THE Condescention of our Bles­sed Saviour to poor Sinners, is very extraordinary and miraculous. That reiterated Affronts, and multiplied Provocations, do (as it were) but only lengthen out his Patience, and add warmth and ear­nestness to his Importunity, is indeed the highest demonstration imaginable of a­stonishing Kindness, and a Love which cannot be parallel'd.

But this is not to encourage our Ob­stinacy and Refractoriness; It should overcome our Sturdiness, and conquer and master our Stubborness; it should soften and make us tractable and com­pliant. O the hardness of that Heart, the searedness of that Soul and Con­science, which will not be melted into a remorse for Sin, and a joyful unfeigned closure, with the Offers of Salvation and Mercy, at the earnest Entreaties, and passionate Courtings of the Eternal and Almighty God! What shall we say then? shall we continue in Sin, because Grace doth abound? God forbid. (Rom. 6.1, 2.) How shall we, who are thus soli­cited from Heaven, thus importuned by the Blessed Jesus, live any longer in a contradiction unto him?

The Love and Condescention of Christ is such, and doth so eminently appear in many Instances, especially in these mentioned in the Text, our Bles­sed Saviour himself seems to be almost transported at the consideration of the same. That the Son of God, who thought it no robbery to be equal with God, should take such notice of Enemies, forlorn, despicable Wretches, miserable Sinners [Page 3](who at best, whilst in their natural Estate, can lay claim to nothing but Wrath and Damnation) as to stand before them, come unto them, and use all manner of earnestness with them, to prevail with them to yield him admit­tance into their Hearts; that by this means they may be advanced, and have Communion and Fellowship with him, is so strange, so unheard of a piece of Condescention, so wonderful, so sur­prizing, so amazing an Instance of Love, our Saviour himself, at the mentioning of it, seems to be in a kind of rapture. He doth Preface it with a Note of Ad­miration. Behold!

If we should look upon it as a migh­ty Condescention in a great Prince or Emperor, to descend from his Throne, and come personally to visit some poor Subject, who has no habitation or place of Aboad, but some small weather-beaten crazy Cottage; nay, to visit some in­famous Rebel, justly confined to a Dun­geon, covered with nastiness and filth; and there importune and entreat this miserable Wretch to be reconciled unto him, that they may both dwell toge­ther, and mutually rejoice in each others [Page 4]society; What ought we then to think of our Blessed Saviour's soliciting and entreating, with the greatest earnestness, for admittance into our Hearts?

We may take notice of two general Parts in the words.

I. The main substance of the Verse, which consists of two parts. 1. Our Saviour's earnestness to be admitted in­to Sinner's Hearts; I stand at the Door and knock, &c. 2. The Priviledges and Satisfaction consequent upon our receiving of him; I will come in to him, &c.

II. The way and manner how all this is commended to our consideration, Behold!

I intend to say but little of this latter; and therefore as it stands first in the Text, so it shall immediately come un­der our consideration.

This word, Behold, noteth, that some­thing follows which is of weight, and deserves to be observed. Indeed it would greatly become and profit us, to take a particular and distinct notice of [Page 5]those places of the Holy Scripture, which are thus solemnly recommended to our consideration. For God certain­ly best knows what is of greatest use for us: And to suffer such Passages to slip our observation, without a diligent heedful attendance to them, which he hath set such a Mark upon, and points out so carefully to our study, argues much disregard to his Wisdom and Goodness, and that our Religion is very weak and unoperative.

You may more particularly take no­tice, that this word, Behold, hath three special significations in the Holy Scrip­tures; or there are three several ends and purposes why it is used in the Scriptures.

1. There is a Behold of Caution: To warn us to take heed of what will be extreamly hurtful and injurious to our Souls. John 5.14. Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. God has done very much for thee, and signally holpen thee and de­livered thee; take care thou do not wilfully provoke him again, lest he af­flict thee worse, lest thou be hardened in thy Sins, and Divine Wrath come [Page 6]upon thee to the uttermost.

2. A Behold of Admiration! Which calls us to wonder and admire, with all the Powers of our Soul, at the exceed­ing Riches of Divine Goodness and Grace. 1 John 3.1. Behold, what man­ner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God!

3. A Behold, designed to excite and stir us up to take notice of some impor­tant Matter speedily, and to improve it without delay. 2 Cor. 6.2. Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of Salvation.

This word, here in the Text, may have all these Significations attributed to it.

1. As designed to admonish us a­gainst resisting Christ any longer, see­ing he hath stood so long, and urged us to give him admittance, lest if we con­tinue to keep our Hearts lock'd and barr'd against him, he should depart from us in displeasure, and never make us another offer of his Love and Grace. O how fearful a thing is it to send Christ away grieved and enraged, be­cause of our final perversness and stub­borness, [Page 7]after he hath been long woing and perswading us to accept of him and his Benefits!

2. As representing to us how great, how wonderful, how unexpected an In­stance of Love Christ is pleased to vouchsafe us. What greater Love can Christ express and shew to you than this? He experienced and met with ve­ry hard and injurious usage here on Earth; He underwent many afflicting grievous pains; He suffered a very infa­mous tormenting kind of Death. He endured for Sinners infinitely more than we can conceive, yet did not all this al­lay and cool his Affection, he loves us still, with a Love as strong as ever. What Love is this! Love stronger than Death, Love that the Floods cannot drown; Love, which neither Suffer­ings, nor Death, nor Life, nor Glory, can overcome. Here is room indeed for our admiration and wonder; cease then your wondering at other things, which seem strange and unusual, they are all nothing, if compared with this Love of Christ. Let all your admira­tion center here, on this fathomless, this infinite, incomprehensible, and un­searchable [Page 8]Object of it. What can we justly wonder at, besides the infinite Riches of our Saviour's Love and Con­descention, unless at that horrible and astonishing Prodigy, that People should be so insensible, sottish, and sturdy, as to slight, neglect, and despise all the exceeding abundance of the Riches of Divine Grace and Kindness?

3. As exciting and stirring us up to take notice of our dear Saviour; and with what tenderness and condescen­tion he carries himself towards us. Be­hold, thy Saviour doth stand without, and has been long waiting on thee, and doth still entreat thee earnestly to give him admittance. O take notice how the King of Glory is come to visit thee! and is desirous to have communion with thee! Behold, Salvation is now come to thy House; and what! wilt thou deny reception to, and shut thy Doors against such a Guest?

We may fairly enough furnish our selves with this Instruction from this word, Behold, as used in this place, viz.

That the Lord Jesus Christ hath won­derful Love to poor Sinners, is a Truth [Page 9]of extraordinary importance, and should be carefully observed and attended to

But I design not to insist upon this any further, than by acquainting you briefly with two things, which clear and confirm the Proposition.

1. The extraordinary usefulness of this Truth to us.

2. The extraordinary strangeness of the Thing it self.

1. The extraordinary usefulness of this Truth to us. What is neither ex­cellent in it self, nor useful to us, we justly overlook, and take no notice of; or if we do, we therein betray our weak­ness and imprudence.

Now we have ordinarily many Inte­rests and Designs on foot, but we readi­ly acknowledg, that we are bound on all accounts to pursue with most care, earnestness and diligence, those things we are assured will most of all farther our highest Interests, those Concern­ments we are most affected with, and prefer and value above all the rest. If a Man have a Trial depending for his whole Estate, or for his Life, and can hear of a certain Course he may take, which will infallibly secure his Cause, [Page 10]he will attend unto this Business, before all his other Affairs; and though there be other Matters he would be diligent and industrious about, were this his principal Business well setled, yet he omits and neglects them; he lays them aside at present, that he may follow his greater and more important Affair, with greater freedom and less disturbance. Now there is nothing so much concerns us, as to be truly and savingly acquain­ted with the Riches of Divine Grace, to be sensible of the gracious Visits Christ doth make, and to embrace and close with his blessed Motions. You may lose your Lands, be rob'd of your Mony, have your Houses and Goods all burnt about your Ears, and yet not be undone, nor irreparably miserable. But if you are ignorant of Christ, and regardless of his Visits, and destitute of an Inte­rest in his Love, you are poor, deluded, miserable, unhappy Wretches, whatever Portion you have of the Wealth, and Honour, and Applause of this World.

Indeed, too many slight Christ, and make no account of his Love. People who are sunk in their Lusts, whose Un­derstandings Satan hath blinded, in [Page 11]whom Satan rules, and by whom they are hurried away headlong towards Hell, as the Gadarens Swine were into the Deep. But, O! let us take heed we do not tread in their Steps, lest we drink of their Cup, and partake of their Por­tion.

The Apostle tells you, It is a faith­ful Saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. What is it then, that after all his Sufferings, and being ascended into Glory, he doth still continue to express and testify as great Love as ever to us? Shall we despise the choicest offers of his Love? Shall we de­spise, or take no notice of such a Truth as this, that Christ doth stoop to visit us, and importunes our acceptance of him? O, what vile, what unworthy, what ungrateful Persons shall we then approve our selves! In how forlorn and deplorable a State are all the stubborn and obstinate despisers and contemners of Christ! Heb. 2.3. O, Sirs! did you understand the worth of those pre­cious Souls you are intrusted with; were you truly sensible of the sad and miserable Estate you are in by Nature, [...] [Page 14]this Love express'd, but by Piety and Obedience? If ye love me, keep my Com­mandments, John 14.15. Ye are my Friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you, John 15.14. What an incourage­ment is it to a Holy Life, when we can truly say, we are hereby testifying our Love to our dear Saviour, in such a way as he doth most approve? Whom should we serve, whom should we obey, if not him who hath, and doth love us still in so extraordinary a manner?

We are ('tis true) too prone to serve Satan and our Lusts; but what reason have we to do so? Is Damna­tion and Hell so sweet and so obliging, we should drudg and toil all our time for such a Purchase? Can you seriously think Satan who tempts and sollicites you to Sin, hath any love for you? And will you serve him who seeks your eternal ruin so industriously, before the Lord Jesus Christ, who hath given you so many convincing Testimonies of his Love?

It is an amazing, and very sad thing to observe, how People do prefer the drudgery and vassalage of Satan, before the liberty and freedom their Saviour [Page 15]hath purchased for them. That not­withstanding Christ doth love them so affectionately, yet Satan should have so many to run violently after him to Hell; and Christ should have so few to fol­low him to the Mansions of Bliss and Glory.

It is a sad, but yet too just a repre­sentation of Man's Folly, Ingratitude, and Wickedness, which St. Cyprian makes, when he brings in the Devil boasting against Christ, and insulting over People in this manner; Ego pro istis nec sanguinem fudi, &c. (Serm. de Ely­mos) I have not shed one drop of Blood for any of all these my Followers; I never took any pains to do them any good; my study, and care, and dili­gence hath ever been, and ever shall be, to bring them to Death and Damnati­on; and yet notwithstanding all this, Tuos tales, demonstra mihi, Christe. Shew me, O Christ, so many, such busy, such painful, and such dutiful Servants of thine any where, as I can shew thee eve­ry where of mine. Shall the Envy and Malice of Satan be more powerful with you, to draw you into Damna­tion, than the prodigious Love of [Page 16]the Son of God, to win you unto Ho­liness and Glory?

O! were we but duly affected with the Love Christ bears to us, we should not be able to resist its Charms! O, what pious exemplary, praising Christi­ans would this make us? Who ever hath a true and real sense of this Love in his Heart, will be transformed by it into the likeness of him, who doth thus love him. The reason why we are no better, that we resemble Christ so little, is, be­cause we are ignorant of his Love; tho we may know somewhat of it notional­ly, so as to tincture and adorn our Dis­course, yet our Hearts are not touched with it, and brought under its Efficacy and Power. Were our Hearts but mel­ted with the consideration and sense of this Love, O how powerfully would it engage us in the Ways and Work of our Saviour! With what vigour and delight should we be carried through the whole course of Christian Duty, and new Obe­dience?

3. It is of exceding great use, for our support and comfort under Trials, Temptations, Sufferings and Troubles in the World; and when we are exer­cised [Page 17]with deep apprehensions of our own sinfulness and vileness. Affliction doth try Friends. A Man whilst he doth prosper and flourish in the World, shall have many pretended Friends, who will fall from and disown him in Adversity. We are subject to Trials and Tempta­tions, under which all those things that flatter our Senses, and which People court and labour for with all their might, will either take their flight from us, or at best, lie by us, as insipid use­less things: Nothing but a sense of Christ's Love will then befriend us.

And I know not any sort of People more exposed to Trials and Assaults in the World, than the People of God; nor are there any whom Satan doth or­dinarily set upon with fiercer violence, than poor Sinners, when first beginning to look out after, and listen unto Christ. And as these are liable to such Calami­ties, so God provides for their support and comfort under them. If it be a great relief to a Person under outward trouble, that he hath a Friend to stand by him, and counsel him, and appear for him, what is it to a true Believer to be assured of the Love of Christ? That he [Page 18]hath one on his side, who is alsufficient for him, be his Circumstances what they will, and who will never fail him nor forsake him?

What tho I be poor and miserable, and destitute and afflicted in the World? What tho I be made as the filth and the off-scouring of all things? Christ loves me never the less for that. Nay, sup­pose I have great Doubts in my Mind, and my Soul is full of heaviness for my Sins, and I am ready to cry out, O! my Sins are not ordinary and usual Sins, they have been aggravated above mea­sure! I cannot see any thing in my self, but impurity, filth, and guilt. I do not perceive how any thing but Damnation can belong to me! O my Misery! O my Unhappiness! O my Guilt! I am so la­den with Sin, my Guilt lies so heavy upon my Spirit; Terror and amaze­ment, fear and horror, do so prevail in my Soul, I am not able to bear up under the same, my Heart fails me, and my Spirit is gone! Why now, one glimps of Christ, one taste of his Good­ness, a sense of his Love, will revive and exhilerate the Soul, and disperse all these Clouds, these Darknesses and [Page 19]Storms. There is no condition a Per­son can be in, but if Christ will dart in­to him a Ray of his special Love, he will thence receive mighty, even inex­pressible support and comfort. The continued Love of Christ, is the most sovereign Cordial in every Estate and Condition. We may go through Fire and Water, we may adventure upon any suffering for the Name of Christ, being assured of his Love. O! what an ex­cellent chearing Scripture is that of the Epistle to the Romans, Chap. 8. v. 35, to the end?

What would the Scripture be to us; how should we be effectually excited and encouraged to a course of Piety? Or, what could support us under Burthens and Troubles, if Christ did not conti­nue his Love to Sinners?

2ly, In the second place we are to con­sider the extraordinary strangeness of the thing it self. We commonly take as particular notice as we can, of strange and unwonted Occurrences. How do People view and observe Comets and Blazing Stars? How do they flock to see any strange sort of Beast, when ex­hibited to be seen? We admire and [Page 20]wonder at things, which are considera­ble only by reason of their strangeness and rarity; Things which are not of any great worth, nor cannot produce us any profit and real advantage. O! therefore, let us be so wise as to turn all our admiration unto that which is truly strange, and equally advantagious and comfortable?

