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
with him where he should be John 17.24 And he still intercedes now he is in Heaven for such that they may be with him and will certainly conduct them to and possess them for ever of that Glory and Happiness which infinitely exceeds all Imagination and which is fully understood by no Creatures but those who do enjoy it A Happiness which is absolutely free from all evil and unpleasant Mixture and which is every way compleat and full of every thing that is grateful pleasant and can administer any satisfaction A Happiness that is stable sure and certain which shall last to all Eternity and never cease decay nor cloy but always entertain with raptures of Joy ravishing Pleasures and Satisfactions which arise to uninterrupted and constant Extasies These are some of the Arguments which are strongly urged to prevail with Sinners to accept of Christ But his Importunity will yet further appear if we consider the Instruments he doth imploy and make use of about this Work The Instruments are many which are employ'd to entreat and perswade and move Sinners to close with the gracious Tenders made them by the Son of God I will name but four 1. The Holy Spirit is appointed to be Christ's Advocate and is employ'd to plead Christ's Cause with Sinners This Holy Spirit hath not only in a miraculous way convinc'd the World of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment but he doth plead often with particular Persons Sometimes he works pious Inclinations and desires in the Soul sometimes he affects with a penetrating apprehension of the wretchedness of a natural Estate Sometimes he convinces powerfully of a necessity of looking after Christ sometimes he moves and perswades the Soul to close with Christ and accept him upon his own terms The Spirit of God works variously secretly and powerfully on the Heart and doth often testify of Christ even to those who do a long time nay it may be finally stand out and refuse to close heartily with him But it is a great aggravation of a Person 's Sin to grieve the Spirit of God Ephes 4.30 and to quench the Spirit 1 Thess 5.19 To take no notice of Christ but stubbornly oppose and resist him when he comes to us and pleads with us and entreats us by his Spirit to accept of him O to what a height doth our Guilt ascend when Christ sends his Spirit to treat with us and we despise or take no notice of the workings and witnessings of this Holy Spirit What a heightned Crime and Wickedness is this to contemn and make light of Christ after that the Holy Spirit hath been treating with us and explaining to us the Dignity of Christ his unvaluable transcendent Excellencies and the necessity of a Saviour This is certainly a very great proof and demonstration of our Saviour's earnestness to be admitted by us that he pleads with us by such an one and employs his Holy Spirit to transact and manage this Business with us 2. He sends his Ministers on this Errand The Ministers of the Gospel are appointed to be the Preachers of Reconciliation unto the World They are intrusted by the Lord Jesus to plead with Sinners and endeavour to prevail with them to receive Christ and yield up themselves to him And therefore as you hear or refuse to hear them so Christ interprets your readiness or unwillingness to receive him Luke 10.16 The great Work and Business of the Ministry is to beseech you in the Name of Christ to lay down your Enmity which you have unjustly conceived against him and hearken unto his wholsom saving Advice and Counsel even to accept of him that he may dwell with you and you with him Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled unto God 2 Cor. 5.20 Now how often and with how much earnestness have you been entreated this way to embrace Christ and his Gracious Offers Were not Christ very importunate for admittance what need would there be that a particular sort of People should be appointed and set apart for this very Business to invite and perswade and intreat People to accept of Christ and his Benefits Ephes 4.11 c. 3. Jesus Christ doth importune you by his Word When you read or hear the Holy Scriptures what urgings and entreatings have you there from Christ to accept of him It is Peoples great Sin that they slight the Scriptures as they do Ministers and Ordinances and are not willing to observe Christ speaking in them But O what a zeal and earnestness doth Christ manifest there in beseeching and calling Sinners to embrace and accept of him Consider and weigh these few Particulars amongst the many you may meet with in reading the Word of God which plainly shew how much Christ is concerned for your closing with his gracious Tenders 1. His free and solemn Invitations What frank and liberal Promises doth he make to all who will but comply with his Call Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Matth. 11.28 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the Waters and he that hath no Mony come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without Mony and without Price Wherefore do ye spend Mony for that which is not Bread and your Labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your Soul delight it self in Fatness Incline your Ear and come unto me hear and your Soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure Mercies of David Isa 55.1 2 3. You see here that he excepts none and that he assures of the best the most useful the choicest and most valuable Blessings 2. His vehement and affectionate Protestations He swears by Himself that his Love is cordial and sincere He importunes us often and condescends to argue and expostulate with us 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 O house of Israel Ezek. 33.11 Cast away from you all your Transgressions whereby ye have transgressed and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die O House of Israel For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord God wherefore turn your selves and live ye Ezek. 18.31 32. 3. His passionate Lamentation over those who do stubbornly reject him and will not accept of him notwithstanding he pleads with them thus earnestly He wept over them of Jerusalem after he had long importuned them in vain How does he express by groans and sighs his mournful sorrowful Resentments on the account of the destruction they were wilfully drawing on themselves O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are
