st it is too bigg too great Well will things that are less satisfie thy Soul will a less thing than Heaven than Glory and Eternal life answer thy desires No nothing less yet I fear they are too big and too good for me ever to obtain Well as big and as good as they are God giveth them to such as thou They are not too big for God to give No not too big to give freely be content let God give like Himself he is that Eternal God and he giveth like himself When Kings give they do not use to give as poor men do Hence it is said that Nabal made a feast in his house Like the feast of a King And again All these things did Araunah as a King give unto David 1 Sam. 25. 2 Sam. 24. Now God is a great King let him give like a King Nay let him give like himself and do thou receive like thy self He hath all and thou hast nothing God told his people of old that he would save them in truth and in righteousness and that they should return to and injoy the Land which before for their sins had spued them out and then adds under a supposition of their counting the mercy too good or too big If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days should it also be Marvellous in mine eyes saith the Lord of hosts Zech. 8. 6. As who should say they are now in Captivity and little in their own eyes therefore they think the mercy of returning to Canaan is a mercy too marvellously big for them to injoy but if it be so in their eyes it is not so in mine I will do for them like God if they will but receive my bounty like sinners Coming sinner God can give his heavenly Canaan and the glory of it unto thee yea none ever had them but as a gift a free gift He hath given us his Son how shall he not then with him also freely give us all things Rom 8. It was not the worthiness of Abraham or Moses or David or Peter or Paul But the mercy of God that made them inheritors of Heaven If God thinks thee worthy judge not thy self unworthy but take it and be thankfull And it is a good signe he intends to give thee if he hath drawn out thy heart to ask O Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt encline thine car Psal. 10. 17. When God is said to encline his ear it implies an intention to bestow the mercy desired Take it therefore thy Wisdom will be to receive not sticking at thine own unworthiness It is said He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill to set them among Princes and to make them inherit the thrown of glory Again He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth some needy Out of the dunghill that he may set him with Princes even with the Princes of his people 1 Sam. 2. 8. Psal. 113. 7 8. You see also when God made a Wedding for his Son he called not the great nor the rich nor the mighty but the poor the maimed the halt and the blind Mat. 22. Luk. 14. Fifthly Thy fears that Christ will not receive thee may arise from the hideous Roarings of the Devil who pursues thee He that hears him Roar must be a mighty Christian if he can at that time deliver himself from fear He is called a Roaring Lyon and then to alude to that in Isaiah if one look into them they have darkness and sorrow and the Light is darkned in their very Heaven 1 Pet. 5. 8. Isa. 5. 30. There are two things among many that Satan useth to Roar Out after them that are coming to Jesus Christ. 1. That they are not Elected Or 2. That they have sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost To both these I answer briefly First Touching election out of which thou fearest thou art excluded Why coming sinner even the Text it self affordeth thee help against this doubt and that by a double argument First That coming to Christ is by vertue of the gift promise and drawing of the Father but thou art a coming therefore God hath given thee promised thee and is drawing thee to Jesus Christ. Coming sinner hold to this and when Satan beginneth to Roar again Answer but I feel my heart moving after Jesus Christ but that would not be if I were not given by promise and drawing to Christ by the power of the Father Secondly Jesus Christ hath promised that him that cometh to Him he will in no wise cast out And if he hath said it will he not make it good I mean even thy Salvation for as I have said already Not to cast out is to receive and admit to the benefit of Salvation if then the Father hath given thee as is manifest by thy coming and if Christ will receive thee thou coming Soul as 't is plain he will because he hath said he will in no wise cast thee out Then be confident and let those conclusions that as naturally flow from the Text as light from the Sun or water from the fountain stay thee If Satan therefore objecteth but thou art not elected Answer But I am coming Satan
