if my Covenant be not with Day and Night and if I have not appointed the Ordinances of Heaven and Earth then will I cast away the Seed of Jacob. But Heaven can not be measured not the Foundations of the Earth searched out beneath his Covenant is also with day and night and he hath appointed the Ordinances of Heaven therefore he will not cast away the Seed of Jacob who are the coming ones but will certainly save them from the dreadful Wrath to come Jer. 33. 25 26. chap. 50. 4 5. By this therefore it is manifest that it is not the greatness of sin nor thy long continuance in it no nor yet thy back-sliding nor the pollution of thy Nature that can put a bar in against or be an hinderance of the Salvation of the coming sinner For if indeed this could be then would this solemn and absolute Determination of the Lord Jesus of its self fall to the ground and be made of none effect But his Counsel shall stand and he will do all his pleasure That is his pleasure in this for this promise this irreversible conclusion ariseth of his Pleasure and he will stand to it and will fulfil it because it is his pleasure Suppose that one man had the sins or as many sins as an hundred and another should have an hundred times as many as he yet if they come this word I will in no wise cast out secures them both alike Suppose a man hath a desire to be saved and for that purpose is coming in truth to Jesus Christ but he by his debauched Life has damned many in hell why the dore of hope is by these words set as open for him as it is for him that hath not the thousandth part of his Transgressions And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Suppose a man is coming to Christ to be Saved and hath nothing but sin and an ill-spent life to bring with him Why let him come and welcome to Jesus Christ And he will in no wise cast him out Luk. 7. 41. Is not this Love that passeth knowledg is not this Love the wonderment of Angels and is not this Love worthy of all acceptation at the hands and hearts of coming sinners Secondly That which is implyed in the words is First The coming Souls hath those that continually lie at Jesus Christ to cast them Secondly The coming Souls are afraid that these will prevail with Christ to cast them off For these words are spoken to satisfie us and to stay up our Spirits against these two dangers I will in no wise cast out First For the First Coming Souls have those that continually lye at Jesus Christ to cast them off And there are three things that thus bend themselves against the coming sinner First There is the Devil that Accuser of the brethren that accuses them before God day and night Revel 12. 10. This Prince of Darkness is unwearied in this work he doth it as you see day and night that is without ceasing He continually puts in his Caveats against thee if so be he may prevail How did he ply it against that good man Job if possible he might have obtained his destruction in Hell fire He objected against him that he served not God for nought and tempted God to put forth his Hand against him urging that if he did it he would Curse him to his face and all this as God witnesseth He did without a Cause Job 1. 9 10 11. chap. 2. 4. 5. How did he ply it with Christ against Joshua the high Priest And he shewed me Joshua said the Prophet the high Priest standing before the Angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him Zech. 3. To resist him that is to prevail with the Lord Jesus Christ to resist him Objecting the uncleanness and unlawful Marriage of his Sons with the Gentiles for that was the Crime that Satan laid against them Ezra 10. 18. Yea and for ought I know Joshua was also guilty of the fact but if not of that of Crimes no whit inferior for he was Cloathed with filthy Garments as he stood before the Angel neither had he one word to say in vindication of himself against all that this wicked one had to lay against him But notwithstanding that he came off well but he might for it thank a good Lord Jesus because he did not resist him but contrariwise took up his cause pleaded against the Devil excused his infirmity and put justifying Robes upon him before his Adversaries Face And the Lord said unto Satan The Lord Rebuke thee O Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem Rebuke thee Is not this a Brand pluckt out of the Fire And he answered and spake to those that stood before him saying Take away the filthy Garments from him and to him he said Behold I have caused thine iniquities to pass from thee and will Cloath thee with chang of Raiment Again how did Satan ply it against Peter when he desired to have him that he might sift him as Wheat that is if possible sever all Grace from his heart and leave him nothing but flesh and filth to the end he might make the Lord Jesus loath and abhor him Simon Simon said Christ Satan hath desired to have you that he might sift you as Wheat But did he prevail against him No But I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not As who should say Simon Satan hath desired me that I would give thee up to him and not only thee but all the rest of thy Brethren for that the word you imports but I will not leave thee in his hand I have prayed for thee thy saith shall not sail I will secure thee to the Heavenly Inheritance Luk. 22. 30 31 32. Secondly As Satan so every sin of the coming-sinner comes in with a Voice against him if perhaps they may prevail with Christ to cast off the Soul When Israel was coming out of Egypt to Canaan how many times had their sins thrown them out of the mercy of God had not Moses as a Type of Christ stood in the breach to turn away his VVrath from them Psal. 106. 23. our Iniquities testify against us and would certainly prevail against us to our utter rejection and Damnation had we not an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. The sins of the old World cryed them down to Hell the sins of Sodom fetched upon them Fire from Heaven which devoured them the sins of the Egyptians cryed them down to Hell because they came not to Jesus Christ for Life Coming-sinner thy sins are no whit less than any Nay perhaps they are as big as all theirs VVhy is it then that thou livest when they are dead and that thou hast a promise of Pardon when they had not Why thou art coming to Jesus Christ and therefore sin shall not be thy ruin Thirdly As Satan and
and hold not thy peace for I have much People in this City Joh. 10. 16. Act. 18. 9 10. The People that the Lord here speaks of were not at this time accounted His by reason of a Work of Conversion that already had passed upon them but by Vertue of the Gift of the Father for he had given them unto him Therefore was Paul to stay here to speak the Word of the Lord to them that by his Speaking the Holy Ghost might effectually work out their Souls to the causing them to Come who was also ready with Heart and Soul to receive them Thirdly Christ by these Words also suggesteth That no more came unto Him than indeed was given him of the Father For the Him in this place is one of the All that by Christ was mentioned before All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me and every Him of that All I will in no wise cast out This the Apostle insinuateth where he saith He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ Till we All come in the Unity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a Perfect Man unto the Measure of the Stature of the Fulness of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 12 13. Mark As in the Text so here he speaketh of All Untill we All come We All All who Doubtless All that the Father giveth to Christ. This is further insinuated because he calleth this All The Body of Christ the Measure of the Stature of the Fulness of Christ By which he means the Universal Number given to wit The true Elect Church which is said to be his Body and Fulness Ephes. 1. 22 23. Fourthly And Christ Jesus by these Words further suggesteth That he is well content with this Gift of the Father to him All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out I will heartily willingly and with great Content of Mind receive him They shew us also that Christ's Love in Receiving is as large as his Father's Love in Giving and no larger Hence he thanks him for his Gift and also thanks him for hiding of Him and his Things from the rest of the Wicked Mat. 11. 25. Luk. 10 21. But Secondly and more particularly And him that cometh And him This word Him By it Christ looketh back to the Gift of the Father not only in the Lump and whole of the Gift but to every Him of that Lump As who should say I do not only accept of the Gift of my Father in the General but have a special Regard to every of them in Particular and will secure not only some or the greatest part but Every Him every Dust Not an Hooff of all shall be lost or left behind And indeed in this he consenteth to his Father's Will which is That of All that he hath given him he should lose Nothing Joh. 6. 39. And him Christ Jesus also by his thus dividing the Gift of his Father into Hims and by his speaking of them in the Singular Number shews what a particular Work shall be wrought in each one at the time appointed of the Father And it shall come to pass in that Day saith the Prophet that the Lord shall beat off from the Channel of the River to the Stream of Egypt and ye shall be gathered one by one O ye Children of Israel Isa. 27. 12. He shews also hereby That no Lineage Kindred or Relation can at all be profited by any Outward or Carnal Union with the Person that the Father hath given to Christ. 'T is only Him the Given Him the Coming Him that he intends absolutely to secure And him There are divers sorts of Persons that the Father hath given to Jesus Christ They are not all of one Rank of one Quality Some are High some Low some are Wise some Fools some are more Civil and Complying with the Law some more Profane and averse to Him and his Gospel Now since those that are given to him are in some sense so divers and again since he yet saith And Him that cometh c. He by that doth give us to understand that he is not as Men for picking and choosing to take a Best and leave a Worst but he is for Him that the Father hath given him and that cometh to him He will not alter nor change it a Good for a Bad or a Bad for a Good Levit. 27. 9 10. There is many a sad Wretch given by the Father to Jesus Christ but not one of them all is despised or slighted by him It is said of those that the Father hath given to Christ That they have done worse than the Heathen That they were Murderers Thieves Drunkards Unclean Persons and what not But he has Received them Washed them and Saved them A fit Emblem of this Sort is that wretched Instance mentioned in the Sixteenth of Ezekiel that was cast out in a Stincking Condition to the loathing of its Person in the day that it was Born A Creature in such a wretched Condition that no Eye pittied to do any of the Things there mentioned unto it or to have Compassion upon it No Eye but his that speaketh in the Text. And Him Let him be as red as Blood let him be as red as Crimson Some men are blood-Red sinners Crimson sinners Sinners of a double die dipt and dipt again before they come to Jesus Christ. Art thou that readest these Lines such an one speak out man Art thou such an one and art thou now coming to Jesus Christ for the Mercy of Justification that thou mightest be made white in his Blood and be covevered with his Righteousness Fear not for as much as this thy coming betokeneth that thou art of the number of them that the Father hath given to Christ for he will in no wise cast thee out Come now saith Christ and let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be as Red as Crimson they shall be as wooll Isa. 1 18. And him There was many a strange him came to Jesus Christ in the days of his flesh but he received them all without turning any away Speaking unto them of the Kingdom of God and Healing such as had need of healing Luk. 9. 11. Chap. 4. 40. These words And him are therefore words to be wondered at That not one of them who by vertue of the Fathers gift and drawing are coming to Jesus Christ I say that not one of them what ever they have been what ever they have done should be rejected or set by But admitted to a share in his saving grace 'T is said in Luke that the people wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth Luk. 4. 22. Now this is one of his
