clearing of this do you not think that Jesus Christ saith true or that he is to be believed in what he speaks never an one surely but will say that Jesus Christ is to be believed and that they do believe that he speaks truth why then Jesus Christs invitation is to every one in this Congregation to come unto him and therefore why should any stand back and hold off from coming unto Christ If the Lord would perswade your hearts to come unto Christ it would be the happiest day that ever your eyes saw in this World if the Lord would perswade your hearts hereto you should find that Jesus Christ would be as good as his word that you shall drink of this water of life and partake of it for ever and ever and shall never see death eternal death Objection There is one thing more Possibly you will say I do not very well understand how I may come to Christ in a way of faith and believing how or which way doth the soul come to Christ in a way of faith and believing as that the soul shall certainly have of this water of life and that Christ will give of this water of life Answer To open this a little This same coming to Christ I would speak it as plainly as possibly I could and not as a riddle or fancy or notion 'T is an hearkening to Christ in a Word of Promise and the soul is therein to venture it self and rely on or upon him in that Word which he holds forth and when the soul doth venture and close with all this is now a coming unto Christ when the Lord gives out an invitation a gracious Promise which holds out mercy and eternal life and in the hearing of it the Lord perswades the soul of the truth and reality of it it is perswaded to trust in it to rely upon it and to expect an accomplishment and performance of it And because I would not speak it as mine own words alone I speak it as the Virgin Mary did when the Angel came to her Luke 1.38 Then said Mary Behold the Servant of the Lord be it unto me according to thy Word This was now a believing a trusting and a relying on the Word of the Lord she was a Virgin and the Angel answered her in that as she had no more to say but to rely upon the Word of Promise Behold the Handmaid of the Lord be it unto me according to thy Word whence was it it was from this speech the holy confidence and expectation of the fulfilling of that promise to her And so effectual calling is an hearkening unto the Lords call the soul being perswaded to receive the Word closing with returning answer to the Word then the soul is effectually called So also there is an ineffectual Call unto which the soul doth not answer but looks upon the Word of the Lord by his Servants as words of wind and words of course but as this same accepting of this gracious invitation and promise which he holds forth is effectual calling why so the neglecting of these I say is a refusing to hear him that speaks from Heaven Take heed that you do not refuse him that speaks from Heaven that is now when the Lord speaks in his invitation by gifts and outward calling this invitation being propounded and made and men make light of it is an ineffectual calling so now when upon the invitation of the call of the Lord in his promise there is an yielding obedience unto that call in faith it 's called the obedience of Faith Rom. 16.26 When the soul doth yield unto the Lord in the voice of the Promise close withal and receive and embrace it looking upon it as worthy of all acceptation receiving it with both hands as it were when the soul doth thus venture to rely upon the Word venturing it self upon the Lord in his Promise that if I perish I will perish there I will venture my self upon the Lords Word and Faithfulness This is effectual Calling 2 Tim. 1.12 I know saith Paul in whom I have believed and I am perswaded that he will keep that good thing which I have committed unto him against that day I have committed my soul concernments unto him and I trust them in his armes When the soul doth venture thus upon the gracious Word of invitation doth receive it and committeth it self unto the Lord in it this is a closing with Christ and the anwer of the heart unto the Lords call and this is a coming unto Christ So that when you venture upon the Lord in his Word you close with him in it it is soon said yea soon done the soul may come and close with Christ in the Promise and that soon too so pass from death unto life Therefore ask your own hearts in the Presence of the Lord seeing Jesus Christ doth make such a gracious Invitation for to come unto him and venture upon him in his Word whether it can be free and ready to say now Lord let it be according to thy Word to me say in this manner as in the presence of the Lord Lord upon this gracious invitation of thine in the Gospel I desire to rest and hope upon the faithfulness of thy Word and to accept thereof and trust in it Can you say it in the presence of the Lord you whosoever you are that seem to be afar off though possibly you might have had some glimmering hopes hoping sometimes that the Lord would be merciful to you and presently fearing your eternal condition Well I speak it to you that are old men and women and possibly old sinners that have lived in sin all your lives long and possibly are even hopeless in your selves and ready to cast out words of despair and so in a hopeless condition in your selves to you the