and that he will have with him in his Kingdom to behold his Glory as these Scriptures declare This is the will of the Father that sent me that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day And I give unto them Eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my Hand my Father that gave them me is Greater than All and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers Hand As thou hast given him Power over all Flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him Thine they were and thou gavest them me and they have kept thy word I pray for them I pray not for the world but for those that thou hast given me for they are thine And all mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them Keep through thine own Name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we are Father I will that those whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the Foundation of the World John 6. 39. Chap. 10. 28. Chap. 17. 2 6 9 10 24. All these sentences are of the same import with the Text and the All 's and Manies those they c. in these several sayings of Christ are the same with All the given in the Text. All That the Father giveth So that as I said before the word All as also other words must not be taken in such sort as our foolish fancies or groundless opinions will prompt us to but do admit of an enlargment or a restriction according to the true meaning and intendment in the Text. We must therefore diligently consult the meaning of the Text by compareing it with other the Sayings of God so shall we be better able to find out the mind of the Lord in the Word which he has given us to know it by All that the Father giveth By this word Father Christ describeth the person giving by which we may learn several useful things 1. That the Lord God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is equally concerned with the Son in the Salvation of his People True his acts as to our Salvation are divers from those of the Son he was not capable of doing that or those things for us as did the Son he Died not he Spilt not Blood for our Redemption as the Son but yet he hath a hand a great hand in our Salvation too As Christ saith The Father himself loveth you and his love is manifest in chusing of us in giving of us to his Son yea and in giving his Son also to be a ransom for us Hence he is called The Father of Mercies and the God of all comfort For here even the Father hath himself found out and made way for his grace to come to us through the sides and the heart Blood of his well beloved Son Col. 1. 12. The father therefore is to be remembred and adored as one having a chief hand in the Salvation of sinners We ought to give thanks to the Father who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light for the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the World 1 Joh. 4. 14. Col. 1. 12. As also we see in the Text the Father giveth the sinner to Christ to save him Secondly Christ Jesus the Lord by this word Father would familiarize this given to us Naturally the Name of God is dreadful to us specially when he is discovered to us by those names that declare his Justice Holiness Power and Glory but now this word Father is a familiar word it frighteth not the sinner but rather inclineth his heart to love and be pleased with the remembrance of him Hence Christ also when he would have us pray with Godly boldness puts this word Father into our mouths Saying when ye pray say Our Father which art in Heaven concluding thereby that by the familiarity that by such a word is intimated the Children of God may take more boldness to pray for and ask great things I my self have often found that when I can say but this word Father it doth me more good than when I call him by any other Scripture Name and 't is worth your Noting that to call God by this relative Title was rare among the Saints in Old Testament times seldom do you find him called by this name no sometimes not in three or four whole books but now in New-Testament times he is called by no name so often as this both by the Lord Jesus himself and by the Apostles afterwards Indeed the Lord Jesus was he that first made this name common among the Saints and that taught them both in their Discourses their Prayers and in their Writings so much to use it it being more pleasing to and discovering more plainly our interest in God than any other Expression for by his one name we are made to understand that all our Mercies are the off-spring of God and that we also that are called are his children by adoption All that the Father giveth This word giveth is out of Christs ordinary Dialect and seemeth to intimate at the first sound as if the Fathers gift to the Son