And Jesus saw all the Workings of his honest Heart at that time Joh. 1. 47 48. Zacheus also had some secret Movings of Heart such as they was towards Jesus Christ when he ran before and climbed up the Tree to see him and the Lord Jesus Christ had his Eye upon him Therefore when he was come to the Place he looked up to him bids him come down For to Day said he I must abide at thy House To wit in order to the further Compleating the Work of Grace in his Soul Luk. 19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Remember this Coming-Sinner Secondly As Jesus Christ has his Eye upon so he hath his Heart open to receive the Coming Sinner This is verified by the Text And him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out This is also discovered by his preparing of the Way in his making of it Easie as may be to the Coming-Sinner which Preparation is manifest by them Blessed Words I will in no wise cast out Of which more when we come to the Place And while he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had Compassion on him and ran and fell on his Neck and kissed him Luk. 15. 20. All these Expressions do strongly prove that the Heart of Christ is open to receive the Comming Sinner Thirdly As Jesus Christ has his Eye upon and his Heart open to receive so he hath resolved already that nothing shall alienate his Heart from receiving the Coming-Sinner No Sins of the Coming-Sinner nor the Length of the Time that he hath abode in them shall by any Means prevail with Jesus Christ to reject him Coming Sinner thou art coming to a loving Lord Jesus Fourthly These Words therefore are dropt from his Blessed Mouth on purpose that the Coming Sinner might take Encouragement to continue on his Journey until he be come indeed to Jesus Christ. It was doubtless a great Encouragement to Blind Bartlimeus that Jesus Christ stood still and called him when he was crying Jesus thou Son of David have Mercy on me Therefore 't is said He cast away his Garment Rose up and Came to Jesus Mark 10. 46 c. Now if a Call to come hath such Encouragement in it what is a Promise of Receiving such but an Encouragement much more And observe it though he had a Call to come yet not having a Promise his Faith was forced to work upon a meer Consequence Saying He calls me and surely since he calls me he will grant me my Desire Ah! but Coming-Sinner thou hast no need to go so far about as to draw in this Matter Consequences because thou hast plain Promises And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Here is full plain yea what Encouragement one can desire For suppose thou was admitted to make a Promise thy self and Christ should attest that he would fulfil it upon the Sinner that cometh to him Couldest thou make a better Promise Couldest thou invent a more full free or larger Promise A Promise that looks at the first Moving of the Heart after Jesus Christ A Promise that declares yea that ingageth Christ Jesus to open his Heart to receive the Coming-Sinner Yea further A Promise that Demonstrateth that the Lord Jesus is resolved freely to receive will in no wise cast out nor means to reject the Soul of the Coming sinner For all this lieth fully in this Promise and doth naturally flow there-from Here thou needest not make use of far-fetcht Consequences nor strain thy Wits to force encouraging Arguments from the Text. Comming-Sinner the Words are plain And him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out And Him that Cometh There are two Sorts of sinners that are coming to Jesus Christ. First Him that hath never while of late at all began to come Secondly Him that came formerly and after that went back but hath since bethought himself and is now coming again Both these sorts of sinners are intended by the Him in the Text as is evident because Both are now the coming Sinners And Him that cometh c. For the first of these the sinner that hath never while of late began to come his way is more easie I do not say more plain and open to come to Christ than is the other those last not having the Clog of a guilty Conscience for the sin of Back-sliding hanging at their Heels But all the incouragement of the Gospel with what invitations are therein contained to coming sinners are as free and as open to the one as to the other so that they may with the same freedom and liberty as from the word both alike claim interest in the promise All things are ready All things for the coming back-sliders as well as for the others Come to the Wedding And let him that is a thirst come Mat. 22. 1 2 3 4. Revel 22. 17. But having spoken to the first of these already I shall here pass it by and shall speak a word or two to him that is coming after back-sliding to Jesus Christ for life Thy way O thou sinner of a double dye thy way is open to come to Jesus Christ I mean thee whose heart after long back-sliding doth think of turning to him again Thy way I say is open to him as is the way of the other sorts of Comers as appears by what follows First Because the Text makes no Exception against thee it doth not say And any him But a back-slider any him But him The Text doth not thus object but indifinitively openeth wide its Golden Arms to every coming soul without the least Exception Therefore thou maist come Secondly Nay the Text is so far from excepting against thy coming that it strongly suggesteth that thou art one of the souls intended O thou coming back-slider Else what need that Clause have been so inserted I will in no wise cast out No as who should say though those that come now are such as have formerly back-sliden I will in No wise cast a way the Fornicator the Covetous the Railer the Drunkard or other common Sinners nor yet the Back-slider neither Thirdly That the Back-slider is intended is evident First For that he is sent to By Name Go tell his Disciples and Peter Mark 16. 7. But Peter was a Godly Man True but he was also a Back-slider yea a desperate Back-slider He had Denyed his Master once twice thrice Cursing and Swearing that he knew him not If this was not Back-sliding if this was not an High and Eminent Back-sliding yea a higher Back-sliding than thou art capable of I have thought amiss Again When David had back-sliden and had committed Adultery and Murder in his Back-sliding he must be sent to by Name And saith the Text the Lord sent Nathan to David And he sent him to tell him after he had brought him to unfeigned Acknowledgment of his Fact The Lord hath also put away or forgiven Thy Sin 2 Sam. 12. 1. This
thou hast done they might have looked long enough before they had found themselves coming to Jesus Christ. Besides I will tell thee That the greatness of Sense of Sin the hideous Roarings of the Devil yea and abundance of Revelations will not prove that God is bringing the Soul to Jesus Christ As Balaam Cain Judas and others can witness Further Consider that what thou hast not of these things now thou mayst have another time and that to thy Distraction Wherefore instead of being discontent because thou art not in the Fire because thou hearest not the Sound of the Trumpet and Alarum of War Pray that thou enter not into Temptation Yea come boldly to the Throne of Grace and obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in that time of need Psal. 88. 15. Matth. 26. 40 41. Heb. 4. 16. Poor Creature Thou criest If I were Tempted I could come faster and with more Confidence to Jesus Christ Thou sayest thou knowst not what What sayes Job With-draw thy Hand from me and let not thy Dread make me afraid Then call thou and I will answer or let me speak and answer thou me Job 13. 21. It is not the over-heavy Load of Sin but the Discovery of Mercy not the Roaring of the Devil but the Drawing of the Father that makes a Man come to Jesus Christ I my self know all these Things True sometimes yea most an end they that come to Jesus Christ come the Way that thou desirest the Loaden Tempted Way But the Lord also leads some by the Waters of Comfort If I was to chuse when to go a long Journey to wit Whether I would go it in the Dead of Winter or in the Pleasant Spring though if it was a very profitable Journey as that of coming to Christ is I would chuse to go it through Fire and Water before I would lose the Benefit I would chuse to go it in the Pleasant Spring because the Way would be more Delightsome the Dayes longer and Warmer the Nights shorter and not so Cold. And it is observable that that very Argument that thou usest to weaken thy Strength in the Way that very Argument Christ Jesus useth to incourage his Beloved to come to him Arise saith he my Love my Fair One and come away Why For lo the Winter is past the Rain is over and gone the Flowers appear in the Earth the time of the Singing of Birds is come and the Voyce of the Turtle is heard in our Land The Fig-Tree putteth forth her Green Figs and the Vine with her tender Grapes give a good Smell Arise my Love my Fair One and come away Song 2. 10 11 12 13. Trouble not thy self therefore Coming-Sinner If thou seest thy lost Condition by Original and Actual Sin if thou seest thy Need of the spotless Righteousness of Jesus Christ if thou art willing to be found in him and to take up thy Cross and follow him Then pray for a fair Wind and good Weather and come away Stick no longer in a Muse and Doubt about Things but come away to Jesus Christ Do it I say lest thou tempt God to lay the Sorrows of a Travelling Woman upon thee Thy Folly in this thing may make him do it Mind what follows The Sorrows of a Travelling Woman shall come upon him Why He is an unwise Son so he should not stay long in the Place of the breaking forth of Children Hos. 13. 13. Seventhly Thy Fears that Christ will not Receive thee may arise from those Decayes that thou findest in thy Soul even while thou art coming to him Some even as they are coming to Jesus Christ do find themselves grow worse and worse And this is indeed a fore Tryal to the poor Coming-Sinner To explain my self There is such an one a coming to Jesus Christ who when at first he began to look out after him was Sensible Affectionate and broken in Spirit but now is grown Dark Sensless Hard-hearted and inclining to neglect Spiritual Duties c. Besides he now finds in himself Inclinations to Unbelief Atheisme Blasphemy and the like Now he finds he cannot Tremble at God's Word his Judgements nor at the Apprehensions of Hell-fire Neither can he as he thinketh be sorry for these Things Now this is a sad Dispensation The Man under the Sixth Head complained for want of Temptations but thou hast enough of them Art thou glad of them Tempted Coming-Sinner They that never were Exercised with them may think it a fine thing to be within the Range but he that is there is ready to sweat Blood for Sorrow of Heart and to howl for Vexation of Spirit This man is in the Wilderness among the wild Beasts here he sees a Bear there a Lyon Yonder a Leopard a Wolf a Dragon Devils of all sorts doubts of all sorts Fears of all sorts Haunt and Molest his Soul Here he sees smoak yea feels fire and brimstone scattered upon his secret places he hears the sound of an Horrible Tempest O! My friends even the Lord Jesus that knew all things even He saw no pleasure in Temptations nor did He desire to be in them Wherefore one Text saith he was led and an other he was driven of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil Mat. 4. 1. Mar. 1. 12. But to return Thus it happeneth sometimes to them that are coming to Jesus Christ. A sad hap indeed one would think that he that is flying from Wrath to come has little need of such Clogges as these And yet so it is and wofull experience proves it The Church of old Complained that her enemies over-took her between the straights Just between hope and fear Heaven and Hell Lam. 1. This man feeleth the infirmity of his flesh he findeth a proneness in himself to be desperate now he chides with God Flings and Tumbles like a Wild Bull in a net and still the guilt of all returns upon himself to the Crushing of him to peices Yet he feeleth his heart so hard that he can find as he thinks no kind falling under any of his Miscarriages Now he is a lump of confusion in his own eyes whose Spirit and Actions are without order Temptations serve the Christian as the Shepheards dogs serveth the silly sheep that is coming behind the flock he runs upon it pulls it down worry it wound it and grievously bedabbleth it with dirt and wet in the lowest places of the Furrows of the field And not leaving it untill it is half dead nor then neither except God rebuke Here is now room for fears of being cast away Now I see I am lost sayes the sinner This is not coming to Jesus Christ sayes the sinner such a desperate hard and wretched heart as mine is cannot be a gracious one saith the sinner And bid such an one be Better he sayes I cannot no I cannot Quest. But what will you say to a Soul in this condition Answ. I will say that Temptations have attended the best
