Such an invaluable pearl is Jesus Christ; infinitely more worth than all that a poor sinner hath to part with for him ; and is a more real good than the creature. These are but vain shadows ; Prov. xxiii. 5. Christ is a solid, substantial good : yea, he is, and by conviction appears to be a more suitable good than the creature : The world cannot justify and save, but Christ can. Christ is a more necessary good than the creature, which is only for our tem- poral convenience, but he is of eternal necessity. He is a more durable good than any creature comfort is, or can be: " The " fashion of this world passeth away," 1 Cor. vii. 13. But dura- ble riches and righteousness are in him, Prov. viii. 17. Thus Christ appears in the day of conviction, infinitely more excellent than the world; he out-bids all the offers that the world can make ; and this greatly forwards the work of drawing a soul to Jesus Christ.
Secondly, And (then to remove every thing out of the way to Christ) God discovers to the soul enough in him to preponderate, and much more than will recompense all the evils and sufferings it can endure for his sake.
It is true, they that close with Christ close with his cross also : they must expect to save no more but their souls by him. He tells us what we must trust to, Luke xiv. 26, 27. " If any man come to " me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, " and brethren and sisters ; yea, and his own life also, he cannot w be my disciple." And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
To read such a text as this, with such a comment upon it, as
THE METHOD OF GRACE. 73
Satan and our flesh can make, is enough to fright a man from Christ for ever. Nor is it possible by all the arguments in the world to draw any soul to Christ upon such terms as these, till the Lord convince it, that there is enough, and much more than enough in Jesus Christ to recompense all these sufferings and losses we endure for him.
But when the soul is satisfied that those sufferings are but ex- ternal upon the vile bod?/, but that the benefit which comes by Christ is internal in a man's own soul ; these afflictions are but temporal, Rom. viii. 18. But Christ and his benefits are eternal: This must needs prevail with the will to come over to Christ, notwithstanding all the evils of suffering that accompany him, when the reality of this is discovered by the Lord, and the power of God goes along with these discoveries. Thus the Lord draws us in our own way, by rational convictions of the understanding, and allurements of the will.
And it is possible this may be the reason why some poor souls mis-judge the working of the Spirit of God upon themselves, thinking they never had that wonderful and mighty power of God in conversion, acting upon their hearts, because they find all that is done upon their hearts that way is done in the ordinary course and method of nature; They consider, compare, are convinced, and then resolved to chuse Christ and his ways ; whereas they ex- pect to feel some strange operations, that shall have the visible cha- racters of the immediate power of God upon them, and such a power they might discern, if they would consider it as working in this way and method: but they cannot distinguish God's acts from their own, and that puzzles them.
Thirdly, The drawings of the Father are very powerful. " The " arm of the Lord is revealed in this work," Isa. liii. 1. It was a powerful word indeed that made the light at first shine out of darkness, and no less power is required to make it shine into our hearts, 2 Cor. v. 14. That day in which the soul is made willing to come to Christ, is called, " the day of his power,1,1 Psal. ex. 3. The scripture expresseth the work of conversion by a threefold metaphor, viz.
That of a resurrection from the dead, Rom. iv. 4.
That of creation Eph. ii. 10. And
That of victory or conquest, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. All these set forth the infinite power of God in this work ; for no less than Almighty Power is required to each of them, and if you strictly examine the distinct notions, you shall find the power of God more and more illustriously displayed in each of them.
To raise the dead, is the effect of Almighty Power ; but then the resurrection supposeth pre-existent matter. In the work of
74? THE METHOD OF GRACE. SEEM. IV.
creation, there is no pre-existent matter ; but then there is no op- position : That which is not, rebels not against the power which gives it being. But victory and conquest suppose opposition, all the power of corrupt nature arming itself, and fighting against God : but vet not able to frustrate his design.
Let the soul whom the Father draws, struggle and reluctate as much as it can, it shall come, yea, and come willingly too, when the drawing power of God is upon it * O the self-conflicts, the contrary resolves, with which the soul finds itself distracted, and rent asunder ! The hopes and fears ; the encouragements and dis- couragements ; they will, and they will not : but victorious grace conquers all opposition at last. We find an excellent example of this in blessed \ Augustin, who speaks of this very work, the draw- ing of his soul to Christ, and how he felt in that day two wills in himself, " one old, the other new ; one carnal, the other spiritual ; " and how in these their contrary motions and conflicts, he was " torn asunder in his own thoughts and resolutions, suffering that " unwillingly which he did willingly .r> And certainly, if we consider how deep the soul is rooted by natural inclination, and long continued custom in sin, how extremely averse it is to the ways of strict godliness and mortification ; how Satan, that invidious enemy, that strong man armed, fortifies the soul to defend his pos- session against Christ, and intrenches himself in the understanding, will, and affections, by deep-rooted prejudices against Christ and ho- liness, it is a wonder of wonders to see a soul quitting all its beloved lusts, and fleshly interests and endearments, and coming willingly under Christ's yoke.
Fourthly, the drawings of God are very effectual : There is in- deed a common and ineffectual work upon hypocrites and apostates, called in scripture a " morning cloud and early dew," Hos. yi. 4. These may believe for a time, and fall away at last, Luke viii. 13. Their wills may be half won, they may be drawn half way to Christ, and return again. So it was with Agrippa, Acts xxvi. 28. iv Q}jyu pu vufoig, within a very little thou persuadest me to be a Christian : But in God's elected ones it is effectual : J Their wills are not only almost, but altogether persuaded to embrace Christ, and quit the ways of sin, how pleasant, gainful, and dear soever they
* A sweet moving from the word, and a powerful drawing on God's part. For there is a certain kind of voluntary necessity. Moulin. Amut. Armin.