Infer. 7. If Christ he present, by way of spirit and energy in his ordinances, th^n there is no reason to despair of the conversion and salvation of the greatest sinners that yet lie dead under the gospel. What though their hearts be hard, their understandings dark, and their wills never so perverse and obstinate.? all must give way, and open in the day of Christ's power, when his Spirit joins himself with the word. This makes it an irresistible word ; it is glorious to observe the hearts of publicans and harlots opening and yielding to the voice of Christ, Matth. xxi. 31. What were those three thousand persons, pricked at the heart by Peter's sermon, Acts ii. 36. but the very men that, with wicked hands, had crucified the Lord Jesus ? And what were the converted Corinthians but idolaters, turned from dumb idols, whoremongers, adulterers, effeminate f &c. 1 Cor. xii. 2. and vi. 11. God hath his elect among the vilest of men : the gospel will find them out, and draw them home to Christ, when the Spirit ani- mates and blesseth it. Well might the apostle therefore say, that , the gospel preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, is an object worthy for angels to behold with admiration, 1 Pet. i
12. What though Satan has strongly fortified their souls against Christ, with ignorance, prejudice, and enmity ; yet the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God, to pull down these strong holds. Despair not therefore of your carnal and dead-hearted re- lations ; bring them to the gospel upon the encouragement of these words of Christ, John v. 25. " The hour cometh, yea, and now is, '' that the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they " that hear it shall hve."
Infer. 8. Is Christ spiritually present in his ordinances f O then wliat an endeai-ed affection shoidd every gracious soul hear ta the or- dinances of God ! They are the walks of Christ and of his Spirit, the appointed times and places for your meeting and communion with him ; there your souls first met with Christ ; there you began your acquaintance with him ; there you have had many sweet con- verses with him since that day ; they were the seed of your regen- eration, 1 Pet. i. 2S. the bread of life by which your souls have been sustained ever since, and therefore to be more esteemed by you than your necessary food. Job xxiii. 12. Here you have found the richest cordials to revive and recover your drooping spirits, when ready to sink away in a faint fit under sin within you, and afflic- tions upon you. No wonder David's soul even fainted for the courts of God, Psal. cxix. 50. and that Hezekiah desired a sign on his sick-bed, that he should go up to the house of the Lord. Here are the choicest comforts of the saints upon earth ; all our fresh springs are in Zion, Psal. Ixxxviii. 7. What a dungeon, what a barren wilderness were this world without them ! Prize the ordi- nances, love the ordinances, wait assiduously upon the ordinances, and pray for the Hberty and efficacy of the gospel, that it may set no more in your days, nor in the days of your posterity.
Rev. iii. 20. Behold I [stand] at the doqr^ and "knocJCy &c.
JlIAVING finished Christ*^s solemn preface, and cleared the man- ner of his presence in his churches and ordinances ; I nov/ come to a third observation which is necessarily implied in these words, " Behold I stand at the door and knock -^ and that sad truth there- in implied is this,
Doct. That the hearts of men are naturally locked up^ and faxt barred against Jesus Christy their only Saviour.
If it were not so, what need were there of all that pains and psu tience used and exercised by Christ, in waiting patiently, and knock- ing importunately for entrance into the hearts of men ? To keep a clear method in this point, three things must be stated in the lioctrinal part.
1. How it appears the hearts of men are thus shut up,
2. AVhat are those locks and bars that shut them up. S. That no power of man can remove these bars.
First, That all hearts are naturally shut and made fast against Christ, is a sad but certain truth; we read, John i. 11, 12. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not,'^ &c. He came unto his own people, from whose stock he sprung up ; a people to whom he had been prefigured in all the sacrifices and types of the law, and in whom they might all clearly discern the accom- plishment of them all. His doctrines and his miracles plainly told them who he was, and whence he came ; yet few discerned or received him as the Son of God. Christ found the doors of men's hearts generally shut against him, save only a few whose hearts were opened by the Almighty power of God, in the way of faith, ver. 12, These indeed received him, but all the rest ex- cluded and denied entrance to the Son of God. So again, John v. from ver. 33. to 40. Christ reasons with them, and gives undeniable demonstrations, that he was the Messiah come to save them ; proves it from the testimony of John, ver. 33. " Ye sent unto *' John, and he bare witness unto the truth :"" Tells them, the design of his coming among them was their salvation, ver. 34. shews them the great seal of heaven, his uncontrolable miracles, ver. 36. " The works that I do bear witness of me, that the Father ^« hath sent me :"*' And if that were not enough, he reminds them pf the immediate testimony given of him from heaven, ver. 37. '' The Father himself which hath sent me, hath borne witness of ^' me." He did so at his baptisniy Matth. iii. 17. " And lo a voice *' from heaven, saying. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well '' pleased." And so again at his transfiguration, upon the holy mount, Matth. xvii. 5. " While he yet spake, behold a bright ^' cloud overshadowed them ; and behold a voice out of the cloud, " which said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, '^ hear ye him." He bids them search the scriptures, and criti- cally examine his perfect correspondence to them, John v. 39. Enough, one would think, to open the door of every man's under- standing and heart, to receive him >nth fullest satisfaction ; and yet, after all, behold the unreasonable obstinacy and resistance of their hearts against him, ver. 40. " Ye will not come unto me, that « ye might have life."
Not a soul >vill open, with all the reasons and demonstrations in
the world, till the Almighty Power of God be put forth to that end. If another come down in his own name (saith he, ver. 43.) him w'lU ye receive ; any body rather than the Son of God : Every cheat can impose upon you easily ; it is to me only your hearts have such strong aversions. Now there is a twofold shutting up of the heart against Jesus Christ.