Conversion and Salvation though it be a foolish thing to carnal reason to come and hear a man speak a little time and think this to be a means of Conversion and Salvation but though it be so foolish a thing yet this is the way and means that God hath appointed whereby Souls should be converted and saved Question But I pray How is the Ministry of the Gospel a Means of Conversion and Salvation Answer Briefly for I must not inlarge The Gospel is a Means of Conversion and Salvation namely partly by discovering or convincing People where they are out of the way of Salvation as in the Text I will send the Comforter and he shall convince the World of Sin of their sinful Estate and how they are out of the Way of Salvation and doth discover and convince them and shew them the right way and also the Gospel is a means to open and enlighten the Understandings of People to open their blind Eyes as Christ told Paul when he sent him to preach the Gospel Acts 26.18 Go saith he I have sent thee to open the Eyes of them that are blind and to turn them from Darkness to Light that is by the Ministry of the Gospel The Gospel is a Means to open peoples Eyes to turn them from Darkness to Light to make them see that they are in a state of Darkness to make them see that there is a glorious Light held forth in the Gospel as the Apostle speaks 1 Pet. 2.9 Who hath called you out of Darkness into his marvelous Light This is that the Gospel is a Means of and so it brings to a state of Salvation And again the Gospel is a Means to deliver people from the power of the Devil every one naturally is in the power of Satan he rules and works in all the Children of Unbelief Now the Gospel is a means to bring Souls from under the power of Satan and so Christ told Paul in that 26th of Acts I have sent thee saith he to turn them from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan to God The Gospel is a Means of that therefore saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 The Weapons of our Warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds to beat down the Batteries and Castles and Fortifications that Satan builds it is mighty to pull down the power of Satan and so by that means to bring a Soul into a State of Conversion and Salvation And also the Gospel is the Means to work faith in the heart to cause a Soul to believe on Christ 't is a means of that and so by that means the Soul comes to be justified and freed from the guilt of Sin Faith saith the Apostle cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10.17 Faith cometh by hearing the Gospel preached God is pleased to make use of the preaching of the Gospel to work Faith in the Souls of poor Sinners and by working Faith in their Souls drawing them unto Christ Now by believing in Christ they come to have remission of Sins as Christ told Paul in that of the Acts To turn them from Darkness to Light from the power of Satan to God that they might receive Forgiveness of Sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified and all by Faith in Christ So that I say the Gospel is the means ordained and appointed of God for the Salvation of Souls and therefore let no body think that the Ministry of the Gospel is a needless thing as many are ready to think in their minds that of all the Callings in the World the Ministry of the Gospel may be best spared Truly if so be that the Salvation of Souls be not necessary then the Calling of Ministers to their Office and their preaching of the Gospel may be spared but you see Christ hath appointed it to be the means of Conversion and Salvation and therefore whatever people may think secretly in their minds that we may edifie our selves by reading a Chapter and meditating upon it by reading of good Books and what need we to trouble oâ—r selves to wait upon the Ministry of the Gospel Truly know this That the Foolishness of God is wiser than the Wisdom of Man God hath pleased to ordain and appoint the Ministry of the Gospel to be the means of Conversion and Salvation and therefore if the Conversion of Souls be necessary then the preaching of the Gospel is necessary therefore let us take heed we do not neglect attending upon the Gospel and the preaching of the Gospel as we would be loth to neglect our own Salvation That is the first That the Gospel is the Means of working a saving and converting Work upon the Souls of Men. 2. The second is That the Gospel alone of it self cannot work a saving and converting Work upon any Soul no there must be the Operation of the Spirit of Christ that must go along with the Gsopel or else the Gospel will never be able to work any saving converting Work upon any Soul 't is true indeed the Gospel is the Word of Salvation Ay saith the Apostle Rom. 1.16 It is the Power of God to Salvation Ay where the power of God goeth along with it it works Salvation by the power of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 13.4 The Weapons of our Warfare are mighty through God saith the Apostle not mighty in themselves The Weapons of our Warfare what is that The Ministry of the Gospel the Preaching of the Gospel is mighty but it is mighty through God to the pulling down of Strong Holds Alas of it self it cannot the Gospel of it self is but a weak Letter but where the Power of the Spirit goes along with it it is mighty mighty through God mighty to convince and mighty to convert and mighty to save therefore the Gospel is compared to a Sword and it is called the Sword of the Spirit Eph. 6.17 Take to you the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God It is a Sword that cannot do good except it be wielded by the hand of the Spirit of God It is not now as a natural cause to effect any thing as now our Food is a natural cause sanctified and ordained by God as a natural cause of nourishment Physick is ordained as a natural Cause of health but 't is not so with the Word the Ministry of the Word is but as a Tool or Instrument in a Workmans hand in a Carpenter or Joyners hand the Tool of it self cannot work the Word of it self cannot work but as it is in the Workmans hand so it works Truly so the Sword of the Spirit in the hand of the Spirit that will work to the convincing and converting and saving of a Soul otherwise it cannot do it no it is but weak in it self even as a Sword that cannot move or lift up it self but now in the hand of the Spirit the Spirit the Gospel is mighty to
open the understanding to open the heart We read the heart of Lydia was opened when she heard Paul preach but it was not Pauls preaching but the Spirits going along with it that did open her heart and she attended to what was spoken by Paul and so the Spirit with the Word is mighty to draw a Soul to Christ not the Word alone no saith Christ John 5.44 45. No man can come unto me except the Father draw him that is there must be the mighty Power of the Spirit of God concurring to work with the Word to draw and perswade and convince by the Word and then it works And so the Spirit with the Word will cause a Soul to grow and encrease in a Spiritual Estate Paul may plant and Apollos may water but it is the Lord must give the encrease to make the growth So it is one may preach and another may preach but still there must be the concurrance and work of the Spirit or else all our preaching will be but like the watering of a dead plant but the Spirit of the Lord must come and be present and then our preaching our planting and watering may be blessed for those ends for which God hath appointed it And the reason is this That without the Spirit of God the Word though it be ordained of God to be a Means of Conversion and Salvation yet the Word alone without the Spirit cannot do it because the Ministry of the Word is too weak to make an Impression upon our hard hearts Take a Seal and set it upon a Rock or Stone it makes no Impression Why Because there is no pliableness in the Rock or Stone to receive the Impression Thus it is with our hearts our hearts are naturally like so many Stones therefore see what the Lord promises To take away the heart of Stone and to give a heart of Flesh a soft heart the hardness of it shall be taken away that when the Word comes as a Seal to make an Impression upon the heart the Spirit doth change the heart and makes it pliable to receive the Impression which othewise it could not do You may as well make an Impression upon a Rock or Stone as upon any Heart till the Spirit come and soften the heart and make it pliable to receive the impression of the Word and therefore hence you may observe That sometimes when divers hear the same Word preached there are diversity of effects in the same hearers hearing the same Word some are converted and others not some believe and others not As Acts 17. When Paul had been preaching to them Verse 32 34. When they heard of the Resurrection of the dead some mocked and others said We will hear thee again of this matter Howbeit certain clave to him and believed Ay some received the Gospel and others not some believed and others not As I remember 't is said Acts 28.24 Some believed the things that were spoken and some believed not And What is the Reason The Spirit doth work effectually with the Gospel upon some hearts but not upon others that is the reason that some believed and some believed not And hence it is again that sometimes some are more hardned by the very word of the Gospel So far from being converted and brought into a state of Salvation that they are more hardned and set further off nearer to their damnation What is the reason Because there wants the presence of the Spirit and therefore you shall see Isa 6.9 saith the Lord to the Prophet he was an Evangelical Prophet Go saith the Lord make this peoples heart hard go and harden their hearts that they may hear and not understand that they may not be converted and saved Let their hearts be more hardned saith God by hearing the Gospel preached nay sometimes what is the reason that the most eminent ablest Preacher of the Gospel in the World that their Ministry is sometimes less efficacious than the Ministry of them that are far inferiour to them what is the reason Because the Concurrence of the Spirit goeth along with the one and not with the other You shall see Christ himself the most eminent Preacher that ever was under Heaven John 22.36 37. He preaches there and though he did Miracles before them yet they believed not on him that the saying of Isaiah the Prophet might be fulfilled Lord who hath believed our Report and to whom hath the Arm of the Lord been revealed And therefore they could not believe because Isaiah saith again He hath blinded their Eyes and hardned their hearts These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake of him when he saw the glory of Christ when he was most Evangelical in his Ministry then he spake these Words whereas Peter now that was far inferiour to Christ having the presence of the Spirit mightily poured down upon him Acts 2. where the Holy Ghost fell down upon the Apostles like so many fiery cloven tongues Peter preached to them and he converted three thousand Souls at one Clap because of the powerful presence of the Spirit together with the Word Therefore Brethren still let us not satisfy our selves with hearing the Gospel preached though we had the most eminent preacher that ever was in the World though we should have heard Christ himself but look for the Concurrence of the Spirit the breathings of the Spirit wait upon God for the communicating and giving out of his Spirit that they may make the Gospel to be the Ministration not of the Letter but of the Spirit for it is the Spirits Work to make the Gospel effectual and operative for the Conversion and Salvation of Souls 3. In a Word that As the Preaching of the Gospel of it self cannot convert or save any Soul So neither will the Holy Ghost without the Concurrence and preaching of the Gospel You heard before that the Preaching of the Gospel cannot do it alone But cannot the Spirit will not the Spirit do it alone It can do it alone indeed But mark I pray the Spirit will not ordinarily convince and convert effectually and savingly any Soul without the Ministration of the Gospel To give you but a Scripture or two for this Acts 9. You see there Christ himself speaks to Paul you know how he met with him as he was going to Damascus to persecute the Saints and Christ spake immediately to him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me well who art thou Lord saith he I am Jesus whom thou persecutest Well Verse 6. You shall see saith Paul Lord What wouldest thou have me to do Mark now Christ doth not preach the Gospel immediately himself but he sends him to one to preach to him Go into Damascus and there it shall be told thee what thou shalt do and there Christ sent Ananias to preach the Gospel to him Christ himself would not preach the Gospel from Heaven to him nor he would not convert nor save his Soul without the Ministration of the
go along with our Ministry Our Sermons had need to be watered and soaked in earnest prayer for the Spirit 2. Here is now a mighty Word of Encouragement unto poor Souls to be ready to entertain and receive the Gospel and the Ministration of it to be ready so to receive it into your hearts as it may be a good Word of Conversion and Salvation to your Souls Ay this would be matter of Joy and Rejoycing to the Servants of Christ more than all that ever you can do for them if they may be but instrumental for the Conversion and Salvation of your Souls it will be more Comfort and joy to them than all the World besides Joy to them Ay it will be Joy to the very Angels in Heaven Luk. 15.10 11. There shall be Joy in Heaven over one Einâ—â—â— that repents The Angels of Heaven observe how you come into the Congregation they observe your Carriage and how you take the Word and what impression it makes upon your hearts to Coâ—vâ—ction and Conversion and Salvation it is the Joy and Rejoycing of the Angels in Heaven to 〈◊〉 a poor Soul brought in by the Ministry of the Gospelâ— and do not you think you your selves will have as much cause of Joy and Rejoycing Whereas on the other side if so be the poor Servants of Christ do come and take pains they study and labour and hold forth the Word of the Gospel to you and people come and receive it into their ears and not into their hearts no good done upon them but they remain as carnal as worldly and unbelieving as before and they see no fruit of their Ministry this is the grief of their hearts and Souls they labour and labour and question whether the Lord doth own their Ministry or no they have cause to complain as the Prophet Isa 49.6 I have laboured in vain I have spent my Strength for naught and in vain So the poor Servants of Christ go with a dead heart into their Studies and come to preach with a sad heart when they see no good done no saving Work wrought this is a very Cut to their hearts and Souls and they would rather if they might have their wills cease mentioning of the Name of Christ to people Therefore let it be the desire and endeavour and care of people so to hear and receive the Word into their hearts that it may become effectual and an Instrument in the Lords hand for the Conversion and Salvation of their Souls Objection But you will say Is it in our power I know you think so in your hearts to make the Word convincing and converting and saving Answer I do not say 't is in your power but thus much I may say you may oppose and resist the saving Work of the Gospel upon your hearts and therefore to be found waiting upon the Lord in his way you cannot tell but the Lord may make the Gospel effectual to you for your Conversion and Salvation And therefore let me commend three or four Words by way of Direction in this case and so I shall leave all to the blessing of God Do you desire to have the Word of God made effectual for the convincing and converting and saving of your Souls Then 1. Be much and earnest in praying for the Spirit to go along with the Preaching of the Word into your hearts and Souls Ay pray much for that O! before you come you should be careful to wrestle with God for the presence of the Spirit to go along I fear Brethren that people are careless in this Point they come reeking out of the World and from their business and never wrestle with the Lord for the presence of his Spirit to assist the Preaching of the Word that it may become effectual and profitable to your Souls and so you go away as you come Therefore I say as the Apostle Jude v. 24. Be building up your selves in your most holy Faith But how shall we build up our selves in our most holy Faith how shall we do it why saith he Praying in the Holy Ghost that is the way Beg earnestly for the Spirit for the Holy Ghost to accompany the Word and make the Word profitable and effectual to you That is one Direction I do but name it I pray remember it 2. As we do desire to have the Word made effectual for Conviction Conversion and Salvation to our Souls Then attend upon the Preaching of the Gospel as the Lords Ordinance for that very End that he hath appointed it namely for Conversion and Salvation This is the very End for which God hath appointed the Preaching of the Gospel to be a saving Word a Word of Salvation to poor Souls that is the very End of the Gospel it is appointed for that End Eph. 4.11 12. saith the Apostle Christ when he ascended up on high he gave Gifts to men Ministerial Gifts he gave Pastors and Teachers for the edifying of the Body for the bringing home of Souls to the Body for the perfecting of the Saints So that those that are Saints should still attend upon the Gospel for more edifying for the saving work to be carried on This is the very Intendment of the Preaching of the Gospel God hath ordained it for this end and purpose therefore wait upon it for that end attend upon it as the Word of God which he hath appointed for that end 1 Thess 2.13 We are always bound to give thanks to God for you beloved Brethren because when you heard the Word you received it not as the Word of man but as it is indeed the Word of God which worketh effectually in them that believe Ay receive it as the Word and the Word of God for that End that God hath appointed it and through the presence of the Spirit it will become effectual Mark how it wrought in Cornelius and his Family Acts 10. Cornelius was directed to send for Peter to preach to him and Cornelius in the mean time had gathered together the Congregation his Friends and Relations he had got them together that they might hear the Gospel as well as himself when Peter came he preached Christ to them Now saith Cornelius we are all here before the Lord to hear whatever God hath directed thee to speak to us we are here to attend upon it as the very Word of God and Peter opened his mouth and preached the Gospel to them and it is said The Holy Ghost fell upon them all that heard it v. 44. and then saith Peter verse 47. Can any man forbid Water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we Attending upon the Preaching of the Gospel as Gods Ordinance and Institution for saving ends and purposes for Conversion and Edification and Salvation this is the way whereby we may have the Gospel made effectual to us we shall be brought to receive it and receiving of it we shall be brought into a state of
