Text. I shall give you my sense of what our receiving Christ doth import in a few Particulars where you will have the Substance of what is contained in or implied by these Expressions in the Text. 1. Our receiving of Christ doth imply our having a deep and affectionate sense of the Danger Evil and Filth of Sin and in what an undone condition we are naturally We are not fit to receive Christ into our Hearts till we have an entire hearty and invincible detestation and abhorrence of Sin which is so contrary to Christ setled in our Souls We cannot prize and value Christ aright till we are sensible how hateful and destructive Sin is Christ and Sin cannot reign together nay they cannot amicably lodg together in the same Soul We cannot serve God and Mammon If we do not see our selves lost and undone without Christ we cannot bid him truly welcome The Physician is not look'd after nor regarded till we perceive our Distemper and are sensible how weak and uneasy it makes us Mat. 9.12 Paul sees himself the greatest Sinner before he observes and takes comfort in the loveliness of Christ 1 Tim. 1.15 Those whom Christ calls and incourageth to come to him are they who are pressed and grieved with the weight and burthen of their Sins Mat. 11.28 Now do you try and examine your selves whether you are duly affected with the evil and silth of Sin with your deplorable and lost Estate whilst out of Christ Do you really think that there is nothing in the World near so pernicious evil and hateful as Sin Is Sin more hateful to you than Hell Can you truly chuse the greatest Suffering and Misery rather than commit the least Sin knowingly against God and Christ Are you brought to this Point to say in sincerity All for Christ Hast thou such a sence of Sin as makes thee cry out in holy Resignation Lord what wilt thou have me to do What shall I do to be saved 2. Our receiving of Christ doth import a firm belief of his Divinity and the alsufficiency of his Merits and Satisfaction A sinful Creature who is lost and undone in himself and apprehends his own Estate would catch at every thing but knows not where to fix till he be indued with a truly Divine Faith and thereby has his Mind throughly satisfied that the Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God is appointed by the Father to be a Propitiation for the Sins of the World and that he having obeyed and suffered according to the Agreement betwixt Him and the Father is alsufficient for the saving of all those who do believingly close with him A meer customary assent to what is said of Christ in Scripture will not serve our turn Satan will easily baffle and overcome such a Faith It must be such an inward assent and consent as carries all the Powers of the Soul along with them such a Faith as is impregnated and confirmed in us by the Power of the Holy Ghost The Heart must be firmly perswaded of Christ's being the Son of God that he hath made full satisfaction to God's Justice and that in him there is a compleat and absolute fulness for us Heb. 7.25 Do you therefore examine your selves concerning your present Estate and enquire whether you have a sure and firm Belief wrought in you that Christ is God and that he is a compleat and perfect Saviour that in him dwelleth all Fulness and that notwithstanding your own personal unworthiness yet you may and shall if you believingly and obediently depend on him be accepted for his Merits and Worthiness I do not speak of a superficial Assent a meer notional Belief but such a Faith as is a living active Principle in us which undermines and supplants our Lusts and mortifieth them daily in us and puts us with vigor and earnestness on all Acts of Holy Obedience and faithfully endeavour to please God Are you firmly perswaded on Scripture-Grounds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God That there is no other Name given under Heaven by which you can be saved and that in him there is such a redundancy that of his Fulness you may receive Grace for Grace 3. Our receiving Christ doth import our laying on him the great and only stress of our Salvation our looking up to him and depending on him alone for Pardon Life and Happiness If we will receive Christ we must deny not only our sinful worldly Lusts but we must deny our selves as to our best and most religious Duties Works and Performances We must not desist from and break off from these Performances but we must deny them so as not to depend and rely on them as if by the Worthiness and Merit of these we could purchase Life and Salvation to our selves Though it is our duty to work and labour in the Service of God with such earnestness and diligence as if we were to get Heaven by our own pains yet when we have done all we must rely wholly on the Satisfaction Righteousness and Merits of Christ A true Believer will have his Eye on Christ when at Duty to engage his Fervency and Diligence and after he hath done all he can he will rely only upon him for acceptance When we have done all we can we must acknowledg our selves unprofitable Servants Luk. 17.10 Now hast thou learn'd to deny thy self Do'st thou not please thy self that because thou art not as prophane and loose as many others are that for this cause thou shalt be accepted and saved Alas bare Morality will lodg People far short of Heaven Do'st thou not