(1.) Hereby the freeness of his grace is vindicated. None can now pretend that any earthly excellency commends any man to God, or that the favour of heaven is engaged by the same motived that the respects of this world are : For now you see the truth of that scripture, Job xxxiv. 19- before your eyes, " He accepteth " not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than " the poor ; for they are all the work of his hands." Earthly riches and honours, as empty things as they are, yet are too much idolized by men : What would they be, could they procure our favour and acceptance with the Lord .? (2.) By such a choice as this the Lord plainly shews us, that religion needs not worldly props to support it. As at first it was spread by the power of God in the world, by poor contemptible men, so it is still upheld with- out human policy or riches. The church is called the Congregation ofthepoor^ Psal. Ixxiv. 20. The Lord will have us know, that he is able to maintain and carry on his counsels in the world, without the wealth of rich men, the authority of great men, or the poli- cies of wise men ; he needs them not. (3.) By this choice he pours contempt upon those things which are most admired among men : So he tells us, 1 Cor. i. 27. " God hath chosen the foohsh things
" of the world to confound the wise ; and the weak things of the " world to confound the things that are mighty."" And, certain- ly, shame and confusion of face will cover the great ones of this world in the world to come, when they shall see these poor Chris- tians whom they contemned and scorned upon earth, as not worthy to come into their presence, to be so infinitely preferred before them in the favour of God. In a word, this efficacious spiritual voice bf Christ is directed but to a few, even of the many that sit within the sound and call of the gospel, Matth. xxii. 14. " Many are called, " but few are chosen." Christ's flock is a little flock. There be many birds of prey to one h'lrd of paradise : Many coioimon pebbles to one sapphh'e or diamond. It is not for Us to dispute the reason^ but to adore the sovereignty of God in this matter. And of those few whom he calleth, the greatest part is of the lower rank and order of men. The glitter and dazzle of this world blinds the eyes of the greatest. Extremity of pinching wants diverts the minds of the very lowest ; but, betwixt these two extremes there is a third sort of persons whom the Lord most usually calls.
Fifthly^ If it be queried why the voice and call of Christ should be directed to this person rather than to that .? Certainly, it is not from any dignity or excellency outward or inward, that Christ sees in one above another ; for all are shut up under the same common sin and misery of the fall ; and therefore the apostle told the Ephesians, who had heard and answered the voice of Christ, " that *' they were by nature the children of wrath even as others," Eph. ii. 3. if it were not so, man would have something to glory in before God; but Christ resolves this whole dispensation into its proper cause, the good pleasure of the Divine will. Mat. xi. 26. " Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." This good pleasure of the will of God sometimes orders those to hear the voice of his Son, that seem to stand at a far greater distance and improbability to hear it than others do. It is said of the Ephesians, that they were afar off, Ephes. ii. 13. yet they heard the voice of Christ, when that discreet scribe, Mark xii. 34. who was not far from the kingdom of God, and Agrlppa, Acts xxvi. 28. who al- most, or within a very Httle, was persuaded to be a Christian, never heard it; therefore it is said, Matth. viii. 11, 12. " Many shall " come from the cast and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, " and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : But the chil- " dren of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness." O marvellous dispensation ! many a poor soul under the greatest dis- advantages, a poor servant that hath but little time, and multitudes of incumbrances ; yet such a one is often called effectually by this voice of Christ; when those that enjoy multitudes of opportunities, and have abundance of time lying upon their hands wliich they
know not what to do with ; wlio have the choicest books at com- mand, yet hear nothing, and feel notliing amidst all these advan-^ tages to any purpose ; all this is wholly to be resolved into the good pleasure of the will of God;
Sixthly, In the next place, let us view the effects of this voice of Christ upon the souls of men, and we shall find divers remarkable effects wrought upon the heart by it.
I. Efftct: And the first effect of the voice of Christ, is ccmvictiort upon the conscience ; conviction both of sin and misery, John xvi. 9. " The Spirit when he cometh, shall convince the world of sin." This is a voice of terror ; it strikes dead the vain hopes of a sinner, Rom. vii. 9. Now the soul that was before secure and quiet, be- comes the seat of trouble and anxiety. It is true, there was a general conviction of sin before, they knew that all are sinners; that they denied not. But alas ! this general conviction is quite anotlier thing to what the soul feels now ; now it can shift and wave the matter no longer. This voice of Christ " shews them ** their iniquities, and how they have exceeded,'' as the expression is. Job xxxvi. 8, 9. exceeded in number, and exceeded in heinous- ness of aggravation. A general conviction of sin affects a man no more than the sight of a painted lion upon a sign post ; but when a particular conviction is set home upon the conscience, by this spe- cial inward voice of Christ, sin is then like a living lion, meeting a man in the way, and roaring dreadfully upon him. This is the first effect of Christ's voice, and is introdftctive unto the,