these two general Heads 1. He Consenteth to the Truth of all those sayings that Testifieth that Sin is most abominable in it Self dishonourable to God and damnable to the Soul of Man Jer. 44. 4. Rom. 2. 23. Chap. 6. 23. 2 Thes. 2. 12. 2. In that he believeth as the Word hath said that there is in the Worlds best things Righteousness and all Nothing but Death and Damnation Rom. 7. 24 25. Chap. 8. 2 3. 2 Cor. 3. 6 7 8. Secondly He Honoureth Christs Person in that he believeth that there is Life in Him and that he is able to Save him from Death Hell the Devil and Damnation Heb. 7. 24 25. Thirdly He Honoreth him in that he believeth that he is Authorized of the Father to give Life to those that come to him for it Joh. 5. 11 12. Chap. 17. 1 2 3. Fourthly He Honoureth the Priest-Hood of Jesus Christ. 1. In that he believeth that he alone hath made Attonement for Sin Rom. 5. 2. In that he believeth that Christ hath more Power to Save from Sin by the Sacrifice that he hath Offered for it than hath all Law Devils Death or Sin to Condemn Acts 13. 38. Heb. 2. 14 15. Revel 1. 17 18. Thirdly In that he believeth that Christ according to his office will be most faithfull and mercifull in the discharge of his office 1 Joh. 2. 1 2 3. Heb. 2. 17 18. Fourthly Further he that cometh to Jesus Christ for life taketh part with him against Sin and against all the ragged and imperfect righteousness of the world yea and against false Christs and damnable errors that set themselves against the worthiness of his merits and sufficiency Fifthly Therefore as Noah at Gods command thou preparest this Ark for the saving of thy self by the which also thou condemnest the world and art become Heir of the righteousness which is by faith Heb. 11. 7. Wherefore coming sinner be content he that cometh to Jesus Christ believeth too that he his willing to shew mercy to and to have Compassion upon him though unworthy that comes to him for life And therefore thy Soul lieth not only under a special Invitation to come but under a Promise too of being accepted and forgiven Mat 11. 28. All these particular parts and qualities of faith are in that Soul that comes to Jesus Christ for Life as is evident to any indifferent Judgment For will he that Believeth not the Testimony of Christ concerning the baseness of Sin the insufficiency of the Righteousness of the World come to Christ for Life No. He that believeth not this Testimony of the word comes not He that believeth that there is Life any where else comes not He that questions whether the Father hath given Christ power to forgive comes not He that thinketh that there is more in Sin in the Law in Death and the Devil to Destroy than there is in Christ to Save comes not He also that questions his faithful Management of his Office of Priesthood for the salvation of sinners comes not Thou then that art indeed the comeing Sinner believest all this True perhaps thou dost not believe with that full Assurance nor hast thou leisure to take Notice of thy Faith as to these Distinct acts of it But yet all this Faith is in him that cometh to Christ for Life And the Faith that thus Worketh is the Faith of the best and purest kind because this Man comes alone as a Sinner and as seeing that Life is and is to be had only in Jesus Christ. Before I conclude my Answer to this Objection take into thy consideration these two things First That the Cities of Refuge were Erected for their sakes that were dead in Law and that yet would live by grace even for those that were to fly thither for life from the avenger of blood that pursued after them And it is worth your Noting that those that were upon their flight thither are in a peculiar manner called the people of God Cast ye up Cast ye up saith God prepare ye the way take up the stumbling blocks out of the Way of My people Isa. 57. 14. This is meant of preparing the way to the City of refuge that the slayers might escape thither and live which slayers are here by way of speciality called the people of God even those of them that escaped thither for life Secondly Consider that of Ahab when Benhadad sent to him for life saying Thus saith thy Son Benhadad I pray thee let me live Though Benhadad had sought the Crown Kingdom yea and also the life of Ahab yet how effectually doth Benhadad prevaile with him Is Benhadad yet alive said Ahab he is my brother yea go ye bring him to me so he made him ride in his Chariot 1 King 20 chap. Coming Sinner what thinkest thou if Jesus Christ had as little Goodness in him as Ahab he might grant an humble Benhadad life thou neither beggest of him his Crown or Dignity Life eternal life will serve thy turn how much more then shalt thou have it since thou hast to deal with him who is goodness and mercy it self yea since thou art also called upon yea greatly encourraged by a promise of life to come to him for Life Read also these Scriptures Numb 35. 11 14 15. Josh. 20. 1 2 3 4 5. Heb. 6. 16 17 18 19 20. Objection 2. When I say I only seek my self I mean I do not find that I do design Gods Glory in mine own Salvation by Christ and that makes me fear I do not come aright Answer Where doth Christ Jesus require such a Qualification of those that are coming to him for Life come thou for Life and trouble not thy head with such Objections against thy Self and let God and Christ alone to Glorify themselves in the Salvation of such a worm as thou art The Father saith to the Son Thou art my Servant O Israel in whom I will be Gloryfied God propoundeth Life to Sinners as the argument to prevail with them to come to him for Life and Christ sayes plainly I am come that ye might have Life John 10. 10. He hath no need of thy designes though thou hast need of his Eternal Life pardon of Sin and Deliverance from Wrath to come Christ propounds to thee and these be the things that thou hast need of besides God will be gracious and merciful to worthless undeserving wretches come then as such an one Therefore lay no stumbling blocks in thy way to him but come to him for life live Joh. 5. 34. Chap. 10. 10. Chap. 3. 36. Mat. 1. 21. Prov. 8. 36 37. 1 Thes. 1. 10. Joh. 11. 25 26. The Jayler was only for knowing at first what he should do to be Saved But Paul did not so much as once ask him what is your End in this Question do you design the Glory of of God in the Salvation of your Soul He had more wit he knew that such Questions as these would have
bin but Fools bables about instead of a sufficient salve to so weighty a Question as this was Wherefore since this poor wretch lacked Salvation by Christ I mean to be saved from Hell and Death which he knew now was due to him for the sins that he had committed Paul bids him like a poor condemned sinner as he was to proceed still in this his way of self-seeking saying Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved Acts 16. 30 31 32. I know that afterwards thou wilt desire to glorifie Christ by walking in the way of his precepts but at present thou wantest life the avenger of blood is behind thee and the devil like a Lyon is roaring against thee well come now and obtain life from these and when thou hast obtained some comfortable perswasion that thou art made partaker of life by Christ then and not tell then thou wilt say Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from distruction and Crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies Psal. 103. 1 2 3 4 5. Objection 3. But I cannot believe that I come to Christ aright because sometimes I am apt to question his very Being and Office to save Thus to do is horrible but may'st thou not Judge amiss in this matters How can I Judge amiss when I Judge as I feel Poor Soul thou maist Judge amiss for all that Why I think that these questionings come from my Heart Answ. Let me answer That which comes from thy heart comes from thy will and affections from thy understanding Judgement and Conscience For these must acquiess in thy questioning if thy questioning be with thy heart And how say'st thou for to name no more dost thou with thy Affection and Conscience thus question Answ. No my Conscience trembles when such thoughts come in to my mind and my affections are otherwise inclined Then I conclude that these things are either suddenly injected by the devil or else are the fruits of that body of sin and death that yet dwels in thee or perhaps from both together If they come wholly from the devil as they seem because thy Conscience and affections are against them or if they come from that body of death that is in thee and be not thou curious in enquiring from whether of them they come the safest way is to lay enough at thy own door nothing of this should hinder thy coming nor make thee conclude thou comest not aright And before I leave thee let me a little query with thee farther about this matter First Doest thou like these wicked blasphemies Answ. No no their presence and working kills me Secondly Doest thou mourn for them pray against them and hate thy self because of them Answ. Yes yes but that which afflicts me is I do not prevail against them Thirdly Dost thou sincerely chuse mightest thou have thy choice that thy heart might be affected and taken with the things that are best most heavenly and holy Answ. With all my heart and death the next hour if it were Gods will rather than thus to sin against him Well then thy not liking of them thy mourning for them thy praying against them and thy loathing of thy self because of them with thy sincere chusing of those thoughts for thy delectation that are heavenly and holy clearly declares that these things are not countenanced either with thy Will Affections Understanding Judgement or Conscience and so that thy heart is not in them but that rather they come immediatly from the devil or arise from the body of death that is in thy flesh of which thou oughtest thus to Say Now then it is no more I that doth it but sin that dwells in me Rom 7. 16 17. I will give thee a pertinent instance In Deut. 22. Thou mayest read of a betrothed damsel one betrothed to her beloved one that hath given him her heart and mouth as thou hast given thy self to Christ yet she was met with as she walked in the field by one that forced her because he was stronger than she Well what judgment now doth God the righteous judge pass upon the damsel for this The man only that lay with her saith God shall die but unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death For as when a man riseth against his Neighbor and slayeth him even so is this matter he found her in the field and the betrothed damsel cryed and there was none to save her Deut. 22. 25 26 27. Thou art this damsel the man that forceth thee with these blasphemous thoughts is the devil and he lighteth upon thee in a fit place even in the field as thou art wandering after Jesus Christ but thou cryest out and by thy cry did'st shew that thou abhorrest such wicked leudness Well the Judge of all the earth will do right he will not lay the Sin at thy door but at his that offered the violence and for thy comfort take this into consideration also That he came to heal them that are oppressed with the devil Acts 10. 38. Objection 4. But saith another I am so heartless so slow and as I think so indifferent in my coming that to speak truth I know not whether my kind of coming ought to be called a coming to Christ. Answ. You know that I told you at first that coming to Christ is a moving of the heart and affections towards him But saith the Soul my dulness and indifferency in all holy Duties demonstrate my heartlesness in coming and to come and not with the heart signifies nothing at all Answ. The moving of the heart after Christ is not to be discerned at all times by thy sensible affectionate performing of duties but rather by those secret groanings and complaints which thy soul makes to God against that sloth that attends thee in Duties Secondly But grant it to be even as thou say'st it is that thou comest so slowly c. yet since Christ bids them come that comes not at all surely they may be accepted that come though attended with those infirmities which thou at present groanest under He saith And him that cometh he saith not if they come sensibly so fast But And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out He saith also in the Eighth of the Proverbs As for him that wanteth understanding that is an heart for oft-times the understanding is taken for the heart Come eat of my bread and drink of the wine that I have Mingled Thirdly Thou may'st be vehement in thy spirit in coming to Jesus Christ and yet be plagued with sensible sloth So was the Church when she cryed Draw me we will run after thee And Paul when he said When I would do good evil is present with me Song 1.