conclude thy Condition good and safe enough because thou prayest often readest the Scriptures hearest the Word preached and partakest of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper as occasion offereth Alas if thou reliest on these things thou wilt find thy self but in the state of Hypocrites and of those spoken of in Mat. 7.21 22 23. Do'st thou not think thou must needs go to Heaven for thy pious Services thy good Works and thy Charity in relieving the Poor If so read what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3. He that receiveth Christ into his Heart goes wholly out of himself to Christ He lays no stress on any thing he can do He labours after the greatest conformity he can attain to the Will of God and doth this out of obedience to God but when he hath prayed with the greatest fervency he can and hath expressed the greatest Zeal for God and Religion he can reach unto when he hath done all within his Power he renounces all thoughts of Merit in himself and flies only to Christ for favour and acceptance He is sensible of his own Imperfections and Infirmities and cries out against himself Vnclean unclean my best Righteousnesses are but as filthy Rags I am but an unprofitable Servant He hastneth to Christ to undertake for him and cries out Blessed Jesus let thy Merits and Satisfaction obtain acceptance and favour for me
us we are not only to cast away our Lusts and Sins but our Hearts must be fitted and disposed to receive him by the powerful Operation of his Holy Spirit beautifying and enriching them with Divine and Heavenly Qualifications And therefore it will concern us to be earnest in our Prayers that the good Spirit of God may come down upon us and make our Hearts and Souls meet Temples for the Son of God to dwell in IV. Go forth unto Christ by the actings of Faith upon all occasions Let Christ dwell in your Hearts by Faith Ephes 3.17 according to every alteration in your condition and according to all the diversities of Providence do you look unto Christ exercise Faith on him and by Faith fetch supplies of Grace from him V. Meditate much and often on the Love of Christ to Sinners Read over the Gospel the several Apostolical Epistles and the many Prophecies concerning Christ especially Isa 63. take notice of the many remarkable Passages there relating to Christ declaring his Condescention and Love weigh them seriously and press them upon thy own Soul and Conscience dwell on these Matters in thy Thoughts and expostulate with thy self about them What hath the Son of God taken my Nature has the King of Glory condescended to live here in the form of a Servant did he patiently undergo all the unjust Affronts and Contempts of lewd and prophane People did he bear the weight of God's Wrath and actually lay down his Life in the most open scandalous cursed linguering and painful kind of Death then known in the World and was all this for my sake O incomprehensible Love What shall I return unto my Saviour for all this I can never love Christ enough may I never cease admiring the many Instances wherein his Love hath broke forth unto me may I so wonder at and be affected with all these things that love to Christ may shine through all the passages of my Life May I never be at rest till I do arrive at the full enjoyment of my Saviour in his own Kingdom What has the Lord Jesus Christ done so much for me has he revealed such Truths made such Promises suffered such Sorrows submitted to such a Death as are recorded in the Holy Scriptures are so many glorious and wonderful Things related concerning him Doth he now reign in Heaven and hath he purchased such blessed Inheritance and satisfying Treasures for poor Sinners Nay doth he still importune and entreat me to accept of Him and his Benefits God forbid that I should oppose his Motions and resist his Love any longer Shall the King of Glory be slighted and excluded still by me Shall I wilfully cast away my own Soul and stubbornly neglect this great Salvation God forbid Shall it be writ on my Grave Here lies the sturdy ungrateful Wretch that did wilfully resist Jesus Christ the Wretch that resolved to force his way to Hell through all the Impediments and Discouragements infinite Justice and infinite Mercy had laid in his way that vile unpitiable Miscreant that would damn himself in spite of Love it self VI. Converse much with those who are experienced Christians and have much acquaintance with Christ He that walketh with wise Men shall be wise but a Companion of Fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13.20 Such People will very much assist thee in thy closing with Christ by their Discourses Exhortations and Practice They can tell thee such things concerning Christ from their own experience as will warm and melt thy Heart and inflame thy Affections They will contribute much to thy help by their advice and counsel by the accounts they can give thee off their own experiences by their watchfulness over thee and by their fervent effectual Prayers for thee VII Labour to be acquainted with and to observe all the Motions and Workings of Christ towards Sinners and close with and improve every one of them when he is pleased to exert any of them towards thy self Take notice of the Calls he doth give thee in his Word and the awakening visits he doth make thee by his