was not an act that is past but one that is present and continuing when indeed this gift was bestowed upon Christ when the Covenant the Eternal Covenant was made between them before all worlds Wherefore in those other places when this gift is mentioned it is still spoken of as of an act that is past As All that He hath given me to as many as thou hast given me Thou gavest them me and those which thou hast given me Therefore of necessity this must be the first and chief sence of the Text. I mean of this word giveth otherwise the Doctrine of Election and of the Eternal Covenant which was made between the Father and the Son in which Covenant this gift of the Father is most certainly comprized will be shaken or at leastwise questionable by erronious and wicked men But again this word giveth is not to be rejected for it hath its proper use and my signifie to us First That though the act of giving among men doth admit of the time past or the time to come and is to be only spoken of with reference to the time yet with God it is not so Things past or things to come are alwayes present with God and with his Son Jesus Christ He calleth things that are not that is to us as though they were and again known unto God are all his works from the foundation of the world All things to God are present and so the gift of the Father to the Son although to us it is an act that is past Rom. 4. 17. Acts 15. 10. Secondly Christ may Express
is true because the Word doth flatly deny it First It denyeth it to be by the Will of man Not of blood nor of the Will of the flesh nor of the Will of man And again It is not of him that Willeth nor of him that Runneth Joh. 1. 13. Rom. 9. 16. Secondly It denyeth it to be of the Wisdome of man as is manifest from these considerations First In 〈◊〉 Wisdome of God it pleased him that the World by Wisdome should not know him Now if by their Wisdom they cannot know him it follows by that Wisdome they cannot come unto him for coming to him is not before but after some knowledge of him 1 Cor. 1. 21. Acts 13. 27. Psal. 9. 10. Secondly The Wisdome of Man in Gods Account as to the Knowledge of Christ is reckoned foolishness Hath not God made Foolish the Wisdome of this World and again the Wisdome of this World is Foolishness with God If God has made Foolish the Wisdome of this World and again if the Wisdom of this World is Foolishness with Him then verily it is not likely that by that a Sinner should become so Prudent as to come to Jesus Christ especially if you Consider Thirdly That the Doctrine of a Crucified Christ and so of Salvation by him is the very thing that is counted foolishness to the Wisdom of this World Now if the very Doctrine of a Crucified Christ be counted foolishness by the Wisdom of this World it cannot be that by that Wisdom a man should be drawn out in his Soul to come to him 1 Cor. â—â— 20. Chap. 2. 14. Chap. 3. 19. Chap. 1. 18 23. Fourthly God counteth the Wisdom of this World one of his greatest Enemies therefore by that Wisdom no man can come to Jesus Christ. For it is not likely that one of Gods greatest Enemies should draw a man to that which best of all pleaseth God as coming to Christ doth Now that God counteth the Wisdom of this World one of his greatest Enemies is evident First For that it casteth the greatest contempt upon his Sons undertakings as afore is proved in that it counts his Crucifixion foolishness Though That be one of the Highest Demonstrations of Divine Wisdom Ephes. 1. 7 8. Secondly Because God hath threatned to destroy it and bring it to naught and cause it to perish Which surely he would not do was it not an Enemy would it direct men to and cause them to close with Jesus Christ. See Isa. 29. 14. 1 Cor. 1. 19. Thirdly He hath rejected it from helping in the Ministry of his Word as a fruitless business and a thing that comes to naught 1 Cor. 2. 4 6 12 13. Fourthly Because it causeth to perrish those that seek it and pursue it 1 Cor. 1. 18 19. Fifthly And God has proclaimed That if any man will be wise in this World he must be a fool in the Wisdom of this World and that 's the way to be wise in the Wisdom of God If any man will be wise in this World let him become a fool that he may be wise For the Wisdom of this World is foolishness with God 1 Cor. 3. 18 19 20. Thirdly Coming to Christ is not by the power of man This is evident partly First From that which goeth before For mans power in the puttings forth of it in this matter is either stirred up by Love or sense of Necessity but the Wisdom of this World neither gives man love to or sense of a need of Jesus Christ therefore his power lieth still as from that Secondly What power has he that is dead as every natural man spiritually is Even dead in Trespasses and sinnes Dead even as dead to Gods New-Testament things as he that is in his Grave is Dead to the things of this World What power hath he then whereby to come to Jesus Christ. Joh. 5. 