refuse his help when he only can administer proper Remedies and effect thy Cure and Deliverance Quest 2. What hast thou to trust to whilst without Christ Alas all things but Christ are broken perishing afflicting Reeds such Props as if trusted to will but deceive us and make our fall the greater and more ruinous Alas Sinner if thou hadst all the World its Power its Wealth its Glory yea if thou hadst all the cunning and artifice of Hell too these will not yield thee one jot of comfort or supply when thy Want shall be greatest and most urgent O how sad was it with that poor Soul that having long slighted Christ and despised Grace being at last brought under the Lashes and Accusations of an awakened condemning Conscience could take no rest receive no comfort but was full of horror and black despair when his Friends and Attendants spake to him of applauded him for and presented before him the Honours and Preferments he had obtained in the World the Wealth and Estate he was master of and remembred him of his past Pleasures the things he was wont to be most delighted with and endeavoured to divert him by Musick and other Entertainments all these proved insipid nay vexatious O said he these I loved too much heretofore they have been my bane these wound and torment me These are not Christ for these I ventur'd and fold my Soul I preferred them above Christ These inflame my grief these wound me to the Heart these imbitter and make my Life a burthen to me these kindle Hell in my Soul these weigh and sink me down into the bottomless Pit I have no support at all nothing to trust to There is none but Christ can do me good or yield me help and it is him I have despised and slighted whose Wounds and whose Love cry for Vengeance against me Quest 3. What wilt thou be able to say for thy self at last if thou art without Christ Come Sinner thou canst talk and be as unconcerned at present as any Man Thou darest it may be now to scorn Christ ridicule and make sport at his most solemn and affectionate Entreaties and revile those his Messengers who would perswade thee to close with his gracious Offers But this is not the way to Heaven When thou shalt appear before the great Tribunal of the most Just and Holy God thou wilt not dare to repeat any of thy opprobrious reproachful Expressions thou wilt not be able to justify thy contemning of Christ Their state and condition will be very dreadful who shall be left to plead their own Cause at the great Day of Judgment Be as great and daring as thou wilt at present know thou that more potent and valiant Persons than thy self will then be covered with shame be full of consternation and horror and not dare to open their Mouths in their own vindication Didst thou never read nor hear of those great and powerful wealthy and honourable couragious and valiant Ones who shall call to the Mountains to fall on them and the Hills to cover them from the Face and Wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6.15 16 17. Quest 4. What wilt thou think of Christ and what wilt thou be willing to give for an Interest in Christ at the approach of Death and when thou must come before the Judgment of the Great God If Christ will be precious and desirable when thou seest Death and Hell naked before thee certainly he ought to be precious to thee at present Thou dost not know how soon Death may arrest thee how soon thou mayst lie under its stroak within how few Days or Hours God may say to thee Come Sinner give up thy Account O Sinner whoever thou art be thy Thoughts what they will at present yet if thou hadst Worlds yea thousands of Worlds at thy disposal thou wouldst gladly and freely give and part with them all at the great Day of Judgment for the least saving Interest in Christ O Sinner dost thou know what it is to leave the World with Sin and Guilt cleaving to thy Soul Dost thou know what it is to die and enter into Eternity without having thy Peace made with God Dost thou know what it is to stand before the Tribunal of an unreconciled God and to have Christ appear against thee demanding full Justice against thee for thy stubborn refractory contemptuous despising of Him and his often tendred rich Grace Quest 5. What Reflections have those who are now in Hell on their having slighted Christ and stubbornly stood out against all his Entreaties Do any of those things which they preferred above Christ when they were on Earth afford them any real comfort Have they any abatement of their Pain and Torment by remembring that they purchased such Pleasures or amassed to themselves such Treasures c. by rejecting and refusing to comply with the gracious Offers the Son of God did make to them Alas their remembring of these things doth inflame Hell the more this makes Damnation more than ordinarily terrible this makes the sight of God and Christ amazing and dreadful to the utmost degree To consider they sold God and Christ their Souls and Heaven and Happiness for such Trifles such perishing and unsatisfying things is beyond all imagination penetrating and afflicting O! couldst thou see the Damned in their Chains and didst thou hear their shreiks and howlings or wouldst thou but consider how their misery and unhappiness is heightned and increased by their despising and making light of Christ What thoughts wouldst thou entertain how dreadful wouldst thou apprehend the rejecting of Christ to be when he makes his gracious Visits and pleads and expostulates with Sinners for admittance What thoughts wouldst thou have didst thou hear those miserable and helpless Wretches crying out O the Saviour that we did slight O the Salvation we did neglect O the Offers of Grace and Mercy we did wickedly and contemptuously cast behind our backs O the many the earnest the importunate the affectionate and loving entreaties and courtings of the Son of God which we did stubbornly resist and offer the most unexcusable and wicked despite unto O it is this this that makes our Damnation thus out of measure to exceed and transcend theirs who were never in a capacity of sinning at our rate 'T is this that makes Hell so hot and glowing to us that sinks us so much below all others in this bottomless Pit O what would these do might they have the Offers which thou refusest to accept of How would they rejoice how speedily gladly and heartily would they close with Christ might they have an offer of Grace Pardon and Mercy made once more to them Quest 6. Dost thou think that any of those who have received Christ in sincerity did ever repent of their so doing It is our ignorance of Christ and unacquaintedness with him that makes us think so lightly of him Did we but taste and know how good the Lord is had we but