Fourthly, There are dreadful threatenings denounced by the Spi- rit in the word, against all that refuse or neglect to come to Christ, which are of great use to engage and quicken souls in their way to Christ. Mark xvi. 16. "He that believes not shall be damned: " Die in his sins," John viii. 14. " The wrath of God shall remain " on him," John iii. ult. Which is as if the Lord had said, Sin- ners, do not dally with Christ, do not be always treating, and never concluding, or resolving : for if there be justice in heaven, or fire in hell, every soul that comes not to Christ, must, and shall perish to all eternity. Upon your own heads let the blood and destruc- tion of your own souls be for ever, if you will not come unto him.
Fifthly, There are moving examples set before souls in the word, to prevail with them to come, alluring and encouraging examples oi
* Promises which imply the connection of the end with the means. Editor.
KG THE METHOD OF GRACE. BERM. IX.
such as have come to Christ, under the deepest guilt and discou- ragement, and yet found mercy. 1 Tim. i. 15, 16. " This is a " faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ " came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief: how- " beit, (or nevertheless) for this cause I have obtained mercy, that " in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, for " a pattern to them which should hereafter believe in him to life " everlasting." Who would not come to Christ after such an ex- ample as this ? And if this will not prevail, there are dreadful ex- amples recorded in the word, setting before us the miserable con- dition of all such as refuse the calls of the word to come to Christ. 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20. " By which also he went and preached to the 4i spirits which are in prison, which sometime were disobedient, <; when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of " Noah.1' The meaning is, the sinners that lived before the flood, but now are in hell, clapt up in that prison, had the offers of grace made them, but despised them, and now lie for their disobe- dience in prison, under the wrath of God for it, in the lowest hell.
Sixthly, and lastly ', There is an effectual persuading, overcoming and victorious work of the Spirit upon the hearts and wills of sin- ners, under which they come to Jesus Christ. Of this I have spoken at large before, in the fourth sermon, and therefore shall not add any thing more here. This is the way and manner in which souls are prevailed with to come to Jesus Christ.
Thirdly, In the last place, if you enquire why Christ makes his invitations to weary and heavy laden souls, and to no other, * the answer is briefly this :
Fh'st, Because in so doing, he follows the commission which he received from his Father: so you will find it runs, in Isa. lxi. 1. " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath " anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek, he hath sent " me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the " captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. You see here how Christ's commission directs him : his Father sent him to poor broken-hearted sinners, and he will keep close to his commission. " He came not to call the righteous, but sinners, (i. e. " sensible burdened sinners) to repentance." Matth. ix. IS. " I " am not sent (saith he,) but unto the lost sheep of the house of
* Though weary and heavy laden souls only, and in the issue, will believe; yet sin- ners, without exception, and as sinners, are the objects of the gospel- proclamation. It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, 1 Tim. i. 15. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life, John iii. IC. Editor,
SERM. IX. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 177
* Israel." Thus his instructions and commission from the Father limit him only to sensible and burdened souls, and he will be faith- ful to his commission.
Secondly, The very order of the Spirit's work in bringing men to Christ, shews us to whom the invitation arid offers of grace in Christ are to be made. For none are convinced of righteousness, i. e. of complete and perfect righteousness, which is in Christ for their justification, until first they be convinced of sin ; and, conse- quently, no man will, or can come to Christ by faith, till convic- tions of sin have awakened and distressed him, John xvi. 8, 9. This being the due order of the Spirit's operation, the same order must be observed in gospel-offers and invitations.
Thirdly, It behoves that Christ should provide for his own glory, as well as for our safety ; and not to expose one to secure the other; but save us in that way which will bring him most honour and praise. And certainly such a way as this, by first convincing, hum- bling, and burdening the souls of men, and then bringing them home to rest in himself.
Alas ! let those that never saw, or felt the evil of sin, be told of rest, peace, and pardon in Christ, they will but despise it as a thing of no value, Luke v. 31. " The whole need not a physician, u but those that are sick." Bid a man that thinks himself sound and whole go to a physician, and he will but laugh at the motion ; if you offer him the richest composition, he will refuse it, slight it, and it may be, spill it upon the ground. Ay, but if the same man ,did once feel an acute disease, and were made to sweat and groan under strong pains, if ever he come to know what sick days and restless nights are, and to apprehend his life to be in imminent hazard ; then messengers are sent, one after another, in post-haste to the physician ; then he begs him with tears to do what in him lies for his relief: he thankfully takes the bitterest potions, and praises the care and skill of his physician with tears of joy. And so the patient's safety and the physician's honour are both secured. So is it in this method of grace. The uses follow.
Infer. 1. If sin-burdened souls are solemnly invited to come to Christ, Then it follows, that 'whatever guilt lies upon the conscience of a poor humbled sinner, it is no presumption, but his duty to come to Christ, notwithstanding his own apprehended vileness and great unworthiness.
Let it be carefully observed, how happily that universal particle all, is inserted in Christ's invitation, for the encouragement of sin- ners ; " Come unto me, [all] ye that labour ;" q. d. Let no bro- ken-hearted sinner exclude himself, when he is not by me ex- cluded from mercy : my grace is my own, I may bestow it where I will, and upon whom I will. It is not I, but Satan that impales and incloses my mercy from humbled souls that are made willing to
178 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. IX.
come unto me ; he calls that your presumption, which my invita- tion makes your duty.