Salvation and further built up in our most holy Faith That is the second Direction 3. Receive the Ministration of the Gospel with humility of Spirit and meekness I say receive it with all humility and meekness of Spirit that is the way whereby it may be made effectual to Salvation When people come and say they can tell as much as the Minister can tell them and they had as good stay at home and read a good Book and not câ—ming to it as Gods Ordinance with a teachable frame of Spirit being willing to hear what the Lord will say how can the Word become effectual but now when a Soul comes with meekness of Spirit to hear what the Lord will say and then as Psal 25.9 The Lord will teach the meek and saith the Apostle James 1.21 Receive with meekness the ingrafted Word which is able to save your Souls receive it with meekness with an humble Spirit to receive whatsoeever the Lord shall please to direct his Servants to speak And let me add but one thing more and I will have done and that is this 4. Be careful to receive the Word and Truth in the Love of it and to mixe it with Faith Receive it in the Love of it Truly if so be we have no Love to the Truth and the Word when we come to attend upon it it may be just with God to give us up to believe Lies as that hath been the very Judgment of God upon the Antichristian World for these 1200 years together for this very Sin for not receiving the Truth in the love of it 2 Thess 2.11 12 13. Because they received not the Truth in the Love of it therefore God gave them up to strong delusions to believe Lies And Antichrist hath prevailed to this Day upon that very account Therefore remember that we be ready to receive the Truth in the Love of it as to say This is a Truth of God and though I have heard it before yet it is a Truth and the Lord would have this Truth spoken to me and I must receive it in the Love of it and then mix it with Faith Hâ—b 4.2 They had the Gospel preached to them as well as we and The Word preached did not profit them that heard it why because they did not mixe it with Faith in their hearts What is this mixing the Word with Faith Truly when the Lord perswades the Heart to receive whatever is spoken as spoken from the Lord to me this Word the Lord doth intend for me and makes a particular application of it this is the proper work of Faith to apply the word spoken to our selves as spoken from the Lord to us And thus the word cometh to be effectual through the Spirit either in a way of Conviction or Conversion or for the Furtherance of the Salvation of the Souls of any But thus much shall suffice at this time The Holy Ghost convinceth of Sin SERMON IV. JOHN 16.9 Of Sin because they believe not on me YOU have heard the scope of these words already which in short is this Christ would here comfort his Disciples against their sorrow which they had for his going away from them Because I said these things unto you saith he Sorrow hath filled your hearts Now Christ is speaking here in a way of Comfort to sustain and support the hearts of his Disciples against that grief and sorrow that did possess them And how doth he comfort them He tells them that his spiritual presence shall be more advantagious to them than his bodily presence could be The presence of the Spirit which he would send to them saith he he shall be a Comforter to you If I go away I will send the Comforter to you and that shall be more than my bodily presence to you whereas If I go not away the Comforter will not come Ay but how shall the presence of the Spirit be in stead of Christ's bodily presence to them and make up that loss to them Christ tells them for that wherein the presence of the Spirit with them after his going away would be equivalent and correspondent to his own bodily personal being with them But wherein He tells them namely because when the Spirit comes he shall co work with them in their Ministry so as their Ministry shall be made efficacious and effectual to the furtherance of the Salvation of many Souls The Spirit shall go along with their Ministry and this Christ gives in by way of Comfort to his Disciples Hence we Observed the last time That it is matter of exceeding great Joy and Consolation to the faithful Servants of Christ that through the operation and co-working of the Spirit their Ministry is made effectual for the good of Souls This is a great matter of joy and rejoycing for observe it Christ doth lay this down as a comfort to preponderate and out-weigh their sorrow that they had in their hearts in respect of his going away from them But I shall not speak to any thing that was then spoken to But still it may be said But how shall the Spirit concur with our Ministry to make it effectual for the Conversion and Salvation of Souls Saith Christ When he is come he shall convince the World The presence of the Spirit with your Ministry shall convince the Men of the world Convince them Of what Now here he tells them You heard in the general from the 8th Verse He shall convince the World of Sin and of Righteousness and of Judgement But now in these 9 10 and 11 Verses he comes to shew particularly the work of the Spirit in convincing the World and he gives the reason of every particular that the Spirit shall convince the World of Of Sin Because they believe not in me And again He shall convince the world of Righteousness Why Because I go to the Father and ye see me no more And again He shall convince the world of Judgment Why Because the Prince of this World is judged I shall speak only to the first of these at the present through the Lords assistance He shall convince the world of Sin Of Sin and this in order to their Conversion and Salvation Why Because Christ speaks this by way of Consolation to the hearts of the Disciples now this would be matter of Comfort indeed that their Ministry should be made efficacious for the Conversion and Salvation of Souls Therefore this convincing the world of Sin is in order to Salvation There are two Points to be spoken to from the Verse But I shall only take up one to speak to at present through the Lords assistance and that is this Doctrine That it is the first work of the Spirit of God in order to the Conversion and Salvation of any Soul to convince the Soul of Sin I say the first work of the Spirit of God in order to Conversion and Salvation of Souls is to convince of Sin For here Christ speakes of the work
Spirit of God cometh to convince a Soul of sin you will find the contrary the Soul will be ready to close with the very Instrument and Means that doth convince him of sin it will embrace and love the instrument you may see it Acts 2. When Peter and John and the Apostles dealt plainly with the people at the 22 verse say they Ye men of Israel hear these Words v. 23. Him being delivered by the determinate Counsel and Foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Say they Ye have killed the Son of God There was plain dealing and so afterwards and so afterwards he tells them again verse 36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ Well how did they bear this at their hands v. 37. Now when they heard this they were priâ—ked at their hearts and they said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren What shall we do Men and Brethren not Enemies no but Brethren now Ay when the Spirit of God convinces a soul of sin by any Instruments it will look at the instruments rather as Brethren than as haters of them they will look upon them in another manner and give them other manner of Appellations and Greetings Men and Brethren And truly Brethren this is a good sign that the Holy Ghost hath been at work upon the heart in a way of conviction when as the soul is ready to close with those that are the Means and Instruments of convincing them of sin That is the fourth thing whereby we may come to discern the difference between the trouble for sin that comes from the evil Spirit and that trouble that comes from the holy Spirit in a way of convincing of sin 5. When Trouble for sin doth come from the evil Spirit ordinarily the heart will be ready to murmur against God himself secretly murmur against God himself and think that God dealeth very hardly with sinners and very rigidly to lay such heavy punishments upon sinners for small matters as they are ready to think What afflict us here lay such heavy punishments upon us here for a small sin and then inflict eternal death too and let the wrath of God ly upon the soul for ever for sin God deals very hardly for sin the heart secretly rises against God and murmurs against God for it as if God were unrighteous and dealt very rigidly and severely as Cain Gen. 4. saith he My Punishment is greater than I can bear 't is too great a punishment And I remember Ezek. 18.25 The Lord complains of the people that they were ready to murmur against him as if his ways were not equal The Fathers have eaten sowre grapes and the Childrens teeth we set on edge We are punished say they for our Fathers sins God deals unrighteously with us and unequally with us that God is fain to clear himself I tell you saith God the Soul that sinneth it shall dy And the Child shall not bear the punishment of his Fathers So they were ready to judge hardly of God as if God were unrighteous And so I remember Revel 16.10 11. And the fifth Angel powred out his Vial upon the seat of the Beast and his Kingdom was full of Darkness and they gnawed their tongues for pain And what then v. 11. And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pain and their soares and repented not of their Deeds When God comes to lay afflictions upon a soul and sin is set home by the Devil they will be ready to blaspheme God at least secretly in their hearts that God is a hard God and deals very rigidly and severely what for a small matâ—er to lay such heavy punishments upon us here and eternal wrath for ever the Lord dealeth unrighteously Whereas now on the other side when a soul is convinced of sin by the holy Spirit of God the Soul is ready to justify God though he do afflict As I remember Ezra 9.14 saith Ezra there And whatever is come upon us for our evil Deeds our God hath punished us less than our iniquities have deserved God might have laid much more upon us So Nehem. 9.33 Nehemiah and the rest there do acknowledge that the Lord was righteous in all that was come upon them Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right So I remember David when God had convinced him of his sin of Murder and Adultery Psal 51. he makes that as his penitential Psalm and saith he Verse 4. That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and clear when thou judgest Lord saith he I will clear thee whatever cometh of me this is the guise and frame of a soul that is convinced of sin by the Spirit of God such a Soul will justify God and acknowledge that God is holy and righteous in all his dealings So Psal 22.2 3. There David complains that God had shut out his prayer I cry night and day saith he but thou regardest not but yet saith he thou art holy thou art righteous still Thus it is with a soul that is convinced by the holy Spirit of God 6. You shall find another difference When the evil spirit convinces a Soul of Sin and troubles the Soul about sin you may observe there the Soul is not troubled for sin as 't is sin nor is it taken off from sin as sin but only troubled about the effects of it but is not taken off from sin no not from any sin as 't is sin possibly such a Soul may be under restraint for a time from his sin or possibly he will never venture upon that sin again that his Soul hath been troubled about and his Conscience so tattered and terrified about yet is not taken off from all sin You know Judas was troubled for his sin the Devil had drawn him into sin to betray Christ when he had drawn him into the sin then the Devil falls upon his Conscience and drives him into despair even to hang himself But it is likely if he had lived an hundred years after he would never have done the like crime again he would never have betrayed his Master again but yet he was not taken off from sin as sin if a Soul be taken off from sin aâ— sin he will be cut off from all sin for you see he fell upon self murder for all that and upon the sin of despair for all that so that I say such a soul is not taken off from all sin Whereas now a soul that is convinced by the Spirit of God it doth cut him off from all sin that now a Soul doth loath and hate every sin that he knows to be sin he will not meddle with it Psal 119. saith David I hate every false way And as Ephraim saith Hos 14.8 What have I to do any more with Idols Never meddle with
first work of the Spirit in order to Conversion and Salvation for so the Point was laid down That it is the first work of the Spirit in order to Conversion and Salvation to convince a Soul of sin Now how doth that appear Briefly in two or three Words 1. Thus because The Lord in the Work of the new Creation doth ordinarily use the same Method that he did in the old Creation You know in the first Creation of the World the first particular Work that God wrought was Light saith God Let there be Light and there was Light Light is that whereby things are discovered light makes things manifest So now God comes in the new Creation when he is about the great Work of the new Creation upon the Soul the first thing God works in the soul is to create Light Light whereby the soul may come to see and discern what is in himself he comes to see and discern sin saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.6 God that commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined into our hearts In the new Creation he doth cause a soul to see and discern its own unrighteousness and there where true righteousness is to be had the righteousness of Jesus Christ of which we may speak afterwards if the Lord please He shall first convince the World of sin and then of righteousness but the first Work is to create Light in the soul and such Light as to discover sin as Christ told Paul when he called him to preach the Gospel Acts 26.18 saith he I have sent thee to turn people from Darkness to Light That is the first Work commonly the Spirit doth in order to Conversion and Salvation to bring in a light into the soul to discover sin the soul was in darkness before and saw no great evil in sin but now there is a light brought in whereby the soul is made to see and discern sin and so is convinced of sin 2. It is the first Work of the Spirit in order to Conversion to convince the soul of sin because Till a Soul be convinced of sin it will never much heed the Gospel of Grace Alas the Gospel and the glorious Grace that is held forth in the Gospel is a very slighty thing to a carnal heart they make a light matter of it they do even mock at it as a very simple foolish thing as in Acts 17. When Paul was Preaching to the Athenians say they What will this Babler say v. 18. It is but a kind of babling So sometimes some of your learned Doctors have counted the preaching of the Gospel but prating and babling so v. 22. When they heard 〈…〉 the resurrection of the dead some mocked They made a slight matter of it and disregarded it but now when a soul comes to be convinced of sin then it will be ready to attend the Gospel the soul will then be ready to hear what God speaks in the Gospel See that example again Acts 2. You read there those that were converted by Peters Sermon at first they did not regard what the Apostles said say they These men are drunken with new wine and they talk they know not what but afterward they came to be of another mind when Peter had preached to them and the Spirit had gone along with him to convince them of sin then Men and Brethren what shall we do now we will hearken to you and hear any thing you will say to us I say upon this account it is the first work of the Spirit to convince the soul of sin because the soul makes but a slight matter of the grace of God in the Gospel till it be convinced of sin it will make but a mocking matter of it But when a soul comes to be convinced of sin by the holy Spirit of God then the Word of the Lord will be precious to him and then we will hear thy Words for they are sweet 3. And lastly The Spirit doth first convince the soul of sin in order to Conversion and Salvation Because till such time as a Soul be convinced of sin the Soul is not fit to be married to Christ There must be first a Divorce before there can be another marriage if a woman be to be married the second time she must not marry whilest her Husband lives without a Divorce so 't is in this case a Soul cannot truly be married to Christ till such time as it be dead to the law of sin The Apostle speaks very elegantly to this purpose Rom. 7.1 2. Know you not Brethren I speak to them that know the Law how the Law hath Dominion over a man so long as he liveth And so on And at the 4 v. he comes to make Application Wherefore my Brethren ye also are become dead to the Law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another even to him that was raised from the dead You cannot be marryed to Christ till such time as you be clear from your first Husband and how come we to be divorced from the Law of sin but by conviction of sin when the Spirit of the Lord comes to convince of sin then there is a Divorce then the heart is taken off from sin Indeed as I told you before if the soul be not convinced by the Spirit he is not convinced of sin as sin but when the Spirit of the Lord comes and convinces a Soul of sin here is a Divorce and now the Soul is made fit to marry with Christ And so you have seen the Point opened Application Now one word or two by way of Application and I have done 1. Then Hereby we may come to discern or have a near scantling about our spiritual Estate whether we have had the Work of Conversion wrought in us or no. I shall speak but a Word to it and leave it to your further Consideration Consider whether the first step towards Conversion hath ever been set that is the Work of Conviction by the Spirit Hath the Lord by his Spirit ever convinced you of sin hath the Spirit come and brought sin unto you and set it home upon you hath the Spirit of the Lord so set home sin upon you that you have not been able to make any evasion for that as you heard is the nature of true Conviction and hath the Spirit so set home sin upon you that your heart came to be affected with it and afflicted for it that you are made to humble your selves before the Lord under the sense of sin Well have your souls ever been thus convinced of sin or no if not then you have not set the first step towards Conversion I pray mind it You will say yes I hope I have been convinced of sin I have had some sins so set home upon me that I could not deny it nor avoid it but my heart hath been greatly afflicted under it that I could not rest day nor night and I have been afraid I should
have sunk into the bottomless pit But I pray consider was this Conviction from the holy Spirit of God you have heard there may be a trouble for sin that may come from the evil spirit What was it any other but the Conviction that may come from the evil spirit yes you will say I hope it is from the holy Spirit of God For that you may consider those seven things that were laid down to discover when sin is set home by the holy Spirit of God you may consider of them at your leisure when you are in private between the Lord and your own Souls But let me only propound this one thing to you from them all you say you have been convinc'd of sin by the Spirit of God I pray mind it for it is that that doth concern our everlasting state our eternal Salvation for if the first step be not set toward our conversion then we cannot expect that the other steps are set therefore I say you that say you hope you have been convinced of sin by the Spirit I pray consider how was your Conviction healed how was your trouble taken off Consider of it between the Lord and your own Souls you were troubled for your sins once but how is it taken off did it wither away by degrees like a land-flood that makes a great noise for a time but wears away by degrees insensibly Was it so with you or was your trouble taken off by making restitution giving of satisfaction where you have wronged or was it by reformation and performance of duties and so obtained the life by your own hands as the Prophets expression is or was it by making application of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ to your Souls in a way of faith and believing Were you brought to that Truly if not I cannot say but that your Conviction of sin might be from the evil spirit Therefore consider seriously of it hereby we may come in some measure to discern about our spiritual Estate whether the work of Conversion be effectually wrought or no Consider whether this first step be set namely Convincing of sin by the Spirit of God and truly if so be the holy Spirit have convinced you of Sin I am apt to think that the Spirit will never leave till it hath made thorow Work saith the Apostle Philip. 