The Love of Christ to Sinners, is the strangest thing that ever was: Without controversy great is the Mystery of Godli­ness: God was manifest in the Flesh, ju­stified in the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the World, and received up into Glory, 1 Tim. 3.16. This is a thing so strange, even in the first Instances of it, the blessed Angels stand amazed at it, and desire to look into it, 1 Pet. 1.12.

If a Prince, the only Son of a King or Emperor, should condescend to take notice of a mean traiterous Wretch, ready to have all the Torments and Pu­nishments his Treason deserved, inflicted on him, and plead for this Person; yea, deny himself all the Pleasures, Honours, and Satisfactions in his Father's Court; yea, submit himself to all manner of [Page 21]Indignities for many Years together, to procure the other's Pardon. And being at last received to Court again, and living in the greatest pomp and splendour, should come to this Person whose Life he had saved at the forementioned rate, and entreat and beseech, and court him to be reconciled to him; and that an intimate familiarity and correspondence may be setled betwixt them, promising him all the Entertainments and Satisfa­ctions he doth participate of himself, Would not this be looked on by all as a most prodigious Instance of Affection and Love?

But alas! what is this to that we are now discoursing of? Here is the Son of God, who is equal with God, God blessed for ever; who is the Brightness of his Father's Glory, and the express Image of his Person; whose Name is Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. This is the Person who con­descended to take on him our Nature; who lived for many Years together a Life that was very mean, and to out­ward appearance very contemptible. What Indignities did he suffer from Men! [Page 22]how deep did he drink of the Cup of God's Wrath! when groaning, and praying, and sweating Blood in the Gar­den! when expostulating so earnestly with his Father on the Cross! He sub­mitted to Death, yea, he became obe­dient to Death, even the Death of the Cross: The most painful, the most lin­gering, the most ignominious and cur­sed sort of Death then known in the World. And all this was to reconcile Sinners and Enemies unto God, and to save them from that eternal Misery and Damnation they could no other way be saved from. And after all this, having raised himself to Life, and being re­ceived into Glory, he continues his Love to these Sinners, and many ways impor­tunes and sollicites them to accept of the Mercy and Blessings which cost him so dear; and to yield themselves up into the Bonds of Friendship, that a constant mutual correspondence may be main­tained betwixt them. Is not this an in­comprehensible astonishing Prodigy of Love? what can be compared unto it? What Heart so hard, such Condescen­tion, such Love, such passionate court­ing will not soften and overcome? What [Page 23]so strange, what so obliging as this, that the Son of God should entreat and be­seech Rebels to accept of Pardon? should court and make so much ado, be so importunate, and keep such a stir with us, who are only held by his Hand from falling into Hell, to accept of Hea­ven! There is nothing so strange as this, unless it be that cursed Heart, which is too obdurate and stubborn to be overcome and won, by so kind, so winning, and so mighty a Force as this is.

Applic. What care now should we take to be throughly instructed and setled in this great Truth? Do not la­bour only to be acquainted with it in the Theory, but endeavour and pray that a saving Knowledg and Belief of it may be wrought in you by the Spirit of God. This is a Matter concerns thee much, thy Salvation depends upon it. If thou lose thy Soul, thou losest all: If thou art ignorant of the Love of Christ, if this Love have no influence on thee, thou art miserable indeed. All true Comfort is wrap'd up in this. Acts 4.12. O study this great Truth, [Page 24]and do not desist or leave off, till it have its proper influence on thy Affections, Heart, and Life. Let the Love of Christ constrain thee. Resolve to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him cruci­fied. Admire and adore the Love of Christ: Improve the knowledg and consideration of it, to fix and promote thy Faith, thy Love, thy Hope, thy Patience, and every other Grace.

But I will not insist any longer on this first word, which is introductory, and should lead us attentively unto that which followeth.

The rest of the Verse acquaints us with our blessed Saviour's seeking for, and endeavouring to get admittance with us: and the Priviledges which shall accrue to those who hearken to him, and receive him.

I shall confine my self now unto the first of these, which is represented to us in these words, I stand at the Door and knock. Though in discoursing of this, I shall have occasion to acquaint you with the main Importance of some of the following words, viz. If any Man hear my Voice, and open the Door.

Our Saviour's seeking and endeavou­ring to get admittance with us, is here exprest by three words.

• 1. Standing.
• 2. Knocking.
• 3. The word Door.

The Person, or rather the Heart of the Person, because of its being the principal Part of Man, and the Seat of the Affection, is often compared to, and called a House, a Temple, a Habita­tion. God hath a secret and real com­merce with the Soul of every true Be­liever. He communicates much of him­self, and imparts his Heavenly Graces unto every such Person; He sets up his Government in that Soul, and he ex­presseth his gracious Concernment with that Soul, by dwelling in it, by making that Person his House and Habitation. Jesus answered and said, If a Man love me, he will keep my Words, and my Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him, Joh. 14.23. see Isa. 57.15.

The Lord Jesus makes very gracious Proposals to us; He offers us his Bles­sings, [Page 26]his Graces, his Spirit, the Bene­fits of his Death and Passion, Himself. And entreats and beseeches us to accept of these, and give them room in our Hearts. His addressing of himself to us by way of instruction, perswasion, and tendering of these to us, is called his knocking at the Door. Our learn­ing of him, accepting of, and closing with his Tenders, is called, our hear­ing his Voice, and opening to him.

It may be proper here to take notice;

• 1. Of our Saviour's Posture.
• 2. Of his Gesture.

1. His Posture. Behold, I stand. Which notes both his Patience; how long he doth wait to be gracious, and what danger we are in, if we do not make a good use and improvement of his Patience and long-suffering, for he is in such a Posture, as notes a readiness of departure if he be not admitted.

2. His Gesture. And knock. Which notes his earnestness and importunity. The Lord Jesus, when he makes his vi­sits unto the Soul, is not willing to de­part, [Page 27]without bestowing some Blessing. He seems resolved not to take a denial. He will fasten some Good, some Blessing on thee, if there be any thing, either of ingenuity or of modesty in thee.

The Phrase is taken, from what is ordinarily observed in the Visits which People make to one another. As the Person which goeth to see another, doth commonly stand before the Door of that House where the other's Abode is; and desiring to have entrance, knocks, and makes a noise at the Door, till, if any one be in the House, he be taken notice of; which argues, he hath a desire to have some discourse and converse with the Person he comes to visit. Thus Christ sets forth his desire, and his ear­nestness, to have some commerce and familiarity with poor Sinners. He waits, he knocks, he useth all kind of impor­tunity with them.

The Doctrine I design to insist on a lit­tle from these words, is this:

Doct.

The Lord Jesus Christ doth wait long, and useth much importunity with [Page 28]Sinners, to prevail with them to accept of him and his Benefits. He stands at the door long, and knocks often, be­fore we will take notice of him, and open unto him. Indeed, his own Peo­ple, and Servants, are too apt to forget him, and to suffer him to wait and stay long, when he makes his after Addresses to them, before they rise and let him in. We are too prone to turn a deaf Ear to him, and admit any thing as an excuse for our not giving him so speedy and grateful a reception as we owe him. How often do even Believers forget themselves, and grow so remiss and drowsy, as to provoke him to withdraw himself, and deny them the sence of his gracious Presence and Love! So that they must seek long, and undergo much trouble, before he will be found of them again. This you may see fully proved, if you seriously read and weigh the fifth Chapter of the Song of Solomon, from v. 1st, to the 9th.

And if those who have in some mea­sure understood their need of Christ, and been affected with his Excellencies, and tasted how good the Lord is, may grow so negligent and careless, it can­not [Page 29]be very much wondered at, if Christ, when he makes his Addresses to others, who are still in their natural Estate, be not presently hearkened unto, but must use importunity before he find admit­tance. But yet the Sinner's either refu­sing or neglecting to hear him, and com­ply with him, is a thing so ill, nothing can excuse it.

Now this shews the weakness of Grace in many who are already regenerated. And what need the Best have to be al­ways on their watch. And likewise, how strangely stupid and stubborn Peo­ple are, till by the operation of the Ho­ly Ghost, their Hearts are effectually wrought on and awakened. And, O how wonderful is the Condescention of the Blessed Jesus, in that he takes so much notice of, and doth with such pa­tience and earnestness court, and strive to overcome such vile, such sensless, and such unworthy Creatures!

It is Christ that first takes notice of us, not we of him. We love him, because he loved us first, 1 John 4.19. If Christ did never love and importune us, we should never love him. Should not Christ come and knock at our Doors, [Page 30]we should never think of, nor look after him in good earnest.

How should we stand amazed at this! It was when we were Enemies that Christ died for us; and it is whilst we are in a state of Enmity, that he comes and entreats us to be reconciled to him. God might easily and fully have glori­fied his Justice in our eternal Damna­tion; and yet how earnest is he with us, to accept of the happy Fruits of his Kindness? It is, whilst we lie wallow­ing in our Blood, without pitty, that he sets his Love upon us, and saith unto us, Live. It is Christ's Work to bring us to a compliance with himself. He loves us first, he manifests his Love first, and he makes those discoveries of his Love powerful, & of force to work upon our stubborn Natures, and hard Hearts, before we will yield and acknowledg, either our own emptiness and need of him, or his wonderful Love and Con­descention towards us. It is Christ that saith, I will have Mercy upon her that had not obtained Mercy, and I will say to them which were not my People, Thou art my People; and then they shall say, Thou art my God, Hos. 2.23. You see Christ [Page 31]speaks first, before we acknowledg him. Lord, what is Man that thou art mindful of him! or the Son of Man, that thou hast such regard unto him! What a Miracle of Condescention and Love is this, that the Lord Jesus Christ, that the Great and Eternal God should thus court and sollicit Dust and Ashes! should represent himself so in love with sinful Worms!

In discoursing of this Truth, I shall endeavour,

• I. To explain and illustrate this, of Christ's waiting to be gracious to Sinners, and importuning them to accept of him.
• II. To shew you what our receiving of Christ doth import.
• III. To enquire what are the main Instances which hinder us from re­ceiving of Christ into our Hearts.
• IV. To offer a Reason or two, why Christ is thus importunate with Sinners.
• [Page 32]V. To make some Application of the whole.

I. I shall say something concerning Christ's waiting to be gracious to Sin­ners, and importuning them for ad­mittance into their Hearts. These two things are both implied in, and signi­fied by these words, I stand at the Door, and knock.

The one argues his Patience, and the stay he makes to be gracious unto us. This is the word, Stand, I stand at the Door. Now, how long hath Christ stood at your Doors? how long and often hath he been calling unto you for admittance, and as yet to no pur­pose? Indeed, some receive him very early: Happy they who bid so worthy, so desirable, so good a Guest, welcome betimes! They who are from their ear­ly Years acquainted with Christ, with whom they constantly keep a corre­spondence, and who hath long reigned in their Hearts, are happy People in­deed. These are truly Heaven's Fa­vourites.

But I am afraid the number of such is not very great. Alas! Christ is a great while slighted and contemned, before he is in any tolerable measures taken tice of, and hearkned unto in the World. O the Patience that Jesus Christ doth exercise towards Sinners! How many Days, and Weeks, yea Months, and Years, doth he stand waiting, be­fore we will hear his Voice, and open unto him?

It is our great fault, and unhappiness too, that after we are in some measure acquainted with Christ, we are prone to neglect our Watch, and suffer our love to him to abate, and almost die: So that when he makes his fresh Ap­proaches to us, and calls for admittance into our Hearts, we are ready to make excuses, till we force him to with­draw and hide himself from us, Cant. 5.2, 3.

But alas! how many Years together do many stand out and resist him, tho he use never so many methods to win, and bring them to a compliance.

Nay, Christ doth not only wait all this time, but he manifests extraordina­ry patience on the account of their [Page 34]demeanour towards him. Were there any one who had done us an injury, and we should go to, and promise him we will pass by the wrong, and entreat him that we may be Friends; and that Par­ty should refuse to let us into his House, should set us at defiance, and revile and reproach us, and do us greater Injuries than before, how would our Blood boil? how would our Passions flame? how un­reconcileable should we be to him for the future? But Jesus Christ doth other­wise to us; He comes to us when in a state of Rebellion against him. He is ready to pardon us, pleads with us to accept his Favours, and demonstrates how real and hearty he is. He does, as it were, lay before us his Sufferings, and tell us, that all these Calamities, Pressures, and Sorrows were undergone for our sakes: And tho all this prove unsuccesful, we still refuse to hearken to him, and do proudly and contemp­tuously turn away from him, he doth not desist, but still stands and waits to see whether we will come to our selves, whether we will become more calm, and wise, and at last accept of the gracious Offers he doth make us.

O! what a number of Affronts and Provocations doth the Lord Jesus Christ patiently bear and pass by, whilst waiting to be gracious to his Enemies! How do Sinners set him at nought, and offer him the greatest contempt they can! and still he bears all, and stands waiting at their Doors.

Sinner! Thou that livest in known Sins, under the Ministry of the Gospel, and a profession of the Faith of Christ; thou hast had Christ waiting on thee a long while. Thou hast, as it were, heard him tell thee, It was Sin, even thy Sins, that made him a Man of Sor­rows, and occasioned his being reckoned amongst Transgressors; that thy Sins contracted on him that load and bur­then, which made him sweat drops of Blood under the weight of it: That thy Sins nailed him to the Cross: That thy Drunkenness, thy Intemperance, thy Wantonness, thy Prophaneness, thy Swearing, thy Worldly-mindedness, thy Sabbath-breaking, and thy other Sins, made him, when on the Cross, cry out, with so much apprehension and earnestness, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And doth Christ after [Page 36]all this wait on thee, and importune thee to receive him; and wilt thou dare, after all, to reject him? Thou canst not (however) but acknowledg, that if after all this he continues thee the tenders of his Love, that his Patience is wonderful, thou must needs own, that to refuse him admittance, and despise his Offers, is very disingenuous.

O! what stubbornness do many testi­fy towards Christ, after he hath been long treating with them in this man­ner? Has not Christ told thee these things in his Word? Has he not (as it were) come to thee, and said, Behold, Sinner, these Hands, and these Feet, which were nailed to the Cross on thy account, to testify my Love to thee? See how I was forsaken by all! what I suffered for thy Sins! how I was trea­ted! in what manner my extraordinary Grief did vent it self! And now, be­hold, I come to thee, desiring to be re­ceived of thee, and entreating thee to accept the Benefits I have purchased by all my grievous Sufferings! And wilt thou still reject him? Wilt thou chide and rate thy Saviour away, after so many testimonies of incomprehensible [Page 37]Kindness, Patience, and Love? Wilt thou, by thy carriage towards him, ma­nifest that thou approvest what the Jews did unto him? Wilt thou, by a conti­nued repeating of thy old Wickedness, discover how desirous thou art to cru­cify him again, and what pleasure thou takest in trampling his precious Blood under thy Feet? O, how great then is thy Guilt! how is thy Wickedness ag­gravated? What mayst thou well ex­pect will become of thee? How dread­ful is thy State! how great is thy Dan­ger! But now, if after all this, Christ doth still wait, and make thee new ten­ders of Mercy; how astonishing must thou needs acknowledg his Love and his Patience to be?