Lord this day calls to come in unto him and to hearken to this invitation and if you now come unto him you shall have of the water of life And you young Men and Maids I would leave out none who are capable of partaking of this water of life consider the Question again Are you willing to be saved Let your hearts speak it out between the Lord and your own souls upon this Word of thy grace unto which thou hast invited me this gracious Promise I do now commit my soul to thee and rely upon this thy Word of Grace and rely upon thy faithfulness to accomplish it to me and have your souls thus answered unto the Lord let it be unto me according to thy Word let me say it in the name of the Lord unto you This day is salvation come unto thy soul this day hath Jesus Christ given eternal life unto thy soul this day the Lord hath taken thee into Covenant with himself and hath vouchsafed thee to be his And I speak it in the authority which Jesus Christ hath given me in his word even every one that thus comes to Christ
Hands and he gave him the Donation or Giving out of the Spirit the giving out of the gifts of the Spirit For saith the Psalmist Psal 68.18 When he ascended up on high then he received the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit to be given out to his people This is the Reward that God the Father gave to Christ after his great labour and suffering in the World assoon as ever he came into Heaven God exalted him with this Exaltation and then he gave him the fulness of the Spirit to give out when he would therefore assoon as Christ ascended up to Heaven presently after there was an abundant pouring out of the Spirit Acts 2. You know the Holy Ghost fell down upon the Disciples like fiery cloven tongues and then they spake with tongues they were able to speak in every mans Language and then you see the Apostle Peter made a Speech to them that heard it and wondred at it Verse 33. and saith he This is the Fruit and Effect of Christs Ascension into Heaven Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost he hath shed forth this which you now see and hear Christ leaving the World and being exalted in Heaven he had this power to give out the Spirit and saith he this is the Fruit of it He hath shed forth this which you now see and hear Therefore if Christ had not left the Discipies then the Disciples and Servants and Apostles of Jesus Christ had been destitute of the pourings out of the Spirit upon them It is true indeed it cannot be denyed but the enjoyment of Christs bodily presence was a most desirable thing very desirable to enjoy the bodily presence of Jesus Christ to see God in our flesh I remember Job did rejoyce in it in the hopes of it many hundreds and some thousands of yeares beforehand in the midst of his great Troubles and Afflictions Chap. 19.25 26 27. saith he I know that my Redeemer liveth and with these eyes I shall see him And this was matter of Comfort to him many hundreds of years before hand in the midst of those Sufferings and Troubles he met withall that he should see his Redeemer with his Eyes in the flesh And Brethren the sight of Christ in the flesh it is a sight that is matter of Admiration to the very Angels in Heaven God manifest in the flesh seen of Angels it was to the Admiration of Angels worth their looking upon 1 Timothy 3.16 Great is the Mystery of Godliness God manifest in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels it was a great sight to the glorious Angels they desired to pry into that great Mystery and it was one of holy Austines wishes he wished the sight of three things in this World and this was the chiefest of all he did desire to see Rome in its glory Paul in the Pulpit and Christ in the flesh And Brethren the sight and enjoyment of the Presence of Christ in our Nature will be one of the happy sights in Heaven it will be a great part of the glory and happiness of the Saints in Heaven to see Jesus Christ therefore saith Christ Father I will that those whom thou hast given mee may be with me where I am that they may behold my glory John 17.24 So the Apostle John 1. Epist 3.2 When he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is I tell you it is a desirable thing to see Jesus Christ in the Flesh and yet this I may say that it is possible for men and women to see Christ in the flesh and yet be never the better for it You know when Jesus Christ was in the World the Jewes saw him and were near unto him and yet were never the better for him We read that when Christ was sent by Pilate to Herod Herod rejoyced to see him but he was never the better for that sight for he derided him and mocked him and sent him away You know Judas had a full Sight of Christ he lived many years in the family with Christ yet Judas was never the better for seeing and beholding the bodily presence of Christ The Reprobates the wicked of the World at the last day shall see Christ in his highest glory but shall be never a whit the better I remember 't is said Mat. 14.30 That all the Tribes of the Earth shall see him and mourn they shall behold him in his glory and yet mourn What shall we say then You see we may behold Jesus Christ in the Flesh and yet be never the better but now to enjoy the presence of the Spirit here in this life a Soul cannot enjoy that but he shall be the better for it It is