escape them and in conclusion come to him There are a company of shall-comes in the Bible that doth secure them Not but that they may be assaulted by them yea and also for the time intangled and detained by them from the Bishop of their Souls but these Shall-comes will break those Chains and Fetters that those given to Christ are intangled in and they shall-come because he hath said they shall-come to him Indeed errors are like that whore of whom you read in the Proverbs that sitteth in her seat on the High-places of the City To call Passingers who go right on their way Pro. 9. 13 14 15 16. But the persons as I said that by the Father are given to the Son to save them are at one time or other secured by Shall-come to me And therefore of such it is said God will guide them with his eye with his counsels by his spirit and that in the way of peace by the springs of water and into all truth Psal. 32. 8. Psal. 73. 24. Joh. 16. 13. Luk. 1. 79. Isa. 47. 10. So then he that hath such a guide and all that the Father giveth to Christ shall have it he shall escape those dangers he shall not Err in the way yea though he be a fool he shall not Err therein Isa 35. for of every such an one it is said Thine cars shall hear a word behind thee saying This is the way walk in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left Isa 30. 21. There were Thieves and Robbers before Christs coming as there are also now But saith he The sheep did not hear them And why did they not hear them but because they were under the power of shall come that absolute promise that had that grace in it self to bestow upon them as could make them able rightly to distinguish of voices My sheep hear my voice But how came they to hear it why to them it is given to know and to hear and that distinguishingly Joh. 10. 8 16. Chap. 5. 25. Eph. 5. 14. Further the very plain Sentence of the Text makes provision against all these things for saith it All that the Father giveth me shall come to me that is shall not be stopped or be allured to take up any where short of Me nor shall they turn aside to abide with any besides Me. Shall Come to me To me By these words there is further insinuated though not expressed a double cause of their coming to him First There is in Christ a fulness of Al-sufficiency of that even of all that which is needfull to make us happy Secondly Those that indeed come to him do therefore come to him that they may receive it at his hand For the first of these There is in Christ a fulness of all Sufficiency of all that even of all that which is needfull to make us happy Hence it is said For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell And again Of his fullness all we have received and grace for grace Colos. 1. 19. Joh. 1. 16. It is also said of him that his riches is unsearchable The unsearchable riches of Christ Ephes. 3. 8. Hear what he saith of himself Riches and honour are with Me even durable riches and righteousness my fruit is better than Gold yea than sine Gold and My revenue than Choice silver I lead in the way of Righteousness in the midst of the paths of Judgement that I may cause them that love Me to inherit Substance And I will fill their treasures Prov. 8. 18. 19 20. 21. This in general but more particularly First There is that Light in Christ that is Sufficient to lead them out of and from all that darkness in the midst of which all others but them that come to him stumble and fall and perish I am the light of the world saith he he that followeth me shall not abide in darkness but shall have the Light of Life Joh. 8. 12. Man by nature is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knows not whither he goes for darkness hath blinded his eyes neither can any thing but Jesus Christ lead men out of this darkness Natural Conscience cannot do it the Ten Commandments though in the heart of man cannot do it this prerogative belongs only to Jesus Christ. Secondly There is that life in Christ that is to be found no where else Joh. 5. 40. Life as a principle in the Soul by which it shall be acted and enabled to do that which through him is pleasing to God He that believeth in or cometh to me saith he as the Scriptures have said out of his belly shall flow Rivers of Living Water Joh. 7. 38. Without this life a man is dead whether he be bad or whether he be good that is good in his own and other mens esteem There is no true and Eternal life but what is in the Me that speaketh in the Text. There is also life for those that come to him to be had by faith in his flesh and blood He that eateth Me even he shall live by Me Joh. 6. 57. And this is a life against that Death that comes by the guilt of sin and the curse of the Law under which all men are and forever must be unlesse they eat the Me that speaks in the Text. Whoso findeth Me saith he findeth life deliverance from that everlasting death and destruction that without Me he shall be devoured by Prov. 8. Nothing is more desirable than life to him that hath in himself the Sentence of Condemnation and here only is life to be found This life to wit Eternal life this life is in his Son That is in him that saith in the Text All that the Father hath given Me shall come to Me 1 Joh. 5. 10. Thirdly The person speaking in the Text is he alone by whom poor sinners have Admittance with and Acceptance to the Father because of the Glory of his righteousness by and in which he presenteth them amiable and spotless in his sight neither is there any way besides him so to come to the Father I am the way sayes he the truth and the life no man cometh to the Father but by Me Joh. 14. 6. All other ways to God are dead and damnable the destroying Cherubins stand with flaming swords turning every way to keep all others from his presence Gen. 3. 24. I say all others but them that come by him I am the door by Me saith he if any man enter in he shall be saued Joh. 10. 1 2. The person speaking in the Text is He and only He that can give stable and everlasting peace therefore saith he My peace I give unto you My peace which is a peace with God peace of Conscience and that of an everlasting duration My peace peace that cannot be Matched net as the world gived give I unto you for the worlds peace is but Carnal and Transitory but mine is Divine and
gracious words these words are like drops of honey as it is said Pleasant words are as an honey-Comb sweet to the Soul and health to the bones These are gracious words indeed even as full as a faithful and a merciful High Priest could speak them Luther saith When Christ speaketh he hath a mouth as wide as Heaven and Earth That is to speak fully to the incouragement of every sinfull him that is coming to Jesus Christ. And that his word is certain hear how himself confines it Heaven and Earth saith he shall pass away but my word shall not pass away Isa. 63. 1. Mat. 24. 35. It is also confirmed by the testimony of the Four Evangelists who gave faithful relation of his loving reception of all Sorts of coming sinners whether they were publicans harlots thieves possessed of Devils Bedlams and what not Luk. 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Mat. 21. 21. Luk. 15. Chap. and Chap. 23. 41 42. Mark 19. 9. Chap. 5. 1 2 3 to 9. This then shews us First The greatness of the merits of Christ. Secondly The willingness of his heart to impute them for Life to the great if coming sinners First This shews us the greatness of the Merits of Christ for it must not be supposed that his words are bigger than his worthyness He is Strong to execute his word he can Do as well as Speak He can do exceeding abundantly more than we ask or think even to the uttermost and out side of his word Ephes. 3. 20. Now then since he concludeth Any Coming Him it must be concluded that he can save to the uttermost Sin Any coming Him He speaketh in Righteousness in very faithfulness when he began to build this blessed Gospel Fabrick the Text It was for that he had first sat down and counted the cost and for that he knew he was able to finish it What Lord Any him Any him that cometh to thee This is a Christ worth looking after this is a Christ worth coming to This then should learn us diligently to consider the Natural force of every word of God and to judge of Christ's ability to save not by our sins or by our shallow apprehensions of his Grace but by his word which is the true measure of Grace And if we do not judge thus we shall dishonor his Grace lose the benefit of his word and needlesly fright our selves into many Discouragements though coming to Jesus Christ. Him any him that cometh hath from this word of Christ to feed himself with hopes of Salvation As thou art therefore coming O thou coming sinner Judge thou whether Christ can savethee by the true Sense of his words Judge coming sinner of the Efficacy of his Blood of the perfection of his Righteousness and of the prevailancy of his intercession by his word And him saith he that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out In no wise that is for no Sin Judge therefore by his word how able he is to save thee It is said of Gods Sayings to the Children of Israel There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel all came to pass And again Not one thing hath failed of of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you all are come to pass unto you and not one thing hath failed thereof Josh. 21. 45. Chap. 23. 14. Coming sinner what promise thou findest in the word of Christ strain it whether thou canst so thou dost not corrupt it and his Blood and Merits will answer all what the word saith or any true Consequence that is drawn there-from that we may boldly venture upon As here in the Text he saith And Him that cometh indefinitetively without the least intimation of the rejection of any though never so great if he be a coming-sinner Take it then for granted that thou whoever thou art if coming art intended in these words neither shall it injure Christ at all if as Benhadad's Servants served Ahab thou shalt catch him at his word Now saith the Text The Men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him to wit any word of grace and did hastily catch it And it happened that Ahab called Benhadad his brother The men replyed therefore Thy brother Benhadad catching him at his word 1 King 20. 33. Sinner coming sinner serve Jesus Christ thus and he will take it kindly at thy hands When he in his argument called the Canaanitish woman Dog she catcht him at it and said Truth Lord yet the Dogs eat of the Crumbs that fall from their Masters Table I say she catcht him thus in his words and he took it kindly saying O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt Mat. 15. 26. Catch him coming sinner catch him Secondly The other thing that I told you is shewed us from these words is this The willingness of Christ's heart to impute his merits for Life to the great if coming sinner And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out The awakned coming sinner doth not so easily question the power of Christ as his willingness to save him Lord if thou wilt thou canst said one Mar. 1. 40. He did not put the If upon his power but upon his will he concluded he could but he was not as fully of perswasion that he would But we have the same ground to believe he will as we have to believe he can and indeed ground for both is the Word of God If he was not willing why did he promise why did he say he would receive the coming sinner Jacob took him there Thou saidst says he I will surely do thee Good Gen. 32. 12. For from this promise he concluded that it followed in reason He must be willing The Text also gives some ground for us to draw the same conclusion And him that cometh to me I Will in no wise cast out Here is his willingness asserted as well as his power suggested It is worth your observation that Abraham's Faith considered rather his power than his willingness that is he drew this Conclusion I shall have a Child from the Power that was in God to fulfill the Promise to him for he concluded he was willing give him one else he would not have promised one He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform Rom. 4. 20 21. But was not his faith exercised or tryed about his willingness too No there was no shew of reason for that because he had promised it indeed had he not promised it he might Lawfully have doubted it but since he had promised it there was left no ground at all for doubting because his willingness to give a Son was demonstrated in his promising him a Son These words therefore are sufficient ground to incourage any coming sinner