providential Occurrences and improve these to put thee on a more diligent search and close walking after him and to excite and quicken in thee more fervent desires after Communion with him VIII Conscientiously frequent those Ordinances wherein Christ hath promised his more especial Presence Prepare thy self carefully to meet thy Lord and come with passionate Desires and confident Expectations grounded on his Faithfulness Word and Promise that he will exhibit himself unto those Souls that sincerely long and wait for him IX Lastly Faithfully resign and give up thy self to Christ When thy Heart is affected truly with a sense of Christ's Love then desire him by fervent Prayer that he will be pleased to take thee into Covenant with himself and make a hearty faithful entire resignation of thy self unto him O Blessed Jesus most Holy Saviour I am unworthy I acknowledg to make use of thy Name I have often resisted and sinned against thy constraining Love but I am heartily sorry now that ever I did so O compassionate and tender-hearted Saviour reject not an humble returning mourning Penitent embrace me the unworthiest of all others in the Arms of thy Mercy and admit me into thy favour the more stubborn and head-strong and wilful I have been the more abundantly let thy Grace be manifested toward me and bring me under the more powerful influences of thy Love Lord seize by the Power of thy Grace and take possession of this Soul Gracious Saviour whose Bowels have ever yearned over the miserable and who hast been always compassionate and gracious to the unworthy favourably accept of this poor Oblation Lord it is the purchase of thy own Blood O reject not despise not cast not away what thou hast bought at so dear a rate Lord here is my Soul my Body my Heart my Affections my Mind my Judgment my Will Lord here is all that I have Lord I resign up all unto thee without any reservation do with all as pleaseth thee best only accept of them O Lord I love thee above all I desire with my whole Soul to love thee every Day more and more Lord dwell in my Heart rule over my whole Man bring all my Powers unto a true and sound subjection unto and compliance with thee in every thing May my Soul always admire thee my Heart love thee my Tongue praise thee my Lips speak of thy Glory and Goodness May my Life glorify thee may I in every part of my practice serve and honour thee may all my Faculties and Members be ready and faithful Servants for and unto thee Lord I long to be with thee my Soul panteth after thee For me to live is Christ and to die is gain Phil. 1.21 FINIS
CHRIST's IMPORTUNITY WITH SINNERS To accept of HIM By S. Bold Rector of Steple Dorset All day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying People Rom. 10.21 As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the Wicked but that the Wicked turn from his way and live Turn ye turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die Ezek. 3.11 London Printed for Awnsham Churchill in Ave-Mary Lane and are to be sold by William Churchill Bookseller in Dorchester 1687. THE PREFACE TO THE READER READER THE Happiness and Glory of Heaven and the Horror and Anguish of Hell are most certain stable and durable Estates We have as great as convincing and as satisfying Evidence that wicked ungodly and impenitent Sinners shall be for ever inexpressibly and unconceivably miserable as is fit for reasonable Creatures to have in this World and as Infinite Wisdom hath thought meet to afford The Evidence is such that whosoever would pretend to require more suitable more proper and more powerful discoveries were he put to invent Methods of his own for his particular fatisfaction would have as reasonable as just and as good grounds after his Humour and Fancy were gratified to continue an Infidel as before see Luke 16.30 31. He that thinks it a disparagement to his Wit or a blemish to his Courage to acquiesce in the Testimony of God as delivered in our Bibles might with greater assurance refuse his assent to the Damn'd themselves did he see them in Flames and hear their personal acknowledgments that their Vices and Sins had wrought them all that misery For why should he heed and credit them who have not trick enough to disguise or obstinacy enough to deny their Guilt The subsequent Discourse was not design'd for them whose unnatural Immoralities or studied Incredulity has given them an elevation as they conceit above conviction If nothing but particular Experience will assure them of eternal and unsufferable Torments I leave them as Persons out of the reach of Ratiocination and Discourse to what will certainly overtake them and that before they are willing And therefore intending the following Discourse especially for the plain and ordinary sort who have not lost all sense I will briefly address to them in a Stile proportionable to the plainness and familiarity used in the Discourse it self I entreat you who retain any sparks of Humanity who have a sense that your Souls are Immortal who acknowledg there is some difference between Good and Evil Virtue and Vice and whom your general Profession do own that the Scriptures are the Word of God I say I do beg and most earnestly beseech you by all that should be dear and precious unto you to think seriously a little on the following Particulars Be so just to