Fifthly, The soul in the time of its closing with, or receiving Christ, is in a state of conflict : It hangs between hopes and fears, encouragements and discouragements, which occasions many a sad stand and pause in the way of Christ ; sometimes the number and nature of its sins discourage it, then the riches and freeness of the grace of Christ erects his hopes again : there is little hope, saith unbelief; nay, it is utterly impossible, saith Satan, that ever such a wretch as thou shouldst find mercy ; now the hands hang down. O but then there is a necessity, an absolute necessity ; I have not the choice of two, but am shut up to one way of deliverance ; others have found mercy, and the invitation is to all that are weary, and to all that are athirst : he saith, him that cometh to him, he will in no wise cast out : now new hopes inspire the soul, and the hands that did hang down are strengthened.
These are the concomitant frames that accompany faith.
3. Mark. Lastly, Examine the consequents and effects of faith, if you would be satisfied of the truth and sincerity of it : And such are,
First, Evangelical meltings, and ingenuous thawings of the heart under the apprehensions of grace and mercy : Zech. xii. 10. " They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and shall " mourn.1'
134 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. VII,
Secondly, Love to Christ, his ways and people, Gal. v. 6. Faith worketh by love, i. e. represents the love of God, and then makes use of the sweetness of it by way of argument, to constrain the soul to all acts of obedience, where it may testify the reality of its love to God and Christ.
Thirdly, Heart-purity, Acts xv. 9. " Purifying the hearts by " faith :" It doth not only cleanse the hands but the heart. No principle in man, besides faith, can do this : Morality may hide corruption, but faith only purifies the heart from it.
Fourthly, Obedience to the commands of Christ, Rom. xvi. 26. The very name of faith is called upon obedience : for it accepts Christ as Lord, and urges upon the soul the most powerful argu- ments in the world to draw it to obedience.
In a word, let the poor doubting believer, that questions his faith, reflect upon those things that are unquestionable in his own experience, which being well considered, will greatly tend to his sstisfaction in this point.
It is very doubtful to you whether you believe, but yet in the mean time, it may be past doubt, (being a matter of clear experi- ence) that you have been deeply convinced of sin, struck off from all carnal props and refuges, made willing to accept Jesus Christ upon what terms soever you might enjoy him. You doubt whether Christ be yours, but it is past doubt that you have a most high and precious esteem of Christ, that you heartily long for him, that you prize and love all, whether persons or things, that bear his image : that nothing in the world would please your hearts like a transformation into his likeness : that you had rather your souls should be filled with his Spirit, than your houses with gold and silver. It is doubtful whether Christ be yours, but it is past doubt that one smile from Christ, one token of his love would do you more good than all the honours and smiles of the world ; and no- thing so grieves you, as your grieving him by sin doth. You dare not say that you have received him, nor can you deny but that you have had many sick days and nights for him ; that you have gone into many secret places with yearning bowels after him. Whe- ther he be yours or not, you cannot tell ; but that you are resolved to be his, that you can tell. Whether he will save you is but a doubt, but that' you resolve to lie at his feet, and wait only on him, and never look to another for salvation, is no doubt.
Well, well ; poor pensive soul, if it be so, arise, lift up thy de- jected head, take thine own Christ into thine arms. These are un- doubted signs of a real closure with Christ ; thou makest thyself poor, and yet hast great riches : Such things as these are not found in them that despise and reject Christ by unbelief.
SERM. VII. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 135
3. Use of Exhortation.
3. Use. This point is likewise very improveable by way of ex* hortation, and that both to
Unbelievers and Believers.
First, To unbelievers, who from hence must be pressed, as ever they expect to see the face of God in peace, to receive Jesus Christ as he is now offered to them in the gospel. This is the very scope of the gospel ; I shall therefore press it by three great considera- tions, viz.
First, What is in Christ whom you are to receive.
Secondly, What is in the offer of Christ by the gospel.
Thirdly, What is in the rejecting of that offer.
First, Consider well what is in Christ, whom I persuade you this day to receive : Did you know what is in Christ, you would never neglect or reject him as you do : For,
First, " God is in Christ," 2 Cor. v. 19. the Deity hath chosen to dwell in his flesh ; he is " God manifest in flesh," 1 Tim. iii. 16. a Godhead dwelling in flesh is the world's wonder ; so that in re- ceiving Christ, you receive God himself.
Secondly, The authority of God is in Christ, Exod. xxiii. 21. " My name is in him : Him hath God the Father sealed," John vi. 27. he hath the commission, the great seal of heaven to redeem and save you. All power in heaven and earth is given to him, Matth. xxviii. 18. he comes in his Father's name to you, as well as in his own name.
Thirdly, The wisdom of God is in Christ, 1 Cor. i. 24. " Christ " the wisdom of God," yea, " in him are hid all the treasures of " wisdom and knowledge," Col. ii. 3. Never did the wisdom of God display itself before the eyes of angels and men as it hath done in Christ. The " angels desire to look into it," 1 Pet. i. 12. yet they are not so much concerned in the project and design of this wisdom in redemption as you are.
Fourthly, The fulness of the Spirit is in Christ ; yea, it Alls him so as it never did, nor will fill any creature, John iii. 34. " God " giveth not the Spirit by measure to him :* all others have their limits, stints, and measures ; some more, some less ; but the Spirit is in Christ without measure. O how lovely and desirable are those men that have a large measure of the Spirit in them ! but he is anointed with the Spirit of holiness above all his fellows, Psal. xlv. 2, 7. Whatever grace is found in all the saints, which makes tliem desirable and lovely, wisdom in one3 faith in another, pa*
136 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. VIT,
tience in a third ; they all centre in Christ as the rivers do in the sea, quae faciunt dlvisa beatum, in hoc mixta fiuunt.