their own righteousness to their own ruin : There is a gross and a more refined self-righteousness ; the one more palpable and easily liable to conviction, the other much harder to be discovered and cured. Ask some men upon what their hopes of salvation are grounded ? and they will tell you, they are just in their dealings with men, and constant in their prayers to God, that is all, and therefore they doubt not of their salvation : Thus they substitute a righteousness of their own, in the room of Christ's blood, and are their own destroyers by seeking this way to be their own saviours. But then there is a more refined way of self-righteousness, drest up with such pretences of humility, that men are hardly to be con- vinced of it. I pity many poor souls upon this account, who stand off from Christ, dare not believe because they want such and such qualifications to fit them for Christ. O saith one, could I find so much brokenness of heart for sin, so much reformation and power over corruptions, then I could come to Christ ; the meaning of which is this, if I could bring a price m my hand to purchase him, then I should be encouraged to go unto him. Here now lies honible pride covered over with a veil of great humility : Poor sinner, either come naked and empty-handed, according to Isa. Iv. 1. Rom, iv. 5. or expect a repulse ; for Christ is not the saUy but the gift of God.
Mark 6. Lastly, whatever soul opens savingly to Christ, it opens finally and everlastingly to him ; the heart once opened to Christ, must stand open for ever to him, never to shut out Christ any more. And here is a very observable difference betwixt a man that comes to Christ, in a sudden fright of conscience, and parts with him again when that fright is over; and a man that receiveth Christ not to sojourn, but to dwell in his heart by faith, Eph. iii. 17. When Christ comes into the heart, he saith. Here will I dwell for ever ; and Lord, saith the soul, so I receive thee ; this is the day of union, O let me never know a day of separation ; let it never be in the power of life or death, angels, principalities, or powers, things present or to come, to make a separation betwixt thee and me. Soul, saith Christ, thou shalt be mine whilst I am in heaven ; and Lord, saith the soul, I will be thine whilst I am on earth. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, saith Christ : O my Lord, saith the soul, hold me fast in thy hand, that I may never leave nor forsake thee ; my estate, liberty, and life, may, and must go ; but it is in the fixed purpose of my heart never, never to let thee go. The espousals betwixt Christ and the soul are for ever, Hos. ii. 19. "I will betroth thee unto me for ever, yea, for ever." And here lies another great difference betwixt the hyjx)crite that takes Christ with a politic reserve, that will venture with Christ at ^ea no farther tlian he can see the shore ; and the upright heart
that embarks itself with Christ without reserves, come what will ; that saith to him, as Ittai to David, when persuaded to go back in a time of danger ; nay, saith he, where my Lord Jesus Christ is, whether it be in liberty or in prison, in life or in death, there also wiU I be. Flesh may persuade to a retreat , nay, saith the soul, I cannot retreat ; but wherever the truths of Christ, the interest and glory of Christ are, there also must I be ; for upon these terms I first received him, and opened the door of my heart to him. These things are no surprises to me, Christ and I have debated them long g^go ; he dealt fairly with me, and I must deal faithfully with him. Now, brethren, view over these six trials : Have your eyes been opened to see sin in its vileness, Christ in his beauty and necessity ? Have your hearts been pricked and wounded with compunction ^nd sorrow for sin ? Are the loves and delights of sin gone out of your souls ? Have you no exceptions either to the cross or yoke of Clirist ? Have you given up all your own righteousness, whether gross or refined, for dung and di'oss, and received Christ for ever ? Then thy heart is savingly opened to him.
The last use that closeth this point, will be consolation to all those whose hearts the Lord hath thus opened to receive Christ at his knocks and calls of the gospel.
Hath God indeed opened any of your hearts, and made you sincerely willing to receive Christ ? then there are ten sweet con- solations, like so many boxes of precious ointment to be pour- ed forth, in the close of this discourse, upon every such soul. And the
First Consolation shall be this : The opening of any man's heart to receive Christ, is a clear, sohd scripture-evidence of the Lord's eternal love to, and setting apart that man for himself from all eternity. I do not say, that every man, whose heart is opened by faith, is thereupon immediately assured and satisfied that God hath chosen him to salvation : But whether he apprehend it or not, the thing in itself is certain and real : Consult 1 Thes. i. 4, 5. ^' Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God ; for our ^' gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in ^' the Holy Ghost," S^c. Their election of God was the thing to be proved ; but alas, might they say, who can know that but God alone ? It is among the divine secrets ; yes, saith the apostle, we know it, and by this we know it : for our gospel came not unto you in an empty sound, but in mighty efllicacy, effectually opening your hearts to believe. A more clear and certain evidence of your flection cannot be given in tliis world. Look again into Rom. viii.
SO. " Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; <' and whom he called, them he also justified ; and whom he '< justified, them he also glorified.'"*
There are two great and ravishing truths cleared in this scripture; the one is this, that the whole number of the called, upon earth, is taken out of such as were predestinated to hfe before the world was. The other is this, that as the whole number of the glorified saints in heaven, is made up of souls called and justified upon earth ; so the called soul, that is, the soul that savingly opens to Christ by faith, may, from that work of the spirit upon him, solidly reason backward to God's electing love before all time ; and forward to his glorification with God, when time shall be no more.
O how strong is the consolation flowing out of this glorious work of the Spirit upon our hearts ! that is one thing.