1.6 We are confident of this very thing that he that hath begun a good Work in you will certainly finish it to the Day of Christ And if the holy Spirit hath begun to convince you of sin the Spirit will go on to convince you of Righteousness too That is the first Word of Application I have another and so have done 2. It is to exhort and perswade you that if ever the Work of Conviction should come upon your hearts and spirits to take heed that you do not hinder it but further it what you can I confess it is irksome to flesh and blood our carnal hearts cannot away with this Work of Conviction but will avoid it and escape it if possible But take heed you do not hinder it but further it what you can because else if it be from the holy Spirit of God you do resist the Spirit and go about to quench the Spirit Therefore you should do even as old Eli advised young Samuel when the Lord began to call him saith Eli When you hear the Voice again say speak Lord for thy Servant desireth to hear So I say to you doth any word come to your Hearts and speak to your Consciences in a way of Conviction of sin do not drive it away do not quench it but say Speak Lord for thy Servant desireth to hear And now plead with the Lord do not now rise up in your Spirits against the Instruments that are means to convince you take heed of that but rather ly low before the Lord and bless the Lord that any Word is spoken to you by way of Conviction and never leave till such time as you come to rest upon Christ and his Righteousness and upon the vertue of his death whereby he hath made satisfaction to the Justice of God on the behalf of poor sinners I say do not neglect do not slight or despise or quench or check this Work of Conviction And so now I have done with this Point The next Point is concerning the Spirits convincing of the sin of unbelief He shall convince the World of sin because they believe not on me But thus much shall suffice for this time The Holy Ghost convinceth of Sin SERMON VI. JOHN 16.9 Of Sin because they believe not on me WE have already handled one point from these words which was this That the first work of the Spirit of God upon the heart in order to Conversion is to convince the Soul of Sin Christ saith here that he would send the Spirit after his departure from them saith he I will send the Comforter and this he spake to support and comfort the hearts of his Disciples against his absence and therefore the end of his Spirit was to cooperate with their Ministry it was in order to the Conversion of Souls this is the matter of their comfort Now this I have spoken to at large before but now to come to the second Note or Point which doth plainly lye before us which I shall desire to speak something to at present and that is this Doctrine That the great and special Sin that the Spirit of God doth usually convince People of in order to their Conversion is their Vnbelief not believing on Christ For so saith Christ here He shall convince the World of Sin Of what Sin He tells them of their Unbelief Of Sin because they believe not on me That is the great and special Sin that the Spirit of God is wont to convince people of in order to their Salvation namely their Vnbelief It is indeed the work of the Spirit to convince of other sins as you heard before but yet in a special manner 't is the work of the Spirit to convince of this sin of Unbelief He is said so to convince of this Sin as if there were no other sins to be convinced off he mentions no other sins But he shall convince the World of sin because they believe not on me And this you shall find in part verified presently after Christs Ascension into Heaven In a few dayes after Christs Ascension into Heaven he sent the Holy Ghost Acts 2. The Holy Ghost was poured down abundantly upon the Disciples when they were met together thereupon Peter preached a sermon to the People that came wondring about him and now Peter had experience of what Christ here promised saith Christ I will send the Spirit and he shall convince the World of sin by your Ministry And at Peters Sermon there was three thou-convinced at one clap they were convinced of sin not only of their not believing on Christ but of their murdering of Christ that they had Crucified
personal righteousness of Jesus Christ Brethren this is the work of the Spirit of God to discover and reveal this to the Soul that God will accept of the righteousness of Christ on the behalf of poor sinners He was made sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 Well this the Spirit of God doth discover and reveal to the Soul when he comes to convince it of righteousness Nay and let me add further concerning this righteousness namely the Spirit doth discover to the Soul the way whereby he may come to have an interest in this righteousness the Spirit doth discover that to the Soul namely that it is in a way of faith and believing and leaning and resting upon the righteousness of Christ that Whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life and Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10.4 This is the work of the Spirit to discover this to the soul when he comes to deal with the soul to convince it of righteousness in order to salvation This is the second thing that the Spirit doth first it takes us off from our own righteousness and then it reveals and discovers to the Soul this righteousness of Christ what it is and which way it is to be attained But then 3. A third Work that the Spirit doth which is the upshot of all and that is this when the Spirit comes to convince a Soul of righteousness in order to salvation then The Spirit doth convince powerfully and effectually that is the Spirit comes powerfully and perswades the Soul to close with this righteousness This is to convince of righteousness in order to salvation so to convince as to perswade and prevail with the soul to venture to close with it this is the way whereby a Soul comes to have an interest in Christs righteousness by faith and believing on Christ and it is the work of the Spirit so to convince so powerfully so as to prevail with the Soul to give the venture Well I will venture my Soul upon it if I perish I perish I will venture my Soul upon this righteousness of Christ the Spirit secretly perswades the heart so as now the Soul is made to say with the Psalmist Psal 71.16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of thy righteousness even of thine only When the Spirit comes thus to convince effectually so as to perswade the Soul to venture to lean upon Christs righteousness only to be accepted of God to salvation then the soul doth make mention of Christs righteousness and that only well I will venture to rest upon that alone and then surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousness and strength then the soul shall be made to say there 's all my righteousness I have none of my own that I dare venture on but I do now venture to lean the weight of my Soul upon this righteousness of Christ and if I perish I perish This is now the convincing work of the Spirit to convince of righteousness So now you have heard the point briefly opened namely That it is the Work of the Spirit in order to Salvation to convince the Soul of righteousness Now then briefly for the Application of it in a Word Application Here then we may come to understand whether or no the Spirit hath been at work upon our souls in order to salvation It is a great Question I suppose you will think it so when you come to ly upon your death-beds whether or no the Spirit of God hath been at work upon my heart in order to my salvation Well you see it is the work of the Spirit in order to Salvation to convince of sin and to convince of righteousness then consider I pray consider seriously between the Lord and your own souls and let us not willingly deceive our own souls Hath the Spirit of the Lord ever been thus at work upon my heart hath the Spirit ever come and convinced me of sin and of righteousness For if the Spirit of the Lord hath ever convinced you of sin in order to your Salvation it will go on also in the Work of Conviction to convince also of Righteousness Therefore I say I pray consider of it seriously Objection You will say Well I hope the Spirit of the Lord hath been at work upon my heart I hope I can say my heart hath been deeply troubled about my sin and I have gone and confessed my sin unto God and I have begged earnestly in prayer for the pardon of my sins Answer Well a man or a woman may do all this and yet come short of this convincing work of the Spirit which is in order to Salvation Therefore consider further I pray for as you heard the last time usually when the Spirit doth convince of sin in order to Salvation it convinceth the soul especially of unbelief and indeed till a Soul come to be convinced by the Spirit of the sin of unbelief his conviction of sin may be no argument to him that the Spirit hath been at work upon his heart in order to salvation Indeed when a soul comes to that discovery that the soul is convinced of the evil of unbelief then there is the greatest hopes that such a Soul is not like to miscarry for I am perswaded that the Spirit of the Lord never convinces a Soul of the evil of unbelief but it is in order to his salvation you shall never have a carnal heart to understand the evil of unbelief that is the work of the Spirit of God Now consider I pray hath the Lord discovered to you and convinced you of sin especially of the sin of unbelief Objection You will say possibly I hope the Spirit hath been at work upon my heart in order to salvation for I know thus much I am perswaded that without the righteousness of Christ I can never be saved I can never be saved by mine own righteousness I know that and I know that I must have the righteousness of Christ imputed to me by faith or I cannot be saved Answer But Brethren I pray consider of it for here may be only a meer notional knowledge a meer conviction in the notion only you may be convinced that this is a truth that there is no salvation but by Christ A man or woman may be convinced of this notionally he may have this knowledge in his head that the only way whereby I must attain to salvation must be by the righteousness of Christ by believing on Christ but I pray consider whether the Spirit of the Lord hath throughly convinced you of the righteousness of Christ Question You will say How shall I know that Answer Briefly by these two things 1. When the Spirit of the Lord doth convince a Soul of righteousness in order to Salvation it doth as you heard take a Soul
whereof we all are witnesses Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost having received all Power and Authority and Dominion and Government over all Principalities and Powers c. By this means he convinced them of Judgment for the Prince of this World is judged Christ is exalted at the Right hand of God and they had nothing to say against what the Apostle spake but their hearts were pricked and now Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved Thus you see the intendment and scope of Christ in these Words is to comfort the Hearts of his Disciples against his going away and now saith Christ I will send the Comforter unto you and when he is come he shall so assist you in your Ministry that you shall be able to Convince the World of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment your Ministry shall be made effectual operative and saving and this he delivereth as an Antidote against their sorrow for his going away from them And here is the Point that I shall briefly take up to speak to at this present if the Lord please Doct. That it is a matter of unspeakable Joy and Consolation unto the faithful Servants of Christ that their Ministry is made effectual through the power of the Spirit of Christ for the saving of poor Souls Christ gives them this very thing as an Antidote as a Comfort and Cordial against their sorrow which their hearts are filled with for his going away from them saith he the Comforter shall come to you and be with your Ministry and make your Ministry effectual and powerful and saving to the Souls of many persons in the World and this he gives as an Antidote against their sorrow And truly I might have said it is a matter of the greatest Comfort that any thing in the World can afford to the faithful Servants of Christ that their Ministry is made effectual to the furtherance of the Salvation of Souls he speaks of it you see as a Comfort suitable to their sorrow that is able to weigh down their sorrow that though they were so filled with sorrow at Christs departure from them yet saith Christ you shall have that that is as comfortable to you as my bodily presence can be you shall have the co-working of the Spirit with you in your Ministry to make it effectual for the furtherance of the salvation of poor Souls For the opening of this Point I shall speak to these four things that are implyed and wrapt up in it 1. That the Ministry of the Gospel is the Means of the conversion and salvation of Souls This is implyed here They shall go out to preach and this should be for their Comfort that they should be instrumental for the conversion and salvation of Souls 2. That it is through the power of the Spirit that the Ministry of the Gospel comes to be effectual for the conversion and salvation of Souls Therefore saith Christ I will send the Comforter to you the Holy Ghost and he shall convince the World of Sin he shall make the Word that you preach efficacious to further the salvation of Souls 3. That as the Ministry of the Gospel alone of it self cannot so neither will the Holy Ghost work efficaciously and savingly to the conversion and salvation of Souls without the Ministry of the Gospel Christ doth not say the Spirit alone shall work effectually and convertingly and savingly no but with your Ministry It was therefore spoken for their Comfort the Spirit shall come along with your Ministry and shall work effectually and convincingly and savingly 4. It is matter of exceeding great and unspeakable Consolation and Joy to the faithful Servants of Christ that their Ministery through the Operation of the Spirit is made efficacious and effectual for the convincing and converting and saving of any Soul Briefly to run over these things 1. That the Ministration of the Gospel is the ordinary Means of the Conversion and Salvation of Souls And therefore hence it is that the Gospel is called sometimes the Word of Salvation Acts 13.26 To you is this Word of Salvation sent the Word of Salvation that is the Gospel and sometimes 't is called the Gospel of Salvation Ephes 1.13 The Gospel of your Salvation saith he and sometimes 't is called Salvation it self Heb. 2.3 How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation If we neglect the Gospel we cannot escape damnation The Gospel is called Salvation beause 't is the Instrument and the means of conversion and salvation And hence it is that people are said to be begotten and born again unto God by the Gospel Saith Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4.15 Though you have ten thousand Instructors in Christ yet you have not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel I have begotten you saith he to be Children of God by the Gospel So Paul writing to Philemon concerning Onesimus at the 10th verse saith he Receive him for I have begotten him in my bonds Paul was then a prisoner and Onesimus ran away from his Master Philemon and came to Paul and he was an instrument to beget him again to God by the Gospel so saith the Apostle to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 15.1 2. The Gospel by which you are saved And so the Apostle James calls it the Word of Truth whereby Souls are begotten to God Cap. 1.8 And so Peter also saith Ye are born again by the incorruptible seed the Word namely the Word of the Gospel So that the Holy Ghost doth testify to us that the Gospel is the Means of the Conversion and Salvation of Souls Question And why so I pray Whence is the Gospel the means of the Conversion and Salvation of Souls Answer In a word it is from hence namely Because God hath so ordained it and appointed it It pleased God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.21 by the foolishness of Preaching to save those that believe God hath appointed and ordained the Gospel and the preaching of it to be a means for the Conversion and Salvation of Souls It pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching not that the Apostle calls it foolishness but he speaks after the manner of the World after the account and esteem that the World had of the preaching of the Gospel As now Cannot we as well read a Chapter at home and edify our selves at home by reading of a Chapter or reading some good Sermons better than we can Hear And thereforeâ— is it not a simple weak foolish thing for us to spend our time so But saith the Apostle count it foolishness if you will It pleased God to ordain by this way of foolishness as the World counts it It pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe 'T is that that God ordains and appoints and institutes for that end and that 's the reason it is a means of
Instrument to convert by his preaching now to see that their conversion was true and real by their continuing in the truth I have no greater Joy in this world saith he And why so I pray Why should this be such a matter of Joy and rejoycing to the hearts of the faithful Servants that their Ministry is made effectual for the Conversion of Souls 1. Upon this Account because Here is a Sign and Token that God hath blessed their Ministry that the Blessing of God from Heaven hath been upon their labours and I pray let me appeal to your selves is it not matter of Comfort Joy and Rejoycing to you that you find your labours and indeavours to have any Success to be blessed of God As now take a Nurse that brings up a Child and she sees the child begins to thrive by her suckling of it and it is the Joy and Rejoycing of her heart as on the other side if she see the Child pine away and doth not prosper 't is the grief of her heart when she takes all this pains and no good comes of it When you plant and sow seed if you take any pains in your Orchard or Garden in grafting and the like and you find that your labour is made fruitful is it not a Comfort to you to go into your Garden and see the seed that you have sown flourish and come up It is rejoycing to you and much more is it to the hearts of the faithful Servants of Christ that their labours in the Ministry are blessed and made fruitful and successful because now here is the more immediate presence of God upon their labours here is the blessing the blessing of God doth more immediately appear in their labours Now in sowing of Seed there is instrumental means and causes of its growing there is Dew and Showers and Rain from Heaven there is the influence of the Sun the fatness of the Soil that concur to cause it grow but now there is much against the Ministry of the Word to work upon the heart there is the corruption of the heart and the temptations of Satan and the World and all to hinder the Gospel from taking effect but now when the Lord makes the Gospel to take effect to become efficacious to the Conversion of Souls of poor Creatures here is now the blessing of Heauen upon his labours and now he hath cause to rejoyce greatly that God is with him and hath blessed his labours and now God doth own him as a Fellow-Labourer together with himself We are Workers together with God saith the Apostle We are Gods Husband men and we are planting for God and God goes along with us and cooperates with us what a mighty cause of rejoycing is this that we have the presence of God with us and the blessing of God upon us nay it is an argument and token that God owns their Ministry and labour and he seals their Ministry and Labour as the Apostle saith Ye are the Seal of our Ministry this is I say matter of great Joy and Consolation in regard it is a Sign and Token that God hath blessed the Labours of his Servants and owned their Ministry 2. 'T is a matter of great Joy and Consolation because now Here is a Testimony that Jesus Christ in Heaven and in his Glory is mindful of his poor Servants here below in the World he doth mind and remember such a poor Servant of his that labours in his Name and doth send down the Spirit to accompany him in his Labours as Christ said here to his Disciples I will send the Comforter and he shall assist you and I will remember you when I am in Heaven I will not forget you Thus Christ now sends down the Comforter the Spirit from Heaven to assist such a poor Minister in his labours and endeavours what matter of Consolation is this to think that Christ from Heaven sends down his Spirit to co-operate with him in his indeavours What matter of Joy and Consolation is this Take but one more 3. It must needs be matter of great Joy and Consolation to the faithful Servants of Christ to think that the Lord should please to make use of such as they are to be Instruments in his hands to pull down the Kingdome of the Devil and to inlarge the Kingdom of Christ That the Devils Kingdom and power should go down and that Souls should be drawn out of his Kingdom by the Labours of his poor Servants what Joy is this When Christ sent his Disciples to preach Luke 10.17 18 it is said They returned again rejoycing saying The Devils are subject to us Ay saith Christ I beheld Satan fall down from Heaven like Lightning Where the Gospel comes there goes such a Presence of the Spirit with the preaching thereof that Sathan goes down and poor Souls are brought out from under his power and Dominion as you know Christ told Paul that he should be instrumental to turn people from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God though they be under the Kingdom and Power of the Devil yet by the preaching of the Gospel when the Spirit concurs and goes along with it poor Souls are translated from the Kingdom of Satan into the Kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.15 Now what Joy and Comfort must this needs be to the hearts of the faithful Servants of Christ that the Lord should please to make them Instruments in his own hands to pull down the Kingdom of the Devil and to inlarge his own Kingdom that such shall be added to the Lord as shall be saved I say it must needs be matter of Joy and Rejoycing But I would hasten to an end Briefly therefore by way of Application Application And here I might in the first place take occasion to speak a Word of Direction to the Ministers of Christ if it were a fit place and season namely to direct us how we may so preach that we may have most Joy and Consolation The faithfull Servants of Christ have more Joy and Consolation by being instrumental for the Conversion and Salvation of Souls than by all that ever the People of their Congregation can do for them If they may be instrumental in the Lords hand for their Conversion and Salvation this is more Joy and Consolation to them than any thing in the World can be Christ tells his Disciples that this would be matter of Joy and Rejoycing to their Hearts when he was gone from them therefore we should seek to convert and save Souls we should do as the Apostle saith I seek not yours but you we should seek the Conversion and Salvation of Souls and therefore we should be preaching of Faith and of Repentance as the Apostle Paul saith of himself Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and Repentance towards God whereby poor Souls may be converted and saved And we had need be much in pleading with God for the Spirit that the Spirit of the Lord may