The Patience of Christ doth most sig­nally appear, in bringing home at last those Sinners who have been very noto­rious, and who have laboured against him, and stood out against, and resisted him a great while.

O! let this prevail with you all to yield up your selves speedily to Christ. You have resisted him too long already; take heed of repeating your Affronts against him, seeing he hath born with [Page 38]you so patiently hitherto. Surely he hath waited long enough, O, delay him no longer. The Fruit and Effect may be dreadful, if you resist any farther; the Lord will not always be trifled with. Though the Offers of Grace may be long continued, they will not last for ever, if you go on stubbornly to despise and reject them. Take heed of refu­sing to receive and entertain Christ, once more, when he comes unto thee, lest thou shouldst provoke him to depart from thee, with resolution never to make thee a gracious visit, or see thee with favour any more. Do not thou provoke him to swear in his Wrath, thou shalt never enter into his Rest. Canst thou endure the eternal Displea­sure of Almighty God? Canst thou bear up under the direful and astonish­ing Punishments, which contemned Grace, and abused Patience and Good­ness expose to? Canst thou dwell with everlasting Burnings? O, let the Long-suffering, the Patience, and the Good­ness of thy Saviour, lead thee to Re­pentance, and prevail with thee to ac­cept of, and close with him and his gracious Offers.

This shall serve at this time, concern­ing Christ's waiting to be gracious unto Sinners. I proceed to say something,

II. In the second place, of his impor­tuning Sinners for admittance. This is noted by the word knock. Jesus Christ doth not only wait long, but useth much importunity, and is very earnest to get admittance with Sinners. He knocks, and knocks again; he repeats his En­treaties, and often renews his earnest Sollicitations, that we will not reject and despise him, but admit him into our Hearts, and bid him welcome. Now, what Condescention is this, that the Son of God should court and perswade us with so much warmth and fervour? That he who cannot receive any advan­tage from us, should thus importune us for our own advantage!

Indeed, this doth plainly manifest our baseness and stupidity, in that we are so hard to be wrought on, and affected with our most important Interests. And it doth as certainly and fully display and upbraid our wilfulness and impiety, when we stand out and finally resist [Page 40]Christ, as it doth demonstrate the un­parallel'd condescention and kindness of our Saviour.

O! what Demonstrations have we of the tenderness of Christ to Sinners? How do his Bowels yearn over us, when we are inconsiderately ruining our selves? How often doth he knock and entreat us to yield to him, and accept of him and his Benefits? O, how hard and stubborn are our Hearts! what, will not all the Divine Methods and Ar­tifices win us, and bring us into a com­pliance with him, that loveth us above Life and Death?

I need mention but two Generals to evidence more distinctly unto you, how earnest and importunate the Lord Jesus is to be received by us.

• 1. The Arguments he doth use to perswade us to accept of him.
• 2. The Instruments he doth imply a­bout this Work, viz. to win us to comply with his gracious Mo­tions and offers.

1. The Arguments he doth use to pre­vail with us to accept of Him. He [Page 41]urgeth the strongest Arguments, and presseth on us those Considerations, which carry along with them the great­est force and weight imaginable. And these are managed with all the heartiness and affectionateness that is possible. Ar­guments many, strong, various, and such as are most proper to have an in­fluence on our Affections, Judgments; and Minds. Were any Motions urged, that had but the thousandth part of the reason, the least of these hath, to engage us to strike in, and close with any thing for our secular Advantage, how effectual would they prove! No Difficulties, no Straights, no Discouragements would affright or dishearten us. But when the greatest and most weighing Instances, as the Divine Wisdom can pitch upon, are urged by the Lord himself to engage us not to forsake our own Mercies, to at­tend to and close with our only Happi­ness. Alas! how unapprehensive, how un­concerned are we? We are then as lit­tle moved, as if the Arguments had no weight in them, or we had no Souls to take care of, and be saved.

If Satan hath a mind to draw us unto any Sin, or engage us in some destru­ctive [Page 42]and damning course, how easily doth he prevail? how soon doth he gain our Ear, our Hand, our Heart? How suddenly doth he hurry us into what he pleaseth? Yea, Men like our selves can easily work upon our Affecti­ons, and prevail with us to do those things which will hasten our Misery, our Shame, our Destruction. But, alas! Christ may stand, and call, and warn, and entreat us by ever so many Consi­derations, and yet have no admittance amongst us. We deal with our Saviour, as the wanton and undutiful Child doth, when he lets an Enemy into the House at the first word. But when his Parent calls and knocks, he sits unconcerned, turns a deaf Ear, and never takes any notice, though that Relation knock ne­ver so loud, and be very importunate to be let in. We are ready to follow Sa­tan, and do what he would have us to do, if he do but promise us a little Plea­sure, or Wealth, &c. But Christ is shut out, and not hearkned unto, though he is most importunate, and doth urge the weightiest Arguments to prevail with us to attend unto him.

The Arguments he doth urge are ve­ry many: It shall suffice at present to name a few of them, with a brief inti­mation of their worth and excellen­cy.

1. He lays before us his own tran­scendent Excellencies and Perfections. The Dignity of his Person, and how wonderful his Condescention is, in that he is pleased to make such Vouchsafe­ments unto us. He is the Brightness of the Father's Glory, and the express Image of his Person; and he upholdeth all things by the Word of his Power, Heb. 1.3. He is God over all, blessed for ever-more, Rom. 9.5. And what! shall the Eter­nal God be repulsed, when he makes such importunate Addresses to most mi­serable Worms? Shall we deny admit­tance to the high and lofty One who in­habiteth Eternity; whose Name is Holy, and dwelleth in the high and holy Place; when he condescendeth to come to us, and earnestly entreateth us, to let him have his abode with us? He is not a mean contemptible Person which ma­keth Love to us, whose Favour we may lose and be never the worse, whose Kindness and Love, if withdrawn, may [Page 44]be made up another way, or by another Person. He is God, He is the Lord of Glory: The Angels adore and reve­rence, glorify and worship him. He can and will make thee truly and un­speakably blessed and happy, if thou hearken to his Voice and entertain him. Thou must needs be unconceivably mise­rable without him; he has Power to make thee happy or miserable. If thou receive him, he will conduct thee to Heaven, and constitute thee perfect and unalterably blessed. But if thou stub­bornly and finally despisest him, and tramplest under thy Feet the offers of his Love and Grace, he is able to punish thee for thy contempt, and he will cast thee into, and burn thee in Hell to all Eternity.

2. He represents unto us the misera­ble and undone condition we are natu­rally in. That whilst without him, we are Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel, we do not belong to the Society of those the Lord hath chosen and set apart for himself; we are Strangers from the Covenant of Promise, we have nothing to do with those great and pre­cious Priviledges which are made over [Page 45]to them who are interested in the Di­vine special Love. We have no hope, we are in a desperate condition as to hereafter, without any true and solid ground to encourage our selves to hope it shall be well with us. We are with­out God in the World, we are destitute of true and sound Notions of God, and without an interest in him as our recon­ciled God, Ephes. 2.12. Now, what have such Persons to be proud of? we who are dead in Trespasses and Sins, Ephes. 2.1. What have we to be conceited of, that we should refuse to accept of Christ's Offers, that we should think scorn to entertain him? The discovery of our natural Estate, should make us hasten to the Lord Jesus with all the speed we can. But alas, it is our not being sensible of our Condition, our In­fidelity, our not believing that we are so worthless, unclean, and miserable, as indeed we are, that makes us slight Christ, and refuse his gracious Offers.

3. He makes known how real and extraordinary his Love is to us. He does not complement us with words, but hath a Heart for us. O, what de­monstrations of Love hath he given us? [Page 46]He hath done as much to approve the sincerity of his Love to us, as can be desired or imagined. Sinner, there is no ground for thee to question the truth of his Love. He hath vindicated and cleared his sincerity beyond all possibility of suspicion and doubt. He pleads with the Sinner, protests his Love to him, and argues the matter with him. Behold, I have loved thee so long al­ready with a transcendent Love; And what is it thou wouldst or canst desire, to make it appear my Love is hearty and real? Do'st thou expect I should ap­prove my Love, by suffering some great hardships for thy sake? Behold, I have done that, and more, I have been scor­ned and contemned, I have been abused and laugh'd at; I have been derided, and mock'd, and spit upon; nay, I have sweat Blood for thee, I have under­gone inexpressible Agonies in my Mind, such troubles and griefs in my Soul, as no Tongue can explain, for thy sake. I have endured the frowns, and born the displeasure of an angry God, and incensed Father, to preserve and save thee. Here behold with thine own Eyes the Marks in my Hands, and in my [Page 47]Feet, those Nails have made which fastned me to the Cross! see the Scars on my Forehead, which were torn there by that Crown which was violently and reproachfully thrust on my Head! Nay, I did lay down my Life for thee! I waxed not weary in compassing thy Salvation, though the Pains and Suf­ferings I endured were very many, very grievous and afflicting. Death it self hath not quench'd nor conquered the Love I did bear unto thee. Now, who can resist the Arguings of a Saviour! Do's Christ plead his Love and his Suf­ferings with thee? do's he conjure thee, by them, to accept of him? and wilt thou still stand out and reject him? O, how stubborn, how invincible an Infi­del, how vile and unpitiable a Wretch wilt thou prove thy self to be, if thou wilt not be moved by the entreaties and courtings of a bleeding Saviour!

4. He doth urge his Authority over us, and the right he hath unto us. I do not mean only that which doth ac­crue to him by Creation, or from our own particular promise and resignation of our selves unto him: But that right he hath to us by purchase. We are not our [Page 48]own to dispose of; The Lord Jesus hath bought us out of the hands of our Ene­mies, and is become on that account our rightful Lord and Master. And how can we refuse him when he comes unto us, but we must contract on our selves the dreadful guilt of the most detestable Rebellion? rebellion against Heaven, against the Lord of Love, of Mercy, of Life! Our Hearts, our Souls, our Bodies, our whole Man, are purchased by him. He has redeemed us unto himself, he hath paid a sufficient price for us, and shall we shut the Doors against him, when he comes to dwell in his own House, the Habitation he him­self hath purchased? Should a Servant keep any of us out of a House we have dearly bought, with what indignation should we resent such usage? And what may we expect from Christ, if we will detain his own purchase from him, and not admit him to have an abode with us? 1 Cor. 6.19, 20. Luke 19.27.

It was a great Sin in the Jews, that they slighted and disowned Christ when he came amongst them. And their Sin was very much aggrevated on this ac­count, that they rejected him, notwith­standing [Page 49]he had a peculiar and special right unto them, John 1.11. O, what will our Sin appear to be, if after that Christ hath bought us with his most precious Blood, we will not accept of, and receive him when he knocks and pleads with us?

5. He acquaints us with the necessity of our admitting him into our Hearts, in order to our own happiness. What, shall we sin against our Lives and our Blessedness! Shall we cast away our Souls, and all that is justly dear to us, and have nothing to say for our selves in our own vindication and excuse? Is there any thing of prudence or of rea­son in doing thus? Doth not our Na­ture, doth not that Principle which dif­ferences us from Brutes, detest such a thing? Why, if we would not be such Prodigals, it highly concerns us to ac­cept of Christ. He comes to us, and in­treats us to accept of him for our own benefit. He cannot receive any advan­tage or profit by it; he doth not need us: It is for our good he comes to us; he importunes us thus, because, with­out accepting of him, we must be eter­nally ruined. We are in the way to [Page 50]Hell, Satan and Lust are hurrying us apace to everlasting Misery, and we can­not be delivered and saved any other way than by accepting of him, Acts 4.12.

6. He sets before us the Glory and Inheritance he hath provided for us, and will certainly bestow on us if we do receive him. The Things Christ hath treasured up for Believers, are not the little transitory Things of this World. These Things he casts abroad with a seemingly indifferent hand; he never designed to make up a Portion for his own People of these perishing Things. He hath greater and better Things to reward us with; even an Inheritance in­corruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away, but is reserved for us in Hea­ven, 1 Pet. 1.4. He hath taken pos­session of glorious Mansions, and will come again and receive us unto himself, to be for ever where he is, John 14.2, 3.

We have no ground to question our Saviour's Faithfulness or Bounty. It is alledged as a strong and convincing Ar­gument, that God will not deny any useful thing unto his People, because he [Page 51]hath given up his Son for them, Rom. 8.32. And can we imagine, that he who hath suffered for us, and triumphed over all our Enemies, and hath made such glorious Promises as are recorded in his Word, and doth still testify such strong Affection and Love towards us, will, if we accept of him, refuse to confer on us the great and the glorious Things he hath purchased for us by his bloody Sufferings? Our Blessed Savi­our, when he was on Earth, prayed that his Servants might be with him where he should be, John 17.24. And he still intercedes now he is in Heaven for such, that they may be with him, and will certainly conduct them to, and possess them for ever of that Glory and Hap­piness which infinitely exceeds all Ima­gination, and which is fully understood by no Creatures but those who do en­joy it. A Happiness which is absolute­ly free from all evil, and unpleasant Mixture, and which is every way com­pleat, and full of every thing that is grateful, pleasant, and can administer any satisfaction: A Happiness that is stable, sure, and certain, which shall last to all Eternity, and never cease, [Page 52]decay, nor cloy, but always entertain with raptures of Joy, ravishing Plea­sures and Satisfactions, which arise to uninterrupted and constant Extasies.

These are some of the Arguments which are strongly urged to prevail with Sinners to accept of Christ. But his Importunity will yet further appear, if we consider the Instruments he doth imploy and make use of about this Work. The Instruments are many, which are employ'd to entreat and perswade, and move Sinners to close with the gracious Tenders made them by the Son of God.

I will name but four.

1. The Holy Spirit is appointed to be Christ's Advocate, and is employ'd to plead Christ's Cause with Sinners. This Holy Spirit hath not only in a miracu­lous way convinc'd the World of Sin, of Righteousness, and of Judgment; but he doth plead often with particular Persons. Sometimes he works pious In­clinations and desires in the Soul; some­times he affects with a penetrating ap­prehension of the wretchedness of a natural Estate. Sometimes he convinces powerfully of a necessity of looking af­ter [Page 53]Christ; sometimes he moves and perswades the Soul to close with Christ, and accept him upon his own terms. The Spirit of God works variously, secretly, and powerfully on the Heart; and doth often testify of Christ, even to those who do a long time, nay, it may be, finally stand out and refuse to close heartily with him.

But it is a great aggravation of a Person's Sin to grieve the Spirit of God, Ephes. 4.30. and to quench the Spirit, 1 Thess. 5.19. To take no notice of Christ, but stubbornly oppose and resist him, when he comes to us, and pleads with us, and entreats us by his Spirit to accept of him.

O, to what a height doth our Guilt ascend, when Christ sends his Spirit to treat with us, and we despise, or take no notice of the workings and witnes­sings of this Holy Spirit! What a heightned Crime and Wickedness is this, to contemn and make light of Christ, after that the Holy Spirit hath been treating with us, and explaining to us, the Dignity of Christ, his unvaluable transcendent Excellencies, and the ne­cessity of a Saviour!