thee up these Marks make thee these high heaps of the golden Grace of the Gospel set thine heart towards the high-way even the way that thou wentest when thou didst backslide turn again O Virgin of Israel turn again to these thy Cities Jer. 31. 21. And him that Cometh He saith not And him that talketh that professeth that maketh a shew a noise or the like but him that Cometh Christ will take leave to judge who among the many that make a Noise they be that indeed are coming to him It is not him that saith he comes nor him of whom others affirm that he comes but him that Christ himself shall say doth Come that is concern'd in this Text. When the Woman that had the bloody Issue came to him for Cure there were others as well as she that made a great bussle about him that touched yea thronged him Ah but Christ could distinguish this woman from them all And he looked round about upon them all to see her that had done this thing Mar. 25. 26 27 28 29 30 31 32. He was not concerned with the thronging or touchings of the rest for theirs were but accidental or at best void of that which made her touch acceptable Wherefore Christ must be Judg who they be that in Truth are coming to him Every mans way is right in his own Eyes but the Lord weigheth the Spirits It standeth therefore every one in hand to be certain of their coming to Jesus Christ for as thy coming is so shall thy Salvation be If thou comest indeed thy Salvation shall be indeed but if thou comest but in outward appearance so shall thy Salvation be But of coming see before as also afterwards in the Use and Application And him that cometh to me These words to me are also well to be heeded for by them as he secureth those that come to him so also he shews himself unconcerned with those that in their coming rest short or turn aside to others For you must know that every one that comes comes not to Jesus Christ some that come came to Moses and to his Law and then take up for Life with these Christ is not concerned with these this Promise hath not to do Christ is become of none effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are falen from grace Gal. 5. 3 4. Again some that came come no farther than to Gospel Ordinances and there stay they come not through them to Christ with these neither is he concerned nor will their Lord Lord avail them any thing in the great and dismal day A man may come too and also go from the place and Ordinances of Worship and yet not be remembred by Christ. So I saw the wicked buried said Solomon who had come and gone from the place of the Holy and they were forgotten in the City when they had so done this is also Vanity Eccles. 8. 10. To me These words therefore are by Jesus Christ very warily put in and serve for caution and incouragement for caution lest we take up in our coming any where short of Christ and for incouragement to those that shall in their coming come past all till they come to Jesus Christ And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Reader If thou lovest thy Soul take this Caution kindly at the hands of Jesus Christ. Thou seest thy Sickness thy Wound thy necessity of Salvation well go not to King Jareb for he cannot Heal thee nor Cure thee of thy Wound Hos. 5. 13. Take the Caution I say lest Christ insteed of being a Saviour to thee becomes a Lion a young Lion to tare thee and go away vers 14. There is a coming but not to the most High there is a coming but not with the whole Heart but as it were feignedly therefore take the Caution kindly Jer. 3. 10. Hos. 7. 16. And him that cometh To me Christ as a Saviour will stand alone because his own Arm above hath brought Salvation unto him He will not be joyned with Moses nor suffer John Baptist to be tabernacled by him I say they must vanish for Christ will stand alone Luk 9. 28 36. yea God the Father will have it so therefore they must be parted from him and a Voice from Heaven must come to bid the Disciples hear only the beloved Son Christ will not suffer any Law Ordinance Statute or Judgement to be partners with him in the salvation of the Sinner Nay he saith not And him that cometh to my Word but And him that cometh to me The words of Christ even his most blessed and free Promises such as this in the Text are not the Saviour of the World for that is Christ himself Christ himself only The Promises therefore are but to incourage the coming sinner to come to Jesus Christ and not to rest in them short of Salvation by him And him that cometh To me The man therefore that comes aright casts all things behind his back and looketh at nor hath his expectation from ought but the Son of God alone as David said My Soul wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from him He only is my Rock and my Salvation he is my Defence I shall not be moved Psal. 62. 5. His Eye is to Christ his Heart is to Christ and his expectation is from him from him only Therefore the man that comes to Christ is one that hath had deep Considerations of his own sins slighting thoughts of his own Righteousness and high thoughts of the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus Christ yea he sees as I have said more vertue in the Blood of Christ to save him than there is in all his sins to damn him He therefore setteth Christ before his Eyes there is nothing in Heaven or Earth he knows that can save his Soul and secure him from the Wrath of God but Christ that is nothing but his personal Righteousness and Blood And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out In no wise By these words there is somthing expressed and somthing implyed That which is expressed is Christ Jesus his unchangable Resolution to Save the Coming sinner I will in no wise reject him or deny him the benefit of my Death and Righteousness This word therefore is like that which he speaks of the everlasting damnation of the sinner in Hell-fire He shall by no means depart thence that is never never never come out again no not to all Eternity Mat. 5. 25. chap. 25. 46. So that as he that is condemned into Hell-fire hath no ground of hope for his deliverance thence so him that cometh to Christ hath no ground to fear he shall ever be cast in thither Thus saith the Lord If Heaven above can be measured or the Foundation of the Earth searched out beneath I will also cast away all the seed of Israel for all that they have done saith the Lord Jer. 31. 37. Thus saith the Lord
was Anointed when on Earth to be a Saviour Luk. 3. 22. 3. He did the Works of a Saviour As First He Fulfilled the Law and became the End of it for Righteousness for them that believe in him Rom. 10. 3 4. Secondly He laid down his Life as a Saviour He gave his Life as a Saviour He gave his Life as a Ransom for many Mat. 20. 28. Mar. 10. 45. 1 Tim. 2. 6. Thirdly He hath Abolished Death Destroyed the Devil put away Sin got the Keys of Hell and Death is Ascended into Heaven is there accepted of God exalted of God and bid Sit at his Right Hand as Saviour and that because his Sacrifice for our Sins pleased God 2 Tim. 1. 10. Heb. 2. 14 15. Ephes. 4. 7 8. Joh. 16. 10 11. Acts 5. 30 31. Heb. 10. 12 13. Fourthly God hath sent out and proclaimed him as Saviour and tells the World that we have redemption through his Blood that he will Justifie us if we believe in his Blood and that he can Faithfully and Justly do it Yea God doth beseech us to be reconciled to him by his Son which could not be if he were not Anointed by him to this very End and also if his Works and undertakings were not accepted of him as considered a Saviour Rom. 3. 24 25. 2 Cor. 5. 18 19 20 21. Fifthly God hath received already Millions of Souls into his Paradice because they have received this Jesus for a Saviour and is resolved to cut him off and to cast him out of his presence that will not take him for a Saviour Heb. 12. 22 23 24 25 26. I intend brevity here therefore a word to the Second and so conculde How it appears that he hath Power to cast out This appears also by what follows First The Father for the service 〈◊〉 he hath done him as Saviour 〈◊〉 made him Lord of all even Lord 〈◊〉 Quick and Dead For to this 〈◊〉 Christ both Died and Rose and Revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and Living Rom. 14. 9. Secondly The Father hath left it with him to quicken whom he will to wit with saving Grace and to cast out whom he will for their Rebellion against Him Joh. 5. 21. Thirdly The Father hath made him Judge of Quick and Dead hath committed all Judgment unto the Son that all Men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father Joh. 5. 22. Fourthly God will Judge the World by this Man the day is Appointed for Judgment and he is Appointed for Judge He hath Appointed a day in the which he will Judge the World in Righteousness by that Man Acts 17. 31 32. Therefore we must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ that every one may receive for the things done in the Body according to what they have done If they have closed with Him Heaven and Salvation if they have not Hell and Damnation And for these Reasons he must be Judge First Because of his Humiliation because of his Fathers Word he humbled himself and he became Obedient unto Death even the Death of the Cross Therefore God hath highly Exalted him and given him a Name above every Name that at the Name of Jesus every Knee should bow both of things in Heaven and things on Earth and things under the Earth and that every Tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father This hath respect to his being Judge and his Sitting in Judgment upon Angels and Men Phil. 2. 7 8 9 10 11. Rom. 14. 10 11. Secondly That all Men might honour the Son even as they honour the Father For the Father Judgeth no Man but hath Committed all Judgment unto the Son that all Men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father Joh. 5. 22 23. Thirdly Because of his Righteous Judgment this work is fit for no Creature it is only fit for the Son of God For he will reward every Man according to his Ways Rev. 22. Fourthly Because he is the Son of Man He hath given him authority to execute Judgment also because he is the Son of Man Joh. 5. 27. Thus have I in brief passed through this Text by way of explication my next Work is to speak to it by way of Observation but I shall be also as brief in that as the Nature of the thing will admit All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Joh. 6. 37. ANd now to come to some Observations and a little briefly to speak to them and then conclude the whole The words thus Explained affords us many some of which are these First That God the Father and Christ his Son are two Distinct Persons in the God-head Secondly That by them not Excluding the Holy Ghost is contrived and determined the Salvation of some of fallen Man kind Thirdly That this contrivance resolved it self into a Covenant between these Persons in the God-head which standeth in giving on the Fathers part and Receiving on the Sons All that the Father giveth me c. Fourthly That every one that the Father hath given to Christ according to the mind of God in the Text shall certainly come to him Fifthly That coming to Jesus Christ is therefore not by the will wisdom or power of man but by the gift promise and drawing of the Father All that the Father giveth me shall come Sixthly That Jesus Christ will be careful to receive and will not in any wife reject those that come or are coming to him And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out There are besides these some other Truths implyed in the Words As Seventhly They that are coming to Jesus Christ are oft-times heartily afraid that he will not receive them Eightly Jesus Christ would not have them that in Truth are Coming to him once think that he will cast them out These Observations lie all of them in the Words and are plentifully confirmed by the Scriptures of Truth but I shall not at this time speak to them all but shall pass by the first second third fourth and sixth partly because I design brevity and partly because they are touched upon in the Explicatory part of the Text. I shall therefore begin with the Fifth Observation and so make that the first in order in the following discourse First Then Coming to Christ is not by the will wisdom or power of Man but by the gift promise and drawing of the Father This Observation standeth of two parts First that coming to Christ is not by the Will Wisdom or Power of Man Secondly But by the Gift Promise and Drawing of the Father That the Text carrieth this Truth in its bosom you will find if you look into the Explication of the first part thereof before I shall therefore here follow the Method propounded First That coming to Christ is not by the will wisdom or power of man this
admit of such Objections to the discouraging of their own Souls For this VVord in no wise cutteth the Throat of all Objections and it was dropt by the Lord Jesus for that very end and to help the Faith that is mixed with Unbelief And it is as it were the sum of all Promises neither can any Objection be made upon the unworthyness that thou findest in thee that this Promise will not asoile But I am a great sinner sayst thou I will in no wise cast out sayes Christ. But I am an old sinner sayst thou I will in no wise cast out sayes Christ. But I am a hard hearted sinner sayst thou I will in no wise cast out sayes Christ. But I am a back-sliding sinner sayst thou I will in no wise cast out sayes Christ. But I have served Satan all my dayes sayst thou I will in no wise cast out sayes Christ. But I have sinned against Light sayst thou I will in no wise cast out sayes Christ. But I have sinned against mercy sayst thou I will in no wise cast out sayes Christ. But I have no good thing to bring with me say'st thou I will in no wise cast out sayes Christ. Thus I might go on to the end of things and shew you that still this promise was provided to answer Objections And doth answer them But I say what need it be if they that are coming to Jesus Christ are not sometimes yea oft-times heartily afraid that Jesus Christ will cast them out I will give you now two instances that seem to imply the truth of this observation In the Nineth of Matthew at the Second Verse you read of a man that was sick of the Palsie and he was coming to Jesus Christ being born upon a bed by his Friends He also was coming himself and that upon another account than any of his friends was aware of even for the pardon of sins and the Salvation of his Soul Now so soon as ever he was come into the presence of Christ Christ bids him be of good chear it seems then his heart was fainting but what was the cause of this fainting but the guilt and burden of his sins therefore he proceeds Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee I say Christ saw him sinking in his mind about how it would go with his most Noble part and therefore first he applies himself to him upon that account For though his friends had Faith enough as to the cure of the Body yet he himself had little enough as to the Cure of his Soul Therefore Christ takes him up as a man falling down saying Son be of good Cheer thy Sins are forgiven thee That about the Prodigal seemes pertinent also to this matter When he was come to himself he said how many hired Servants of my Father have Bred enough and to spare and I perish for Hunger I will arise now and go to my Father Heartily spoken But how did he perform his Promise I think not so well as he promised to do And my ground for my Thoughts is because his Father so soon as he was come at him fell upon his Neck and Kist him Implying methinks as if the Prodegal by this time was dejected in his mind and therefore his Father gives him the most sudden and familiar token of Reconciliation And Kisses were of old time often used to remove Doubts and Fears Thus Laban and Esau Kiss Jacob. Thus Joseph Kissed his Brethren and thus also David Kissed Absolom Gen. 31. 55. chap. 33. 1 2 3 4 5 6. chap. 48. 9 10. 2 Sam. 14. 33. 'T is true as I said at first setting out he spake heartily as sometimes Sinners also do in their beginning to come to Jesus Christ But might not he yea in all probability he had between the first step he took and the last by which he accomplished that journey many a thought both this way and that as whether his Father would receive him or no As thus I said I would go to my Father but how if when I come at him he should ask me Where I have all this while bin VVhat must I say then Also if he asks me What is become of the portion of Goods that he gave me VVhat shall I say then If he asks me Who have bin my Companions VVhat shall I say then If he also shall ask me What hath bin my Preferment in all the time of mine absence from him VVhat shall I say then Yea and if he ask me Why I came home no sooner What shall I say then Thus I say might he reason with himself And being Conscious to himself that he could give but a bad Answer to any of these Interogatories no marvel if he stood in need first of all of a Kiss from his Fathers Lips For had he answered the first in Truth he must say I have bin a haunter of Taverns and Alehouses and as for my Portion I spent it in Riotous Living my Companions were Whores and Drabs As for my preferment the highest was that I became a Hoggard and as for my not coming home till now Could I have made shift to have staid abroad any longer I had not lain at thy Feet for Mercy now I say these things considered and considering again how prone poor man is to give way when truly awakned to despondings and heart-misgiveings no marvel if he sink in his mind between the time of his first setting out and that of his coming to his Father 3. But Thirdly methinks I have for the confirmation of this Truth the consent of all the Saints that are under Heaven to witt That they that are Coming to Jesus Christ are oft-times heartily afraid that he will not receive them Quest. But what should be the Reason I will Answer to this Question thus First It is not for want of the revealed VVill of God that manifesteth grounds for the Contrary for that there is a sufficiency of yea the Text it self hath laid a sufficient Foundation for incouragement for them that are Coming to Jesus Christ. And him that Cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Secondly It is not for want of an Invitation to Come for that is full and plain Come unto me all ye that Labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest Mat. 11. 28. Thirdly Neither is it for want of a manifestation of Christs willingness to receive as those Texts above named with that which follows declareth If any man Thirst let him come unto me and drink Joh. 7. 37. Fourthly It is not for want of exceeding great and precious Promises to receive them that Come Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. Fifthly It is not for want of Solemn Oath and Ingagement to save them that