of the Spirit in order to Conversion and Salvation and what shall he do in order to it Saith he He shall convince the world of Sin and this shall be the first work that the Spirit shall do He speaks of convincing of Righteousness and of Judgement but the first work that the Spirit shall do shall be to convince of Sin There are four things that are necessary to be spoken to for the opening and clearing of this great Truth and Point 1. To shew what the convincing work of the Spirit is what it is for the Spirit to convince a Soul of Sin that we may understand it and be clear in it for it is that which is in order to our Conversion and Salvation 2. Shew you That the convincing of a Soul of Sin is a necessary work in order to Salvation for here Christ speaks of the Spirits convincing the Soul of Sin in order to Salvation 3. That the Convincing of a Soul of Sin is the work of the Spirit no less than the work of the Spirit For saith Christ The Comforter shall come and when he is come he shall convince the world of sin 4. Shew you That convincing a Soul of Sin is the first work of the Spirit in order to the Conversion and Salvation of any Soul I suppose I shall not be able to go through all these things at present but to begin and go as far as we can Well First then Let us enquire what is the convincing of Sin and wherein it lies You shall find in Scripture that this convincing of Sin is set forth by various expressions sometimes 't is expressed by Pricking the heart so Acts 2.37 When they heard this they were pricked at the heart Sometimes it is called the wounding of the Spirit so Prov. 18.14 Sometimes it is expressed by the sticking of an Arrow in a mans Spirit Psal 38.2 Thy Arrows stick fast in me saith David which is nothing else but the sense of sin the guilt of sin Sometimes it is expressed by the breaking of Bones Psal 51.18 That the Bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce It was upon the Conviction of his sin of Murder and Adultery And sometimes 't is expressed by the smiting of the heart as 't is said of David 1 Sam. 24.5 when he had cut off the Skirt of Saul's garment His heart smote him he was convinced of his sin But more particularly Wherein doth the Conviction of Sin lye Now you shall find that it lies especially in three things or there are three things in a real convincing of sin 1. The first is a setting of sin before the Soul the setting of it home upon the heart or the bringing of Sin to remembrance setting of it before the Soul as David d th express it Psal 51.3 saith he My sin is ever before me 't is before my face he was convinced of his guilt and then he had sin set before him So when Nathan the Prophet came to David to convince him of his sin when he was impenitent 2 Sam. 12.7 see there how Nathan the Prophet sets his Sin in order before him that he might well say My Sin is always before me And Acts 2.36 37. Peter to convince the Jews of their sin sets their sin before them and tells them what they had done They had killed Jesus Christ the Son of God the Lord of glory and when they heard that they were pricked at the heart So that it is one thing in Conviction of Sin when the Spirit doth convince of sin he sets the sin before the Soul or upon the heart for if so be sin be not set home and brought before the Soul there can be no conviction of sin 2. Secondly There is this further in Conviction of Sin namely Sin is so set home upon the heart as that the heart is not able to avoid the Conviction The heart is not able to shift away from under the power of it all the shifts and endeavours of the Soul cannot get it off when the Spirit sets home Sin upon the heart 't is so set home as that the Soul cannot now put it off it cannot shake it off the Arrow is so shot that the Soul cannot wriggle from it 'T is true indeed a guilty Conscience doth not love to be convinced of Sin and therefore observe it whenever the Lord goes about to convince of Sin the Soul doth endeavour all it can to put off the blow as you shall see now when the Lord came to convince Adam our first Parents of their Sin Gen. 3.12 13. They had transgressed and thereupon hid themselves well the Lord called for them Adam where art thou at last Adam appears and there the Lord to convince him of his Sin sets his Sin before him What hast thou done saith God hast thou eaten of the Tree that I forbad thee He could not deny it But pray observe what evasions they had if it were possible they would avoid the dint of the Conviction saith Adam 'T is true I have eaten of the Tree but it was by instigation of my Wife The Woman which thou gavest me she gave me of the â—ree and I did eat and thus he avoided the power of the Conviction Well he goeth to the Woman and said What is this that thou hast done and she put it off too The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat Thus a guilty Conscience will shift off Convictions as long as it can You shall see Aaron when Moses was absent forty days and from the people Exod. 32.23 24. Aaron and the people made a Golden Calf to worship when Moses came down from the Mount he fell to expostulating with Aaron about his Sin he would convince Aaron of his great Sin saith Moses What did the people unto thee that thou hast brought so great a Sin upon them Now mark how Aaron would avoid the dint of this Conviction It is true saith he he could not deny the thing but let not the anger of my Lord wax hot thou knowest the people that they are set upon mischief it is the peoples fault saith he for they said make us Gods that they may go before us for as for this Moses we know not what is become of him And I said unto them whosoever hath any Gold let them break it off so they gave it me then I cast it into the Fire and there came out this Calf What a pitiful excuse was here he did bur throw it into the fire and there came out a Calf See what shifts Good men will have sometimes for Aaron wa a good man to put off the power and force of Conviction You shall see another Instance in Saul 1 Sam. 15.9 There God had sent Saul to cut off all the Amalekites Men Women and Children and Cattel and all Spare none saith God Well God give him victory over the Amalekites and he made a great slaughter indeed but Saul spared Agag the King and some of the best of
the Cattel at the 13th Verse And Samuel came to Saul and Saul said unto him Blessed be thou of the Lord I have performed the Commandment of the Lord The Lord knows saith he I have done the will and Commandment of the Lord he would not be convinced at first well saith Samuel to convince him Verse 14. What meaneth then the bleating of the Sheep in my ears and the lowing of the Oxen which I hear Well Saul could not deny but there was some of the Oxen spared and the best of the Cattel spared but he had his excuse for that verse 15. The People said he spared the best of the Sheep and of the Oxen to sacrifice unto the Lord Thus he would not be convinced At last Samuel was fain to fall upon him with down right blows and thunder against him to strike him down I tell you saith he v. 22 23. here is rebellion against God and rebellion is as the Sin of witchcraft and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry And at the last he was brought down and fell under the Conviction v. 24. And Saul said to Samuel I have sinned and transgressed the Commandment of the Lord and thy Words because I feared the people But you see what a deal of Do there was to bring Saul under the power of the Conviction he stood upon his Justification Just thus it is with a poor Sinner as long as he can stand out against Conviction he will put it off as it is with a Malefactor at the Bar as long as he can he will not be convinced he will plead Not guilty and justify himself either by denying or mincing of it or one thing or other till the Evidence come clear against him then his mouth is stopt then he is convinced Thus it is with a poor Sinner the Lord brings his sin before him if he can he will deny it and excuse himself But now when the Holy Ghost comes to convince of sin he stops the mouth that he shall have nothing to plead to excuse himself As I remember 't is the Apostles expression Rom. 3.19 That every mouth may be stopped and all the World may become guilty before God so convinced that the Sinner may have nothing to say to justify him before God This is another thing in Conviction when Sin is not only set before the Soul but so set home that the Soul hath nothing to say to clear it self 3. Thirdly There is a third Thing in a true Conviction of sin namely When the Soul is really convinced by the Spirit of sin it hath not only sin set before it and so set before it as the mouth is stopped and silenced that it cannot plead Not guilty But where there is a true Conviction of Sin the heart is affected with it and afflicted for it And this is intimated by those expressions you heard before whereby the Holy Ghost doth set out Conviction of Sin as it is set out by the shooting of an Arrow Now if an Arrow stick in the flesh it will put it to pain it will make the flesh ake if there be a Prick at the heart you will certainly be sensible of it if a Bone be broken there will be grief and trouble and affliction Truly thus it is in this work of Conviction of Sin when the Spirit doth convince a Soul of Sin it doth not only set sin before him and also set sin so home as the Soul cannot justify it self but now the Soul falls down under it and is affected and afflicted with it and therefore hence it is that sometimes when a Soul is convinced of Sin it is affected with trembling and astonishment He even trembles to think he should be guilty of such a sin as I remember 't is said concerning the Jaylor Acts 16.26 He came in trembling before Paul and Silas it is said he sprang in and came trembling there was an Earth-quake and that Earth-quake was an Heart-quake to him it made his heart shake and he saw himself in a damned condition and now saith he Sirs What shall I do to be saved he came in trembling before Paul and Silas saying What shall I do And sometimes 't is expressed by shame and blushing the Soul is even ashamed and confounded when sin is set home as you know it was the speech of Ephraim Jer. 31.18 19. He was ashamed and confounded for his rebellion he was so like a Heifer unaccustomed to the Yoke he could not bear the Lords Yoke and when the Lord came to tame him then he was ashamed as Ezra said I am ashamed and blush before thee Ezra 9.6 And sometimes with grief and sorrow and mourning as when Paul had convinced the Corinthians of their sin in suffering the incestuous person amongst them without bearing testimony against him 2 Cor. 7.11 What Carefulness saith he it wrought in you What Sorrow what godly Sorrow ye had amongst you Ay they were convinced and then they mourned and sorrowed And so sometimes the heart is as it were all a-mort when the Soul is convinced of Sin the heart is even dead and knows not what to do saith Paul When the Commandment came Sin revived and I died Rom 7. I saw my self a dead man his heart was even dead Well thus you see what Conviction of Sin is and wherein it lies it consists in these three or these three things do concur to a real Conviction of Sin namely A setting of sin before the Soul and so setting it home that the Soul cannot deny it but must fall down under it and be affected and afflicted with it Now least any poor Soul may have a stumbling Block laid before it let me only intimate this That there are degrees of convincing of sin all are not in a like measure convinced of Sin some are convinced more and others less as now some that have had civil Education that have not lived in notorious and gross sins and wickedness their Convictions possibly may be more silent and not make so great a noise as the Convictions of others do as Lydia she lived without breaking into notorious and gross wickednesses and you see there was no great noise of her Conviction of Sin though convinced of Sin she was and there is a necessity of that as you wilâ— hear by and by now others that have lived in scandalous sins notorious gross sins in lewdness and wickedness in opposing and persâ—cuting the Saints and the people of God and the like their Convictions ordinarily are more great as in the case of Paul Paul that was a Persecutor his Convictions were such that it made the Country to ring it was heard off far and near as Paul saith himself to King Agrippa These things were not done in a corner When God came to convert Paul he first convinced him of his sin Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me saith he Who art thou Lord he answered I am Jesus whom thou persecutest it was set home with power upon him
him that Soul will be unstable its Comforts will be unstable and though he may hold up his head so long as all is calm and clear above him but when the assaults of the Devil come and the powers of Hell are let loose upon it to try its Foundation if the foundation be not deep rooted all the building will come to nothing it is like a Plant or Tree that is planted but shallow in the Ground and will be apt to wither so Christ compares it Mat. 13.21 The Seed that fell upon the stony ground sprang up for a while but when the Sun did rise when temptations came scorching temptations and tribulations and tryals came they withered away because they wanted depth of earth for the root they had no rooting they were not humbled and convinced of sin they took up a Profession and confessed Christ and professed Christ but never were truly convinced of sin and this is the great reason why Professors are subject to so many doubts and scruples about their condition when they come into sickness and dangers then they are ready to question their condition What is the reason why possibly this may be one Because they were never convinced truly of sin by the Spirit of God And therefore you see now upon all these accounts That Conviction of sin is very necessary for sinners in order to their Conversion and Salvation So now I have finished the second Thing propounded I should now have come to the third Thing to shew you That convincing of sin is the Work of the Spirit of God But that and some other things I must leave till another opportunity The Holy Ghost convinceth of Sin SERMON V. JOHN 16.9 Of Sin because they believe not on me YOU have heard the coherence of these words before and therefore I shall not trouble you with that and the Point you may remember what it was that was last propounded from these words Namely That it is the very first work of the Spirit of God in order to Salvation to convince the Soul of Sin For so Christ here is comforting of his Disciples against their sorrow upon his departure from them and he tels them That he would send the Comforter to them and he tells them what the Comforter should do he should assist them in their Ministry towards the conversion and salvation of Souls and the first thing he shall do he shall convince the World of Sin and then of Righteousness and then of Judgement but this is his first work to convince the world of Sin There were four things propounded to be spoken to for the clearing of this Point 1. To shew you what we are to understand by this Conviction of Sin which is the first work of the Spirit and wherein it lay and that you heard in three things 2. You heard the necessity of it why this work of convincing of Sin is so necessary in order to conversion and Salvation You heard the necessity of it in five or six things upon which account it was necessary in order to salvation to be convinced of Sin Well there are two things yet remain to be spoken to for the opening of this Point 3. The third thing is to shew that this work of convincing of Sin is the proper work of the Spirit Nothing short of the Spirit of God can really and truly convince the soul of Sin in order to salvation And then 4. That it is not only the work of the Spirit but the first work of the Spirit in order to Salvation These two things I shall now proceed to through the Lords assistance 3. Well then we are to fall upon the third to make it evident to you that the work of convincing of Sin is the proper work of the Spirit of God And how doth that appear Briefly I shall give you two or three Demonstrations of it 1. It appears from the opposition that is in every carnal heart to be convinced of Sin There is a desperate opposition in our hearts naturally we are utterly averse and unwilling to be convinced of Sin We are loth to come to the Light as Christ tells us John 3.20 Every one that doth evil hateth the Light neither cometh to the Light least his deeds should be reproved lest he should be convinced It is the same word with this in the Text He is loath to be convinced of sin it is the natural frame of our hearts to be averse and opposite to conviction of sin therefore there must come a stronger power the power of the Spirit to this work of convincing of sin else we shall never be convinced for I pray mark what this convincing of sin is For a soul to yield to the convictions of sin is to yield to its own sentence of condemnation and do you think that any one is ready to yield to the sentence of its own condemnation Now if a soul yield to the conviction of sin he yields to the sentence of condemnation For the soul that sinneth shall dye And if a soul yield that he is guilty of this or that sin now he yields to the sentence of Death and Damnation And do you think the soul will yield to the sentence of Condemnation passed against it self You see sometimes a Malefactor at the Bar Is he willing think you to be convinced of his crime which he is accused of No he will stand out against it and deny it as long as he can and if he cannot deny it he will mince it and will not yield to the conviction so long as he can possibly hold out against it and this is the guise of our hearts naturally not to yield to conviction but we will hold out against it as long as ever we can let any man come to us to convince us and reprove us we will hold against it and shift it off and mince it and avoid it all that ever we can this is natural to us as it was with our first Parents when God called them to an account for their first sin they shifted it off Adam to his Wife his Wife to the Serpent and would not willingly be convinced Just as I told you before it was with Saul 1 Sam. 15. When Saul had disobeyed the Commandment of the Lord in going against Amalek God gave him a severe charge to cut off all Men Women Children and Cattel Well he cuts off the generality of the People but he spared Agag and he spared the best of the Cattel Well Samuel comes to him afterward and Saul he comes boasting saith he Come thou blessed of the Lord I have fulfilled the Commandment of the Lord hast thou fulfilled the Commandment of the Lord saith Samuel What meaneth then the bleating of the Sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the Oxen well he would not be convinced saith he 'T is true some of them are saved alive for sacrifice for the Lord he would not yield to the Conviction until such time as Samuel was