This is certainly a very great proof and demonstration of our Saviour's ear­nestness to be admitted by us; that he pleads with us by such an one, and em­ploys his Holy Spirit to transact and manage this Business with us.

2. He sends his Ministers on this Errand. The Ministers of the Gospel are appointed to be the Preachers of Recon­ciliation unto the World. They are in­trusted by the Lord Jesus to plead with Sinners, and endeavour to prevail with them to receive Christ, and yield up themselves to him. And therefore, as you hear, or refuse to hear them, so Christ interprets your readiness or un­willingness to receive him, Luke 10.16.

The great Work and Business of the Ministry is, to beseech you, in the Name of Christ, to lay down your Enmity, which you have unjustly conceived a­gainst him, and hearken unto his wholsom saving Advice and Counsel, even to ac­cept of him, that he may dwell with you, and you with him. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God, [Page 55]2 Cor. 5.20. Now, how often, and with how much earnestness have you been entreated this way, to embrace Christ and his Gracious Offers! Were not Christ very importunate for admit­tance, what need would there be, that a particular sort of People should be ap­pointed and set apart for this very Busi­ness, to invite, and perswade, and in­treat People to accept of Christ, and his Benefits? Ephes. 4.11, &c.

3. Jesus Christ doth importune you by his Word. When you read or hear the Holy Scriptures, what urgings and entreatings have you there from Christ to accept of him! It is Peoples great Sin, that they slight the Scriptures, as they do Ministers and Ordinances, and are not willing to observe Christ speak­ing in them. But, O what a zeal and earnestness doth Christ manifest there, in beseeching and calling Sinners to em­brace and accept of him?

Consider and weigh these few Parti­culars, amongst the many you may meet with, in reading the Word of God; which plainly shew how much Christ is [Page 56]concerned for your closing with his gra­cious Tenders.

1. His free and solemn Invitations. What frank and liberal Promises doth he make to all who will but comply with his Call! Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest, Matth. 11.28. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the Waters; and he that hath no Mony, come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy Wine and Milk with­out Mony and without Price. Wherefore do ye spend Mony for that which is not Bread? and your Labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your Soul delight it self in Fatness. Incline your Ear, and come unto me: hear, and your Soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you, even the sure Mercies of David. Isa. 55.1, 2, 3. You see here, that he excepts none, and that he assures of the best, the most use­ful, the choicest, and most valuable Blessings.

2. His vehement and affectionate Protestations. He swears by Himself, [Page 57]that his Love is cordial and sincere. He importunes us often, and condescends to argue and expostulate with us. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no plea­sure in the death of the Wicked, but that the Wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezek. 33.11. Cast away from you all your Transgressions whereby ye have transgres­sed, and make you a new Heart, and a new Spirit: for why will ye die, O House of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn your selves and live ye. Ezek. 18.31, 32.

3. His passionate Lamentation over those who do stubbornly reject him, and will not accept of him, notwithstand­ing he pleads with them thus earnestly. He wept over them of Jerusalem, after he had long importuned them in vain. How does he express, by groans and sighs, his mournful sorrowful Resent­ments, on the account of the destructi­on they were wilfully drawing on them­selves? O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them [Page 58]which are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy Children together, even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings, and ye would not? Matth. 23.37.

4. Christ doth importune us for ad­mittance by every Mercy and Judgment. How often are we brought to some sense of our need of Christ, and to some kind of resolutions to yield and open to him, by the straights, and exi­gencies, and sufferings we are involved in? though it is our very great Fault, that we are apt to forget all, as soon as our pain is over: But what is the true end of every Affliction, but to make us see more of the Excellencies of Christ, and to endear him unto our Souls? O happy Sufferings! might they all have such an influence on us!

And what is the end of all God's Mercies, but to lead us to Repentance, and bring us to Christ? Why are you thus long preserved out of Hell? Why are you not at this time tormented and frying in eternal Burnings? Is any rea­son to be assigned why you should en­joy the Gospel, yea, the common Mer­cies [Page 59]of your Lives, but only this, that Christ is still waiting to be gracious to you, and that by these means he is in­viting and importuning you to accept of him, and fly from that Damnation which doth not slumber, but is hastning apace upon the whole World of ungod­ly Sinners? God could as easily have dismissed you to the Regions of Dark­ness, the Places of most dreadful and insupportable Horror, many Years a­go, as any others who are now in Tor­ments. All the Mercies, and all the time you have had in the World, were the Fruits of Christ's Love, Testimonies of his Patience, and Instances of his pleading with you to accept of him, and not ruin and undo your selves.

How small a thing would it be, for Christ to send thee to Hell? to say un­to thee, Go thou cursed? Alas, one frown from him would immediately sink thee into the Earth, into the bot­tomless Pit! And what is it that pre­serves thee, but the tenderness of thy Saviour? And for what end doth he ex­press so much regard unto thee, but to try whether his Patience and Lenity, and his allowing thee so much time, strength, [Page 60]and so many Mercies, will prevail with thee to prize and receive thy Savi­our!

II. I am now in the second place to shew you, what our receiving Christ into our Hearts doth import.

But before I speak positively to this, I will take notice of two or three things, with which People do too commonly falsly please, and satisfy, and conse­quently deceive themselves. We should observe these, as Mariners do the Rocks and Shelves where others have suffered Shipwrack before them.

1. This receiving Christ, doth not consist in a bare notional knowledg of him. A Man may, by common instru­ction, and ordinary diligence and stu­dy, acquire from the Holy Scriptures such Notions concerning Christ, as Men do usually obtain by study and diligence in any Point of Philosophy. But this is only such a knowledg as doth float in the Head, and may be in that Person who hath not any love and affection to Christ: Such may have a knowledg of Christ, so as to give a plain account of [Page 61]the common sense, or ancient use of the Words, wherein the Doctrines con­cerning Christ are communicated and conveighed unto People. They may give an account of the Grammatical meaning and sense of the words, as well as any others; and yet these Peo­ple may not entertain Christ. They may not understand, nor cannot dive into the Spiritual meaning of those Do­ctrines, 1 Cor. 2.14. Julian knew a great deal concerning Christ, and so did Colsus, but they were great Ene­mies to Christ.

‘The only Principle which enableth a Man for the right judging and dis­cerning of Heavenly Things, is the Grace of God's Spirit, which the na­tural Man wanteth; and hence it fol­loweth, that as a Man cannot live without a Soul, nor see without an Eye, nor hear without an Ear, be­cause these are the Grounds and Prin­ciples from which Life, and Sight, and Hearing do flow: So no Man can know and serve God aright, without God's Spirit enlightning and ena­bling him by his Grace, because this is the Principle from which all both [Page 62]spiritual Actions and Abilities do spring.’ Mason of Hearing and Do­ing, p. 328.

2. It doth not consist in an outward professing to own the Faith of Christ. Alas! how many make a general Pro­fession of Christianity, and of embracing the particular Doctrines of the Gospel, who take no care to depart from Iniqui­ty! The very Devils have made as ho­nourable a Profession of Christ's being the Son of God, as any meer words we can devise will amount unto, Luke 4.41.

3. It doth not consist in a bare per­formance of some Duties, in the Name of Christ. Performing Duties in the Name of Christ, and speaking honou­rably and much of Christ, are very good and commendable, when they pro­ceed from a right Principle, and spring from a real and very ardent Affection to Christ. But we must take heed lest we content our selves with these things, whilst they may have a false Original, or are used to improper Ends. How­ever, we must be sure we do not stay here, without proceeding further. Peo­ple have used the Name of Christ to [Page 63]very ill purposes, Acts 19.13. Many pretend to perform Duties with ear­nestness, in his Name, for whom he hath no respect, and who did never truly bid him welcome into their Hearts, Mat. 7.22, 23.

Indeed, where Christ is received a­right, there will be all these things in some degree and measure, but these will not be all which will be there. There must be some knowledg of Christ, tho not that which doth only soar aloft in the Head, and evaporate, and manifest it self only at the Mouth; but such as will influence the Heart and Life. Ma­ny who receive Christ aright, may not be able to express and discover their knowledg to others in such apposite, free, and voluble Expressions, as some others can, who have nothing of the true Spiritual sense of Divine Truths, or the saving Knowledg of Christ. The one sort are more beholden to their natural or acquired Abilities, the other to the inward and effectual workings of the Holy Spirit. Every Person who hath a true sense, and firm perswasion of Spi­ritual Matters, hath not the Gift of Ut­terance. There is no necessity a true [Page 64]and sound Believer should be eloquent, or have a voluble Tongue. Much Know­ledg, and Memory, and Utterance, and lively Affection, (as a worthy reverend Person hath said) are all very desirable; but you must judg your Estate by none of those, for they are all uncertain.

And who-ever truly receives Christ, will acknowledg and profess his owning of Christ. For as Men believe with the Heart, so with the Mouth confession is made unto Salvation, Rom. 10.10.

But now I come to speak more posi­tively to this Point. Our receiving of Christ is expressed in my Text by these words; If any Man hear my Voice, and open the Door. So that two things are required to, and imported, by our re­ceiving of Christ, according to the ex­press Letter of the Text;

• 1st, Hearing his Voice.
• 2dly, Opening unto him.

But before I speak particularly to these things, let me observe to you, from the general indefinite Expression here used, That Jesus Christ doth not exclude any one Person from enjoying [Page 65]Him, and the Benefits of his Death and gracious Presence, provided he will but comply with Him, and accept of his gracious Offers. He is willing to come to, and dwell with any Person who will but hearken to his Voice, and give Him admittance. He will not refuse you for any personal unworthiness, or because you have been very grievous and noto­rious Transgressors. He would have all Men to be saved, and come to the know­ledg of the Truth, 1 Tim. 2.4. He in­vites all without exception, Isa. 55.1, 2. If any Man hear my Voice; any Man, though ever so poor or miserable in the Eye of the World; nay, notwithstand­ing he hath been ever so violent and fierce against me, though his Sins be ne­ver so many, never so great, never so hainou [...], yet if he will but hear my Voice, obey my Call, and open unto me, I will accept of him, I will be his Guest, and impart unto him my Self, my Merits, and the Comforts, Satis­factions, and Benefits arising therefrom. We have very signal Evidences of this in the Holy Scriptures. Peter after his most detestable denial of Christ, is re­ceived into Favour. Paul, though he [Page 66]had been such an outragious Persecutor, findeth Mercy, and is made a most ex­cellent and useful Apostle.

The general Doctrine of the Scrip­ture doth confirm this Truth, That Christ is ready and willing to communi­cate Himself, and the Benefits of his Death and Passion, to any that will ac­cept of him. Christ hath put no Bar, no Impediment, no Hindrance in any Man's way. If we do not accept of Him, if we reap not the Benefits of his Death, the fault is our own, even be­cause we would not receive Him when he came unto us, and entreated for ad­mittance. He comes to, and seeks af­ter the most unworthy, Mark 2.17. He came to save Sinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. He came to seek and to save the Lost. He excepts none, if they renounce their Wickednesses and Sins, Isa. 55.7.

The Terms he proposeth to us, in or­der to our reaping all this Advantage, are but hearing his Voice, and opening the Door.

1st, Hearing his Voice. This imports two things.

[Page 67]1. Attending to, and taking notice of those Arguments he doth urge to ob­tain admittance. I have given you be­fore a short account of these Arguments. But this instructs us, that an heedful at­tentive frame of Spirit, is ordinarily requisite to a due receiving of Christ into our Hearts. An unruly froward temper, that is impatient of Spiritual Advice, Instruction, Reproof, &c. and fumes and chafes on all such occasions, and applies to any sort of courses to divert from serious considerations, is a very dangerous and unhappy Tem­per.

But this is not all that hearing Christ's Voice doth import. People may at­tend to Matters of this nature, and de­sign no more than to obtain some em­bellishments in their Discourse; or they may have some design not truly useful and commendable. Indeed, God may make his Word to fasten, and prove effectual to those who have none of the best purposes in hearkning to the Word of Christ; and therefore I dare not dis­courage any Man absolutely from at­tending, whatever he may propose to himself in so doing, because the Word [Page 68]may take hold of him beyond expecta­tion.

Mr. Bilney reports of himself, that he bought and read the New Testament, not because it was the Word of God, but because Erasmus had translated it into excellent Latin; yet it pleased God, when he read 1 Tim. 1.15. that his Mind was particularly fixed on those words; so that God made them effectual for his Conversion and Reformation.

But such Instances are something out of the usual and common road; there­fore we have reason to conclude, that hearkning to the Voice of Christ, doth note something more than bare atten­dance to his Voice.

2. It doth note the Influence the Ar­guments our Saviour doth use, have on our Affections and Hearts. Attention is a very useful Expedient for the making of those things which are proposed unto us, to have some efficacy on us. When we diligently attend to any thing that is spoken, we have Impressions or­dinarily made on our Minds, which bear some proportion with what hath been discoursed. And this seems to be im­ported here by hearing Christ's Voice; [Page 69]those Impressions, which the serious considering what he hath propos'd, oc­casion to be fastned on our Hearts and Minds, the Affections and Dispositions of Soul, which do result from our heark­ning to his Voice. Which is something betwixt bare hearing his Voice, and opening unto him. It is the Result, Fruit, and Consequent of the former, and a good and proper Preparative to the latter.

2dly, Opening the Door. This is the other Expression in the Text, to note our receiving of Christ. And it doth import our compliance with him, our free and sincere resignation of our selves unto him. As a Person, who be­ing in an House, when another who is the right owner of it, comes and knocks at the Door, and declares to the Party within his claim to that House, and makes it appear he is the true owner of that House, and has Authority to re­quire the Possession to be delivered up unto him; the Party within hearkning to what he hath to say, and being con­vinced, and fully satisfied of his Right and Authority to make that Demand, [Page 70]he opens the Door to him, and admits him into the House; not only in point of common civility, but so as owning his Propriety, and delivering up the Possession to him. Thus opening to Christ, doth note our giving up our Hearts to him, and owning him for the only, true, lawful Soveraign, Owner, and Governour of them. Our receiving Christ is not right, till we arrive at this Point. People may give attendance to Christ's Voice, and have their Affections and Hearts in some measure moved and influenced by the same, and yet Cor­ruption may prevail and keep them from resigning up the Possession to him. Nay, it falls out too often thus with the truly Godly, that they do not immediately, upon some affection and sence begot in them, upon their hearing the Voice of their Saviour, resign up themselves, and comply with his Demands as they should. The Spouse, Cant. 5.2, 4, &c. heard the Voice of her Beloved; she knew it to be his Voice, and seemed to attend to what he said, vers. 2. And though she made several Excuses, yet we may easily perceive his Voice had some influ­ence on her. Ver. 4. My Bowels were moved [Page 71]for him. Yet notwithstanding all this, she did not open unto him. He was provoked to withdraw, and went his way, vers. 6.

But I will not confine my self strictly to a minute enquiry into the extent of these Phrases used in the Text. I shall give you my sense of what our receiving Christ doth import, in a few Particu­lars, where you will have the Substance of what is contained in, or implied by these Expressions in the Text.

