under it : the commandment comes to them, and shews them this or that more gross and startling sin. Doth it come to you, and shew you not only this or that particular sin, but all the evils of vour heart and life ; the corruption of your natures, as well as the transgressions of your lives ? If so, it promises well, and looks hopefully and comfortably to you. The commandment comes to others, and startles them with the fears of damnation for their sin : it puts them into a grievous fright at hell, and the everlasting burnings : but doth it come to thee and discover the infinite evil that is in thy sin, as it is committed against the great, holy, righte- ous, and good God, and so melts thy heart into tears for the wrong- that thou hast done him, as well as the danger into which thou hast brought thyself? This is a hopeful work, and may encourage thee. It comes to others, and greatly shakes, but never destroys and razes the foundation of their vain hopes : if it so revive sin as to kill all vain hopes in thee, and send thee to Christ alone, as thy only door of hope, fear not ; these troubles will prove the greatest mercies that ever befel thee in this world, if thus they work, and continue to work upon thy soul.
Secondly, Others there are upon whom the word hath had its full effect as to conversion. O bless God for ever for this mercy ; you cannot sufficiently value it ! God hath not only made it a convincing and wounding, but a converting and healing word to your souls ; he hath not only revived your sins, and killed your vain hopes, but begotten you again to a lively hope ; see that you be thankful for this mercy. How many have sate under the same word, but never felt such effects of it ? As Christ said in another case, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, but unto none of them was the prophet sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, to a certain widow there, Luke iv. 46. So I may say, in this case, there were many souls in the same congregation, at the same time, but unto none of them was the word sent with a com- mission to convince and save, but such a one as thyself; one as im- probable to be wrought upon as any soul there. O let this beget thankfulness in your souls ; and let it make you love the word as long as you live : " I will never forget thy precepts, for by them " thou hast quickened me," Psal. cxix. 93.
But above all, I beseech you make it appear that the command- ment hath come home to your hearts, with power to convince you of the evil of sin, by your tenderness and care to shun it as long as you live. If ever you have seen the face of sin, in the glass of the jaw of God ; if your hearts have been humbled and broken for it in the days of your trouble and distress, certainly you will choose the worst affliction rather than sin : It would be the greatest folly in the world to return again to iniquity, Psal. Lxxxv. 8. You that
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have seen so much of the evil that is in it, and the danger that fol- lows it ; you that have had such inward terrors and fears of spirit about it, when that terrible representation was made you, will be loth to feel those gripes and distresses of conscience again, for the best enjoyment in this world.
Blessed be God if any word has been brought home to our hearts, which hath been instrumental to bring us to Christ !
The Teachings of God opened, in their Nature and Necessity.
It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God- Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
XAOW necessary to our union with Jesus Christ, the application of the law, or coming home of the commandment to the heart of a sinner is, we have heard in the last discourse ; and how impossible it is, either for the commandment to come to us, or for us to come to Christ without illumination and instruction from above, you shall hear in this.
This scripture hath much of the mind of God in it ; and he that is to open it, had need himself to be taught of God. In the foregoing verses, Christ offers himself as the bread of life unto the souls of men : against this doctrine they oppose their carnal reason, ver. 41, 42. Christ strikes at the root of all their cavils and ob- jections in his reply, ver. 43, 44. "Murmur not among yourselves : " no man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me " draw him ;" q. d. you slight me because you do not know me ; you do not know me because you are not taught of God ; of these divine teachings, the prophets of old have spoken, and what they foretold is at this day fulfilled in our sight ; so many as are taught of God, and no more, come unto me in the way of faith : it is impossible to come without the teachings of God, ver. 44. It is as impossible not to come, or to miscarry in their coming unto me, under the influence of these divine teachings, ver. 45.
The words read, consist of two parts, viz.
1. An allegation out of the prophets.
2. The application thereof made by Christ.
First, An allegation out of the prophets : " It is written in the £ prophets, And they shall be all taught of God." The places in
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the prophets to which Christ seems here to refer, are, Isa. liv. 13. " And all thy children shall he taught of the Lord ;" and, Jer. xxxi, 34 u And they shall teach no more every man his neigh- " hour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord ; for " they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest " of them, saith the Lord.11 These promises contain the great blessings of the new covenant, viz. Divine instruction and heavenly illumination, without which no man can obtain an interest in the new covenant.
Secondly, We have here the application of these testimonies out of the prophets, made by Christ himself; " Every man therefore " that hath heard, and learned of the Father, come unto me.11
In which words we have both the necessity and the efficacy of these divine teachings ; without them no man can come, and under them no man can miscarry. The words being fitly rendered, and the sense obvious,
Doct. 1. That the teachings of God arc absolutely necessary to every man that cometh unto Christ, in the way of faith.
Doct. 2. No man can miss of Christ, or miscarry in the way of faith, that is under the special instructions and teachings of the Father.
Doct. 1. That the teachings of God are absolutely necessary to every man that cometh unto Christ, in the way of faith.