fain to fall downright upon him and then he fell down under the Conviction and confessed and acknowledged his Sin Thus it is we are naturally averse to yield to the convictions of Sin I pray mind what I say take a notorious Sinner one that is commonly known to be guilty of gross sins suppose drunkenness or uncleanness Come to this man and tell him The Word of the Lord saith expresly That no unrighteous person that no unclean person no drunkard shall enter into the Kingdom of God Can he deny the Scripture No he cannot deny it well but then come and tell him you are guilty of drunkenness you are guilty of uncleanness and therefore the conclusion is this it will naturally follow from these two premises That you shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Will he yield to the Conviction No unless the Spirit of God come and make him yield to it he will never yield Therefore I say from that natural opposition that is in all our hearts against this work of Conviction it is therefore required that the power of the Spirit be put forth upon the Soul so Christ promiseth here I will send the Comforter and he shall convince the World of Sin 2. There is not only a natural averseness and opposition against it in our carnal hearts but Satan also the Devil he will help the Soul to hold out against the Conviction of sin as long as he can he will keep the Soul from yielding to it for the Devil knows this that when once a Soul is convinced of sin by the Spirit of God he is in danger to lose that Soul he is in danger that that Soul will make an escape therefore he lays about him and doth all that ever he can to keep the Soul from yielding to be convinced of sin just like a Jaylor if he hath a prisoner whom he perceives hath a mind to make an escape he will lay the more Irons upon him and have the greater watch and guard about him so in this case if the Devil see a Soul in danger to make an escape he will clap on all the power he can to keep the Soul from being convinced of Sin or like a Governor of a Town if the Town be besieged and he perceive where the Enemy is like to make an Inroad a Breach to be sure he will fortify that place thus the Devil doth when he discerns a Soul is in danger to make an escape to be delivered from his power then his design is to fortify and strengthen all that ever he can the Soul against yielding to any work of Conviction and therefore we read 2 Cor. 10.4 5. of strong holds fortifications strong reasonings saith the Apostle The Weapons of our Warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds There are strong holds and fortifications that the Devil doth make round about the Soul that the Soul should not be able to make an escape except there come a stronger than he for the Devil is compared to a strong man armed and except a stronger than he come he will keep possession Now then there must come a stronger than the Devil and this is nothing less than the Spirit of God The power of the Spirit comes and makes conviction to take place on the heart for the Devil will fortify and strengthen all that ever he can with reasons as for your sins when the Soul comes to be troubled at sin Why you are none of the greatest sinners there are hundreds and thousands greater sinners than you are and God is merciful and gracious to sinners and God will pardon sinners that do repent and at what time soever a sinner doth repent And such kind of things as these are whereby he strengthens the Soul against yielding to Convictions of sin and now the power and policy of the Devil is beyond any ordinary created power therefore there must be a stronger power than is in the World that must be able really and truly to convince the Soul of Sin and that can be no less than the power of the Spirit of God and this is the second Demonstration of it why it must be the Work of the Spirit to convince the Soul of sin Objection But you will say to me But cannot the evil Spirit may not the Devil sometimes trouble a Soul about Sin and set sin home upon the Conscience and if so then it is not in the power of the holy Spirit only but the evil Spirit also may convince the Soul of Sin Answer Truly Brethren that the evil Spirit that the Devil may trouble a Soul about Sin and for Sin I think it is out of question by the example of Judas that had his Sin so set home upon him that he could not live under it nay Brethren the evil Spirit may set home sin upon the hearts of Gods people and endeavour to overwhelm them I remember what Job speaks Cap. 6.4 The Arrows of the Almighty are within me and the poyson thereof drinketh up my Spirit the Terrors of God set themselves in array against me So Job 13.26 Thou writest bitter things against me the terrors of the Almighty are upon me Brethren Do you think now that this was from the Spirit of God the Spirit of God when once it comes to be a Spirit of Adoption it never comes to be the Spirit of Bondage again So the Apostle saith expresly Rom. 8.15 You have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear but the Spirit of Adoption Now 't is true Job doth ascribe it to God yet it may be from Satan because Job did ascribe all that ever he met withall to God Satan was an Instrument to raise a storm to blow down the house where his Children were yet saith Job The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away he takes notice of the hand of God in it so in this case The Terrors of the Almighty set themselves in Array against me This may be from the evil Spirit which did become a Spirit of Bondage to him Question But you will say then How shall we know when Sin is set home upon the Soul whether it be from the evil Spirit or from the holy Spirit of God This is a Question of very great concernment I shall therefore desire through the Lords assistance to speak something that way and to offer some things to your consideration about it How you shall know when Sin is set home upon the heart Whether it be from the evil Spirit or from the holy Spirit of God for indeed if it be from the Spirit of God it is in order to Conversion and Salvation but if by the evil Spirit it is in order to damnation Answer There are several things that I shall offer to your consideration about this 1. The evil Spirit when he comes and brings sin and sets it before the soul commonly he doth it in a tumultuous way he doth it in a
confused manner to put the soul into a hurry that possibly the soul shall be mightily troubled about sin and cry out O I am a damned Creature and I shall be damned in Hell for my sins and the wrath of God will abide upon me for ever for my sins and yet possibly the soul doth not know what particular sin it is if you come to particulars and ask how you are guilty of this or that particular sin O yes they are sinners and they are guilty before God but come to any particular sin the soul will not fix there but go from one to another and still the Devil keeps the Soul in a hurry and confusion that one that hears him speak sometimes cannot tell what to make of his condition O I shall be damned for ever for my sins and the wrath of God will abide upon me for ever and yet not convinced by the Spirit of God The Devil doth what he can to overwhelm the Soul as it was the case of Saul 1 Sam. 28.5 Sauls heart did tremble he was put into an amazing frame he was afraid and his heart greatly trembled and afterward at the 15th Verse saith he I am sorely distressed the Philistims make war against me and God is departed from me I am sorely distressed Why what was the matter he could not tell very well what the matter was but the Devil had troubled his spirit had afflicted him he was put into a sore affright an amaze and trembling and he knew not what the matter was but God had cast him off and forsaken him and now he must lie under the wrath of God for ever Now the Devil to help him forward in his despair at the 18th and 19th Verses he claps one sin upon him Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee And saith the Devil to him The Lord shall deliver you into the hands of the Philistims and to morrow shall thou and thy Sons be with me And thus the Devil claps upon him to confound him and 't is said Verse 2. Then Saul fell straightway all along upon the earth and was sore afraid his heart died in him like a stone thus the trouble upon his Spirit being from Satan it was in a kind of hurry and Confusion that one could not tell what to make of his condition but now on the other side when the Spirit of God comes to convince a Soul of sin it sets sin in order before the Soul first one thing and then another Psal 50.11 I will reprove thee and set thy sins in order before thy face in an orderly way not in a hurry to confound and distract a soul but I will set them in order before thee and so you may observe those that have been convinced of their sins their sins have been set in an orderly way before them in the 2 Sam. 12.9 10. When Nathan came to convince David of his sins he set his sins in order before him first one sin and then another sin and so you may observe in the Gospel that those that have been convinced of sin the Spirit hath been an orderly Spirit and hath set sin in order before them So that that is one thing whereby you may know the difference between the trouble for sin that comes from the evil spirit and the convincing of sin that comes from the holy Spirit of God 2. Take another thing whereby you may see the difference and that is in the End or Design that Satan aims at in his troubling a Soul about Sin What is the Design The great design of the Devil is to bring the Soul into despair into a desperate case and so at last to make away it self to dispatch it self that is the great end that Satan drives at in his troubling a soul about sin and with sin to drive the soul into despair to overwhelm the Soul and cause the Soul if it be possible to make an end of it self that is the design of Satan he will so set Sin before the Soul that it is so great that there is no hope it should be pardoned when he tempts a Soul to sin he makes but a litte matter of it it is but a small mattâ—r and it is but once but when the soul hath once committed it then his great design is to overwhelm the Soul and to set the sin before the soul in such a manner that it looks like the unpardonable Sin Well Your sin is now unpardonable and there is no hope for you and many times he makes souls believe that they have sinned against the Holy Ghost and now there is no hope for them Just as it was with Cain Gen. 4.11 Oh saith he My sin is greater than can be forgiven This now is the design of Satan to cause a Soul if possible to make a way it self you see how the Devil carried it towards Judas Judas had committed a very great sin in betraying the Son of God Well when he had sinned the Devils design was now so to set home his sin upon him that he could find no rest day nor night till such time as he had gone and hanged himself It is the great end that Satan aims at in his troubling a Soul about sin his great design is to bring the soul into despair and so to make away it self Whereas now on the other hand the great end of the Spirit of God is to make a soul sensible of sin so as to be humbled for it so as to repent of it 'T is true indeed sometimes when sin is set home by the Spirit of God upon a Soul the Soul may be brought very low may be much overwhelmed and may possibly be brought into a despairing desponding condition and may be ready sometimes to make a way it self to destroy it self by the Devils setting in with it yet ordinarily the Spirit of God comes and prevents such things where the conviction begins from the Spirit the holy Spirit doth prevent such things the Soul is made to look up to God as Jonah did Chap. 2.4 I said I was cast out of thy sight the Lord hath rejected me Yet saith he will I look towards thy holy Temple The Spirit of God had convinced him of his sin and though he did seem to be cast out of God's sight out of his favour and was thrown into the belly of the Whale yet the Spirit of the Lord would not suffer him to be despondent and give over all as desperate Yet will I look towards thy Holy Temple That is the second thing whereby we may discern the difference 3. When the evil Spirit doth set home a sin upon the Soul it is to drive the Soul further from God When the Holy Ghost comes to convince a Soul of sin it is to draw the Soul nearer to God You may observe it that when ever the Devil doth set home a sin
upon the Soul it is to drive the Soul further off from God Take an Instance or two as in the Example of our first Parents Gen. 3. The Devil had been busie with our first Parents to bring them into sin to make them eat of the forbidden fruit Well when they had committed the sin though before he had told them it was for their profit and advantage Their Eyes should be opened and they should be as gods Yet when once they had committed the sin he sets it so home upon them that they fled from the presence of God and hid themselves they durst not appear before God they went and hid themselves amongst the Trees of the Garden that God was fain to call after them And so you shall find in the example of Cain Gen. 4. Cain when he had committed the sin of murder and had killed his brother Abel Verse 16. it is said there That Cain went out from the presence of the Lord he departed from God then he went away from God But how could that be Is not God present every where how could Cain go out from the presence of the Lord Why he did not go from the essential presence of God but from the presence of God that is from the spiritual presence of God in his Ordinances he did not now draw near to God in his worship but he went away from God from the Church from the Ordinances from the Means of Communion with God for the Ordinances of God the Church of God was in the house of his Father Adam and so they worshipped God in that family but he went out from the presence of the Lord when he had committed that sin this is the design of Satan when he can overwhelm the soul with sin his great end is as to bring it to despair so also to drive it further from the presence of God But now you may observe when the Spirit of God doth convince a soul of sin the Conviction doth cause a soul to draw near to God in holy duties in holy Ordinances and to draw near to God for mercy and grace through Christ so saith the Psalmist Psal 7.6.7 He was under a great trouble in his Conscience and Mind about sin and he falls a pleading with God Will the Lord cast off for ever saith he Will he be gracious no more and thus he falls on arguing and pleading I will remember saith he the years of the right hand of the Most High and so Psal 88. there you have a sad Psalm A soul that was mightily oppressed under the burthen of sin and there he pleads Verse 10. saith he Lord what good will my Life do thee if thou shouldst cut off my days shall the dead praise thee And so he goes on pleading and arguing strongly with God and so in the example of Jona Chap. 2.4 7 I said I was cast out of thy Sight yet will I look towards thy holy Temple When my soul fainted within me I remembred the the Lord and my prayer came in unto thee towards thy holy Temple He was so far from running away from God when his sin was set home upon him that now he draws near to God and humbled himself and sought the Lord And my prayer came in unto thee into thy holy Temple That is a third differenee between the trouble that arises for sin from the evil Spirit and the trouble that arises in a soul that is convinced by the Spirit of God 4. Commonly When Sin is set home by the evil Spirit and a Soul comes to be troubled for sin by the means of the Devil commonly you will find that that Soul will be ready to rise up against the very Instruments that are the means of his conviction The Soul will rise up with indignation against the very Instruments that are the means to convince it of sin I might give you many Instances for this Acts 5.33 at the 30th verse Peter is endeavouring to convince the Jews of their sin in murdering of Christ The God of our Fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a Tree and mark verse 33. What was the event of it How did this work upon their hearts Their hearts did rise up with indignation against Peter and the rest of the Disciples that went about to convince them of their sin When they heard that they were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them They could not bear it if it had been from the Spirit of God they could not have took it so They were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them So Acts 7.51 52 54. It is said there When Stephen went about to convince the Jews of that horrible sin of slaying the Prophets Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and eare ye do always resist the Holy Ghost Which of the Prophets have not your Fathers persecuted He set home their sin upon them and how did they take it verse 54. When they heard these things they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth So far were they from falling down and yielding to the Conviction that their Spirits do rise up with indignation against the instrument that went about to convince them of their sin You may remember the story concerning Ahab he had diverse Prophets that would not let him alone but would be telling him of his sin and convincing him of his sin The Prophet Elijah would be reproving him of his sin and how did his heart rise up in indignation against Elijah and when he met with him he gave him such a gratulation as this Hast thou found me O mine enemy and Art thou he that troublest Israel He could not endure to bear the Prophet Elijah because he troubled his Spirit by convincing him of sin he called him The troubler of the Land And 1 Kings 22. You read of Micaiah a Prophet of the Lord and he had been very bold and plain with Ahab and told him of his sins well when they there were in an exigency and strait King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat was to go together to Battel to Ramoth Gilead ver 4. and 5. and Jehoshaphat would have the Prophets called together that they might advise and consult with them whether they should go to Ramoth-Gilead or no At the 6th verse You read there that Ahab would call four hundred Prophets together before he would call Micaiah but saith Jehoshaphat verse 7. Is there not here a Prophet of the Lord besides that we might enquire of him Yes saith Ahab there is one Micaiah but I hate him why saith he He never spake concerning me He was always grating upon his Sins to convince him of his sins and now his heart rises against him this is the guise of the Soul that is not convinced by the Spirit of God the heart will rise up against the Instrument and Means that endeavor to convince them of sin Whereas now on the other side where the holy