1. Our receiving of Christ, doth im­ply our having a deep and affectionate sense of the Danger, Evil, and Filth of Sin, and in what an undone condition we are naturally. We are not fit to re­ceive Christ into our Hearts, till we have an entire, hearty, and invincible dete­station and abhorrence of Sin, which is so contrary to Christ, setled in our Souls. We cannot prize and value Christ aright, till we are sensible how hateful and de­structive Sin is. Christ and Sin cannot reign together, nay, they cannot ami­cably lodg together in the same Soul. We cannot serve God and Mammon. If we do not see our selves lost and un­done without Christ, we cannot bid him [Page 72]truly welcome. The Physician is not look'd after, nor regarded, till we per­ceive our Distemper, and are sensible how weak and uneasy it makes us, Mat. 9.12. Paul sees himself the greatest Sinner, before he observes and takes comfort in the loveliness of Christ, 1 Tim. 1.15. Those whom Christ calls and incourageth to come to him, are they who are pressed and grieved with the weight and burthen of their Sins, Mat. 11.28.

Now, do you try and examine your selves, whether you are duly affected with the evil and silth of Sin, with your deplorable and lost Estate whilst out of Christ? Do you really think that there is nothing in the World near so perni­cious, evil, and hateful, as Sin? Is Sin more hateful to you than Hell? Can you truly chuse the greatest Suffering and Misery, rather than commit the least Sin knowingly against God and Christ? Are you brought to this Point, to say in sincerity, All for Christ? Hast thou such a sence of Sin, as makes thee cry out in holy Resignation; Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? What shall I do to be saved?

[Page 73]2. Our receiving of Christ, doth im­port a firm belief of his Divinity, and the alsufficiency of his Merits and Satis­faction. A sinful Creature, who is lost and undone in himself, and appre­hends his own Estate, would catch at every thing, but knows not where to fix, till he be indued with a truly Di­vine Faith, and thereby has his Mind throughly satisfied, that the Lord Je­sus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is appointed by the Father, to be a Propitiation for the Sins of the World; and that he having obeyed and suffered, according to the Agreement betwixt Him and the Father, is alsufficient for the saving of all those who do believ­ingly close with him. A meer custo­mary assent to what is said of Christ in Scripture, will not serve our turn. Sa­tan will easily baffle and overcome such a Faith. It must be such an inward assent and consent, as carries all the Powers of the Soul along with them; such a Faith as is impregnated and con­firmed in us by the Power of the Holy Ghost. The Heart must be firmly per­swaded of Christ's being the Son of God; that he hath made full satisfaction [Page 74]to God's Justice, and that in him there is a compleat and absolute fulness for us, Heb. 7.25.

Do you therefore examine your selves concerning your present Estate, and en­quire whether you have a sure and firm Belief wrought in you, that Christ is God, and that he is a compleat and perfect Saviour, that in him dwelleth all Fulness; and that notwithstanding your own personal unworthiness, yet you may and shall, if you believingly and obediently depend on him, be accepted, for his Merits and Worthiness? I do not speak of a superficial Assent, a meer notional Belief, but such a Faith as is a living active Principle in us, which un­dermines and supplants our Lusts, and mortifieth them daily in us, and puts us with vigor and earnestness on all Acts of Holy Obedience, and faithfully en­deavour to please God. Are you firm­ly perswaded, on Scripture-Grounds, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; That there is no other Name given under Heaven, by which you can be saved; and that in him there is such a redundancy, that of his Fulness you may receive Grace for Grace?

[Page 75]3. Our receiving Christ doth import, our laying on him the great and only stress of our Salvation; our looking up to him, and depending on him alone for Pardon, Life, and Happiness. If we will receive Christ, we must deny, not only our sinful worldly Lusts, but we must deny our selves, as to our best and most religious Duties, Works, and Per­formances. We must not desist from, and break off from these Performances, but we must deny them, so as not to de­pend and rely on them, as if by the Worthiness and Merit of these, we could purchase Life and Salvation to our selves. Though it is our duty to work and labour in the Service of God, with such earnestness and diligence, as if we were to get Heaven by our own pains; yet when we have done all, we must rely wholly on the Satisfaction, Righteousness, and Merits of Christ. A true Believer will have his Eye on Christ, when at Duty, to engage his Fervency and Diligence; and after he hath done all he can, he will rely only upon him for acceptance. When we have done all we can, we must acknow­ledg our selves unprofitable Servants, Luk. 17.10.

Now, hast thou learn'd to deny thy self? Do'st thou not please thy self, that because thou art not as prophane and loose as many others are, that for this cause thou shalt be accepted and saved? Alas, bare Morality will lodg Peo­ple far short of Heaven. Do'st thou not conclude thy Condition good and safe enough, because thou prayest often, readest the Scriptures, hearest the Word preached, and partakest of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, as occasion offereth? Alas, if thou reliest on these things, thou wilt find thy self but in the state of Hypocrites, and of those spoken of in Mat. 7.21, 22, 23.

Do'st thou not think thou must needs go to Heaven, for thy pious Services, thy good Works, and thy Charity in relieving the Poor? If so, read what the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3. He that receiveth Christ into his Heart, goes wholly out of himself to Christ. He lays no stress on any thing he can do. He labours after the greatest conformi­ty he can attain to, the Will of God, and doth this out of obedience to God; but when he hath prayed with the greatest fervency he can, and hath expressed [Page 77]the greatest Zeal for God and Religion he can reach unto; when he hath done all within his Power, he renounces all thoughts of Merit in himself, and flies only to Christ for favour and accep­tance. He is sensible of his own Imper­fections and Infirmities, and cries out against himself, Ʋnclean, unclean! my best Righteousnesses are but as filthy Rags; I am but an unprofitable Servant. He hastneth to Christ to undertake for him; and cries out, Blessed Jesus, let thy Me­rits and Satisfaction obtain acceptance and favour for me. Lord, I throw my self into the Arms of thy Grace; O, reject me not, but grant I may be found in thee, and may have thy Righteous­ness to commend me.

4. Our receiving Christ doth note, our complying with his Terms. Most would be willing to be saved at last, pro­vided they might have liberty to live as they list at present. But Christ must be accepted on his own Terms; He calls us to Repentance, Faith, and new Obe­dience. If we will conclude on good ground, that we have received Christ, we must see to it, that we sincerely for­sake our former Lusts and Sins, which [Page 78]so long separated betwixt us and our God, and for which Christ did under­go and suffer such pressing and asto­nishing Sorrows and Punishments. Let the Wicked forsake his Way, and the un­righteous Man his Thoughts, &c. Isa. 55.7. We must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God; that out of pure Love he did assume our Na­ture; that he hath performed all that is necessary to put us into a capacity of Salvation, and to reconcile us unto God, that he is the only Author of Eternal Life and Salvation. And we must rely and depend upon him only for Mercy and Salvation. We must devote our selves to live godly, righteously, and soberly, and make Conscience of at­tending to, and walking in all Christ's Commandments. And we must take care to get all this cleared and evi­denced to our selves from Scripture-Grounds.

Art thou truly willing to part with all thy Lust! to mortify thy corrupt Affections, and to die every day more and more to sin! to be crucified to the World, and to oppose and resist all that fights against thy Soul? Do'st thou la­bour [Page 79]to exercise Faith vigorously? is it thy Business to eye Christ continually? do'st thou fetch all thy Strength and Supplies from Him? are all thy Hopes and Expectations laid up in him? do'st thou, without any reservation, give up thy self to Christ! is it thy heartiest desire, study, care, and endeavour, con­tinually to imitate and please Christ?

5. Our receiving Christ doth import, our submitting to him in all his Relati­ons. It was a great Reflection on some who followed Christ, when he was here upon Earth, that they followed him for the Loaves with which he fed them, and not for the Miracles which they saw him work; whereby his Divinity was at­tested, and the Truth of the Doctrines he taught, undeniably evidenced and confirmed. And it would be as severe a Reflection upon us, should Christ lay it to our Charge, that though we pretend to submit to Him in one Relation, yet we refuse to own and acknowledg Him in his other Relations. That we are willing to admit him to be our Priest, to suffer for us, but will not have any thing to do with his Yoke, but do re­solutely cast his Laws behind our back, [Page 80]and determine that we will not have him to reign over us.

But it is our Duty to be ready and willing, for his sake, to take up the Cross, as well as to wear the Crown; to submit to do his Work, as well as to expect and receive the Recompences and Wages he doth bestow. We must take him as our King, as our Husband, as our Lord, and as our Owner, and per­form to him all those Duties which con­cern us, as we are his Subjects, his Spouse, his Servants and People, in whom he hath an undeniable pro­perty.

We should complain to Christ of our hard and inflexible Hearts, our unruly and tumultuous Affections, of those Lusts and Wickednesses which we find strongest in us, we should be earnest with him in desiring his powerful governing Presence in and with us, that our Lusts may be conquered, our Affections ta­med, made moderate and sanctified; and that our stubborn Hearts may be made soft and pliable.

We must take him for our Priest, ex­pecting nothing but Wrath, as what is due to what we can do of our selves, [Page 81]and therefore relying wholly on Christ. We must not look for any Pardon, but what Christ's Blood hath purchased, nor any fellowship and communion with God, but what Christ doth by his inter­cession obtain for us.

We must take him for our Prophet, to teach, direct, and guide us, and to advise and counsel us. We are naturally ignorant of God, and our selves, and the things which most of all concern us; and we cannot get a sound and perfect knowledg of them, but by his instru­ction, who is the great Revealer of them, even Jesus Christ as Prophet. Those who will receive Christ aright, must learn to know and understand his Voice and Dialect, that whensoever they hear it, they may follow him, John 10.4. Christ is the Truth, the Way, and the Life; and there is no coming to, or knowing of the Father, but by him, John 14.6. We must take him for our great Teacher; we must be willing to learn whatever he shall instruct us in, and embrace and receive every direction he shall give us.

Consider therefore with your selves, whether it be thus with you: Whether [Page 82]you have sincerely given up your selves to his Government, do willingly submit to his Laws, do chearfully consent that he should rule over you? Do you de­pend only on his Sacrifice and Merits? and do you rejoice in his Light? Do you receive him as a Master, a Father, a Brother, a Friend? &c. And do you demean your selves to him in all the Du­ties and Offices of your Relations, as by the Obligations arising from such Re­lations, you are bound unto? Mal. 1.6.

6. Our receiving Christ into our Hearts, doth import our having a transcendent and extraordinary love for Christ. No Man is worthy to follow Christ, or be owned by him, that can­not deny himself, and take up his Cross for his sake. Christ will not take up his abode in that Heart, which is not entirely given up and resigned to him. Our loving other things, either with an equal or a greater Love than what we have for Christ, renders us wholly un­fit to enjoy him, and deprives us of those special Communications he would otherwise vouchsafe unto us. When Christ comes to us, and calls for admit­tance, [Page 83]he comes not like a Stranger to stay for a little while, but as a Friend, nay an Owner, to take up his fixed re­sidence, and make his constant abode with us. A little outward Ceremony, and common Courtesy, doth suffice for the entertainment of such as make Vi­sits accidentally, or for whom there is no very great respect. But Love is ne­cessary, that there may be a personal constant abode, and a mutual friendly converse together. Christ must have our whole Hearts, he cannot endure a Rival. If we love other things, it must be for his sake, and in subordination to him, or else this will exclude him, and evidence that we refuse to receive him.

Call your selves now to an account, and see whether your Hearts are free, and disengaged from all other things; or whether you are willing to receive Christ, according to this sense of the Phrase. Can you say, in sincerity, Bles­sed Jesus, my only and most beloved Saviour, here is my whole Heart, I re­sign it entirely unto thee? I desire no greater, nor no other happiness, than that thou wilt be pleased to make it thy [Page 84]Temple, the place of thy gracious Re­sidence: It is my earnest request, and shall be my diligent endeavour, to have it cleansed and made pure, from every Affection and Inclination, which is any way contrary to thy Purity and Holi­ness. O, do thou be pleased to give in thy assistance! dispose and prepare my Soul to thy own mind! and, blessed Lord, take full possession of me, dwell in my Heart, and rule over my whole Man! Canst thou truly say; Lord, Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth I desire besides thee, Psal. 73.25. Do'st thou not de­sire to know any thing but Jesus Christ and him crucified? 1 Cor. 2.2. Do'st thou love Christ more than all the World? more than all thy Relations? more than all those things which are commonly esteemed the great Endear­ments of this World, yea, more than Life it self? Luke 14.26. Jesus Christ is very precious unto them who believe, 1 Pet. 2.7. Now, canst thou, for the sake of Christ, deny thy Lusts, thy Self, thy best and most religious Per­formances? Canst thou live for Christ, and canst thou suffer, yea, die for [Page 85]Christ? and is Christ above all in thy Heart?

Thus you have some little account what kind of reception it is the Lord Jesus doth call for, or what our receiv­ing Christ doth import. It would be too great a digression here, to insist on such Considerations as are proper to evince it to be our Interest, and that we are under indispensible Obligations to yield up our selves in this manner unto him. Much might be said to this purpose, from the Excellencies of our Saviour, how precious he is in himself, how wonder­ful in his Condescension unto us, and what unvaluable Benefits and Advanta­ges do accrue unto Believers from Christ, &c. But having on other Oc­casions discoursed of these Matters more distinctly, I wave the consideration of them now, hastning to what I promised to take notice of in the third place: Only by the way we may observe, there is not any thing impli'd in what I have said concerning our receiving of Christ, which can in the least countenance our refusal, or justly discourage us from complying with his Calls and Entreaties. [Page 86]And what shall the Eternal God, our only Saviour, importune us with all ear­nestness, and we harden our selves a­gainst him, resist and reject him! in do­ing so, we shall be uncivil, ungrateful, to the highest degree impious against God, inhumane and barbarous to our power against Christ, and actually so to our own Souls; we shall be guilty of all that's Evil, of all that can deserve an hateful, an ignominious, reproachful Name.

Indeed, if Mens ordinary practices did not fully and undeniably evidence, that they have no real value for Christ, and that they do stubbornly refuse to close with his Calls, we might, when meditating on this Subject, be very apt to imagine and conclude, that none could be so undutiful, or so forgetful of themselves, or so foolish, so di­stractedly-fond and ambitious of Dam­nation, as to purchase it, by a stubborn hardening themselves against the power­ful affectionate perswasions of the Son of God, and a contemptuous despiteful throwing the gracious Offers, the very Blood and tenderest Mercies of a loving, compassionate, Divine Saviour, back in­to his own Face.

But alas! People every where, give too many and too frequent Demonstra­tions, in the course of their Lives, of their disaffection to Christ, and how little influence his Love hath on them. For this is certain, where Jesus Christ doth reside by his gracious Presence, there will be a vigorous and active Prin­ciple of Grace and Holiness, which will manifest it self in the outward Conver­sation. When Christ is received into the Heart, doth settle his Abode there, and doth command and govern there, that Person with whom it is thus, will be possessed with such a lively working Principle of Purity, Righteousness, and Goodness, as will have a most powerful influence on all the parts of his Life.

