f Ita duce voluntates mece, una vetus, alia nova, ilia camalis, ilia spiritualis confiigebant inter s*, ataue discordando dissipabant animam meam—ibi enim magisjam non ego, quia, ex magna parte id pntiebar iuvitus, quodfacibam volens. Aug. confes. lib. 8. cap. 5.
i Suasion is the act of one using endeavours : persuasion the act of an efficient-cause. He uses suasion, who gives advice; persuasion is the deed of him who determines a man to what he pleases. Erawiux.
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have been to them. The Lord not only draws, but draws home those souls to Christ, John vi. 37. " All that the Father hath given " me, shall come to me.11
It is confessed, that in drawing home of the very elect to Christ, there may be, and frequently are, many pauses, stands, and demurs ; they have convictions, affections, and resolutions stirring in them, which, like early blossoms, seem to be nipt and die away again. There is frequently, (in young ones especially), an hopeful appear- ance of grace ; they make conscience of avoiding sins, and per- forming duties : they have sometimes great awakenings under the word, they are observed to retire for meditation and prayer ; and delight to be in the company of Christians : and after all this, youthful lusts and vanities are found to stifle and choak these hopeful beginnings, and the work seems to stand, (it may be some years), at a pause ; however, at last, the Lord makes it victorious over all opposition, and sets it home with power upon their hearts.
Fifthly, To conclude, those whom the Father draws to Christ, he draws them finally and for ever. " The gifts and calling of " God are without repentance,"' Rom. xi. 29. they are so, as to God the giver ; he never repents, that he hath called his people into the fellowship of his Son Christ Jesus : and they are so on the believer's part; he is never sorry, whatever he afterwards meets with, that he is come to Christ.
There is a time when Christians are drawn to Christ, but there shall never be a time in which they shall be drawn away from Christ, John x. 9Q. There is no plucking them out of the Fa- ther's hand. It was common to a proverb, in the primitive times, when they would express an impossibility, to say, " You may as " soon draw a Christian from Christ, as do it." When Christ asked that question of the disciples, " Will ye also go away ? " Lord, (said Peter, in the name of them all), to whom shall we " go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life,'1 John vi. 68. They who are thus drawn, do with full purpose of heart, cleave unto the Lord. And thus of the manner and quality of effectual draw-
Thirdly, In the last place, I am to evince the impossibility ot coming to Christ without the Father s drawings ; and this will evi- dently appear upon the consideration of these two particulars.
First, The difficulty of this work is above all the power of na- ture to overcome.
Secondly, That little power and ability that nature hath, it will never employ to such a purpose as this, till the drawing power of God be upon the will of a sinner.
First, If all the power of nature were employed in this design,
76 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. IV.
yet such are the difficulties of this work, that it surmounts all the abilities of nature. This the scripture very plainly affirms, Eph. ii. 8. " By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, * it is the gift of God." To think of Christ is easy, but to come to Christ, is to nature impossible. To send forth cold and ineffectual wishes to Christ we may, but to bring Christ and the soul together, requires the Almighty Power of God, Eph. i. 19. The grace of faith by which we come to Christ, is as much the free gift of God, as Christ himself, who is the object of faith, Phil. i. 29- " To you " it is freely given to believe." And this will easily appear to your understandings, if you do but consider
r Subject, ij The -< Act, and >• of this work of faith, or coming to Christ. t Enemies ) First, Consider the subject of faith in which it is wrought; or what it is that is drawn to Christ : It is the heart of a sinner which is naturally as indisposed for this work, as the wood which Elijah laid in order upon the altar was to catch fire, when he had poured so much water upon it, as did not only wet the wood, but also filled up the trench round about it, 1 Kings xviii. 33. For it is naturally a dark, blind, and ignorant heart, Job xi. 12. And such an heart can never believe, till he that commanded the light to shine out of darkness do shine into it, 2 Cor. iv. 6.
Nor will it avail any thing to say, though man be born in dark- ness and ignorance, yet afterwards he may acquire knowledge in the use of means, as we see many natural men do to a very high degree : For this is not that light that brings the soul to Christ, yea, this natural unsanctified light blinds the soul, and prejudices it more against Christ than ever it was before, 1 Cor. i. 21, 26.
As it is a blind, ignorant heart, so it is a selfish heart by nature : All its designs and aims terminate in self; this is the centre and weight of the soul ; no righteousness but its own is sought after, that, or none, Rom. x. 3. Now, for a soul to renounce and deny self, in all its forms, modes, and interests, as every one doth that cometh to Christ; to disclaim and deny natural, moral, and religi- ous self, and come to Christ as a poor, miserable, wretched, empty creature ; to live upon his righteousness for ever, is as su- pernatural and wonderful, as to see the hills and mountains start from their bases and centres, and fly like wandering atoms in the air.
Nay, this heart which is to come to Christ, is not only dark and selfish, but full of pride. O, it is a desperate proud heart by na- ture, it cannot submit to come to Christ, as Benhadad's servants came to the king of Israel, with sackloth on their loins, and ropes upon their heads. To take guilt, shame, and confusion
6ERM. IV. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 77
of face to ourselves, and acknowledge the righteousness of God in our eternal damnation ; to come to Christ naked and empty, as one that justifies the ungodly. I say, nature left to itself, would as soon be damned as do this ; the proud heart can never come to this, till the Lord hath humbled and broken it by his power.
Secondly, Let us take the act of faith into consideration also, as it is here described by the soul's coming to Jesus Christ ; and you will find a necessity of the Father's drawings ; for this evidently implies, that which is against the stream and current of corrupt nature, and that which is above the sphere and capacity of the most refined and accomplished nature.