true indeed in Heaven there the Saints shall enjoy the presence of Christ and the fulness of the Spirit too but here in this life for the Saints to enjoy the presence of the Spirit it is more expedient for them more profitable more advantagious for them than to enjoy the very personal presence of Christ Now to give you a few Reasons for it to shew you wherein it is more profitable more expedient to have the presence of the Spirit than to enjoy the very bodily presence of Christ 1. In regard that By enjoying the presence of the Spirit they may have more reall Comfort than they could have by the enjoyment of the personal presence of Christ You shall see the Disciples themselves all the time that they did enjoy the personal presence of Christ in the World they had not that measure of joy and rejoycing as they had afterward they had not that measure of Comfort and Consolation all the time that Christ lived in the Earth and conversed with them as they had after Christ was taken away from them then they had more real joy Alas before they were subject to griefs and troubles at every turn when they came into danger then they were affrighted and troubled when they were in a storm at Sea and were ready to sink they cryed out and were afraid but now after Christ was gone and ascended and the Spirit fell down upon them you shall see then how full of joy and comfort and consolation they were and so Christ tells them before in this very Chapter verse 21. A Woman when she is in travel hath sorrow because her Hour is come but assoon as she is delivered she rejoyceth So it shall be with you saith Christ whilest I am with you you cannot have such joy and when you hear of my departure sorrow filleth your hearts but when I am taken from you and the Comforter is come then you shall rejoyce and therefore observe when Christ speaks of sending the Spirit instead of his own bodily presence he expresseth it under the Notion of the Comforter When the Comforter shall come O then they shall have such comforts and consolation and
Gospel And look into Acts 10. See there concerning Cornelius there was an Angel from Heaven sent to him he had been fasting and praying and that hour there came an Angel of God to him to tell him that God had heard his Prayers and accepted his Alms but why may not the Angel preach the Gospel immediately No the Lord would have the Gospel dispensed in an ordinary way of preaching not by an Angel from Heaven therefore Verse 5. And now send men to Joppa and call for one Simon whose Surname is Peter and he shall tell thee words whereby thou and thy house shall be saved he shall preach the Gospel effectually to you and you shall see afterwards Verse 33. Immediately therefore I sent to thee and thou hast done well that thou art come now therefore are we all here present before God to hear thee and Verse 44. Whilest Peter spake these Words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word Why did not the Angel himself preach the Gospel to Cornelius Why was not he an Instrument of his Conversion and Salvation no the Holy Ghost will not work alone without the ordinary concurrence of the Ministration of the Gospel and therefore look at it as a delusion of Satan if so be that upon any pretence whatsoever any shall endeavour to take you off from attending upon the Ministry of the Gospel upon pretence of the Spirit that the Spirit shall anoint us and teach us all things Well look upon it as a Delusion of Satan if it be to take you off from attending upon the Ministery of the Gospel which is the ordinary way that God hath appointed and take this for an universal Rule That whatever it be that tends to take any people off from any Ordinance of God or any Institution of God look at it as a delusion of Satan let it be under any pretence whatsoever as now to take one off from Duties and Ordinances to wait till the Spirit come immediately to inspire look upon it as a Delusion because it tends to take you off from the ordinary Institutions that God hath appointed So you see the Gospel is the Means of Conversion and Salvation the Gospel without the Spirit cannot do it and the Spirit without the Gospel will not do it 4. The fourth thing is this That it is a matter of unspeakable Joy and Consolation to the faithfull Servants of Christ that their dispensing of the Gospel through the Concurrence of the Spirit is made effectual for the Conversion and Salvation of any Soul Ay saith Christ here this shall be instead of my bodily presence with you and it shall be as comfortable to you You are now troubled and sorrowful because I am going away from you but I will send the Comforter to you and the Comforter shall assist you in your Ministry and make it successful to convince and convert and save Souls and Christ would have them to look upon it as equivalent to his own bodily presence and would be matter of greater Joy and Consolation to them Look into Verse 12 22 of this Chapter saith Christ You are now sad and sorrowful but I tell you saith He the time is coming that your sorrows shall be forgotten The sorrows that you have upon my departure shall be forgotten they shall be swallowed up with Joy and Consolation Look saith he as it is with a Woman when she draweth near the time of her Travail when her pains begin to come upon her then she is sad and sorrowful