It is indeed a very deplorable thing, that amongst so many pretenders to Christianity, with which the World doth abound, is even throng'd and crowded, there should be so few who give any serious, real attendance to the Voice of Christ, who give any tolerable discovery, that they have opened their Hearts to receive him.

[Page 88]III. Let us now therefore, in the third place, enquire after some of those lets and hindrances, which keep our Hearts shut against Christ. Many might be men­tioned, but I will only take a brief no­tice of these few.

1. Carnal Pride, and Spiritual Self-conceitedness. People are generally ve­ry unwilling to believe their condition so bad and helpless as naturally it is. It goes against Mens Spirits and Sto­machs, to think so meanly of them­selves, as not to be able to do any thing to recover, secure, and save themselves. They would fain find some prop or other in themselves to lean upon. Indeed they would be their own Physicians, and their own Saviours; and are very difficultly driven out of their carnal selfish Confi­dence. They will either please them­selves with an opinion that they have no Wound; or if they must own that, they will find a Plaister for it at Home, they cannot in this case endure to go abroad for help. Corrupt Nature is very proud; we are hardly brought to deny our Selves, and to think so meanly of our Selves, our Works, our Perfor­mances, [Page 89]our religious Duties, as to be willing to be saved purely by free Grace. We would fain have some share in this great Work our selves, we would have our own Wings to carry us to Heaven; At least, we would have our own Works, and Religious Performances, to have some portion of the Glory. Men would be contented to have Christ's Hand and Arm to help them out of the Ditch, provided they may come out with some credit; that though there was a fall, and some dirt in the case, yet vigor and strength continued, and they were able, with a very little help, to recover themselves. Their Power (as they will have it) was sufficient, they only wanted a Staff or Cord to hold by, that so they might exert that ability and strength they had in themselves.

As Pride did at first put Man upon aspiring to be as God, so now it doth tempt him to usurp the Honour belong­ing to the Son of God. Man would be his own Saviour, yea, his own God. He cannot endure to stoop, to drink of the Waters of Life. But as God and Mammon, Light and Darkness, so Christ [Page 90]and carnal proud Self cannot dwell and agree together.

When the Gospel was first preached about in the World, it was pride and selfishness which did most oppose it, and resist Christ, Rom. 10.3. They were all for establishing their own Righte­ousness. When the Christian Religion was first recovered from the Supersti­tions and Darknesses which had long overspread it, the Reformation began in rectifying Mens Judgments and Minds about this Matter, of the insufficiency of our own Works, and the absolute necessity of the Righteousness and Merits of Jesus Christ.

The high and lofty God, will dwell with none but those who are of humble and con­trite Spirits, Isa. 57.15. As long as we please our selves with fancying we have no need of Christ, we have a suf­ficiency in our selves, and can do well enough without him, we shall never at­tend with due care to his Voice, nor faithfully receive him into our Hearts. We are apt to think our selves rich and increased with Goods, and that we have no need of any thing without us, and [Page 91]are very difficultly perswaded, that we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, and therefore we slight Christ, and shut him out of our Hearts, Rev. 3.17. There is no room for Christ, in a proud self-conceited Heart.

2. Infidelity or Unbelief, doth keep the Heart shut against Christ. Herein consists our non-acceptance of Christ. Notwithstanding the Lord Jesus hath so many Witnesses, and explains himself to us so fully, yet do we slight and re­ject him. And whence is all this, but from our not diligently attending to his Instruction, nor understanding and con­ceiving aright of what he doth propose to us; not weighing and considering seriously the Evidence of things recom­mended to us; not truly and really as­senting to the Truths of Christ? Peo­ple content themselves with empty No­tions, and a fashionable Profession, with­out any real, firm perswasion of the Particulars they pretend to own. Did we really and firmly assent to, or believe the Doctrines concerning Christ, his Person, Natures, Offices, Promises, [Page 92]Laws, &c. contained in the New Te­stament, we should be thereby influen­ced to a holy, faithful, entire recum­bency of Soul on Christ, and to a vigo­rous active conformity to his Laws, and following of his Example. If there be no difference betwixt us, and Turks or Heathens, but only that we call our selves by another Name, and in word pretend to another Religion, we do not really believe: For Faith, if real, will influence our Affections and Lives, pro­portionably to the Degree of our As­sent, the Nature and Tendency of the Truths we do believe, and the Sense we have of our concernment in them.

It is the great Fault of People pre­tending to Religion, and enjoying means of Instruction, that they do not take a becoming care to get their Minds pos­sessed with right and sound Notions of the Truths and Doctrines they profess to own. They do not consider what Grounds and Evidences they have, for their yielding assent to the Doctrines they profess; they do not labour and endeavour, and strive to get the Cha­racters of Divine Truths deeply im­printed with their full Light and Power [Page 93]on their Hearts. And how can it o­therwise be expected then, but that multitudes should prove meer Hypo­crites and Formalists? It is Unbelief that blinds our Minds, that we see no beauty or loveliness in Christ; it is this that turns away our Hearts from Christ, renders us uncapable of receiving any saving benefit from Christ, which har­dens and sears our Consciences, makes them unsensible, and locks and bolts our Hearts against Christ. See Isa. 53.2, 3. Heb. 3.12. John 1.11, 12. Mat. 13.58. Rom. 11.20, 22, 23.

3. Worldly-mindedness keeps the Heart shut against Christ. When we expect too much from the World, and these lower Enjoyments, do set our Hearts excessively on them, press after, pur­sue and seek for earthly Things, with too much vehemence and earnestness, we, of course, grow unmindful of, and unconcerned for Christ and our Souls, Heaven and Spiritual Matters. The Things of the World do devour our Strength, and drink up all our Spirits: yea, they beget in us, not only a regard­lesness of Spiritual Things, but a con­tempt [Page 94]of, and opposition against them. Know ye not, that the Friendship of the World is Enmity with God: whosoever therefore will be a Friend of the World, is the Enemy of God, Jam. 4.4. see 1 John 2.15. Alas! when Mens Hearts are set upon the World, what will they not venture for it? They venture Christ, and Heaven, and Soul, and all that is truly precious. This worldly-minded­ness, makes the Word and Truths of Christ to be of no esteem and value with us, this makes them of no use to us, makes us that we reap no benefit from them, Matth. 13.22. How ma­ny who have made a fair shew in the Flesh, have seemed to make fair Offers for Christ, have fallen off as soon as ever they have been tried as to this Point! see Matth. 19.22. The love of this present World, choak'd and de­stroy'd Demas, 2 Tim. 4.10. What a cursed influence had the love of the World on Judas, when he adventured on that villanous piece of Treachery, to betray and sell his Lord and Master, the Son of God, for thirty pieces of Silver!

[Page 95]4. Love of carnal sensual Pleasures. We read of some who are lovers of Pleasures more than lovers of God, 2 Tim. 3.4. Of some who make their Belly their God, Phil. 3.19. Now, such as have devoted themselves to their Lusts, and are wholly enslaved to their Plea­sures and sensual Delights, are wholly indispos'd and unfit to bid Christ wel­come. There must be a great change wrought in them, before they can re­ceive and entertain Christ. It is not meet to bring a Person of Honour and Quality into a Room that is full of Vomit and loathsom filthiness and stench: Such a Person will not be entertained and treated in a Swine-stye: and the Heart of him that wallows in his sinful Plea­sures is no better. That Soul where Christ will dwell, must be cleansed from all those fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul, Rom. 13.14. And as such a Heart is very unfit for Christ, so there is much malignity in it against Christ. Who greater Enemies to Christ, and who so bitter against his Ways, his Laws, his Word, his Government, than those who do wholly addict themselves [Page 96]to the sensual gratifying of all their carnal Appetites, Desires, and Inclina­tions! If they may not enjoy their swi­nish Lusts, without any molestation and reproof from Christ and his Word, they will either, with the Gadarens, de­sire them to be gone, or else more rudely attempt to thrust and force them out of their Quarters.

5. Cherishing any particular Lust or Sin in our Hearts, and suffering it to have a predominant reigning Power over us. Though we seem to reject and cast from us many of our former Vices, and to deny our selves in several Instan­ces, in which we did before allow our selves a greater liberty, yet if we yield up our selves Subjects to any one Sin, though we do it never so cunningly and secretly, we do thereby bid Christ defi­ance, and renounce his Rule and Govern­ment over us. If a Man make his Ad­dresses to one he desires to have a conju­gal friendship and familiarity with; if that Party have preingaged her self faithfully to another Person, this is a more effectual Impediment to his admis­sion, than if he had a multitude of [Page 97]Rivals. If we cherish any one Lust in our Bosom, and suffer it to rule there, it will as certainly keep Christ out of our Hearts, as if we did allow our selves in a greater number of Sins. If we were only haunted by Sin, belea­guer'd and set upon, courted and solli­cited, though by hundreds of Lusts, the case would not be desperate; we might, it may be, sooner listen to Christ, than to any of them: but when we close with any Lust, submit our selves to its Power, take it into our Heart, and en­throne and crown it there, chusing and preferring it before Christ, then is our case dangerous indeed, though we seem to reject and offer some indignity to those other Lusts and Vices that were suing for entertainment, but did not suit so well with our Humor and Fancy, as that did which we have surrendred our selves unto.

Too many do pretend to receive Christ, and yet exclude him this way. They are described, Zeph. 1.5. That swear by the Lord, and that swear by Mal­cham; that is, they profess friendship, and subjection, and obedience unto [Page 98]God; and bind themselves hereunto, by the strongest ties that can be devised, swearing to be true and faithful to him alone, and yet under-hand they swear to Malcham; i.e. they swear in the same manner, and devote themselves by Oath to be true to Moloch. Take heed you do not entertain, indulge, or set up any Lust in your Hearts, though ne­ver so privately, for if you do, this will keep Christ out, and you will be as guilty before him, as those who did swear by Malcham.

IV. We are now, in the fourth place, to enquire why Jesus Christ doth use so much importunity with Sinners to ac­cept of him?

1. Christ doth not use this earnest­ness with us, as though he stood in any need of us. It is not to acquire any advantage or benefit to himself from us, but for our sakes, and for our good, that we may reap those Satisfactions which spring from Peoples enjoying of him. He is absolutely perfect, and doth not need any thing from us. As he is [Page 99]God, he was eternally blessed before we were in being. And if we consider him as Man, the humane Nature is un­conceivably blessed, in that personal Union it is admitted unto with the Di­vine. Those glorious Discoveries which are made to him, those blessed Commu­nications which are imparted to the hu­mane Nature, and that unintelligible intimacy there is betwixt the two Na­tures, do enrich him as Man, with in­comprehensible satisfactions and felici­ties.

Indeed, if we consider Christ with reference to the Relation he bears to Be­lievers, and the number of God's Elect, and how his Mystical Body is not com­pleat, till the whole number be effectu­ally called and brought together unto him, we may perceive something there which may somewhat illustrate his ear­nestness in importuning Sinners to com­ply with his gracious Offers, for herein we take notice of him in the execution of his Office. And for this very end it is, amongst others, that he hath ap­pointed several Offices in his Church, Ephes. 4.11, 12, 13. But what we are [Page 100]chiefly to refer his earnestness and im­portunity, unto what we may impute it to, with greatest safety and assurance, is divine, free, and undeserved Love.

2. He doth not use this earnestness with Sinners, as though he could not procure himself admittance without their concurrence. God ordinarily re­quireth our concurrence, even as to those Instances wherein he doth most wonderfully display and magnify the Riches of his Grace towards us; not as if we our selves were to have the greatest hand in the Work, or that it could not be effected, unless we did ex­ert our strength for that purpose. But because he will deal with us as with ra­tional Creatures. He will not force and drive Men into Heaven and Hap­piness aginst their wills. He proceeds in such a way as is most proper to work upon our reasonable Faculties; and he makes use of them for the perfecting of what he designs. He doth ordina­rily make use of rational Expedients with Men; and if these prove unsuc­cesful, those Persons are for their in­excusable [Page 101]obstinacy and stubbornness, justly rejected, 2 Thess. 2.11, 12.

The Lord Jesus Christ hath the Koy of David, he openeth and no Man shutteth, Rev. 3.7. He hath power over all Hearts, and can command admittance when he pleaseth, but he thinks fit to use importunity, and to proceed in such a way as is most suitable unto our Natures. And he doth thus;

1. To testify, with the greater force and evidence, his wonderful great Love to Sinners, how ready and willing he is to save them; He might say to Sin­ners, at the first repulse they give him, Let the filthy be filthy still, and let the unclean be unclean still. But when he puts up many denials and affronts, and still renews his earnest Sollicitations, and still condescends to argue and plead with Sinners, his Love must be acknow­ledged on all hands, by all sorts of Per­sons, to be extraordinary great, and fit to win and constrain our Hearts to sub­mit to, and close with his Tenders. O, what refractory, helpless, and even un­pitiable Wretches are they, who will [Page 102]hurry themselves to Hell in despite of all his Love! Miserable and wilful Wretch, what canst thou propose to thy self, in rejecting and flying from the tenders of thy Saviour's Love? Canst thou think to sweeten and indear Damnation to thee, by preferring it before Life? The whole Work of Re­demption and Salvation is founded on, and springs from Love; every Passage belonging to it, is a most great and pregnant demonstration of Love. And in a very particular, even sensible man­ner, doth our Blessed Saviour discover, manifest, and approve the exceeding Riches and Greatness of his Love, in being so earnest and importunate with Sinners for admittance.

2. That all obstinate and impenitent rejecters of Christ, and Grace, may be at last without any excuse. He that stubbornly stands out against all the Di­vine Courtings, and loves his Lusts so immoderately, that he will not be pre­vailed with by Christ, nor all his in­treaties to renounce and forsake them, must needs be in a very forlorn and [Page 103]dreadful state. When the Lord Jesus shall come to Judgment, what will that miserable Wretch do? Sinner! thou wilt not have one word to say in thy own defence: Thou must stand asto­nished, full of shame and confusion, si­lent and dumb, without any Apology and Excuse. Nay, how loudly wilt thou then complain against, and upbraid and reproach thy self, for thy past contempt, and mad refusing of offered Grace and Mercy! How unmercifully and cruelly, to thy own unspeakable vexation, wilt thou then roar forth thy sense of thy approaching just Damna­tion?