25. Ephes. 2. 1. Col. 2. 13. Thirdly God forbids the mighty man's glorying in his strength and sayes positively By strength shall no man prevaile and again Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord Jer. 9. 23 24. 1 Sam. 2 9. Zech. 4 6. 1 Cor. 1 27 28 29 30 31. Fourthly Paul acknowledgeth that man nay converted man of himself hath not a Sufficiency of power in himself to think a good thought if not to do that which is least for to think is less than to come then no man by his own power can come to Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 3. 5. Fifthly Hence we are said to be made willing to come by the power of God to be raised from a state of sin to a state of Grace by the power of God and to believe that is to come through the exceeding working of his mighty power Psal. 110. 3. Col. 2 12. Ephes. 1. 18 20. See also Job 40. 6 14. But this needed not if either man had power or will to come or so much as graciously to think of willing to come of themselves to Jesus Christ. I Should now come to the proof of the Second part of the Observation but that is occasionally done already in the Explicatory part of the Text To which I referr the Reader For I shall here only give thee a Text or two more to the same purpose and so come to the use and application First It is Expresly said No man can come to me Except the Father which hath sent me draw him By this Text there is not only insinuated that in man is want of power but also of will to come to Jesus Christ they must be drawn they come not if they be not drawn and observe it is not man no nor all the Angels in Heaven that can draw one sinner to Jesus Christ. No man cometh to me except the Father which hath sent to me draw him Joh. 6. 44. Secondly Again No man can come to me except it were given him of my Father Joh. 6. 65. It is an heavenly gift that maketh man come to Jesus Christ. Thirdly Again It is written in the Prophets they shall be all Taught of God every one therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh to me Joh. 6. 45. I shall not enlarge but shall make some use and application and so come to the next Observation First Is it so Is coming to Jesus Christ Not by the will wisdom or Power of man but by the gift promise and drawing of the Father Then they are to blame that cry up the will wisdom and power of man as things Sufficient to bring men to Christ. There are some men who think they may not be Contradicted when they plead for the will wisdom and power of man in reference to the things that are of the Kingdom of Christ But I will say to such a man he never yet came to understand that himself is what the Scripture teacheth Concerning him Neither did he ever know what coming to Christ is by the teaching gift and drawing of the Father He is such
is with one that can pity pray for pardon yea multiply pardons It is with one that can have Compassion upon us when we are out of the way with one that hath an heart to fetch us again when we are gone astray with one that can pardon without upbraiding Blessed be God that life is in Christ For Now 't is sure to all the seed But Fourthly This Doctrine of coming to Jesus Christ for life informs us of the evil of Unbelief that wicked thing that is the only or chief hindrance to the coming sinner Doth the Text say 〈◊〉 Doth it say And him that cometh I will in no wise cast out Then what an evil is that that keepeth sinners from coming to Jesus Christ And that evil is unbelief For by faith we come by Unbelief we keep away Therefore It is said to be that by which a Soul is said to depart from God because it was that which at first caused the world to go off from him and that also that keeps them from him to this day And it doth it the more easily because it doth it with a wile This sin may be called The White Devil for it often-times in its Mischievous doings in the Soul shews as if it was an Angel of Light Yea it Acteth like a Counsellor of Heaven Therefore a little to discourse of this evil disease First It is that sin above all others that hath some shew of reason in its attempts For it keeps the Soul from Christ by pretending its present unfitness and unpreparedness as want of more sense of sin want of more repentance want of more humility want of a more broken heart Secondly It is the sin that most Suiteth with the Conscience the Conscience of the coming sinner tells him that he hath nothing good that he stands inditable for Ten Thousand Tallents that he is a very ignorant blind and