come For because he could swear by no Greater he swore by Himself That by Two Immutable Things in which it was impossible that God should Lie we might have a strong Consolation who have fled for Refuge to lay hold on the Hope set before us Heb. 6. 15 16 17 18. Sixthly Neither is it for want of great Examples of God's Mercy that have come to Jesus Christ of which we Read most plentifully in the Word Therefore it must be concluded It is for want of that which follows First It is for want of the Knowledge of Christ Thou knowest but little of the Grace and Kindness that is in the Heart of Christ Thou knowest but little of the Vertue and Merit of his Blood Thou knowest but little of the Willingness that is in his Heart to save thee And this is the reason of the Fear that ariseth in thy Heart and that causeth thee to doubt that Christ will not receive thee Unbelief is the Daughter of Ignorance Therefore Christ saith O Fools and slow of Heart to Believe Luk. 24. 25. Slowness of Heart to believe flows from thy Foolishness in the Things of Christ This is evident to all that are acquainted with themselves and that are seeking after Jesus Christ The more Ignorance the more Unbelief the more Knowledge of Christ the more Faith They that know thy Name will put their Trust in thee Psal. 9. 10. He therefore that began to come to Christ but the other day and hath yet but little Knowledge of him he fears that Christ will not receive him But he that hath been longer acquainted with him he is Strong and hath over-come the Wicked One 1 Joh. 2. VVhen Joseph's Brethren came into Egypt to buy Corn it is said Joseph knew his Brethren but his Brethren knew not him What follows Why great Mistrust of Heart about their speeding well specially if Joseph did but answer them Roughly calling them Spies and questioning their Truth and the like And observe it So long as their Ignorance about their Brother remained with them whatsoever Joseph did still they put the worst Sense upon it For instance Joseph upon a time bids the Steward of his House bring them Home to Dine with him to Dine even in Joseph's House And how is this resented by them Why they were afraid And the men were afraid because they were brought into their Brother Joseph's House And they said He seeketh occasion against us and will fall upon us and take us for Bond-men and our Asses Gen. 42. Chap. 43. What! Afraid to go to Joseph's House He was their Brother He intended to Feast them to Feast them and Feast with them Ah! but they were ignorant That he was their Brother And so long as their Ignorance lasted so long their Fear terrifyed them Just thus it is with the Sinner that but of late is coming to Jesus Christ He is ignorant of the Love and Pity that is in Christ to Coming-Sinners Therefore he doubts therefore he fears therefore his Heart mis-gives him Coming-Sinner Christ inviteth thee to Dine and Sup with him He inviteth thee to a Banquet of Wine yea to come into his Wine-Cellar and his Banner over thee shall be Love Revel 3. 20. Song 2. Chap. 5. But I doubt it sayes the Sinner But 't is answer'd He calls thee invites thee to his Banquet to his Flaggons Apples to his Wine and to the Juyce of his Pomgranate O I fear I doubt I mistrust I tremble in Expectation of the contrary Come out of the Man thou Dastardly Ignorance Be not afraid Sinner only Believe He that cometh to Christ he will in no wise cast out Let the Coming Sinner therefore seek after more of the good Knowledge of Jesus Christ Press after it Seek it as Silver and dig for it as for hid Knowledge This will embolden thee This will make thee wax Stronger and Stronger I know whom I have Believed I know him said Paul And what follows Why And I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that Day 2 Tim. What had Paul committed to Jesus Christ The Answer is He had committed to him his Soul But why did he Commit his Soul to him Why because he knew him He knew him to be Faithful to be Kind He knew he would not fail him nor forsake him And therefore he laid his Soul down at his Feet and committed it to him to keep against that Day But Secondly Thy Fears that Christ will not receive thee may be also a Consequent of thy earnest and strong Desires after thy Salvation by him For this I observe That strong Desires to have are attended with strong Fears of missing What a Man most sets his Heart upon and what his Desires are most after he oft-times most fears he shall not obtain So the Man the Ruler of the Synagogue had a great desire that his Daughter should live and that Desire was attended with Fear that she should not Wherefore Christ saith unto him Be not afraid Mark 5. 36. Suppose a Young Man should have his Heart much set upon a Virgin to have her to Wife If ever he Fears he shall not Obtain it is when he begins to love now thinks he some body will step in betwixt my Love and the Object of it either they will find Fault with my Person my Estate my Conditions or somthing Now thoughts begin to work she doth not like me or something And thus it is with the Soul at first Coming to Jesus Christ thou lovest him and thy love produceth Jealousy and that Jealousy oft-times beget Fears Now thou fearest the Sins of thy Youth the Sins of thine old Age the Sins of thy Calling the Sins of thy Christian Duties the Sins of thy Heart or somthing thou thinkest somthing or other will alienate the Heart and Affections of Jesus Christ from thee thou thinkest he sees somthing in thee for the sake of which he will refuse thy Soul But be content a little more Knowledge of him will make thee take better heart thy earnest desires shall not be attended with such burning Fears Thou shalt hereafter say This is mine Infirmity Psal. 77. Thou art Sick of Love a very sweet Disease and yet every Disease has some weakness attending of it yet I wish this Distemper if it be lawful to call it so was more Epidemical Dye of this Disease I would gladly do 't is better than Life it self though it be attended with Fears But thou cryest I cannot obtain Well be not too hasty in making Conclusions If Jesus Christ had not put his Finger in at the Hole of the Lock thy Bowels would not have been troubled for him Song 5. Mark how the Prophet hath it They shall walk after the Lord he shall Roar like a Lyon When he shall Roar the Children shall Tremble from the East They shall Tremble like a Bird out of Egypt and as a Dove out of the Land of Assyria
Hos. 11. 10 11. When God Roars as oft-times the Coming Soul hears him Roar what Man that is coming can do otherwise than Tremble Amos 3. 8. But Trembling he comes He sprang in and came Trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas Act. 16. Should you ask him that we mentioned but now How long is it since you began to fear you should miss of this Damosel you Love so The Answer would be Ever since I began to Love her But did you not fear it before No nor should I fear it now but that I vehemently Love her Come Sinner let us apply it How long is it since thou begannest to Fear that Jesus Christ will not Receive thee Thy Answer is Ever since I began to desire that he would save my Soul I began to Fear when I began to Come And the more my Heart burns in Desires after him the more I feel my Heart fear I shall not be Saved by him See now Did not I tell thee That thy Fears were but the Consequence of strong Desires Well fear not Coming-Sinner Thousands of coming-Coming-Souls are in thy Condition and yet they will also get safe into Christ's Bosom Say sayes Christ to them that are of a fearful Heart Be strong fear not Your God will come and Save you Isa. 35. 4. Chap. 63 1. Thirdly Thy Fear that Christ will not Receive thee May arise from a Sense of thine own Unworthyness Thou seest what a poor sorry wretched worthless Creature thou art And seeing this thou fearest Christ will not Receive thee Alas say'st thou I am the Vilest of all Men a Town-Sinner a Ring-leading Sinner I am not only a Sinner my self but have made others two-fold worse the Children of Hell also Besides Now I am under some Awakenings and Stirrings of Mind after Salvation even now I find my heart Rebellious Carnal Hard Treacherous Desperate prone to Unbelief to Despair It forgetteth the Word it wandreth it runneth to the Ends of the Earth There is not I am perswaded one in all the World that hath such a desperate wicked Heart as mine is My Soul is careless to do Good but none more earnest to do that which is Evil Can such an one as I am Live in Glory Can an Holy a Just and Righteous God once think with Honour to his Name of Saving such a Vile Creature as I am I fear it Will he shew Wonders to such a dead Dog as I am I doubt it I am cast out to the loathing of my Person yea I loath my self I stink in mine own Nostrils How can I then be accepted by an Holy and Sin-abhorring God Psal. 38. 5 6 7. Ezek. 16. Chap. 20. 42 43 44. Saved I would be and Who is there that would not were they in my Condition Indeed I wonder at the Madness and Folly of others when I see them so Merry in their Chains while I see them Leap and Skip so carelesly about the Mouth of Hell Bold Sinner How darest thou tempt God by Laughing at the Breach of his Holy Law But Alas They are not so bad one way but I am worse another I wish my Self were any Body but my Self And yet here again I know not what to wish When I see such as I believe are coming to Jesus Christ O I bless them But am confounded in my self to see how unlike as I think I am to every good Man in the World They can Hear Read Pray Remember Repent be Humble and Do every thing better than so Vile a Wretch as I. I Vile Wretch am good for nothing but to burn in Hell-Fire and when I think of that I am confounded too Thus the Sense of Unworthyness creates and heightens Fears in the Hearts of them that are coming to Jesus Christ But indeed it should not For who needs the Physitian but the Sick Or who did Christ come into the World to Save but the Chief of Sinners Mar. 1. 17. 1 Tim. 1. 15. Wherefore the more thou feest thy Sins the faster fly thou to Jesus Christ. And let the Sense of thy own Unworthyness prevail with thee yet to go faster As it is with the Man that carrieth his broken Arm in a Sling to the Bone-setter still as he thinks of his broken Arm and as he feels the Pain and Anguish he hastens his Pace to the Man And if Satan meets thee and asketh Whether goest thou Tell him Thou art Maimed and art going to the Lord Jesus If he objects thine own Unworthiness Tell him That even as the Sick seeketh the Physitian and as he that hath broken Bones seeks him that can Set them So thou art going to Jesus Christ for Cure and Healing for thy Sin-sick-Soul But it oft times happeneth to the Coming-Soul as it happeneth to him that flies for his Life He despairs of Escaping and therefore delivers up himself into the Hand of the Purfuer But up up Sinner be of good chear Christ came to Save the Unworthy Ones Be not Faithless but Believe Come away Man the Lord Jesus calls thee saying And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Fourthly Thy Fear that Christ will not Receive thee may arise from a Sense of the exceeding Mercy of being Saved Sometime Salvation is in the Eyes of him that desires it so great so huge so wonderful a thing that the very Thoughts of the Excellency of it ingenders Unbelief about obtaining it in the Heart of those that unfeignedly desire it Seemeth it to you said David a Light thing to be a King's Son-in-Law 1 Sam. 18. 23. So the Thoughts of the Greatness and Glory of the Thing propounded as Heaven Eternal Life Eternal Glory to be with God and Christ and Angels These are great Things Things too Good saith the Soul that is little in his own Eyes Things too Rich saith the Soul that is truly poor in Spirit for me Besides the Holy Ghost hath a way to greaten Heavenly things to the understanding of the coming sinner yea and at the same time to greaten too the sin and unworthiness of that sinner Now the Soul staggeringly wonders saying What! to be made like Angels like Christ To live in Eternal bliss joy and felicity This is for Angels and for them that can walk like Angels If a Prince a Duke or Earl should send by the Hand of his Servant to some poor sorry beggarly scrub to take her for his Master to wife and the Servant should come and say My Lord and Master such an one hath sent me to thee to take thee to him to wife he is rich beautiful and of excellent qualities he is Loving Meek Humble Well-spoken c. What now would this poor sorry beggarly Creature think what would she say or how would she frame an answer When King David sent to Abigail upon this account and though she was a rich woman yet she said Behold Let thine hand maid be a Servant to wash the feet of the Servants of my Lord. 1 Sam.
