Fourtlily, A convinced sinner, out of Christ, sees every thing against him ; nothing yields any comfort, yea, every thing increases and aggravates his burden, when he looks to things past, present, or to come. If he reflect upon things past, his soul is filled with anguish, to remember the sins committed and the seasons neglect- ed, and the precious mercies that have been abused ; if he look upon things present, the case is doleful and miserable ; nothing but trouble and danger, Christless and comfortless ; and if he look forward to things to come, that gives him a deeper cut to the heart than any thing else ; for though it be sad and miserable for the present, yet he fears it will be much worse hereafter ; all these are but the beginning of sorrows. And thus the poor, awakened sin- ner becomes a Magor Missabib ; fear round about.
But, upon his coming to Christ, all things are marvellously al J tered ; a quite contrary face of things appears to him ; every thing gives him hope and comfort, which way soever he looks. So speaks the apostle, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. " All things are yours, (saith he) " whether life or death, or things present, or things to come ; all u is yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's :" They are- ours, i. e. for our advantage, benefit, and comfort. More particu- larly upon our coming to Christ,
First, Things past are ours, they conduce to our advantage and comfort. Now the soul can begin to read the gracious end and design of God, in all its preservations and deliverances ; whereby it hath been reserved for such a day as this. O ! it melts his heart to consider his companions in sin and vanity are cut off, and he spared ; and that for a day of such mercy, as the day of his espousals with Christ is. Now all his past sorrows, and deep troubles of spirit, which God hath exercised him with, begin to appear the greatest mercies that ever he received ; being all necessary and in- troductive to this blessed union with Christ.
Secondly, Things present are ours, though it be not yet with us as we would have it ; Christ is not sure enough, the heart is not pure enough ; sin is too strong, and grace is too weak ; many things are yet out of order; yet can the soul bless God for this, with tears of joy and praise, being full of admiration and holy as- tonishment, that it is as it is ; and that he is where he is, though he be not yet where he would be. O ! it is a blessed life to live as a poor recumbent, by acts of trust and affiance, though, as yet, he have but little evidence ; that he is resolved to trust all with Christ, though he be not yet certain of the issue. O this it a comfortable station, a sweet condition to what it was, either when the soul wallow- ed in sin, in the days before conviction, or was swallowed up in fears and troubles for sin after conviction ; now it hath hope, though it want assurance : and hope is sweet to a soul coming out of such
186 THE METHOD OF GfiACE. SERM. IX.
deep distresses. Now it sees the remedy, and is applying it ; whereas before the wound seemed desperate. Now all hesitations and de- bates are at an end in the soul ; it is no longer unresolved what to do ; all things have been deeply considered, and after considera- tion, issued into this resolve, or decree of the will : I will go to Christ ; I will venture all upon his command and call ; I will em- bark my eternal interests in that bottom ; here I fix, and here I resolve to live and die. O ! how much better is this than that floating life it lived before, rolling upon the billows of inward fears and troubles, not able to drop anchor any where, nor know- ing where to find an harbour ?
Thirdly, Things to come arc ours ; and this is the best and sweet- est of all : Man is a prospecting creature, his eye is much upon things to come, and it will not satisfy him that it is well at present, except he have a prospect that it shall be so hereafter. But now the soul hath committed itself and all its concernments to Christ for eternity, and this being done, it is greatly relieved against evils to come.
I cannot (saith the believer) think all my troubles over, and that I shall never meet any more afflictions ; it were a fond vanity to dream of that : but I leave all these things where I have left my soul : he that hath supported me under inward, will carry me through outward troubles also. I cannot think ah my tempta- tions to sin past ; O! I may yet meet with sore assaults from Satan, yet it is infinitely better to be watching, praying, and striving against sin, than it was when I was obeying it in the lusts of it. God, that hath delivered me from the love of sin, will, I trust, preserve me from ruin by sin. I know also death is to come ; I must feel the pangs and agonies of it : but yet the aspect of death is much more pleasant than it was. I come, Lord Jesus to thee, who art the death of death, whose death hath disarmed death of its sting : for I fear not its dart if I feel not its sting. And thus you see briefly, how by faith believers enter into rest ; how Christ gives rest, even at present, to them that come to him, and all this but as a begin- ning of their everlasting rest.
Inference 1. Is there rest in Christ for weary souls that come unto him ? Then, certainly it is a design of Satan against the peace and ivclfare of men's souls, to discourage them from coming to Christ in the way of faith.
He is a restless spirit himself, and would make us so too ; it is an excellent note of * Minutius Felix. " Those desperate and rest- " less spirits (saith he) have no other peace but in bringing us to ki the same misery themselves are in :" He goeth about as a roar-
* Ad solamen calamitatis sua, nm desimmt perditi perdere, Minut. Felix.
THE METHOD OF GRACE. 187
ing lion, seeking whom he may devour. It frets and grates his proud and envious mind, to see others find rest when he can find none; an effectual plaister applied to heal our wound, when his own must bleed to eternity : And he obtains his end fully, if he can but keep off souls from Christ. Look therefore, upon all those objections and discouragements raised in your hearts against coming to Christ, as so many artifices and cunning devices of the devil, to destroy and ruin your souls. It is true they have a very specious and colourable appearance ; they are gilded over with pretences of the justice of God, the heinous nature of sin, the want of due and befitting qualifications for so holy and pure a God, the lapsing of the season of mercy, and an hundred others of like nature : but I beseech you, lay down this as a sure conclusion, and hold it fast ; that whatever it be that discourages and hinders you from coming to Christ, is directly against the interest of your souls, and the hand of the devil is certainly in it.
Infer. 2. Hence also it follows, that unbelief' is the true reason of all that disquictuess and trouble, by which the minds of poor sinners are so racked and tortured.