For want of such wrestlings with God in prayer, there is so httle efficacy in ordinances. Martha told her Saviour, John xi. 21. *' Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died ;" and I may tell you, that if the Spirit had been here, your souls had not remained dead under the word as they do this day. O when the sabbath draws near, let fervent cries ascend from every family to heaven. Lord, pour out thy Spirit mth thy word ; make it mighty through thy power to open these gates of iron, and break asunder these bars of brass.
Second Use of Exhortation.
Seeing the case stands thus, that all hearts by nature are bai'red and shut up against Christ ; let every soul do what it can, and strive to its uttermost to get the heart and will opened to Christ : Strive to enter in at the strait gate. Christ is at the door, O strive with yourselves as well as with God now to get it opened, now that salvation is come so near your souls.
Object. But have you not told us, that no sinner can open his own heart, nor bow his own \\ill to Christ ^
Ans. True, he cannot convert himself, but yet he may do many things in order to it, and which have a remote tendency to it, which he doth not do ; and so he perisheth not, though he cannot^ but because he will not.
Divers things may be done by poor sinners with their own
hearts, which are not done ; and though in themselves they are insufficient, yet being the way and method in and by which the Spirit of God usually works, we are bound to do them. As for example, (1.) Though it be not in your power to open your hearts to Christ, yet it is in your power to forbear the external acts of sin, which fasten your hearts the more against Christ ; who forces thine hands to steal, thy tongue to swear or lie ? Who forces the cup of excess down your throait ? (2.) Though you cannot open your hearts under the \Vord, yet it is in your power to wait and attend upon the external duties and ordinances of the gospel : why cannot those feet carry thee to the assemblies of the saints, as well as to ail ale-house ? (3.) And though you cannot let the word effectually into your hearts, yet certainly you can apply your minds with more attention and consideration to it than you do. Who forces thine eyes to wander, or closes them with sleep, when the awful matters of eternal life and death are sounding in thine ears ? (4.) Though you cannot open your hearts to embrace Christ, yet cer- tainly you can reflect upon yourselves when the obvious characters of a christless state are plainly held forth before your eyes : God hath given you a self-reflecting power ; " The spirit of man knoweth " the things of a man,"" 1 Cor. ii. 11. When you hear of convic- tions of sin, compunction of heart for sin, deep concernments of the soul about its eternal state, hungerings and thirstings after Christy restless and anxious days and nights about salvation, w^iich others have felt ; you can certainly turn in upon yourselves and examine whether ever it were so with you : and if not, methinks it might conduce to the prevention of your misery, to take your poor souls aside, and bemoan them, saying. Ah, my poor soul, canst thoii endure everlasting burnings ? What will become of thee if Christ pass thee by, and his Spirit strive no more wdth thee ? W^hy cannot you throw yourselves at the feet of God, and cry for mercy ? Prayer is a part of natural worship, distress usually puts men upon it that yet have no grace, Jonah i. 5. Do but this towards the opening and saving of your own souls, which though it be not in itself sufficient, nor puts God under any meritorious obligation or necessity to add the rest ; yet it puts you into the way of the Spirit. And is not thy soul, sinner, worth as much as this comes to ? Have you not taken a great deal more pains than this for the trifles of this world ? And will it not be a dreadful aggravation of sin and misery to all eternity, that you are perished so easily. Do not you see many striving round about you for Chnst and salvation, whilst you sit still with folded arms as if you had nothing to do for another world ? " The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the vio^ ** lent take it by force," Mat. xi. 12.
Wliy sliould other men's souls be clearer to them than yours unto you ? What discouragements have you which other men have not ? Or what encouragements have they which you have not !
Object. Say not, We have no assurance that our pains shall pros- per, or our strivings be made effectual to conversion ; if there were any promise in the gospel that such endeavours should be seconded from heaven, and made available to salvation, then we would strive, as long as breath and life should last; but all this may be to no purpose, we may be christless, and hopeless when all is done.
Sol But yet remember it is possible God may bless these weak endeavours, and come in by his Almighty Spirit with them : nay, it is highly probable that he will do so : and is a strong probability nothing vnth you ? Do you use to do no actions about your civil callings without an assurance of success ? When the merchant ad- ventures his life or estate at sea, is he sure of a good return ? Or doth he not adventure upon the mere hopes and probabilities of a gainful voyage ? When the husbandman plows his land, empties both his bags and purse upon it, is he sure of a good harvest ? May not a blast come that shall defeat all his hopes ? Yet he ploweth and soweth in hope, and ordinarily God maketh him partake of his hope : but without such industry his expectations would be vain. Away then with vain excuses ; up and be doing in the use of all appointed means, and the Lord be with you.
Before I dismiss this point, let us try ourselves by it, whether God hath opened our hearts to Clirist, broken these Ijars of igno- rance, unbelief, custom, prejudice, &c. and the will stand wide open to receive Christ Jesus the Lord.
This is a solemn use, the consequence of it great ; O that our faithfulness and seriousness in the trial might be answerable. Try yourselves by these following marks :
Mark 1. If your eyes be not opened to see sin in its vileness, and Christ in his glory, suitableness, and necessity ; then sure your hearts were never yet effectually opened by the gospel. I confess men's eyes may be opened to see sin, and yet their hearts at the same time shut up by unbelief against Christ ; but no man's heart can be opened to Christ whilst his eyes are shut : John iv. 40. *' This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth " the Son and beheveth on him, may have everlasting life." The work of faith is always wrought in the light of conviction ; the cure of the heart begins at the eye of the mind, Acts xxvi. 18. " to open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and " from the power of Satan to God." God opens men's hearts by