your selves so respectful to your Maker so civil and kind to them who do most passionately desire your everlasting Happiness as to allow a few sober thoughts about Matters which be of most necessary and unspeakable importance unto you Why should you rush upon God's Wrath precipitaâ—e and heedlesly throw your selves headlong into unquenchable Burnings and grieve and wound the Hearts of those who incessantly pray and desire and long and wait for your endless Good and Comfort Be prevailed with then to consider with some sedateness and calmness these few Instances 1. Though God made Man at first a very excellent holy upright and unblemish'd Creature yet now we are all by Sin defiled and made unholy and brought under Guilt So that as long as we remain in our natural and unregenerate Estate we are obnoxious and liable to God's Curse and have a just right to all the terrible Discoveries and most dreadful Effects of Divine and Infinite Justice see Rom. 5.12 1.18 Ephes 2.1 2 3. John 3.36 2. God hath not left us remedilesly in that sad and deplorable and as to all meer Creature-relief helpless Estate into which we are sunk by Sinâ— But of his abundant rich and free Grace He hath provided us an Alsufficient Saviour and Redeemer and hath opened unto us a Door of Hope He hath given his own Son to assume our Nature and to make Peace and Reconciliation for us By and through this Son of God Pardon Peace and Mercy deliverance from Sin Guilt Misery and Eterna Damnation is to be obtained and no other way see Rom. 5.8 9 10. 1 Tim. 1.15 Gal 4.4 5. 1 John 2.1 2. Act. 4.12 3. The Lord Jesus Christ having accomplished all that Work he undertook and which was appointed him to finish upon Earth and being entred into his glorious Administration doth make most gracious Offers of himself his Love his Mercy his Spirit and Benefits unto poor Sinners and is very importunate with them to entertain and accept of the same Ephes 4.7 to 14. Act. 13.26 2 Cor. 5.19 to the end 4. Multitudes who have the Gospel and partake of the Ministry of the Word and make a profession of Religion and have these gracious Offers made unto them do not suitably entertain but despise and reject Christ and his Benefits They stubbornly refuse to submit to his Authority to comply with his Terms and imploy themselves in his Service Nay many offer him the greatest abuses and contempt they can devise see Mat. 22.1 2 c. Luke 19.14 John 5.40 Act. 13.46 And do not the Lives and Practices of multitudes professing Christianity demonstrate all this Look into your Hearts and examine the ordinary course of your Conversations Shall you not there find sufficient and full proof that hitherto you have rejected him That yet he hath no room in your Hearts no influences on your Practices O what Ignorance what Rancor Malice Revenge Hatred Wrath unmortified powerful Lusts what Covetousness Earthly-mindedness Carnality Pride Hypocrisy what backbiting lying slandering evil-speaking prophane and common Swearing vain frothy foolish unedifying Words and Discourse what common constant neglect of the Worship and Service of God in Families and in Private What sleighting and contemning God's Word and Ordinances nay what ridiculing and making a sport of all serious Religion what Drunkenness and Whoredom Intemperance and Wantonness Oppression Injustice Violence and innumerable other most notorious and abominable wickednesses may multitudes of pretended Christians every where observe in and justly charge themselves with Now are these the Fruits of Christ's gracious and holy Presence Was Christ of such a Mind Did He do such Things Does he any where countenance and allow of such things Can those Hearts which cherish such Lusts and from which such polluted streams and corrupt Fruits do proceed be a Temple for the Holy Jesus to dwell in Are not these the Fruits of the Flesh which shut the Heart against Christ and exclude those who cherish and practise them out of the Kingdom of Heaven Gal. 5.19 20 21. Rev. 21.8 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Ephes 4.29 31. 5. All those who enjoying the Gospel do stubbornly and finally reject
destitute of true and sound Notions of God and without an interest in him as our reconciled God Ephes 2.12 Now what have such Persons to be proud of we who are dead in Trespasses and Sins Ephes 2.1 What have we to be conceited of that we should refuse to accept of Christ's Offers that we should think scorn to entertain him The discovery of our natural Estate should make us hasten to the Lord Jesus with all the speed we can But alas it is our not being sensible of our Condition our Infidelity our not believing that we are so worthless unclean and miserable as indeed we are that makes us slight Christ and refuse his gracious Offers 3. He makes known how real and extraordinary his Love is to us He does not complement us with words but hath a Heart for us O what demonstrations of Love hath he given us He hath done as much to approve the sincerity of his Love to us as can be desired or imagined Sinner there is no ground for thee to question the truth of his Love He hath vindicated and cleared his sincerity beyond all possibility of suspicion and doubt He pleads with the Sinner protests his Love to him and argues the matter with him Behold I have loved thee so long already with a