convincing of the soul of this great sin of unbelief you shall find usually that the Spirit in convincing a soul of unbelief in order to conversion and eternal salvation it usually doth these three things 1. The Spirit doth come and reveal to the Soul the great evil of the sin of unbelief sets it before the soul and makes it to see it therefore the Spirit is called the Spirit of Revelation because it doth reveal the Gospel and the great sin that is against the Gospel Eph. 1.17 That God would give unto you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Brethren it is not natural Conscience that can convince a man of the sin of unbelief A natural Conscience may possibly help to convince a soul of other sins it may check the soul for other sins as Murder or Blasphemy For indeed a natural Conscience is ready to accuse of sin Rom. 2.15 Their Consciences in the mean while excusing or accusing one another Natural Conscience may accuse for some sins but not for this sin of unbelief The Law may help a soul to be convinced of some sins that are expresly against the Law but the law cannot convince any man or woman of unbelief no though 't is true as I said before That believing on Christ is virtually required in the first Commandment yet it is not expresly commanded but only implicitly and virtually therefore it is not in the power of the law of the Commandments to help to convince a soul of the sin of unbelief no more than the second Commandment is a means and instrument to convince us of our neglect of Gospel worship because it is not expresly commanded there but implicitly and consequentially Therefore I say it must be the work of the Spirit alone to convince of the sin of unbelief The Law and Conscience may help to convince the Soul of other sins but none but the Spirit of God can convince the soul of the evil of the sin of unbelief This is the first thing that the Spirit doth in the soul in order to the convincing of it of the sin of unbelief namely to open the eyes of the understanding and to reveal and discover to the soul the evil that is in the sin of unbelief 2. Another work of the Spirit in order to it is this namely to cause the Soul to understand and know plainly that all his best duties and services that he can perform in this World cannot be acceptable unto God nor make his person acceptable without faith in Christ Truly this now is the work of the Spirit to convince a Soul of this to discover this that it is not all my duties and services and performances that can procure my acceptance with God without faith in Christ Brethren this the Holy Ghost speaks in Scripture and this the Holy Ghost makes a soul sensible of That without faith it is impossible to please God The soul it may be is ready to think that he can please God with the performance of duties and services But when the Spirit of God comes to convince the soul of the sin of unbelief it shews him that all these things are not pleasing to God but are displeasing to him without faith in Christ neither our persons nor any thing we can do can be accepted of God without faith Eph. 1.6 saith the Apostle Wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved Our persons are accepted in the Beloved and our services are accepted in the Beloved in Christ and through Christ otherwise nothing can be accepted and pleasing to God that we can do and hereby now by the operations of the Spirit the Soul comes to see the sad and miserable Estate of unbelief That is the second 3. Another Work that the Spirit doth in order to convince a Soul of the Sin of Vnbelief is this namely to cause the Soul to see plainly that it hath been out of the Way of Salvation all this time The Soul hath gone on it may be in a course of duties and services and performances it hath been careful and strict to walk exactly to wrong no body to be diligent in its calling to be careful in all its dealings to be abundant in duties and services giving attendance to the Word waiting upon God in every Ordinance The Soul goes on in this way and thinks now it is in a way of salvation I would not discourage and dishearten any from going on in such a way but still without faith this is not the way we are out of the way of salvation and we are all of us naturally enclined to seek for salvation in this way in walking exactly and being conscientious in the performance of duties and being diligent in our vocations and callings this was the way wherein the poor Israelites did miscarry and perish Saith the Apostle Rom. 9.30.31 What shall we say that the Gentiles which followed not after Righteousness have attained to Righteousness but Israel which followed after the Law of Righteousness hath not attained to the Law of Righteousness wherefore because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the Works of the Law Ay they went about saith the Apostle to establish their own righteousness and so would not submit to the Righteousness of God They went about to establish their own Righteousness truly this is natural to every one to walk on in the way of the Covenant of Works to look for life in that way that Adam should have found life in if he had continued in his obedience I say 't is natural for every one to walk on in such a course to expect eternal life and salvation in that way whereas when the Spirit of God comes to convince a Soul of the sin of unbelief it makes the soul to see it hath been out of the way of life and salvation all this time I have taken a wrong course all this time and now the Soul begins to be amazed to think he hath lost all his time and all his labour and now the Soul sees that this is not the way to life and salvation but the way of salvation is in the way of believing on Christ and now the soul is set in that way and course of believing on Christ and this is the Word behind us which the Prophet Isaiah speaks of Isa 30.21 Thou shalt hear a voice behind thee saying this is the way walk in it The Spirit of the Lord comes and whispers in our ear and tells us this is the way of life and salvation you will never find life by your own doings but this is the way walk in it if you would find life Thus the Holy Ghost doth ordinarily those three things in order to the convincing a Soul of the sin of unbelief So now you have heard the Point opened and cleared Now to make a little Application in a word or two and so I have done Application 1. Hence we may see the reason why so many Professors do see so
greater concernment If I were immediately to go out of the World and were to preach my last Farewel Sermon I know not what Truth to commend to you of more concernment than this of the Righteousness which the Spirit doth convince the world of in order to their Salvation Now that I may open it to you if the Lord please and the Lord open our hearts that we may understand it I shall only speak to these three things 1. To shew you in the general what we are to understand by Righteousness 2. To shew you more particularly what this Righteousness is which is the work of the Spirit to convince us of And 3. Shew you How or in what way usually the Spirit doth convince a Soul of Righteousness or what work the Spirit doth in a Soul in order to the convincing it of Righteousness I shall bound my discourse in speaking to these three particulars if the Lord please 1. Then What are we to understand by Righteousness in the general for that will make way for our understanding what this Righteousness is In the general then Righteousness is nothing else but a perfect exact conformity to the Law of God or to the revealed Will of God an exact conformity to it both in Heart and Life That is Righteousness in the general I say a perfect conformity to the whole Will of God revealed not only in the outward conversation but in the inward frame of the Heart and Soul You know when Adam was at first created when he came immediately out of the hands of God he was made perfectly righteous God made Man upright that is Righteous Well wherein did that Righteousness of Adam consist What was the Righteousness that Adam was created in It is said He was made in the Image of God Now wherein did the Image of God in Adam lye What only in the conformity of his outward actions to the Law and Will of God No alas that was the least part of the Image of God in Adam but Adam was made in the Image of God Upright and Righteous and Holy in his inward man especially in his Soul he was made exactly conformable to the Will of God in every thing that he required of him and therefore now when Adam did sin and fall he lost the Image of God he lost that Righteousness that was in his inward man and you see after his fall it is said That every imagination of the thought of mans heart were only evil and that continually Gen. 6.5 Not only every action that he did was evil no but the very thoughts of his heart the inward frame of his heart and spirit was only evil and that continually therefore on the contrary his Righteousness did consist in the conformity of his inward man to the Law and Will of God 1 John 3.7 8. saith the Apostle He that doth righteousness is righteous he that committeth sin is of the Devil but he that doth righteousness is righteous Every sin is a transgression of the Law so that now when a man or woman is exactly conformable to the whole Will of God not only in his outward conversation but also in his very thoughts and frame of his heart then he is said to be perfectly righteous this is perfect Righteousness For Brethren a man may possibly be outwardly conformable to the Letter of the Law and yet not be righteous in the account of the Holy Ghost as the Pharisees you know were very righteous in respect of the Letter of the Law Ay but saith Christ they are inwardly unrighteous and therefore he tells them They were like whited Sepulchres which appeare beautiful outwardly but inwardly are full of corruption and putrefaction therefore saith Christ Mat. 5.18 Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven They were very righteous and exact as to the Letter of the Law and therefore saith Paul when he was a Pharisee Touching the Righteousness of the Law blameless The Pharisees were exact as to the Letter of the Law but still they did not look to their inside to their heart there they were unrighteous so that by this you see what is meant by Righteousness in general It is to be perfectly and exactly conformable to the whole Will and Law of God revealed both in heart and life That in general 2. But Let us in the second place enquire a little more particularly What is this Righteousness here which Christ saith the Spirit shall convince the World of What Righteousness doth Christ here mean Brethren It cannot be meant of a man 's own Righteousness that the Spirit doth convince of for the Spirit doth rather convince men of their own Vnrighteousness therefore it cannot be a mans own Righteousness Therefore saith Paul I would not for all the world be found in mine own Righteousness Phil. 3.9 Neither is it that Righteousness which is called the Righteousness of the Law for that is still the same with a man 's own Righteousness which is when a man is obedient to the Letter of the Law as the Apostle speaks in that third of Philip. 9. And be found in him not having on my own Righteousness which is of the Law Well what Righteousness then is it which Christ here speaks of when he saith The Spirit shall convince the World of Righteousness What Righteousness is it In brief It is that Righteousness which is called the Righteousness of God in opposition to a mans own Righteousness The Righteousness of God as the Apostle speakes Rom. 10.3 And so in other places The Jews being ignorant of the Righteousness of God went about to establish their own Righteousness So that the one is set in opposition against the other A mans own Righteousness and God's Righteousness is contrary distinst and in opposition to one another The Righteousness of God is that Righteousness which God himself doth require in order to our salvation and it is that righteousness which God will accept of and no other righteousness for our salvation and this Righteousness is also called The Righteousness of Faith Rom. 10.16 So Rom. 9.30 He calleth it The Righteousness which is of Faith because it comes in in a way of faith and believing Question Now you will say Wherein lies the difference between the one Righteousness and the other That we may understand things as we go along Wherein lies the difference between that which is called our own Righteousness and the Righteousness of the Law and that which is called the Righteousness of God and the Righteousness of Faith What doth the Difference lye here namely that our own Righteousness or the Righteousness of the Law must be exactly conformable and agreeable to the whole Will and Law of God to a Tittle and the Righteousness of God not so No Brethren The Righteousness of Faith is an exact conformity to the Law of God to a tittle as well as the other What saith
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
bestow eternal life and salvation upon man in that way God is not bound to that Covenant nor will ever save a Soul in the way of that Covenant Now it is the work of the Spirit to discover this to a Soul that this is not the way for me ever to attain salvation it must be in another way and by another righteousness and hereby a soul is taken off from leaning and resting upon its own righteousness and from ever looking for salvation by any thing it hath done or can do though it should do never so much nay and let me add this further that when the Spirit of God doth thus take a soul off from leaning and resting upon its own righteousness yet notwithstanding the Spirit of the Lord doth put the Soul upon seeking and following hard after righteousness and its own righteousness too Ay Brethren this is now a Gospel-Mystery that flesh and blood can never attain to for our carnal hearts are ready to argue thus if we cannot be saved by our own righteousness then we need not to follow after it and so grow loose and carnal and careless and slighty neglecting duties or else being formal in them But now the Spirit of God doth teach the Soul and lead it in this middle way in this strait and narrow way every soul that the Spirit of God doth convince of righteousness in order to salvation he doth teach him and instruct him in this that though he shall never be saved by all that ever he can do yet the Spirit leads him on in a way of holiness and righteousness very exactly to be careful to walk with God in obedience to the Lords will and command And the Holy Ghost doth write a Law of obedience upon the heart and therefore those that draw such conclusions from this doctrine of the Gospel they do not understand the Gospel nor this convincing work of the Spirit which is to convince us that we are not to look for salvation by all our own righteousness and yet convinces us of the necessity of following hard after righteousness This now is the first thing that the Holy Ghost doth in convincing a soul of righteousness to take the soul off from resting and leaning upon its own righteousness 2. But Secondly Another thing that the Spirit doth in order to the convincing a soul of righteousness is this namely The Spirit doth usually discover to the Soul what this righteousness of Christ is by which it must look for acceptance with God to Salvation The Spirit doth usually reveal this righteousness to the soul therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 1.17 The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith It is the work of the Spirit of God to reveal this righteousness to open it and cause the Soul to understand it and therefore the Spirit is called the Spirit of Revelation Eph. 1.17 The Apostle prays there That God would give them the Spirit of Revelation in the knowledge of Christ because it is the work of the Spirit to reveal the righteousness of Jesus Christ to the Soul and cause the soul to understand it in some measure but still the soul is sensible of its own ignorance and blindness and possibly more afterwards than before But in some measure there is a discovery made of this righteousness of Jesus Christ to the soul and in order to this there are several things that the holy Spirit doth discover to the Soul concerning this righteousness of Christ namely It is the Spirit that discovers to the Soul the Perfection of this Righteousness that Christs righteousness is a most perfect and compleat righteousness without any blemish without any defect or imperfection The Spirit shews to the Soul that Christ hath fulfilled all righteousness he was obedient to every tittle of the Law there was no defect no blemish at all in Christs life all along neither in his outward nor inward man from his very conception all along throughout his life to his very death the Spirit of the Lord doth make a soul to understand this in some measure it discovers the righteousness of Christ to be a perfect and compleat righteousness that though my own righteousness be full of defects and imperfections yet the righteousness of Jesus Christ is a perfect righteousness That is one thing that the Spirit usally doth in this convincing of righteousness it discovers to the Soul that this righteousness of Christ is a perfect and compleat righteousness And not only so but further the Spirit discovers to the soul that it is not only a perfect but an all-sufficient righteousness the righteousness of Jesus Christ is not only a perfect righteousness exactly perfect to every tittle of the Law but an all-sufficient righteousness that the righteousness of Christ is able to save a World of sinners he was able by his righteousness to be a propitiation for the sins of the whole World 1 John 2.1 2. He is the Propitiation not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole World that is for the sins of all the Elect throughout the whole World for all that were Christs seed Christs posterity that now as all Adams posterity were made sinners by the imputation of Adam's unrighteousness so now Christs righteousness is sufficient to make all his posterity all his seed to make them all righteous in the sight of God because now this righteousness it is the righteousness of the Son of God of that person that is the eternal Son of God of that person that is very God equal with the Father the same Essence with God Now this is the righteousness of God as the Apostle calls the Blood that Christ shed the Blood of God Acts 20.28 So now this righteousness of Christ is the righteousness of God as it is usually called in the New Testament because it is the righteousness of that person which is God Now this makes his righteousness to be an all-sufficient righteousness Now then I may venture my Soul upon this righteousness if it be an all-sufficient righteouness and the righteousness of God then it is such a righteousness as is sufficient to save to the utmost all that come to God by him and it is an everlasting righteousness it will serve from the very beginning to the end of the World to make poor unrighteous Creatures to become righteous in the sight of God and to be accepted of God to eternal life and salvation nay and then further the Spirit of God goes on to discover and reveal this namely that God is ready to accept of this righteousness in the behalf of poor sinners here is now the mystery of the Gospel for truly this is a hard thing for flesh and blood to be perswaded of that I can be made righteous with the righteousness of another that I can be fed with the meat that another eats that I can be made warm by the cloaths that another wears that I should be made righteous with the