but saith he when she is delivered she forgetteth her sorrow for Joy that a man-child is born so shall it be with you Thus Christ comforts his Disciples against his going away they should have such matter of rejoycing that should swallow up all their sorrows they should have the presence of the Spirit and their Ministry should be efficacious and successful for the converting of Souls and Christ did speak it from his own experience John 4. When he was speaking to the Woman of Samaria he sent his Disciples into the City to buy food for he was hungry and when he sat down weary on the Well he asked a little water of the woman and so fell a discoursing and convincing of the woman that she lived in Adultery and converted the woman and when his Disciples came Master say they here is meat to eat Meat saith he I have that which is better than meat I have meat to eat which you know not of my Meat is to do the Will of my Father here is my joy and rejoycing to convert Souls Meat is matter of great joy to an hungry man if you give him all the World if he have not meat it is nothing saith Christ I take more joy and delight in converting of Souls than I do in eating when I am an hungry And you shall see how the Apostle Paul doth rejoyce in this that he was an Instrument in converting and saving of Souls he writing to the Thessalonians 1 Epist 2.19 20. For what is our Joy or Hope or Crown of rejoycing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming for ye are our Glory and our Joy ye saith he are the Top of my Joy the Crown of my Joy Paul had been an Instrument to convert them by the preaching of the Gospel and saith he ye are the top of my glory and rejoycing So 2 Thess 2.13 14. We are bound to give God thanks always for you my Brethren and Beloved in the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you unto Salvation through the Sanctification of the Spirit and Belief of the Truth whereunto he called you by my Gospel to the obtaining the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ Saith he we are always bound to give thanks to God for you Ay here is matter of Joy and Rejoycing And truly so though Paul did meet with Afflictions Tribulations and Persecutions for preaching of the Gospel yet notwithstanding he made nothing of all his troubles sufferings and sorrows in regard he did but finish his Course with Joy If he have but this Joy and Consolation I care not saith he what troubles or afflictions do abide me Acts 20.24 The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City that bonds and afflictions abide me but none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto my self so that I may finish my Course with Joy and the Ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus If I can but preach the Gospel saith he and be an Instrument to convert Souls this is the Joy of my heart let my life go for it And it is a very high expression which the Apostle John hath Epist 3. Verse 4. saith he there I have no greater joy mark the Apostle John that had such Communion with Christ Yet saith he I have no greater joy than to hear that my Children walk in the Truth Those that he had been a means and
for the loss of it for it may be the more expedient for you to be deprived of your Estates than to have them continued unto you possibly you would have grown more carnal more sinfull more profane insolent vain scornfull more lascivious wanton and loose and so you might have run upon your own ruine and destruction if the Lord had left you to enjoy what you would have Saith Solomon Pro. 1.32 The prosperity of the wicked shall destroy him The Lord doth sometimes leave some to a prosperous estate and it may be a means of their utter undoing Therefore it may be more expedient for you that they go away therefore let us not be inordinate in our grief and sorrow for the loss of any Creature-Comfort 3. Then Hereby we may see the foolishness and vanity of these apprehensions that do sometimes come into our mindes O we are ready to think sometimes if we had lived when Christ was here in the flesh when Christ's bodily presence was in the world or if we could now see and enjoy the bodily presence of Christ O we should go to him upon all occasions O then we could go and worship him and reverence him and honour him and adore him and admire him I tell you these are vain fancies and imaginations for the injoyment of the presence of the Spirit is more advantagious to us than the enjoyment of the bodily presence of Christ could be and if Christ were now in the world in our dayes as he was before it may be we could not tell how we might come to speak to him and see him he might be at one end of the world and we at the other but now we have this advantage we may go to Christ in any part of the World and enjoy Communion with Christ and speak to Christ in Prayer in any place and we may worship reverence honour and love Jesus Christ now he is in Heaven and Glory It is said of the Disciples Luke 24.51 52. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the Temple praising and blessing God I tell you we may worship and reverence and honour Jesus Christ now he is in Heaven as much as we could have done if he were bodily present with us It is therefore a vain imagination to think O if Christ were now present what worship we would now give him how we would adore him and acquaint him with our Necessities at every turn You may have as much access to him now as if he were in the World and you may have more of the Spirit given to you now than you should have then And let me add this by the way not to let your mindes go too much out about the personal presence of Christ here on earth I do not speak to condemn that opinion That Christ shall personally reign upon Earth a thousand years which is the opinion of many godly and learned Men and I would not speak contradictorily to it though for my own part I conceive Christ shall have a glorious Church upon Earth and Reign upon Earth a thousand Years too Yet I must needs say I do not apprehend as to his Bodily presence 'T is true indeed Jesus Christ shall come from Heaven at the day of Judgement and appear personally in the Clouds and if you observe it you shall find when the holy Ghost in Scripture speaks about the appearing of Christ you shall find he speaks of that appearing that shall be at the Day of Judgment As 1 Tim. 6.14 Saith the Apostle there I charge you that you keep this Commandment without spot untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ Now what appearing is this or when shall Christ appear look 2 Epistle 4.1 I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom When he shall come to Judgment then he shall appear personally Objection But you will say May he not appear for all that before in this World and may he not come in his own person and live in the World before that Answer Truly Brethren I have no warrant for that but rather to the contrary for the Apostle saith Heb. 9.28 speaking of Christs coming to Judgment To them that look for him shall he appear the second time So that his appearing to judge the World shall be his second appearing to you that look for him shall he appear the second time Now when he was incarnate in the flesh then he appeared the first time but he shall appear the second time that is when he comes to judg the World therefore I say I have no warrant for Christs being personally on Earth before the day of Judgment only 't is true there shal be a glorious appearance of the power of the Spirit there shall be a glorious Church upon Earth a thousand years that I do believe but for the personal appearance of Christ and his living personally in the World I confess I have not such grounds for that But I would not trouble your heads about these things neither would I have you trouble your Fancies much about them but look after the enjoyment of the spiritual presence of Christ that will be more advantagious and expedient for you than the very personal presence of Christ That is the third word of Application I have but one word more and that is this 4. From hence now we may have a strong Antidote and Cordial against all our sorrows griefs and troubles in parting with any creature-comfort though it be our nearest and dearest comforts in this World Know this for your comfort and support under all that it is most expedient for you this is the very cordial and support and antidote that Jesus Christ himself prescribed to his own Disciples against their immoderate sorrow because I have said these things saith he sorrow hath filled your hearts in the Verse before the Text and now he comes to give them a cordial and andidote against it in the Text Nevertheless I tell you the Truth it is expedient for you that I go away Not for me only It was expedient indeed for Christ himself to go away that he might be advanced at the right hand of God that he might be indued with the Spirit and have all fulness of gifts to give out it was expedient for him but saith he I tell you the truth it is expedient for you and this he gives them as a cordial and antidote against their sorrow it is expedient for you that I go away but they could not tell how to believe it that it should be expedient for them that he should go away therefore saith Christ Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away Truly Brethren this is the very Cordial that Christ himself gave against immoderate sorrow and grief of mind in parting with any creature-comfort in this World remember 't is expedient for you
trusting and leaning upon its own righteousness from looking to be accepted of God to salvation upon the account of its own righteousness This the Spirit of God doth take a soul from in order to convincing it of righteousness Truly Brethren this is the rock that we are all of us naturally prone to dash upon and to split upon we are all of us naturally prone to seek after acceptance with God upon the account of our own righteousness to run on in the way of the Covenant of Works to seek for salvation in that way that Adam should have been saved in if he had stood Doe and Live be obedient to the Will of God be exactly righteous and you shall have life this is the way that Adam should have had life in if he had continued in his obedience but now this way of the Covenant of Works is null'd and we cannot look for salvation in that way but we are all of us naturally prone to run on in that way to look for the life of our souls meerly by our own righteousness This was the stumbling stone that the Jews stumbled at this was the great rock of offence Rom. 9.31 32 33. saith he The Gentiles which followed not after righteousness have attained