I am coming and that I could not be but that the Father draws me and I am coming to such a Lord Jesus as will in no wise cast me out Further Satan were I not elect the Father would not draw me nor would the Son so graciously open his bosom to me I am perswaded that not one of the non-elect shall ever be able to say no not in the day of judgement I did sincerely come to Jesus Christ. Come they may feignedly as Judas and Magnus did But that is not our question Therefore O thou honest-hearted coming sinner be not afraid but come As to the Second part of the Objection about sinning the sin against the Holy Ghost The same argument overthrows that also But I will argue thus First Coming to Christ is by vertue of a special gift of the Father but the Father giveth no such gift to them that have sinned that sin therefore thou that art coming hast not committed that sin That the Father giveth no such gift to them that has sinned this sin Is evident 1. Because such have sinned themselves out of God's Favour They shall never have Forgiveness Matth. 12. 32. But it is a special Favour of God to give unto a Man to come to Jesus Christ because thereby he obtaineth Forgiveness Therefore he that cometh hath not sinned that Sin 2. They that have sinned the Sin against the Holy-Ghost have sinned themselves out of an Interest in the Sacrifice of Christ's Body and Blood There remains for such no more Sacrifice for Sin But God giveth not Grace to any of them to come to Christ that have no share in the Sacrifice of his Body and Blood Therefore thou that art coming to him hast not sinned that Sin Heb. 10. 26. Secondly Coming to Christ is by the Special Drawing of the Father No Man cometh to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him But the Father draweth not him to Christ for whom he hath not alotted Forgiveness by his Blood Therefore they that are coming to Jesus Christ have not sinned that Sin because he hath alotted them Forgiveness by his Blood Joh. 6. 44. That the Father cannot draw them to Jesus Christ for whom he hath not alotted Forgiveness of Sins is manifest to Sense For that would be a plain Mockery a Flam neither becoming his Wisdom Justice Holyness nor Goodness Thirdly Coming to Jesus Christ lays a Man under the Promise of Forgiveness and Salvation But it is impossible that he that hath sinned that Sin should ever be put under a Promise of these Therefore he that hath sinned that Sin can never have Heart to come to Jesus Christ. Fourthly Coming to Jesus Christ lays a Man under his Intercession For he ever Liveth to make Intercession for them that come Heb. 7. 25. Therefore he that is coming to Jesus Christ cannot have sinned that Sin Christ has forbidden his People to pray for them that have sinned that Sin and therefore will not pray for them himself But he prays for them that come Fifthly He that hath sinned that Sin Christ is to him of no more Worth than is a Man that is Dead For he hath Crucified to himself the Son of God Yea and hath also counted his Precious Blood as the Blood of an Unholy Thing Heb. 6. chap. 10. Now he that hath this low Esteem of Christ will never come to him for Life But the Coming-Man has an high Esteem of his Person Blood and Merits Therefore he that is coming has not Committed that Sin Sixthly If he that hath sinned this Sin might yet come to Jesus Christ then must the Truth of God be overthrown which saith in one Place He hath never Forgiveness and in another I will in no wise cast him out Therefore that he may never have Forgiveness he shall never have Heart to come to Jesus Christ. It is impossible that such an one should be Renewed either to or by Repentance Heb. 6. Wherefore never trouble thy Head nor Heart about this Matter He that cometh to Jesus Christ cannot have sinned against the Holy Ghost Sixthly Thy Fears that Christ will not Receive thee may arise from thine own Folly in Inventing yea in thy Chalking out to God a way to bring thee Home to Jesus Christ. Some Souls that are coming to Jesus Christ are great Tormentors of themselves upon this account They conclude that if their Coming to Jesus Christ is right they must needs be brought Home thus and thus As to instance 1. Sayes one If God be bringing of me to Jesus Christ then will he load me with the Guilt of Sin till he makes me Roar again 2. If God be indeed a bringing of me home to Jesus Christ then must I be assaulted with dreadful Temptations of the Devil 3. If God be indeed a bringing of me to Jesus Christ then even when I come at him I shall have wonderful Revelations of him This is the way that some Sinners appoint for God But perhaps he will not walk therein yet will he bring them to Jesus Christ But now because they come not the Way of their own Chalking out therefore they are at a loss They look for Heavy Load and Burden but perhaps God gives them a Sight of their lost Condition and addeth not that heavy Weight and Burden They look for fearful Temptations of Satan but God sees that yet they are not fit for them Nor is the Time come that he should be Honoured by them in such à Condition They look for great and glorious Revelations of Christ Grace and Mercy But perhaps God only takes the Yoke from off their Jaws and lays Meat before them And now again they are at a loss yet a-coming to Jesus Christ I drew them saith God with the Cords of a Man with the Bands of Love I took the Yoke from off their Jaws and laid Meat unto them Hos. 11. 4. Now I say if God brings thee to Christ and not by the Way that thou hast appointed then thou art at a loss and for thy being at a loss Thou mayst thank thy self God hath more ways than thou knowst of to bring a Sinner to Jesus Christ But he will not give thee before-hand an Account by which of them he will bring thee to Christ Isa. 40. 13. Job 33. 13. Sometimes he hath his Way in the Whirlwind but sometimes the Lord is not there Nah. 13. 1 King 19. 11. If God will deal more gently with thee than with others of his Children grudge not at it Refuse not the Waters that go softly lest he bring upon thee the Waters of the Rivers strong and many even these two smoaking Fire-brands the Devil and Guilt of Sin Isa. 8. 6 7. He said to Peter Follow me And what Thunder did Zacheus hear or see Zacheus come down said Christ and he came down sayes Luke and Received him Joyfully But had Peter or Zacheus made the Objection that thou hast made and Directed the Spirit of the Lord as
is with one that can pity pray for pardon yea multiply pardons It is with one that can have Compassion upon us when we are out of the way with one that hath an heart to fetch us again when we are gone astray with one that can pardon without upbraiding Blessed be God that life is in Christ For Now 't is sure to all the seed But Fourthly This Doctrine of coming to Jesus Christ for life informs us of the evil of Unbelief that wicked thing that is the only or chief hindrance to the coming sinner Doth the Text say 〈◊〉 Doth it say And him that cometh I will in no wise cast out Then what an evil is that that keepeth sinners from coming to Jesus Christ And that evil is unbelief For by faith we come by Unbelief we keep away Therefore It is said to be that by which a Soul is said to depart from God because it was that which at first caused the world to go off from him and that also that keeps them from him to this day And it doth it the more easily because it doth it with a wile This sin may be called The White Devil for it often-times in its Mischievous doings in the Soul shews as if it was an Angel of Light Yea it Acteth like a Counsellor of Heaven Therefore a little to discourse of this evil disease First It is that sin above all others that hath some shew of reason in its attempts For it keeps the Soul from Christ by pretending its present unfitness and unpreparedness as want of more sense of sin want of more repentance want of more humility want of a more broken heart Secondly It is the sin that most Suiteth with the Conscience the Conscience of the coming sinner tells him that he hath nothing good that he stands inditable for Ten Thousand Tallents that he is a very ignorant blind and hard-hearted sinner unworthy to be once taken notice of by Jesus Christ And will you says Unbelief in such a case as you now are presume to come to Jesus Christ Thirdly It is the sin that most Suiteth with our Sense of feeling The coming sinner feels the workings of sin of all manner of sin and wretchedness in his flesh He also feels the Wrath and Judgement of God due to sin and oft-times staggers under it Now sayes unbelief you may see you have no grace for that which works in you is corruption You may also perceive that God doth not love you because the Sense of his Wrath abides upon you Therefore how can you bear the face to come to Jesus Christ Fourthly It is the sin above all others that most Suiteth with the Wisdom of our flesh the Wisdom of our flesh thinks it prudence to question a while to stand back a while to hearken to both sides a while and not to be rash sudden or unadvised in too bold a presuming upon Jesus Christ And this Wisdom Unbelief falls in with Fifthly It is that sin above all other that continually is whispering the Soul in the ear with mistrusts of the faithfulness of God in keeping promise to them that come to Jesus Christ for life It also suggesteth mistrust about Christs willingness to receive it and save it And no sin can do this so Artificiently as Unbelief Sixthly It is also that sin which is always at hand to enter an Objection against this or that Promise that by the Spirit of God is brought to our heart to comfort us and if the poor coming sinner is not aware of it it will by some evasion slite trick or cavil quickly wrest from him the Promise again and he shall have but little benefit of it Seventhly It is that above all other sins that weakens our Prayers our faith our love our diligence our hope and expectations It even taketh the heart away from God in duty Eightly Lastly This sin as I have said even now it appeareth in the Soul with so many sweet pretences to safety and security that it is as if it were Counsel sent from Heaven Biding the Soul be wise wary considerate well advised and to take heed of too rash a venture upon Believing Besure first that God loves you take hold of no promise untill you are forced by God unto it neither be you sure of your Salvation doubt it still though the testimony of the Lord has been often confirmed in you live not by faith but by sense and when you can neither see nor feel then fear and mistrust then doubt and question all This is the Devilish counsel of Unbelief which is so covered over with specious pretences that the wisest Christian can hardly shake off these reasonings But to be brief Let me here give thee Christian Reader a more particular description of the qualities of Unbelief by opposing Faith unto it in these Twenty five particulars First Faith believeth the word of God but Unbelief questioneth the certainly of the same Psal. 106. 24. Secondly Faith believeth the word because it is true but Unbelief doubteth thereof because it is true 1 Tim. 4. 3. Joh. 8. 45. Thirdly Faith sees more in a promise of God to help than in all other things to hinder But Unbelief notwithstanding Gods promise saith How can these things be Rom. 4. 19 20 21. 2 King 7. 2. Joh. 3. 4 12. Fourthly Fourthly Faith will make thee see love in the heart of Christ when with his mouth he giveth reproofs But Unbelief will imagine wrath in his heart when with his mouth and word he saith he loves us Mat. 15. 22 23 24 25 26 27 28. Numb 13. 2. chap. 14. 3. Fifthly Faith will help the Soul to wait though God deferres to give but Unbelief will take snuff and throw up all if God make any tarrying Psal. 25. 5. Isa. 8. 17. 2 King 6. 33. Psal. 106. 13 14. Sixthly Faith will give comfort in the midst of fears but Unbelief causeth fears in the midst of comfort 2 Chro. 20. 20 21. Mat. 8. 26. Luk. 24. 36 37. Seventhly Faith will suck sweetness out of Gods rod but Unbelief can find no comfort in his greatest mercies Psal. 23. 4. Numb 21. 5. Eighthly Faith maketh great burdens light but Unbelief maketh light ones intollerably heavy 2 Cor. 4. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Mal. 1. 2 13. Ninethly Faith helpeth us up when we are down but Unbelief throws us down when we are up Mich. 7. 8 9 10. Heb. 4. 11. Tenthly Faith bringeth us near to God when we are far from him but Unbelief puts us far from God when we are near to him Heb. 10 22. Chap. 3. 12 13. Eleventhly Where Faith reigns it declareth Men to be the Friends of God but where Unbelief reigns it declareth them to be his Enemies Jam. 5. 23. Heb. 3. 18. Rev. 21. 8. Twelfthly Faith putteth a Man under Grace but Unbelief holdeth him under Wrath Rom. 3. 24 25 26. Chap. 4 16. Ephes. 2. 8. Joh. 3. 36. 1 Joh. 5. 10. Heb. 3. 17. Mark 16.