hard-hearted sinner unworthy to be once taken notice of by Jesus Christ And will you says Unbelief in such a case as you now are presume to come to Jesus Christ Thirdly It is the sin that most Suiteth with our Sense of feeling The coming sinner feels the workings of sin of all manner of sin and wretchedness in his flesh He also feels the Wrath and Judgement of God due to sin and oft-times staggers under it Now sayes unbelief you may see you have no grace for that which works in you is corruption You may also perceive that God doth not love you because the Sense of his Wrath abides upon you Therefore how can you bear the face to come to Jesus Christ Fourthly It is the sin above all others that most Suiteth with the Wisdom of our flesh the Wisdom of our flesh thinks it prudence to question a while to stand back a while to hearken to both sides a while and not to be rash sudden or unadvised in too bold a presuming upon Jesus Christ And this Wisdom Unbelief falls in with Fifthly It is that sin above all other that continually is whispering the Soul in the ear with mistrusts of the faithfulness of God in keeping promise to them that come to Jesus Christ for life It also suggesteth mistrust about Christs willingness to receive it and save it And no sin can do this so Artificiently as Unbelief Sixthly It is also that sin which is always at hand to enter an Objection against this or that Promise that by the Spirit of God is brought to our heart to comfort us and if the poor coming sinner is not aware of it it will by some evasion slite trick or cavil quickly wrest from him the Promise again and he shall have but little benefit of it Seventhly It is that above all other sins that weakens our Prayers our faith our love our diligence our hope and expectations It even taketh the heart away from God in duty Eightly Lastly This sin as I have said even now it appeareth in the Soul with so many sweet pretences to safety and security that it is as if it were Counsel sent from Heaven Biding the Soul be wise wary considerate well advised and to take heed of too rash a venture upon Believing Besure first that God loves you take hold of no promise untill you are forced by God unto it neither be you sure of your Salvation doubt it still though the testimony of the Lord has been often confirmed in you live not by faith but by sense and when you can neither see nor feel then fear and mistrust then doubt and question all This is the Devilish counsel of Unbelief which is so covered over with specious pretences that the wisest Christian can hardly shake off these reasonings But to be brief Let me here give thee Christian Reader a more particular description of the qualities of Unbelief by opposing Faith unto it in these Twenty five particulars First Faith believeth the word of God but Unbelief questioneth the certainly of the same Psal. 106. 24. Secondly Faith believeth the word because it is true but Unbelief doubteth thereof because it is true 1 Tim. 4. 3. Joh. 8. 45. Thirdly Faith sees more in a promise of God to help than in all other things to hinder But Unbelief notwithstanding Gods promise saith How can these things be Rom. 4. 19 20 21. 2 King 7. 2. Joh. 3. 4 12. Fourthly Fourthly Faith will make thee see love in the heart of Christ when with his mouth he giveth reproofs But Unbelief will imagine wrath in his heart when with his mouth and word he saith he loves us Mat. 15. 22 23 24 25 26 27 28. Numb 13. 2. chap. 14. 3. Fifthly Faith will help the Soul to wait though God deferres to give but Unbelief will take snuff and throw up all if God make any tarrying Psal. 25. 5. Isa. 8. 17. 2 King 6. 33. Psal. 106. 13 14. Sixthly Faith will give comfort in the midst of fears but Unbelief causeth fears in the midst of comfort 2 Chro. 20. 20 21. Mat. 8. 26. Luk. 24. 36 37. Seventhly Faith will suck sweetness out of Gods rod but Unbelief can find no comfort in his greatest mercies Psal. 23. 4. Numb 21. 5. Eighthly Faith maketh great burdens light but Unbelief maketh light ones intollerably heavy 2 Cor. 4. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Mal. 1. 2 13. Ninethly Faith helpeth us up when we are down but Unbelief throws us down when we are up Mich. 7. 8 9 10. Heb. 4. 11. Tenthly Faith bringeth us near to God when we are far from him but Unbelief puts us far from God when we are near to him Heb. 10 22. Chap. 3. 12 13. Eleventhly Where Faith reigns it declareth Men to be the Friends of God but where Unbelief reigns it declareth them to be his Enemies Jam. 5. 23. Heb. 3. 18. Rev. 21. 8. Twelfthly Faith putteth a Man under Grace but Unbelief holdeth him under Wrath Rom. 3. 24 25 26. Chap. 4 16. Ephes. 2. 8. Joh. 3. 36. 1 Joh. 5. 10. Heb. 3. 17. Mark 16.