transcendent Love And what is it thou wouldst or canst desire to make it appear my Love is hearty and real Do'st thou expect I should approve my Love by suffering some great hardships for thy sake Behold I have done that and more I have been scorned and contemned I have been abused and laugh'd at I have been derided and mock'd and spit upon nay I have sweat Blood for thee I have undergone inexpressible Agonies in my Mind such troubles and griefs in my Soul as no Tongue can explain for thy sake I have endured the frowns and born the displeasure of an angry God and incensed Father to preserve and save thee Here behold with thine own Eyes the Marks in my Hands and in my Feet those Nails have made which fastned me to the Cross see the Scars on my Forehead which were torn there by that Crown which was violently and reproachfully thrust on my Head Nay I did lay down my Life for thee I waxed not weary in compassing thy Salvation though the Pains and Sufferings I endured were very many very grievous and afflicting Death it self hath not quench'd nor conquered the Love I did bear unto thee Now who can resist the Arguings of a Saviour Do's Christ plead his Love and his Sufferings with thee do's he conjure thee by them to accept of him and wilt thou still stand out and reject him O how stubborn how invincible an Infidel how vile and unpitiable a Wretch wilt thou prove thy self to be if thou wilt not be moved by the entreaties and courtings of a bleeding Saviour 4. He doth urge his Authority over us and the right he hath unto us I do not mean only that which doth accrue to him by Creation or from our own particular promise and resignation of our selves unto him But that right he hath to us by purchase We are not our own to dispose of The Lord Jesus hath bought us out of the hands of our Enemies and is become on that account our rightful Lord and Master And how can we refuse him when he comes unto us but we must contract on our selves the dreadful guilt of the most detestable Rebellion rebellion against Heaven against the Lord of Love of Mercy of Life Our Hearts our Souls our Bodies our whole Man are purchased by him He has redeemed us unto himself he hath paid a sufficient price for us and shall we shut the Doors against him when he comes to dwell in his own House the Habitation he himself hath purchased Should a Servant keep any of us out of a House we have dearly bought with what indignation should we resent such usage And what may we expect from Christ if we will detain his own purchase from him and not admit him to have an abode with us 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Luke 19.27 It was a great Sin in the Jews that they slighted and disowned Christ when he came amongst them And their Sin was very much aggrevated on this account that they rejected him notwithstanding he had a peculiar and special right unto them John 1.11 O what will our Sin appear to be if after that Christ hath bought us with his most precious Blood we will not accept of and receive him when he knocks and pleads with us 5. He acquaints us with the necessity of our admitting him into our Hearts in order to our own happiness What shall we sin against our Lives and our Blessedness Shall we cast away our Souls and all that is justly dear to us and have nothing to say for our selves in our own vindication and excuse Is there any thing of prudence or of reason in doing thus Doth not our Nature doth not that Principle which differences us from Brutes detest such a thing Why if we would not be such Prodigals it highly concerns us to accept of Christ He comes to us and intreats us to accept of him for our own benefit He cannot receive any advantage or profit by it he doth not need us It is for our good he comes to us he importunes us thus because without accepting of him we must be eternally ruined We are in the way to Hell Satan and Lust are hurrying us apace to everlasting Misery and we cannot be delivered and saved any other way than by accepting of him Acts 4.12 6. He sets before us the Glory and Inheritance he hath provided for us and will certainly bestow on us if we do receive him The Things Christ hath treasured up for Believers are not the little transitory Things of this World These Things he casts abroad with a seemingly indifferent hand he never designed to make up a Portion for his own People of these perishing Things He hath greater and better Things to reward us with even an Inheritance incorruptible undefiled and which fadeth not away but is reserved for us in Heaven 1 Pet. 1.4 He hath taken possession of glorious Mansions and will come again and receive us unto himself to be for ever where he is John 14.2 3. We have no ground to question our Saviour's Faithfulness or Bounty It is alledged as a strong and convincing Argument that God will not deny any useful thing unto his People because he hath given up his Son for them Rom. 8.32 And can we imagine that he who hath suffered for us and triumphed over all our Enemies and hath made such glorious Promises as are recorded in his Word and doth still testify such strong Affection and Love towards us will if we accept of him refuse to confer on us the great and the glorious Things he hath purchased for us by his bloody Sufferings Our Blessed Saviour when he was on Earth prayed that his Servants might be