righteousness but the Jews which followed after righteousness have not attained righteousness why so because the Jews stumbled at that stumbling stone they sought after righteousness by the works of the law they sought to be righteous with their own righteousness and therefore mark what he saith Chap. 10.3 They being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God This is natural to us to look to be accepted of God for our own righteousness and truly it is a very hard thing for a soul to be taken off from that and therefore hence it is that the people that are morally righteous and not so notoriously wicked and prophane as others are are ordinarily harder to be convinced and converted than others are so that as Christ saith Mat. 21. Publicans and Harlots shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven before you speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees that were exact to the letter of the law I say we are all apt naturally to stick there to run upon the rock of our own righteousness just as the Apostle speaks of himself when he was a Pharisee Philip. 3. I was saith he concerning the Righteousness of the Law blameless but afterwards when the Spirit of the Lord had convinced him of his own unrighteousness and the righteousness of Christ at the 8 and 9 Verses Now saith he I would be found in him not having on my own righteousness which is of the Law that righteousness that I had when I was a Pharisee I would not be found saith he having on my own righteousness but that righteousness which is by faith in Christ Jesus Now I say we are very hardly brought off from our own righteousness to close with this righteousness of Jesus Christ but now it is the work of the Spirit in convincing a soul of righteousness to take the soul off from its own righteousness and therefore the Spirit is fain to take pains with the Soul to shew it that all its own righteousness will come to nothing And therefore do but observe the way and method of the Spirit of God what the Spirit of God doth ordinarily when it taketh a Soul off from its own righteousness The Spirit of God comes therefore and causeth the Soul to see not only its own sinfulness by notorious open wickedness and prophaness that it hath lived in it doth not only convince the Soul of its profaning of Sabbaths and its disobedience to Parents and lying and stealing and pilfering and dishonesty when a Soul sees that then it cannot be accepted of God for its own righteousness And not only so but the Spirit of the Lord doth discover to the Soul the secret evils of his heart inward sins that never saw the light of the Sun that the World never knew of The Spirit of the Lord comes and convinces of those wickednessâ—s that there is such and such wickedness in the heart secret pride and secret malice and secret envy and secret hypocrisy and secret unbelief and the like and now how can the Soul expect to be saved of God for its own righteousness What is this the righteousness saith the Soul that I look to be accepted for And not only so but the Spirit also doth dâ—scover to the Soul the unrighteousness of its best duties and services those things that men are apt to think that God should accept them for now the Spirit comes and opens the understanding and makes the Soul to see the imperfection and weakness of the best duties and services as the Church saith All our very righteousnesses are as filthy rags and O! can I expect to be accepted for these prayers and these duties and services that are so filthy and so defective and so impure When the soul comes to be made sensible of these things how can it expect to be accepted for its own righteousness Nay Brethren the holy Spirit doth usually discover to a Soul not only the sinful faâ—â—ings that are in his best duties and services but also the sinful frame of the heart and spirit that there is a sinful frame of wickedness within a law of rebellion and enmity against the will of God within though possibly it hath never broken out but there is a sinful frame of heart within that every thought and imagination of the heart is only evil continually and out of the heart proceeds all manner of abominations evil thoughts murder and theft and blasphemy and all manner of wickedness Now Brethren when the Spirit of the Lord comes and opens a mans heart to himself that he sees the very frame and disposition of his heart is set against God and the will of God in every thing then the Soul must needs be convinced that it can never be accepted of God for its own righteousness the Soul sees that it hath no righteousness at all in it self to rest upon And not only so but the Spirit of the Lord in this convincing a Soul of righteousness discovers to a Soul that this is not the way where by it can look for acceptance with God by all that ever he can do it is true indeed this was the way that Adam in his innocency should have found life and salvation in but since the Fall that Covenant is broken and null'd and now God hath no where promised to give life and salvation in the way of that Covenant no God hath nulled that way of Salvation by our own works and doings that if so be now it were possible a man or a woman to be perfectly obedient to the whole law yet he may go to hell and be damned for all that because now God is not bound nor engaged to