for a supply of them and is unsatisfied without them Whosoever he is that is thus Let him come to me Now I say this same spiritual thirst of the Soul is very necessary else the Soul will hardly ever come to Christ for to be supplyed Like as it is with a man that hath no ailment at all at lest no sence of it tell him of a Physician he will not stir a step after him for cure Those that are truly thirsty and have not wherewithal to supply themselves they are they that will come to Christ And hence it is that when Christ would stir up those of Laodicea to come unto him he doth it by shewing them their spiritual wants Thou saist saith he that thou standest in need of nothing that thou art full and standest in need of nothing But I say saith Christ that thou art blind miserable and naked First Christ doth convince them as it were of their need of a thirst and then holds forth the Water of Life Here 's the first thing opened What we are to understand by this thirst They who are truly thirsty let them come to Christ But 2. What is this coming to Christ or how may the Soul come unto Christ to drink of the water of life As I said before concerning thirst 't is not a thirst of the body but a thirst of the soul In what way may the Soul be said to come unto Christ Briefly three ways the Soul that is athirst may be said to come to Christ 1. First We are to come to Christ in the way of his Ordinances attending upon his Word to hearken to Christ there Let him come to me in the way of mine Ordinances As in Scripture phrase in that place before mentioned Isa 55.2 3. Coming is an hearkening diligently enclining the ear Come unto me by enclining of your ear Jesus Christ is usually to be found in his own way in his ordinances Mat. 28.20 Lo I am with you alway even to the end of the World yea in his Ordinances in the administration of the Gospel I am with you Then come to the place where Christ is or where he may meet with you Received you the Spirit by the hearing of the Law or by the preaching of Faith that is the Gospel Ye received the Spirit saith the Apostle Paul by having the Gospel preached he compares the preaching of the Law and the preaching of the Gospel and calls the preaching of the Law the Letter and the preaching of the Gospel the Spirit To come to Christ to wait upon Christ in his own way where he gives out this water of life he that receives of this water of life must be found in the way where Christ comes as Zaccheus was when Christ said to him this day is Salvation come to thy house This was beyond his desire and beyond his thirst Would you come to Christ come into his Galleries come into my sister my Spouse Would you come to Christ come where he is and see he walks in the midst of his golden Candlesticks there wait upon him in the way of his Ordinances and here what he will say unto you for a supply of your wants 2. Secondly Come unto Christ in a way of Asking by asking of him the waters of life So we are to come and this is called a coming to the Lord in the Hebrews He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him Chap. 11.6 He that comes to God how in a way of prayer and so to seek grace to help in a time of need come in a way of prayer And see how he directed the Woman of Samaria Christ asked her a little water and she denyed him well saith Christ If thou hadst asked of me I would have given thee living water how would he have given her living water why in a way of asking 3. Thirldy We are to come in a way of Faith And so saith Christ here in this Text If any man thirst let him come and drink that is he that believeth in me and so this coming to Christ is expounded to be believing John 6.35 He that cometh unto me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst Look now as unbelieving is a departing from the Lord Heb. 10.38.39 Take heed if any man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him But we are not of those that draw back but of them that believe to the saving of the Soul O! an evil heart of unbelief is a departing from God and so then by believing the soul is said to come to God to draw neer to God But what is that coming unto Christ or believing in Christ whereby the Soul shall be fully satisfied is it a believing that Jesus Christ is the Messias the Saviour of the World the very Devils do believe this No but briefly This Believing is namely The Souls rest and relying and trusting upon Christ for acceptance in the sight of God for remission of sins for Salvation and eternal life Trusting and relying upon Christ and his merits for Salvation a putting confidence in the Lord. Now when the Soul doth rely and venture through a Word of invitation in the Gospel through Christs invitation doth adventure to rely upon his merits to be wholly accepted in the sight of God This now is a coming to Christ And now saith Christ If any man thirst Let him câ—me unto me and he shall drink Let not any here move contention and say what do you bid us come to Christ why this holds forth free Will Why know that such exhortations usually and frequently are in all the duties that the Holy Ghost requires of us which he knows we have no strength to do the Lord calls us to pray and 't is our duty so to do and to believe but we have no strength and power of our selves but we must not stand upon cavelling and say 't is but a folly for us to be striving seeing we can do nothing but it is our duty to be doing what lies in us to the performance and wait upon the Lord for his coming in with power to enable us to perform as Lazarus when he was in the grave Christ called and with his word power was given forth and he came out So now we should indeavour to rely and trust upon Christ in his grace and in his promise to have a supply of this same Water of life and not to give over and cavil That is a third to shew what way the Soul that is truly a thirst should come to Christ Then 3. Thirdly Such as being athirst and do come to Christ they shall certainly be supplyed They shall certainly have a full supply and it freely given them for so saith Christ If any man thirst let him come and he shall drink freely He doth not expect any thing or hold forth any price but they whoever come shall drink freely
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
THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT In bringing SOULS TO CHRIST Set forth in X. SERMONS ON JOHN 16.7 8 9 10. And CHAP. 7.37 By that able and faithful Servant of Jesus Christ Mr. Thomas Allen late Pastor of a Church in the City of Norwich London Printed in the Year 1676. To the Reader HAving a sight of these Sermons before they went to the press I thought fit to speak something of them and something of the Author 1. As to these Sermons The design of them is excellent First they shew that the Holy Ghost in bringing Souls to Christ doth first convince them of sin so making them to feel their need of Christ working in them to hunger and thirst after him prize him above all and count all things loss and dung in comparison of him Secondly In these Sermons is excellently set forth the fulness and righteousness of the Lord Jesus whereby he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him Thirdly here is set forth how freely Christ admits sinners to come unto him that they may have life not standing upon any merit or worthiness in us but only works our hearts to a sense of our own vileness and unworthiness and by a secret work of his Spirit draws the humbled and convinced sinner to take of the water of life freely Possibly some may meet with a few passages in some of these Sermons that they may not clearly understand Let such consider that these Notes were neither intended nor prepared by the Author for the Press but taken in short hand from the mouth of the Preacher in which case there must be great allowance Likewise some may think the Author did inculcate things too much and was not so concise and sententious as were to be desired In answer to that I would say that in my poor judgment I always looked upon it as one of the many excellent gifts of God bestowed upon him that he had a great dexterity in clearing and urging things with variety of expressions As he was a heart Christian so he was a heart Preacher and those things that are to be wrought upon the hearts of the hearers are to be sufficientey cleared to their understandings and earnestly set home to their Souls and Consciences though God can set in with a short hint to convert a soul and enlarge that with great light and power upon the hearer that was not sufficiently cleared and urged by the Preacher yet truly 't is an excellence in a Preacher to set forth the truths of God plainly and fully with power and authority in the name of Christ 2. As to the Author of these Sermons that burning and shining light Mr. Thomas Allen now with Christ I must needs say something having such an opportunity of the exceeding grace of God in him 1. I will speak of him as a Christian He was one that obtained mercy to fear the Lord from his youth and soon grew up to sueh a measure of grace as to be one of the highest form in Christs school he attained to be more than one of the children or young men in Christ even to be one of the Fathers one of the most grown and most experienced Christians full of Faith and of the Holy Ghost His heart was much awed with a holy reverence of God he was a man of a tender conscience fearful to offend God Christ was exceeding precious to him he made him all his salvation and all his desire he was full of holy zeal valiant for the Truth he had a heart for God and a tongue for God upon all occasions In communicating to others necessities he was so free that usually he did beyond his estate he was every way eminent in grace adorning the Gospel with a holy fruitful conversaion 2. As a Minister he was very able and faithful he was an excellent Preacher plain and powerful in his doctrine and though he was a learned man yet he preached without all ostentation he did not confound his hearers with obscure terms and fantastical expressions but endeavoured to set forth the Truths of God in the most plain and convincing way to the consciences of men He preached not himself but Christ he was not desirous of vain glory In his preaching he was not in jest playing with his Text and with the souls of men as the manner of some is but was in sober sadness and good earnest to bring souls to Christ and build them up in him He was eminent in self-denial he made not the Ministry a trade to get mony his design was not to make himself rich in the World but to make others rich in grace In those places in which he laboured he might say with the Apostle that he sought not theirs but them not their goods but their good It 's no dishonour to a Minister of Christ to live of a little and to leave but little when he dyes Proud lordly self seeking high living Ministers no way suit the Gospel of Christ which was first preached by a company of poor men without any worldly splendor who went through wonderful hardships and difficulties in fulfilling the Ministry which they received of the Lord Jesus 2 Cor. 6.4 5. 2 Cor. 11 23 24 c. but are rather like the Merchants of Babylon who grow rich and great with the abundance of her delicacies Rev. 18.3.11.12 Another thing that I would mention of this worthy man was his marvellous condescension in private discourses to his brethren in the Ministry who were much inferiour to him in age and gifts not standing upon his own great worth never exalting himself but preferring them above himself hearing their judgments in any matter with as great reverence and respect as if they had been his Superiors Surely his humility was extraordinary and a notable example to all that knew him As he was a Scribe instructed to the Kingdom of God in all points of the Doctrine of Religion so he was expert in all Questions about Church-discipline above many for which he had been much advantaged by living so long in New-England and having there such intimate acquaintance with those famous men Mr. Bulkly Mr. Hooker Mr. Cotton Mr. Shephard and others there who lived in his heart when they were dead and he delighted to speak and to relate some remarkable passages of them One thing more I would take notice of in this man of God he was full of compassion to those that were under violent temptations and terrors of Conscience and very judicious to direct them in the way to find rest unto their souls Whil'st I commend this Servant of Jesus Christ let none be offended as if I thought or spake of man above what is meet I know indeed there is in these days a kind of man-worship a crying up this man and the other and having their persons and preaching in admiration without cause when in the mean while who almost cryeth up the Lord Jesus and maketh him all in
it is his very Being his very Essence for he is a God of Truth and in comparison of him all men in the World are liars Let God be true and every men a liar Rom. 3.4 He is so infinitely true that he is Truth it self and it is impossible for him to lie as the Apostle saith Tit. 2. God must cease to be God if any untruth should be found in him and yet now mark Unbelief doth cast so great a reproach upon God as to say God is a liar You have it expresly 1 John 5.10 11. He that believeth not on the Son of God hath made God a liar because he believeth not the record that God hath given of his Son Now what is the record that God hath given of his Son Verse 11. This is the Record that God hath given to us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son Here is the Record that God from Heaven doth hold forth in the Gospel here is eternal life and Salvation to be had through Jesus Christ to every one that doth believe this is the great Truth that the Gospel doth hold forth now such as do not receive this Truth and Testimony Unbelievers that remain in their unbelief they go on every day to make God a liar Question But you will say how do we by unbelief make God a liar Answer How briefly thus When a Soul goes on notwithstanding God holds forth this Record that here is Eternal Life to be had by believing on Christ this is the great Truth that God doth bear witness to in the Gospel now when people do no more regard this so great Truth though it be daily held forth to them yet they regard it no more than they do the Words of one that they know to be an arrant Liar Now one that is known to be a liar if he should promise a man never so much he would make no great matter of it he promiseth to furnish him with mony at his need but he doth not trust to it he knows he is a liar and therefore he is fain to provide for himself as well as he can Thus it is God doth promise eternal life to the soul that doth accept of Jesus Christ if you will believe on Christ here is eternal life for you this is the great Truth that God doth bear witness to in the Gospel now this Gospel is preached and published and proclaimed Now when people have no more regard to this great Truth of the Gospel than they have to the words of a liar then they make God a liar they say this is a lie let God say what he will I will not believe a word of it but we will look for salvation another way we will shift for our selves as well as we can by our own duties and services we will find the life in our own hands so long as any poor soul goes on in a course of unbelief he goes on continually to say that God is a liar O Brethren would it not make your ears tingle and your hearts ake to hear a man go up and down the streets saying God is a liar I will not believe one word that he saith you would say if the man were in his wits it is pity that he is suffered to live thus to blaspheme the true God Why truly this is the case and course of every one that lives under the Gospel under this Record that God doth bear concerning Jesus Christ and eternal life to be had in him and yet they go on in a course and state of unbelief and make nothing of all this they do proclaim and say that God is a liar and I do not believe one word that he saith what desperate and horrible blasphemy is this It may be you make no great matter of this but notwithstanding thus it is the Holy Ghost saith He that believeth not the Record that God hath given of his Son he makes God a liar And is not this a great sin to strike at the very Being of God for if God be not a God of Truth he must cease to be God That is the second Demonstration That Unbelief as it is a sin so it is the greatest of sins But then 3. Unbelief appears to be a great sin Because it is that whereby people do despise with the greatest despite the greatest kindness and favour that God can shew to poor creatures they do as it were spurn and kick away the kindness of God with a spurn of the foot God in the Gospel doth hold forth the greatest kindness and favour that can be shown to poor sinners he offers to them life and salvation peace and pardon and reconciliation Now for persons not to regard this O! it is a despising with the greatest despite the highest kindness and favour that God can shew to poor sinners I pray do but consider three or four things that you may see what a high contempt it is of the greatest kindness that can be shown to poor creatures 1. Consider but the State and Condition of those to whom God doth offer and tender his Grace in the Gospel What are they to whom God proclaims his Gospel and offers pardon and reconciliation and peace and life and salvation Who are they A company of poor condemned creatures that are under the sentence of eternal death and condemnation poor hopeless and helpless undone creatures We are all under a sentence of eternal death continually so long as we are in a state of unbelief The soul that sinneth it shall dy God hath pronounced this sentence upon every sinners head Now that God should offer and tender and shew himself ready to shew kindness unto poor undone creatures poor condemned creatures condemned to eternal death and for such poor creatures to slight this kindness Is not this a sin and provocation with a witness Is it not a great kindness for a King to shew such favour to a poor condemned creature that is ready to the Gallows if the King should send him his pardon It would be counted a kindness and a favour indeed Truly Brethren we are all condemned creatures sentenced to eternal death now that God should be pleased to have any intendment of good will and favour towards such as we are especially if you consider the state of Angels that fell and are under a sentence of eternal condemnation that God should leave them hopeless and helpless for ever pass by them and shew favour to poor sinful mankind here is a favour and kindness indeed We might all have perished and God had lost nothing at all he had been infinitely glorious and just for ever And then again 2. Consider how God hath set his infinite Wisdom on work to contrive and find out a way to manifest his goodness and favour to poor sinners which all the Angels in Heaven could never have done that there should be a way found out to save sinners that have infinitely offended and wronged the justice of
clear off from its own righteousness and not only so but it leads the Soul to follow after Righteousness still after our own righteousness too This is the work of the Spirit the Evangelical work of the Spirit to take a Soul off from its own righteousness and cause it to lean only upon Christs righteousness and yet to follow hard after its own righteousness it is a mystery to the World ay but the Spirit of the Lord doth lead a Soul in this way whereas now one that hath but a notional conviction of the righteousness of Christ and that his own righteousness cannot save him alas he will be ready to be formal and slighty in looking after his own righteousness he will be formal and careless in duties and ordinances or else he will be ready to neglect them he thinks under a notion of Christs righteousness that he shall be saved by the righteousness of Christ and so he neglects following hard after his own righteousness Brethren this is that the Spirit of the Lord doth when he convinces a Soul of the righteousness of Christ in order to Salvation it still causes the Soul to follow hard after its own righteousness though not to be accepted of God for it not to be saved by it but for such ends as I told you of before This is the way now that the Spirit of the Lord doth work upon the Soul in in order to its salvation And then 2. Again this also the Spirit is wont to do when he convinces of righteousness he doth convince effectually and powerfully as I told you he doth so convince the soul of the Righteousness of Christ as to perswade the soul to venture to lean its everlasting condition upon it to lean there to rest there I say this is the work of the Spirit And let us consider with our selves I pray whether the Spirit hath been thus at work upon our hearts in order to salvation Well to conclude and take my Farewel of you As we desire to obtain life and salvation through the righteousness of Jesus Christ take but only these three words which I shall leave with you and so have done 'T is a matter of everlasting concernment closing with this Righteousness of Christ fall short of the Righteousness of Christ but a hairs breadth and you fall short of eternal life and salvation for There is no Name under Heaven whereby you can be saved but by Christ and his Righteousness this is the new way of the Covenant of Grace to be saved for righteousness indeed and a perfect Righteousness too as perfect as ever Adams was but not for our own but for the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ therefore I say let me commend but three Words to you and so I have done First Study earnestly and diligently to understand this Righteousness of Christ though possibly you may think you do understand it in some measure yet there is a great deal more of it to be understood it is a great Deep a great Mystery therefore still let us be much in the study of this Righteousness of Christ Secondly Beg and pray earnestly for the Spirit to be given out unto you to convince you of this Righteousness more and more to convince you effectually and powerfully so as to enable your souls to venture to lean upon it Thirdly And then indeavour every day frequently to be exercising your selves in leaning and resting the weight of your Souls upon this Righteousness of Jesus Christ do not only beg for the Spirit to convince us of this but let us be indeavouring to exercise our selves frequently in leaning the weight of our Souls upon the Righteousness of Jesus Christ to be accepted of God to eternal life I will repeat them agaiâ— and then have done First Be very diligent in studâ—ing to understand what the Righteousness of Christ is Our eternal life is in it as Moses said Set your heart to this Word for it is your Life So I say this is your life this Righteousness of Christ therefore set your heart to study it make it your work and business to study to understand still more and more of this Righteousness of Christ Secondly Beg earnestly for the Spirit of Conviction that Christ would send down his Spirit to convince us of this Righteousness to convince us effectually and powerfully of it so as to be enabled to rest upon it Thirdly Let us be exercising our selves frequently in leaning and resting the weight of our Souls upon this Righteousness giving up our selves frequently day by day to lean and rest the weight of our Souls upon the Righteousness of Christ for acceptance with God to eternal life and salvation Well I have done only this Word I shall add in a Word He that hath ears to hear let him hear Thirsty Sinners invited to Christ SERMON VIII JOHN 7.37 In the last day that great day of the Feast Jesus stood and cried saying If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink YOU have heard before the Words that Christ spake when the Pharisees and Rulers sent Officers to take him at the 30 Verse At the 33 and 34 Verses he told them that whatever their design should be to take him Yet notwithstanding saith he yet a little while I am with you and whereas you are now desirous to be rid of me Ere long I shall go away and you shall see me no more and though you may desire it You shall seek me saith Christ and shall not find me and where I am thither you cannot come Now mark what an effect these words had upon them what use did the Jews make of that word of Admonition that Christ gave and that gracious Counsel he gave instead of making a good improvement See v. 35.36 they made use of his words to scoff at and mock him say they Yet a little while and he will go away will he go to the dispersed among the Gentiles speaking in derision and scorn will he go among the dispersed Gentiles Christ spake plain enough if they had not been maliciously blind Yet a little while saith he and I go to him that sent me and so they made a meer mock So that here we may take notice that Malicious minded men in stead of receiving any Word of Counsel and advice will be ready rather to rail mock and scoff at them who give it And so here to the Jews it was a word of Admonition that Christ gave but they fell a mocking and scoffing at him And so it was of old 2 Chron. 14.20 you read there how King Jehoshaphat sent about Priests and Levites throughout the Cities out of Compassion to their Souls to teach the Word among them and to put them in mind of their duty and it is said they mocked those that came they mocked the messengers of the Lord for the words which they brought were for the welfare of their Souls And so you read concerning the Lords Prophets that he