37 38 39. 6. Paul came not until he saw himself lost and undone Acts 9. 3 4 5 6 7 8. 11. 7. Lastly Before the Jayler came he saw himself undone Acts 16. 29 30 31. And I tell thee It is an easier thing to perswade a Well-Man to go to the Physitian for Cure or a Man without Hurt to seek out for a Playster to Cure him than it is to perswade a Man that sees not his Soul-Disease to come to Jesus Christ. The Whole have No need of the Physitian Then Why should they go to him The full Pitcher can hold no more then Why should it go to the Fountain And if thou comest full thou comest not aright and be sure Christ will send thee Empty away But he healeth the Broken in Heart and bindeth up their Wounds Mar. 2. 17. Psal. 147. 3. Luk. 1. 53. Thirdly Art thou Coming to Jesus Christ Prethee tell me What seest thou in him to allure thee to forsake all the VVorld to come to him I say VVhat hast thou seen in him Men must see something in Jesus Christ else they will not come to him 1. VVhat Comlyness hast thou seen in his Person Thou comest not if thou seest no Form nor Comlyness in him Isa. 53. 1 2 3. 2. Until those mentioned in the Song were convinced that there was more Beauty Comlyness and Desirableness in Christ than in Ten-Thousand they did not so much as ask VVhere he was nor incline to turn aside after him Song 5. Chap. 6. There be many Things on this side Heaven that Can and Do carry away the Heart and so will do so long as thou Livest if thou shalt be kept blind and not be admitted to see the beauty of the Lord Jesus Fourthly Art thou come to the Lord Jesus what hast thou found in him since thou camest to him Peter found with him the words of eternal life Joh. 6. 68. They that Peter makes mention of found him a Living stone even such a living stone as Communicated life to them 1 Pet. 2. He saith himself they that come to him c. Shall find rest unto their Souls hast thou found rest in him for thy Soul Mat. 11. Let us go back to the times of the Old Testament First Abraham found that in him that made him Leave his Countrey for him and become for his sake a Pilgrim and stranger in the earth Gen. 12. Heb. 11. Secondly Moses found that in him that made him forsake a Crown and a Kingdome for him too Thirdly David found so much in him that he counted to be in his house one day was better than a Thousand yea to be a door keeper there-in was better in his esteem than to dwell in the Tents of wickedness Psal. 84. 10. Fourthly What did Daniel and the three Children find in him to make them run the hazzard of the Fiery Furnance and the Den of Lyons for his sake Dan. 3. chap. 6. Let 's come down to Martyrs First Stephen found that in him that made him Joyfully and quietly yeild up his life for his name Acts 7. Secondly Ignatius found that in him that made him Chuse to go through the Torments of the Devil and Hell it self rather than not to have him Acts and Mon. vol. 1. pag. 25. Thirdly What saw Romanus in Christ when he said to the rageing Emperor who threatned him with fearful Torments Thy Sentence O Emperor I Joyfully imbrace and refuse not to be Sacrificed by as Cruel Torments as thou canst invent pag. 116. Fourthly What saw Menas the Egyptian in Christ when he said under most Cruel Torments Ther eis nothing in my mind that can be compared to the Kingdome of Heaven neither is all the World if it was weighed in the ballance to be conferred with the price of one Soul who is able to separate us from the Love of Jesus Christ our Lord and I have Learned of my Lord and King not to fear them that kill the body c. pag. 117. Fifthly What did Eulalia see in Christ when she said as they was pulling her one Joynt from another Behold O Lord I will not forget thee what a pleasure is it for them O Christ that remember thy Tryumphant Victories pag. 121. Sixthly What think you did Agnes see in Christ when rejoyceingly she went to meet the Souldier that was appointed to be her Executioner I will willingly said she receive into my Paps the length of his Sword and into my Breasts will draw the force thereof even to the hilts that thus I being married to Christ my Spouse may surmount and escape all the darkness of this World pag. 122. Seventhly What do you think did Julitta see in Christ when at the Emperors telling of her that except she would worship the Gods she should neither have Protection Laws Judgements nor life She replied Fare-well life Welcome Death Fare-well Riches Wel-come poverty All that I have if it were a Thousand times more would I rather lose than to speak one wicked and blasphemous word against my Creator pag. 123. Eightly What did Marcus Arethusius see in Christ when after his enemies had cut his flesh anointed it with honey and hanged him up in a basket for flies and bees to feed on he would not give to up-hold Idolatry one half penny to save his life pag. 129. Ninethly What did Constantine see in Christ when he used to kiss the wounds of them that suffered for him pag. 135. Tenthly But what need I give thus particular instances of words and smaller actions when by their lives their blood their induring hunger sword fire pulling a sunder and all Torments that the Devil and Hell could devise for the love they bare to Christ after they were come to him What hast thou found in him sinner What! come to Christ and find nothing in him when all things that are worth looking after are in him or if any thing yet not enough to wean thee from thy sinfull delights and fleshly lusts Away away thou art not come to Jesus Christ. He that is come to Jesus Christ hath found in him that as I said that is not to be found any where else As First He that is come to Christ hath found God in him reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses to them And so God is not to be found in Heaven and earth besides 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. Secondly He that is come to Jesus Christ hath found in him a fountain of grace sufficient not only to pardon sin but to Sanctifie the Soul and to preserve it from falling in this evil World Thirdly He that is come to Jesus Christ hath found vertue in him That vertue that if he does but touch thee with his Word or thou him by Faith Life is forthwith conveyed into thy Soul It makes thee wake as one that is waked out of his sleep it awakes all the powers of thy Soul Psal. 30. 11 12. Song 6. 12. Fourthly Art thou come to Jesus Christ
Psal. 19. 3. Psal. 27. 4 5 6. Job 9. 4. Joh. 17. 2. Mat. 8. 29. Luk 8. 28. Jam. 2. 19. Eighthly Coming-Sinner The Jesus to whom thou art coming is Lowly in Heart He despiseth not any 'T is not thy outward Meanness nor thy inward Weakness 't is not because thou art Poor or Base or Deformed or a Fool that he will despise thee He hath chosen the Foolish the Base and despised Things of this World to confound the Wise and Mighty He will bow his Ear to thy Stammering Prayers he will pick out the Meaning of thy inexpressible Groans he will respect thy weakest Offering if there be in it but thy Heart Mat. 11. 29. Luk. 14. 21. Prov. 9. 4 5 6. Isa. 38. 14 15. Song 5. 16. Joh. 4. 27. Mark 12 33 34. Jam. 5. 11. Now Is not this a Blessed Christ Coming-Sinner Art thou not like to fair well when thou hast Embraced him Coming-Sinner But Secondly Thou hast yet another Advantage by Jesus Christ that art coming to him For he is not only Full but Free He is not sparing of what he has he is open hearted and open-handed Let me in a few Particulars shew thee this First This is evident because he calls thee He calls upon thee to come unto him the which he would not do was he not Free to give Yea he bids thee when come Ask Seek Knock And for thy Encouragement adds to every Command a Promise Seek and ye shall find Ask and ye shall have Knock and it shall be opened unto you If the Rich Man should say thus to the Poor would not he be reckoned a Free-hearted Man I say Should he say to the Poor Come to my Door Ask at my Door Knock at my Door and you shall Find and Have Would he not be counted Liberal Why thus doth Jesus Christ Mind it Coming-Sinner Isa. 55. 3. Psal. 50. 15. Mat. 7. 7 8 9. Secondly He doth not only bid thee Come but tells thee He will heartily do thee Good Yea he will do it with Rejoycing I will rejoyce over them to do them Good with my whole Heart and with my whole Soul Jer. 32. 41. Thirdly It appeareth that he is Free because he giveth without Twitting He gives to all men Liberally and upbraideth not Jam. 1. 5. There are some that will not deny to do the Poor a Pleasure but they will mix their Mercies with so many Twitts that the Persons on whom they bestow their Charity shall find but little Sweetness in it But Christ doth not do so Coming-Sinner He casteth all thine Iniquities behind his Back Thy Sins and Iniquities he will remember no more Isa. 38. 17. Heb 8. 12. Fourthly That Christ is Free is manifest by the Complaints that he makes against them that will not come to him for Mercy I say he complains saying O Jerusalem Jerusalem How often would I have gathered thy Children together as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings and ye would not Matth. 23. 37. I say he speaks it by way of Complaint He saith also in another place But thou hast not called upon me O Jacob but thou hast been weary of me O Israel Isa. 43. 22. Coming-Sinner See here the Willingness of Christ to Save See here how Free he is to communicate Life and all good Things to such as thou art He complains if thou comes not he is displeased if thou callest not upon him Hark Coming-Sinner once again When Jerusalem would not come to him for Safe-guard He behold the City and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the Things that belong to thy Peace but now they are hid from thine Eyes Luk. 19. 41. Fifthly Lastly He is open and Free Hearted to do thee Good as is seen by the Joy and Rejoycing that he manifesteth at the coming home of poor Prodigals He receives the lost Sheep with Rejoycing the lost Groat with Rejoycing Yea when the Prodigal came home what Joy and Mirth what Musick and Dancing was in his Father's House Luk. 15. Thirdly Coming-Sinner I will add another Encouragement for thy Help First God hath prepared a Mercy-Seat a Throne of Grace to Sit on that thou may'st come thither to him and that he may from thence Hear thee and Receive thee I will Commune with thee saith he from above the Mercy-Seat Exod. 25. 22. As who should say Sinner When thou comest to me thou shalt find me upon the Mercy Seat where also I am alwayes found of the Undone Coming Sinner Thither I bring my Pardons there I Hear and Receive their Petitions and Accept them to my Favour Secondly God hath also prepared a Golden Altar for thee to offer thy Prayers and Tears upon A Golden Altar It is called a Golden Altar to shew what Worth it is of in God's Account For this Golden Altar is Jesus Christ This Altar sanctifies thy Gift and makes thy Sacrifices acceptable This Altar then makes thy Groans Golden Groans thy Tears Golden Tears and thy Prayers Golden Prayers in the Eye of that God thou comest to Coming Sinner Rev. 8. Mat. 23. 19. Heb. 10. 10 15. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Thirdly God hath Strowed all the way from the Gate of Hell where thou wast to the Gate of Heaven whither thou art going with Flowers out of his own Garden Behold How the Promises Invitations Calls and Encouragements like Lillies lye round about thee Take heed that thou doest not tread them under foot Sinner With Promises did I say Yea he hath mixed all those with his Own Name his Sons Name also with the Name of Mercy Goodness Compassion Love Pity Grace Forgiveness Pardon and what not that may encourage the coming Sinner Fourthly He hath also for thy En-couragement laid up the Names and set forth the Sins of those that have been Saved In his Book they are fairly written that thou through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures mightst have Hope 1. In this book is Recorded Noah's Name and Sin and how God had Mercy upon him 2. In this Record is fairly written the Name of Lot and the Nature of his Sin and how the Lord had Mercy upon him 3. In this Record thou hast also fairly written the Names of Moses Aaron Gidion Sampson David Solomon Peter Paul with the Nature of their Sins and how God had Mercy upon them And all to Encourage thee Coming-Sinner Fourthly I will add yet another Encouragement for the Man that is coming to Jesus Christ. Art thou coming Art thou coming indeed Why 1. Then this thy Coming Is by Vertue of God's Call Thou art Called Calling goes before Coming Coming is not of Works but of him that Calleth He went up into a Mountain and called to him whom he would and They came to him Mark 3. 13. Secondly Art thou coming This is also by Vertue of Illumination God has made thee see and therefore thou art coming So long as thou wast Darkness thou lovedst Darkness and couldst not