Some may think to make Apologies for themselves, and pretend they were ignorant, they had not the Means, the Helps, the Opportunities others had, otherwise they would not have done as they did. But thou stubborn refuser of Christ, whosoever thou art, know thou for a certainty, thy Mouth will be stop­ped. The Lord Jesus will tell thee to thy Face, before Angels, Men, and De­vils, that thou art that wickeed Wretch with whom he was treating so long, and [Page 104]with so much earnestness, but all in vain. Ungrateful contemptuous Sin­ner! I did not only shed my Blood, and pour out my Soul unto death for thee, but I condescended to treat more parti­cularly with thy self; I tendered thee all this Happiness and Glory; I did entreat and perswade, and beseech thee to entertain me, and accept of the Be­nefits, and Priviledges, and Mercies, the Graces, Felicities, and Inheritan­ces, purchased by my spotless and pre­cious Blood; I pleaded many Argu­ments with thee; I urged such and such Considerations to thy Soul and Con­science; I did thus, not once, or twice, but for so many Years together, so of­ten, so earnestly, by so many and such various means, but thou wouldst not hear my Voice, thou didst not open the Door to me, thou didst finally resolve to keep thy Heart shut against me. If thou hadst hearkened to me, and re­ceived me into thy Heart, I would have made all my Promises good to thee, thou shouldst have been for ever in this Blessed and Holy Society, inheriting that Glory and Happiness, those who did [Page 105]receive me are entred into. But what, thou ungrateful wicked Sinner, Self-destroying wilful Wretch, canst thou now expect at my Hands! Hast thou any thing to object why I should not denounce and make good my formerly declared Threatnings against thee! O poor, miserable, confounded Creature, how silent wilt thou stand! Whither wilt thou sink under all the horrible misgivings of thy own Soul, and the in­supportable terrifying Accusations, Reprimands, and Lashes of thy enra­ged guilty Conscience! and the weight and terror of all that fearful Destructi­on, and dreadful Condemnation which is just coming upon thee! How will the Righteousness and Justice of the Sen­tence which shall be past upon thee, be approved, owned, and witnessed unto, by all that shall be there Spectators, both Angels, Men, and Devils!

The Lord Jesus will remove out of the way, all shew and appearance of excuse. His pleading with us at pre­sent, if we receive him not, will be a dreadful Witness, and will make ex­traordinarily against us at the last Day. [Page 106] If I had not come, and spoken unto them, they had not had Sin; but now they have no Cloak for their Sin, John 15.22.

V. Lastly, We are, in the last place, to make some Application of what hath been discoursed. And,

1. We hence learn where Men must charge their own Destruction. You see how willing and ready God and Christ are, that you should be saved. How earnestly they entreat you to accept of Life, to fly from Wrath, and escape Damnation; read Ezek. 18.31, 32. Ezek. 33.11. 1 Tim. 2.4. It is your own wilfulness and obstinacy which must bear the blame. Men would fain charge God, or Christ, or any thing with their destruction, but themselves. But alas! their Guilt will not be so easily shifted off, they themselves are the most, if not only, faulty. God and Christ, do as much as we can modestly, as we can reasonably desire for our welfare. They do not take any pleasure in our ruine; they offer Mercy, and intreat us to ac­cept it. Angels they are ready to mini­ster [Page 107]for our good; good Ministers, and good People, desire and labour all they can to prevent our Condemnation. Alas! none but wicked Men and Devils are pleased with, or dare knowingly help forward our Ruin and Damnation. But we our selves are the principal Causes and Authors of our own eternal unhap­piness, Hos. 13.9. We keep Christ out of our Hearts, we will not listen to his Calls, nor attend unto his Voice; we will not go to him that we may have Life; nor, we will not entertain him, when he comes himself unto us and of­fers us Life. We resist his Motions, and oppose him in all the Instances of his Love. And what can we then ex­pect, but that he should finally reject and disown us?

2. We may hence observe the great senslesness and stupidity Men are gene­rally involved in. O! how hard and insensible is Man's Heart naturally! how do People live, even under the Admini­stration of the Gospel, as if they had no Souls, nor any Concerns relating to another World to attend unto! They [Page 108]mind not Christ, nor do they take any care to have their Hearts prepared for him. People are soon apprehensive of temporal, corporal Dangers; but tho their Souls are every minute in danger, and Christ is calling to, and warning them, setting before them their hazard, and counselling them to come to him, that they may be safe and secure, how idely and unconcernedly do they sit, and take no notice at all of what is said? O how hard must those Hearts needs be, which will not, by all the Rheto­rick, Eloquence, Affection, and Ear­nestness of the Son of God, be wrought on, prevailed with, or won over to a serious consideration of another state!

3. This should encourage the Mini­sters of Jesus Christ, to hold on pa­tiently in the discharge of their Work, in earnest importunate beseeching Sin­ners to be reconciled unto God, and ac­cept of Christ. It is indeed a great dis­couragement, when a Man labours for nought, and when for his earnestness and heartiness in his Work, he is sligh­ted, reproached, and abused in the [Page 109]World. And indeed, Ministers find it hard to keep up their Spirits, and go on unweariedly in an uninterrupted renew­ing of their affectionate Entreaties, when they long perceive the Word trampled under-foot, and the most se­rious testimonies of spiritual, fervent desire of Mens Salvation, despised and nick-named. Ministers are too prone to despond, and to be dejected, when their Labours and Endeavours continue long without Success, when they see Men remain as stubborn, and as violent opposers of Christ, after Instruction, Warnings, and multiplied vehement Entreaties and Perswasions, as they were before. It is heartless, nay, it is af­flicting, and exceeding grievous to the Soul and Spirit of a true Gospel-Mini­ster, to have occasion to cry out, Who hath believed our Report? and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed? Isa. 53.1. But this should not discourage, or make us desist one jot from our most vigorous Importunity. For besides that, Our Judgment is with the Lord, and our Work, or Recompence, is with our God, Isa. 49.4.

We have much incouragement, and obligation too, to persist, from the Ex­ample of our Blessed Master. If Christ himself doth wait long, and useth one Argument after another with Sinners, should not we, who are but his Servants and Messengers, sent to plead his Cause with Sinners, imitate him both in Pati­ence and Importunity?

4. This may justly incourage poor Sinners to come to Christ, and to be earnest and importunate in their Ad­dresses to the Throne of Grace. If the Lord Jesus Christ do condescend thus to entreat and beseech Sinners to receive him, no doubt but he will very gra­ciously accept of, and receive those who do come unto him; consult Mat. 11.28. Isa. 55.1, 2, 3. Hos. 14.1, 2.

A returning Sinner, is the welcomest Guest to Jesus Christ. What joy doth such an one occasion in Heaven! with what satisfaction did the Father receive and entertain the returning Prodigal! how do the glorious and blessed Spirits a­bove rejoice, and sing for gladness, when a Sinner forsakes his unrighteous [Page 111]Courses, seeks after, and returns unto his Saviour, and sincerely closeth with and embraceth him? Luke 15.7.

And as Christ is importunate with us, so he would have us to be importu­nate in our Applications unto him. He is very much pleased with our importu­nity at the Throne of Grace. When we insist on what he hath done and suffered, when we plead his Office, and his Promises, and become so earnest and vigorous in our Prayers and Wrestlings, that we resolve we will not let him go till he blesseth us. He sometimes hides his Face, and seems to withhold his Ears from our Cries; but it is, that hereby he may awaken us from our chilliness and deadness in the Duty, try our Love to himself, and quicken and engage us to a greater fervency in our Addresses. Nay, he seems to make this a necessary Requisite to our coming to him acceptably, Mat. 11.12.

5. Is the Lord Jesus Christ very impor­tunate with Sinners to receive & entertain him; then let us all be hence perswaded, and prevailed with to embrace and close with his Motions. Do not resist and [Page 112]oppose him any longer, do not delay to open unto him, and give him that re­ception he calls for. Are you in love with Death! will you resolve to court Damnation as sollicitously, and with as much fervency, as you are entreated to accept of Christ and Salvation? What hast thou, Sinner, to except against Christ? Why wilt thou add this, of sturdy, inexcusable, and most hideous frustrating the highest design of Love, in refusing to accept of, and comply with an earnest importunate Saviour, to all thy other Provocations? Art thou afraid thou shalt not sink low enough into the bottomless Pit, nor find sorrow and torment enough in Hell, unless thy contempt of Grace, and despising of Christ, may add weight to thy former Guilt, and make the unquenchable in­fernal Flames more scorching, and to prey on thee with greater vehemence and fury! Sinner, Hell will be direfully black and terrible, the infernal Tor­ments will insupportably afflict and macerate; the loss of Heaven, and the gracious presence of the Divine Majesty, will be inexpressibly dreadful [Page 113]and confounding, will fill with unsuffe­rable remorse and horror, when they shall appear to be the Fruits of Mens wilfulness and choice. Exercise reason therefore once in thy Life, and hearken to Advice; Do not be ambitious to plunge thy self into the utmost depth of Divine Indignation and Fury, by offer­ing the most provoking contemptuous Affront to the Riches of God's Grace and Love: for, fancy thou, thy Pa­tience, Strength, and Courage, to be never so great and invincible, yet the least measure of Damnation will pre­sently baffle and triumph over them: It will soon weary thee out, fill thee with such horrors, and extort and force from thee such dreadful howlings and shreiks, as will fully manifest thy Impatience is boundless, and thy Mise­ry remediless.

Sinner! why wilt thou reject the gracious Offers which thy Saviour makes thee? Why wilt thou deny him admit­tance, when he tenders thee Himself, and all his Benefits? What better, what more desirable Guest canst thou have? Whether dost thou think it bet­ter, [Page 114]thy Heart should be full of filthy diabolical Suggestions, and noisom Lusts; or that thy Soul should be the Temple of God, and be beautified and enriched with all sorts of Graces and Divine Dispositions?

What is it then that keeps Christ out of thy Heart? What is it that makes thee unwilling to yield to thy Saviour's Importunity? produce thy shadowy vain pretences, and see how thou de­ludest thy self! Canst thou value the Wealth and Riches of the World, more than the Son of God, who priz'd thee at such a rate, as to lay down his Life for thee! certainly thou dost esteem them much above their worth, and un­less thou rectify this Mistake in a lit­tle time, thou wilt make a very foolish bargain for thy self.

O stupid Sinner! awake, rouze up thy self, shame thy self out of thy in­cogitancy, folly, falseness and ingra­titude! Are the transitory, empty, counterfeited pleasures of Sin, of grea­ter value, and more precious to thee, than those Rivers, those Oceans of real transcendent satisfactions and delights [Page 115]which are in God's presence, and at his right Hand! Can a perishing uncer­tain World, assure thee of better and more splendid entertainment than he can, who is over all, God blessed for ever, of whose fulness we all receive, and who filleth all in all! Are not the transports and raptures of Saints and Angels to be preferred before all those gross and fulsome Diversions, carnal and foolish Men do so madly doat on? Canst thou think it better, and more rationally desirable, to be a Beast on Earth, than to be like one of the shin­ing glorious Seraphims, in the Regions of Light, and Peace, and Joy?

Hast thou any thing to except against the Terms thy Saviour doth propound? Doth he invite thee to any thing that is unreasonable? doth he lay any bur­then on thee, which is insupportable, or unto which he will not administer strength proportionable? Thou canst not pretend any thing of all this; what he requires, is almost obviously reaso­nable, just, good, and equal. And do's the Lord Jesus call and importune thee to attend to the sweetest Voice, and [Page 116]the most heavenly and ravishing News that was ever made known: Do's he, who dwelleth in the highest Heavens, condescend to entreat for an abode with thee, that he may communicate Himself, and his Riches and Benefits to thee, in the freest and most friendly manner, and wilt thou yet reject him? O, how great must thy Guilt needs be! what an aggravation will this be, both of thy Sin, and Folly, and Damna­tion!

But to help thee a little more to quicken, and to make some impression on thy Affections, let me propose these few Questions, and do thou perform thy Duty faithfully in answering them to thy own Conscience sincerely, and urging them impartially on thy own Soul.

Quest. 1. What art thou without Christ? O, Sinner, whilst thou art in thy Sins, thou art no better than an Enemy to the great God of Heaven and Earth; a [Page 117]very Fire-brand of Hell, Ephes. 2.12. If thou hadst the Plague broke on thee, or wert under any desperate Distem­per, how welcome would a Physician be to thee, who could infallibly cure and heal thee? Nay, what speed wouldst thou make in enquiring and searching out for such an one, if thou couldst hear of him? And what, shall thy Soul be under the worst of Plagues, even the dominion of thy Lusts and Sins? Is thy condition such, that thou art every minute in danger of having all the Vials of God's Wrath poured out upon thee, and wilt thou still re­ject thy Saviour, and sturdily refuse his help, when he only can administer pro­per Remedies, and effect thy Cure and Deliverance?

Quest. 2. What hast thou to trust to, whilst without Christ? Alas! all things but Christ, are broken, perishing, afflict­ing Reeds; such Props, as if trusted to, will but deceive us, and make our fall the greater and more ruinous. [Page 118]Alas, Sinner! if thou hadst all the World, its Power, its Wealth, its Glory; yea, if thou hadst all the cunning and arti­fice of Hell too, these will not yield thee one jot of comfort or supply, when thy Want shall be greatest and most urgent. O how sad was it with that poor Soul, that having long slighted Christ, and despised Grace, being at last brought under the Lashes and Ac­cusations of an awakened condemning Conscience, could take no rest, receive no comfort, but was full of horror and black despair; when his Friends and Attendants spake to him of, applauded him for, and presented before him the Honours and Preferments he had ob­tained in the World, the Wealth and Estate he was master of, and remem­bred him of his past Pleasures, the things he was wont to be most deligh­ted with, and endeavoured to divert him by Musick, and other Entertain­ments; all these proved insipid, nay, vexatious. O, said he, these I loved too much heretofore, they have been my bane, these wound and torment me! These are not Christ! for these I [Page 119]ventur'd and fold my Soul, I prefer­red them above Christ. These inflame my grief, these wound me to the Heart, these imbitter and make my Life a bur­then to me; these kindle Hell in my Soul, these weigh and sink me down in­to the bottomless Pit! I have no sup­port at all, nothing to trust to. There is none but Christ can do me good, or yield me help; and it is him I have despised and slighted, whose Wounds, and whose Love, cry for Vengeance a­gainst me.

Quest. 3. What wilt thou be able to say for thy self at last, if thou art without Christ? Come, Sinner! thou canst talk, and be as unconcerned at present as any Man. Thou darest, it may be now, to scorn Christ, ridicule and make sport at his most solemn and affectionate Entreaties, and revile those his Messen­gers, who would perswade thee to close with his gracious Offers. But this is not the way to Heaven: When thou shalt appear before the great Tribunal [Page 120]of the most Just and Holy God, thou wilt not dare to repeat any of thy op­probrious reproachful Expressions, thou wilt not be able to justify thy contemn­ing of Christ. Their state and condi­tion will be very dreadful, who shall be left to plead their own Cause at the great Day of Judgment. Be as great and daring as thou wilt at present, know thou, that more potent and va­liant Persons than thy self, will then be covered with shame, be full of conster­nation and horror, and not dare to open their Mouths in their own vindi­cation. Didst thou never read nor hear of those great and powerful, wealthy and honourable, couragious and valiant Ones, who shall call to the Mountains to fall on them, and the Hills to cover them, from the Face and Wrath of the Lamb? Rev. 6.15, 16, 17.