him united to him and are in him and so no condemnation to them that are in Christ and therefore they must needs have a large supply and communication from Jesus Christ Suppose that a man were in the Sun the very fountain of light if he be near the Sun he hath much light but if he be in the Sun then a more large fulness of light and so they that come unto Christ they are neer Christ they are nigh unto him John 6.56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him He abides in me and dwells in me The Soul therefore that comes to Christ must needs haâ—e a full supply Again This full supply that is given out unto Believers it is given out not only fully but freely Saith Christ I do not ask any thing at all but whosoever comes he shall have his fill he shall have a full supply and that freely he shall drink and that freely only do but come and you shall drink and thy soul shall live Revel 22.17 And Whosoever will let him come and drink of the water of life freely And so Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price Without any price at all it is only coming and that to every one that comes to him it 's most free You have had two or three Demonstrations I shall but briefly name them and so proceed to shew and satisfy your hearts in this that Jesus Christ requireth nothing of any soul that comes to him for the giving out of a large supply 1. If Christ should require any thing and should not give out freely there is not a soul that ever was in the World or ever shall be in the World that had or hath wherewith to purchase any thing or any one drop of the water of life For we cannot as much as will or think or speak of our selves not so much as to have a good thought And 2. Jesus Christ will have it so because it is his pleasure and delight 3. It must needs be so because of that Invitation that Jesus Christ doth here make unto poor souls that come unto him Thus far I have proceeded Before I come to the Application there is only one thing would be cleared as an Objection by the way and that is taken from the Saints Objection Do we say there is such a fulness in Jesus Christ and will he give out a large and full supply unto all that come to him and that freely How can this stand with the experience of them that are true believers that truly come unto Jesus Christ They are so sensible of their own wants weaknesses and their own defects of grace as what more frequent complaints and who do more frequently complain than true believers And there is never a true believing soul that comes to Jesus Christ but is sensible of some defect or want or other and hath not attained to perfection and the more and nearer he comes to Christ still the more sensible of his defects and wants O! none so weak as I am none so poor in grace as I am none so weak in faith so wanting in love in humility in patience and in meekness as I and O! none hath such a cold heart such a dead heart such an unfruitful heart as I have You will say where is this same full supply then Shall all that come to Christ have a full supply how can these things be What shall we say then that those that make such complaints as these are not true believers no God forbid Or shall we say that this Truth that Jesus Christ hath spoken is not truth why where is then this same full supply how can this stand to be a truth that all that do come to Jesus Christ shall have a full supply and shall drink abundantly and shall drink freely when he saith Every one that cometh unto me shall drink of the water of life and that freely Do not many believers fear that their sins will be their ruine and fear condemnation sometimes Now how doth this stand with this full supply which is to be had in Christ I shall clear this by answering to two or three things Answer 1. First Every believing soul that comes to Jesus Christ hath drunk such a draught of this same water of life that he is freed for ever from condemnation He shall never dy or perish or be condemned for sin no he is freed from all condemnation the poorest the weakest the meanest hath drunk a full supply that it shall never perish by its sins it is passed from death to life there is no condemnation none unto them now that they are in Christ Jesus no condemnation to the poorest and meanest believer and now all their sins are forgiven there is a full forgiveness those sins shall never be laid to their charge And as the Holy Ghost saith I will be merciful unto their unrighteousness their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more And the blood of Jesus Christ is able to cleanse us from all our sins It 's true indeed a believer that hath drunk of this same water of life and that is freed from all his sins he may be possibly be exercised with fears and possibly his Assurance and his Apprehension of his Justification to himself may have some cloud upon it he may be excercised with clouds may fear his going down into the pit though there is no real ground of it for indeed he is freed from all the guilt of these for he is now passed from death to life John 11.26 He that believeth in me shall never dy that is his very temporal death shall be but as a sleep to him the sting is taken out and he shall never die eternally And so therefore to clear this Objection there is never a believing soul that is come to Christ but hath drunk such a draught of the water of life that he is passed from death to life and shall never see death or condemnation That is one Answer 2. Secondly Every Soul that is come to Christ though in respect of his Sanctification of sanctifying and saving grace he is not perfect he hath not drunk such a draught but he desires more and may desire more yet notwithstanding that draught that he hath drunk is such a draught as he shall never be thirsty more so as to be wholly destitute of this same water of life as he was before Christ saith John 6.35 He that cometh to me shall never hunger he that believeth on me shall never thirst He shall be carried on as he shall never decrease so as to be destitute but shall grow up as the grain of mustard seed Christ makes use of by way of Parable likening the Kingdom of Heaven to a grain of mustard seed and to a little Leaven which never
leaves spreading till it hath spread all over and the grain of mustard seed it grows and springs up further and further till it become a tree for the fowls in the air to lodge in so our inward man is renewed day by day as it will spring up increase and grow more and more though yet he that hath drunk of the Spirit hath not the full perfection of it at once but may desire more yet notwithstanding he hath so much as he shall never be dry again that is wholly destitute but shall grow up and increase and spring And let me add only a third thing Answer 3. You will say The Saints have not a full draught and full supply because they complain I answer that though here they be in a state of imperfection and stand in need of a daily supply being sensible of their own defects and weaknesses Yet every believing soul hath drunk so much of the water of life as now he hath right and title unto the Inheritance of Glory where there is such fulness of joy as he shall be satisfied and shall not be able to desire any more Psal 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of Joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore They shall have joy as much as they can hold every vessel shall be filled with glory so full as it can hold no more they shall enjoy as much as ever they are able to hold or containe every vessel shall be full of glory The beginnings of eternal life are here and though possibly they may be made to drink tears here in abundance yet notwithstanding they have the beginnings of eternal life and glory and when they come once to enjoy the consummation of it they shall not be able to desire one draught one jot more so He that believeth on me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water springing up unto eternal life So much for that Objection Now for the Application of the Point Vse 1. You see what Christ saith in the Text That man that comes unto me shall drink My drift in this Application shall be to press this Invitation of Jesus Christ Be it known unto you Men and Women young men and old and children that are capable of knowledge Know it that Jesus Christ doth invite every one of you that stands before him in this Ordinance to come unto him and draw water out of this Well of salvation It is a strong invitation that whosoever comes to him shall drink of this water of life Let me say unto you as Moses said unto the Children of Israel Deut. 32.46 And he said unto them Set your hearts unto all the Words that I testify among you this day Set your hearts to this Invitation of Jesus Christ to the Word that is now sounding in your ears for it is your life Jesus Christ doth bring eternal life to your doors to your hearts do not look upon them as if they were words of course and wind as if there were no truth or reality in them Brethren I suppose now if a friend should invite you to a Dinner or a Supper you would believe that he were real and you are ready to accept of his invitation because you think he means as he saith Why so now be it known unto you that Jesus Christ doth make an invitation to all here every one in the Congregation this day to come unto him and you shall have a supply of this water of life Suppose now that Jesus Christ were here present speaking these words as he did with his own mouth in the hearing of thousands and suppose now that if Jesus Christ were here in his bodily presence do you not think you should believe and give entertainment to what he spake behold Jesus Christ now speaks in his Word to all that are here present as he spake to all that were present then and makes proclamation saying Is any man athirst is there any that do desire this water of life that do desire to have their sins pardoned and forgiven them that do desire to be freed from condemnation that do desire to be adopted Sons and Daughters of God to have peace with God to have comfort and consolation in life and death and to have everlasting eternal glory when life shall be no more Know Jesus Christ holds forth all this whatsoever is requisite to eternal life Jesus Christ doth invite you to this and holds forth and promiseth to give a full draught of it to all that ever will come to him Therefore let no poor soul lay impediments and blocks in its own way to hinder him from coming unto Jesus Christ Objection But may one say I am afraid that I should presume if I should come unto Christ and therefore I dare not venture Answer O! let not any soul think so nor say so to hinder any of your souls from coming Know it that if Jesus Christ had made no invitation to you to come then you might very well say it 's presumption indeed for me to come but Jesus Christ invites thee himself in his Word and Promises that if you do come you shall have of this water of life and that freely Suppose a great rich man should invite a poor man to his Table and he comes being invited will ye say this is presumption when he spake to him himself and if he should not come 't is rather a slighting and despising his favour and love Why Jesus Christ holds forth a free invitation tenders it and promises it to any one soul that will come unto him upon his invitation and therefore let nothing stave thee off seeing he hath made a full and free invitation unto every one to come indeed Objection But alas I do not know that I am invited Christ invites me what me I am altogether unworthy to be invited to partake of this water of life alas so poor a creature so ignorant and so blind and so without strength as I am unable to perform any duty no strength and nothing at all to commend me unto the Lord or why the Lord should give me the least drop of the water of life and therefore certainly it is not to me Jesus Christ doth not invite me Answer I say Let not this Impediment ly in thy way because we have no strength or ability to do or to please or to serve him in any way why alas do you think now that Jesus Christ calls for any price invites people and then they must bring money in their hands No Brethren you are much mistaken Jesus Christ doth invite to come without money or without any price Whoever you be though you be never so weak and unable to perform any duty or service and never did any thing for the Lord yet you should come And Brethren the more unfit we are in our selves and the less we have of our selves and the more sensible we are of our own
unfitness this should rather be so far from hindering and discouraging us as that it should encourage us to come why because that having nothing and Christ being the fulness of all we should go unto Christ for all as Rev. 3.18 saith Christ Thou art poor and naked blind and miserable and hast nothing wherefore come to me I counsel thee to come to me for Ey salve and for rayment gold and treasure and riches Why here now is Christs argument on the contrary Why Brethren he fills the hungry and the empty with good things and they are to come to Christ Jesus Christ invites such poor souls as have nothing at all no ability at all a poor blind creature if one be more blind and unable and more ignorant than another here is the invitation that Jesus Christ doth make this day to such a poor soul that he shall if he come he shall drink and he shall have of this Water of Life Objection But another Objection is Alas I am a poor old creature an old man or an old woman that have lived without God and without Christ all this time and have slighted the offers of grace and all the invitations of Christ in his Gospel And also a poor old sinner and will Jesus Christ invite me I possibly have been a drunkard and an old drunkard and a swearer and a blasphemer of the name of God and the ways of Christ and can I think that ever Christ should entertain me when I come Answer Why now mark what I say unto you in a word from the Lord Let not any one here except himself and exclude himself if Jesus Christ do not except and exclude him look into the invitation doth Jesus Christ exclude and say Let every one come to me except he be an old drunkard or an old swearer no he doth not say so he excludes none See how the Words run if any man will come he shall drink if any man without exception can you have it spoken more full or in plainer terms If any man will come unto me he shall drink John 6.35 36 37. saith Jesus there I am the Bread of life he that cometh unto me shall not hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst but I said unto you that ye also have seen me and believe not All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Let him be what he will whatsoever he be never such an old sinner and therefore why should a poor soul make this exception in his coming to Christ Now know it if there be any such a soul in the Congregation that hath lived so many years and all his life long hath been in sinful courses the invitation is to him and to all others that If any come to me saith Christ I will give him the water of life Objection But to object further Alas I have no strength nor power and I am unworthy to come and therefore it is but a folly to make such an invitation unto me and I have no power Answer You have heard before what it is to come to Christ viz. To venture and cast your self upon Christs invitation in his promise and the soul now venturing to lean upon Christs word and to trust Christ upon his word and to expect what Christ holds forth in his word this is a coming unto Christ you know what the Prodigal was and when the Lord sees a poor soul afar off he meets him and strengthens him and encourageth him and leadeth him by the hand and upholdeth him Objection Ay but you will say Alas I am willing to come to Christ but I have no word and a soul cannot come to Christ unless the Lord gives out some promise secretly to draw the heart to Christ and I cannot remember that ever the Lord spake to me whereby I should ever come Answer Well Suppose you cannot remember that ever you had any word or promise given out to draw or perswade your heart to cast it self and to adventure upon Christ yet behold here is a word from the Lord this day which he causes to be proclaimed in your hearing Jesus Christ holds forth unto you this day whoever you be that comes he shall drink and shall drink abundantly and most freely drink of the waters of life and shall never perish but shall live for ever and therefore from this time forward let not any soul say well the Lord hath not this day holden forth any word to me know it the Lord speaks to you even to one and to another this day If any man be athirst let him come unto me and drink Have you any thing more to object think with your selves what it is Objection Ay you will say there is one thing more and that is here in the Text If any man be athirst let him come and I cannot say I am athirst There are two things in answer to this Answer 1. The Promise that Christ makes here of giving the water of life is not so much to the thirsty as to the comer Whoever he be that comes to me shall drink 't is true indeed he saith every one that thirsts let him come to me and drink Why ordinarily men and women poor sinners are not ready to come to Christ without they be made very thirsty and see their necessity ay but notwithstanding saith Christ If any man do but come whoeuer he be if he doth but come and so Whosoever will whosoever he be let him come and take of the water of life freely The Promise is made not to thirsters only but to comers and be sure if you come he will give you to drink fully and freely Rev. 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him come and drink of the water of life freely Remember the Promise is not to the thirsty alone but unto the comer therefore venture to come and you may be sure Jesus Christ will give you to drink of the water of life Answer 2. But then again you say you do not thirst Can any soul here before the Lord say that you have no need of the water of life that you have no need of nor desire everlasting life that you have no need to have your sins pardoned is there any soul in the Congregation that can say that there is no need then you may stand off and say there is no invitation made to me but I dare say for every one in the congregation that he would willingly dy the death of the righteous and therefore let every poor soul know whatsoever is spoken to one is spoken to every one Jesus Christ hath made this invitation if any man do but come to Christ do but venture upon Christ that is the way he shall drink of the water of life and what shall I say more for the