Quest. 4. What wilt thou think of Christ, and what wilt thou be willing to give for an Interest in Christ, at the approach [Page 121]of Death, and when thou must come before the Judgment of the Great God? If Christ will be precious and desirable when thou seest Death and Hell naked before thee, certainly he ought to be precious to thee at pre­sent. Thou dost not know how soon Death may arrest thee, how soon thou mayst lie under its stroak; within how few Days or Hours God may say to thee, Come, Sinner, give up thy Account! O, Sinner, whoever thou art, be thy Thoughts what they will at present, yet if thou hadst Worlds, yea, thousands of Worlds at thy dis­posal, thou wouldst gladly and freely give and part with them all at the great Day of Judgment, for the least saving Interest in Christ. O, Sinner! dost thou know what it is to leave the World with Sin and Guilt cleaving to thy Soul? Dost thou know what it is to die, and enter into Eternity, with­out having thy Peace made with God? Dost thou know what it is to stand be­fore the Tribunal of an unreconciled God, and to have Christ appear against thee, demanding full Justice against [Page 122]thee, for thy stubborn, refractory, con­temptuous despising of Him, and his often tendred rich Grace?

Quest. 5. What Reflections have those who are now in Hell, on their having sligh­ted Christ, and stubbornly stood out against all his Entreaties? Do any of those things which they preferred a­bove Christ, when they were on Earth, afford them any real comfort? Have they any abatement of their Pain and Torment, by remembring that they purchased such Pleasures, or amassed to themselves such Treasures, &c. by re­jecting and refusing to comply with the gracious Offers the Son of God did make to them? Alas, their remembring of these things, doth inflame Hell the more; this makes Damnation more than ordinarily terrible; this makes the sight of God and Christ amazing and dreadful to the utmost degree. To consider they sold God and Christ, their Souls, and Heaven, and Happi­ness, for such Trifles, such perishing [Page 123]and unsatisfying things, is beyond all imagination penetrating and afflicting. O! couldst thou see the Damned in their Chains, and didst thou hear their shreiks and howlings; or wouldst thou but consider how their misery and un­happiness is heightned and increased by their despising and making light of Christ? What thoughts wouldst thou entertain! how dreadful wouldst thou apprehend the rejecting of Christ to be, when he makes his gracious Visits, and pleads and expostulates with Sinners for admittance? What thoughts wouldst thou have, didst thou hear those mise­rable and helpless Wretches crying out, O the Saviour that we did slight! O the Salvation we did neglect! O the Offers of Grace and Mercy we did wickedly and contemptuously cast be­hind our backs! O the many, the ear­nest, the importunate, the affectionate and loving entreaties and courtings of the Son of God, which we did stub­bornly resist, and offer the most unex­cusable and wicked despite unto! O, it is this, this, that makes our Damna­tion thus out of measure, to exceed [Page 124]and transcend theirs, who were never in a capacity of sinning at our rate! 'Tis this that makes Hell so hot and glowing to us, that sinks us so much be­low all others in this bottomless Pit! O, what would these do, might they have the Offers which thou refusest to ac­cept of? How would they rejoice, how speedily, gladly, and heartily would they close with Christ, might they have an offer of Grace, Pardon, and Mercy made once more to them!

Quest. 6. Dost thou think that any of those who have received Christ in sincerity, did ever repent of their so doing? It is our ignorance of Christ, and unac­quaintedness with him, that makes us think so lightly of him. Did we but taste and know how good the Lord is; had we but the same sense, experience, and knowledge of his Excellencies they have, who do indeed admit him into their Hearts, we should have the like Love, Zeal, and Affection for him which they have. Those who have re­ceived [Page 125]him, do rejoice in and love him: They account him the only Joy of their Hearts, they esteem him their Portion, their All, and their only Good. Have not those who, for the sake of Christ, have been exposed to all kind of Sufferings, Hardships, and ill Usages in the World rejoiced in the same? Have not they found the satisfactions accruing to them, from the Faithfulness and Love of Christ, so exceeding great, and full of inexpressible sweetness and comfort, they have almost overlook'd, they have really thought all the Suffer­ings of this Life very little and inconsi­derable, especially when Faith in Christ hath mounted and carried their Souls to take a view and prospect of what Christ will hereafter advance them un­to? Rom. 8.18. Gold and Silver, Crowns, and Earthly Kingdoms, are of no value, more vile and contemptible than the Dung and Mire of the Streets, when made use of to bribe and hire one that has received Christ into his Heart, to fall off from him and reject him. I have served Christ (said Polycarp) fourscore and six Years, and he never [Page 126]did me any harm; and do you think (said he to those who would have bri­bed and perswaded him to renounce Christ) that now I will renounce and blaspheme, and dishonour my King and Saviour? Do you think the glorified Saints are sorry they chose and received Christ? Why, they can every jot as easily be weary of Heaven, as repent of their entertaining such a Guest.

Now do thou exercise thy Thoughts about these things with the greatest seriousness, and answer these Que­stions distinctly and impartially unto thy Conscience, and press on thy Soul such Considerations as thou findest have the greatest tendency to startle, to a­waken and move thee, that thou mayst not continue under the dreadful guilt of slighting Christ, and rejecting the gracious Motions he doth make thee of his Love. And, O that I knew what Words would excite thy drowsy Soul, and what Arguments would influence and make some kind of impressions on thy Mind, Affections, and Heart? I would urge them for thy good, with all [Page 127]the life and fervency that is possible. Consider, Sinner, doth the Son of God condescend to plead and argue with thee for thy Benefit and Comfort? This is a very wonderful thing indeed; the Heavens may well be called to at­tend, and the Earth to give ear; such a prodigy of Love may make impres­sions on the very Mountains and Rocks. And what, wilt thou still resist his Courtings, and be the more contemp­tuous, by how much the more importu­nate he is with thee? O, how justly may we call to the Heavens to be a­stonished, and the Earth to be horribly afraid, at the manifestation of such stu­pidity and ingratitude? How will all the Creatures, inanimate, and sensless things, upbraid such sottish sturdiness! and finally bear witness, and give in evi­dence against it?

But, alas, after all, what signifies the Discourse of a poor Mortal? Me­lancthon found, by experience, that he had reason to say, The old Man, in the Hearts of Sinners, was too strong for young Melancthon. It is not [Page 128]in the Minister's Power to reach the Heart. But Glorious, Almighty, and most Gracious God, thou art above all, and thou canst speak to the Consci­ence, and overcome the most perverse and stubborn Heart; thou canst, and dost ordinarily make thy Strength and power to appear, in the weakness of thy meanest Servants: Lord, to thee we turn, and of thee we beg, that that Power and Plenty of thy good Spirit may be sent forth, that poor Sinners may not walk in darkness, and be held any longer in bondage by Satan and their Lusts, but that they now may cast away from them their Idols, may yield up themselves to Christ in the sincerity of their Hearts, and not oppose and resist him any longer. Lord, do thou look down in thy Power and Strength; and do thou mightily perswade and prevail on the Hearts of those who have hitherto stood out against the Calls and Entrea­ties of their Saviour! exert thy Power, stretch forth thy mighty Arm, descend in the abundance of thy Grace, and bring thy Word and Exhortations to [Page 129]Peoples Souls and Consciences, with thy special Efficacy, and then shall People hear thy Son's Voice, and knock, and open unto him.

Now, Sinner, if thou art at all af­fected with any of these Considerations, and dost truly desire to receive Christ into thy Heart; I will conclude all I have at this time to say unto thee, by proposing a few Directions for thy help, and assistance.

I. Labour to get a deep affectionate sense of thy own insufficiency, empti­ness, and misery without Christ. Study the Law of God, how strict and pun­ctual it is! How many Duties are com­manded, how many Sins forbid; what Curses and Judgments threatned; how weak and impotent thou art; how far the Law is from either communicating Strength, or providing thee a Pardon: How powerful and severe infinite Ju­stice is; how liable thou art, and this upon innumerable accounts, to all the [Page 130]Vengeance and Horror infinite Justice can inflict: How dreadful, how mise­rable, how helpless thy state is without a Mediator! Think on these things till thou art throughly sensible of thy need of Christ; and how impossible it is for thee to escape any other way than by Christ. We need Christ to present our best Services to God, and obtain them acceptance with the Father. O, what need have we then of Christ, to save us from our manifold Sins, and from the direful Punishments they de­serve, Rev. 3.18. Luke 15.21. Christ will be welcome indeed, when we truly see our need of him.

II. Strive to get thy Heart cleansed from every thing which is contrary to Christ, and hath a tendency to keep him out of thy Heart. Get every Sin imbittered to thy Soul, that thou mayst hate eve­ry thing which is an Enemy to Christ. Oppose Christ to every Lust, and sinful stirring of Heart; harbour no Lust nor Sin in thy Heart, fight against Temp­tations; [Page 131]learn to overcome Tempta­tions and Sins, by reviving in thy Mind the opposition and enmity there is be­twixt Christ and Sin; curb and check, mortify and subdue every sinful Incli­nation, by alleadging against it, Thou art an Enemy to my Saviour! to allow and entertain thee, would be to fight against Christ. O, I will not for a World do any thing that may offend and displease the Son of God.

III. Pray earnestly that the Spirit of God may mould and form thy Heart into a right frame and temper for Christ. When a Prince comes to take up his residence at any Place, or House, it is not only necessary that the Lug­gage, and Lumber, and Filth, be re­moved and cast out of Doors, but that all places be righted up, and have their proper Furniture: So when Christ comes to take up his abode with us, we are not only to cast away our Lusts and Sins, but our Hearts must be fitted and disposed to receive him, by the power­ful [Page 132]Operation of his Holy Spirit, beau­tifying and enriching them with Di­vine and Heavenly Qualifications. And therefore it will concern us to be ear­nest in our Prayers, that the good Spirit of God may come down upon us, and make our Hearts and Souls meet Temples for the Son of God to dwell in.

IV. Go forth unto Christ, by the actings of Faith upon all occasions. Let Christ dwell in your Hearts by Faith, Ephes. 3.17. according to every alteration in your condition; and according to all the diversities of Providence do you look unto Christ, exercise Faith on him, and by Faith fetch supplies of Grace from him.

V. Meditate much and often on the Love of Christ to Sinners. Read over the Gospel, the several Apostolical Epi­stles, and the many Prophecies con­cerning [Page 133]Christ, especially Isa. 63. take notice of the many remarkable Passages there, relating to Christ, declaring his Condescention and Love, weigh them se­riously, and press them upon thy own Soul and Conscience, dwell on these Matters in thy Thoughts, and expostu­late with thy self about them. What, hath the Son of God taken my Nature! has the King of Glory condescended to live here in the form of a Servant! did he patiently undergo all the unjust Affronts and Contempts of lewd and prophane People! did he bear the weight of God's Wrath, and actually lay down his Life in the most open, scandalous, cursed, linguering, and painful kind of Death then known in the World, and was all this for my sake! O, incomprehensible Love! What shall I return unto my Saviour for all this? I can never love Christ enough; may I never cease admiring the many Instances wherein his Love hath broke forth unto me; may I so wonder at, and be affected with all these things, that love to Christ may shine through all the passages of my [Page 134]Life: May I never be at rest, till I do arrive at the full enjoyment of my Sa­viour in his own Kingdom. What, has the Lord Jesus Christ done so much for me! has he revealed such Truths, made such Promises, suffered such Sorrows, submitted to such a Death, as are re­corded in the Holy Scriptures? are so many glorious and wonderful Things related concerning him? Doth he now reign in Heaven, and hath he purcha­sed such blessed Inheritance, and satis­fying Treasures for poor Sinners? Nay, doth he still importune and entreat me to accept of Him and his Benefits! God forbid that I should oppose his Motions, and resist his Love any longer. Shall the King of Glory be slighted and excluded still by me? Shall I wilfully cast away my own Soul, and stubborn­ly neglect this great Salvation? God forbid. Shall it be writ on my Grave, Here lies the sturdy ungrateful Wretch, that did wilfully resist Jesus Christ; the Wretch that resolved to force his way to Hell, through all the Impedi­ments and Discouragements, infinite Justice, and infinite Mercy had laid in [Page 135]his way? that vile unpitiable Miscreant, that would damn himself in spite of Love it self?

VI. Converse much with those who are experienced Christians, and have much acquaintance with Christ. He that walketh with wise Men, shall be wise; but a Companion of Fools shall be destroyed, Prov. 13.20. Such People will very much assist thee in thy closing with Christ, by their Discourses, Exhorta­tions, and Practice. They can tell thee such things concerning Christ, from their own experience, as will warm and melt thy Heart, and inflame thy Affections. They will contribute much to thy help by their advice and counsel, by the accounts they can give thee off their own experiences, by their watchfulness over thee, and by their fervent effectual Prayers for thee.

VII. Labour to be acquainted with, and to observe all the Motions and Work­ings of Christ towards Sinners, and close with, and improve every one of them, when he is pleased to exert any of them towards thy self. Take notice of the Calls he doth give thee in his Word, and the awakening visits he doth make thee by his providential Occurrences, and improve these to put thee on a more diligent search, and close walking after him; and to excite and quicken in thee more fervent desires after Commu­nion with him.

VIII. Conscientiously frequent those Ordi­nances wherein Christ hath promised his more especial Presence. Prepare thy self carefully to meet thy Lord, and come with passionate Desires, and con­fident Expectations, grounded on his Faithfulness, Word, and Promise, that he will exhibit himself unto those [Page 137]Souls, that sincerely long and wait for him.

IX. Lastly; Faithfully resign and give up thy self to Christ. When thy Heart is affected truly with a sense of Christ's Love, then desire him, by fervent Prayer, that he will be pleased to take thee in­to Covenant with himself, and make a hearty, faithful, entire resignation of thy self unto him. O, Blessed Jesus, most Holy Saviour! I am unworthy I acknowledg to make use of thy Name; I have often resisted and sinned against thy constraining Love, but I am hear­tily sorry now that ever I did so! O, compassionate and tender-hearted Sa­viour, reject not an humble, returning, mourning Penitent; embrace me, the unworthiest of all others in the Arms of thy Mercy, and admit me into thy fa­vour; the more stubborn, and head­strong, and wilful I have been, the more abundantly let thy Grace be manifested toward me, and bring me under the more powerful influences of thy Love. Lord, seize, by the Power of thy Grace, [Page 138]and take possession of this Soul: Gra­cious Saviour, whose Bowels have ever yearned over the miserable, and who hast been always compassionate and gracious to the unworthy, favourably accept of this poor Oblation: Lord, it is the purchase of thy own Blood; O, reject not, despise not, cast not away what thou hast bought at so dear a rate. Lord, here is my Soul, my Body, my Heart, my Affections, my Mind, my Judgment, my Will: Lord, here is all that I have; Lord, I resign up all unto thee, without any reservation; do with all, as pleaseth thee best, only accept of them: O Lord, I love thee above all, I desire, with my whole Soul, to love thee every Day more and more. Lord, dwell in my Heart, rule over my whole Man, bring all my Powers unto a true and sound subjection unto, and compliance with thee in every thing: May my Soul always admire thee, my Heart love thee, my Tongue praise thee, my Lips speak of thy Glory and Goodness: May my Life glorify thee; may I in every part of my practice, serve and honour thee; may all my [Page 139]Faculties and Members be ready and faithful Servants for, and unto thee. Lord, I long to be with thee, my Soul panteth after thee. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain, Phil. 1.21.