Say not it is against reason for God to require men to do what tliey cannot, and then damn them for not doing it. For, (1.) though man hath lost his abilitv to obey, yet God hath not lost his right to command. For at that rate any man might shake off the yoke of God's sovereignty by disabling himself through his own sin, for the duties of obedience. (2.) Though man hath not sufficient power, yet there is in him an intolerable pride, which puffs him up with a conceit that he hath what he hath not, and can do what he cannot. The command is therefore of great use to check this pride, and convince man of his impotency. Rev.
iii. 17. (3.) Every man can do more than he doth towards his own conversion. And therefore it is good for men to be urged by the commands to all those duties, in the use and observance whereof Christ ordinarily comes into the soul, by a suj)ernatural power.
III. Use^Jvr Exhortation.
This voice gives a loud call to all that are within the sound of the gospel, especially to such as begin to feel some power accom- panying the word to their hearts, diligently to hearken to the voice of Christ, and obey his first call without further delay ; Rev. ii. 7. " He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.^"' It is a dreadful and dangerous thing to turn away tlie ear from him that speaks from heaven ; Heb. xii. 25. " See that ye refuse not him that *' speaketh ; for if they escaped not that refused him that spake *' on earth, much more shall we not escape, if we turn away from *' him that speaks from heaven.'" See that ye refuse not. The caution implies the matter to be very weighty, and a neglect or re- fusal in this matter, to be highly dangerous. Turn not away your ear, be not guilty of the least aversion, slight, or neglect, in so great or imjx)rtant a concern. And truly this caution is no more than needs ; for Satan is never more busy with the souls of men than when Christ gives them their first call to himself
O what a thick succession of discouragements do impetuously assault the soul at this time \ Art thou young ? Then he insinuates that it is too soon for thee to mind the serious things of religion. This will extinguish all thy pleasure in a dull melancholy ; thou mayest have time enough hereafter to mind these matters. This temptation Augustine confesseth kept him off many years from Christ. But certainly, if thou art old enough to be damned, thou art not too young to mind Christ and salvation. There are graves just of thy length, and abundance of young sprigs^ as well as old logs burning in heU-flames. Besides, all those godly young ones which turned to the Lord betimes, as Josiah, Abijah, Timothy and many more, will be your judges, and condemn you in tlie great rlay. Never any repented that they opened to Christ too soon : Thousands have repented that they kept him out so long. Art thou old i then he scares thee .with the manifold sins of thy youth, and rolls them as blocks in thy way to Christ. And whether young or old, he will be sure to present the sufferings, reproaches, and persecutions of godliness, to discourage thee from hearkening to the voice of Christ:. But what are the sufferings for Christ here, to those sufferings from Christ hereafter ? What are the pains of mortification to the pains of damnation 't Besides, all the promises of Christ, promises of strength, comfort, success, S:c. go along with
the command of Christ to believe, and shall surely be performed to the obedient soul. See therefore that thou refuse not his voice.
But you will say, all that hear this spiritual voice of Christ are said to live, John v. S5. Now I am much in the dark whether ever this vital voice of Christ liath sounded into my soul. Alas ! I feel little of dny thing of the spiritual hfe in my soul. I am dead and dark.
Quest. By what sig^ns doth the life of Christ discover itself in the souls of men?
Anszv. I answer, there dre diverse signs of spiritual life, and blessed is the soul that finds thenl-
1. There is a spiritual sense and feeling flowing from, and ac- companying the spiritual life. I speak not only of the sense and feeling of comfort, for many a soul that is in Christ, feels little of that ; but certainly, there is a sense and feeling of the burdensome- ness of sin, Rom. vli. 24. And it is well that we can feel that ; for there are multitudes in the world that are past feeling, Isa. vi. 9, 10. It is a sign Christ hath spoken to thy heart, if sorrows for sin begin to load it:
2. Spiritual motions towards Clirist are a sign of spiritual life : at least, that God is about that quickening work of faith upon thy soul, John vi. 45. " Every man that hath heard and learned of th6 '' Father cometh unto me."" The effectual voice of God sets the soul in motion towai'ds Chnst ; the Mall is moving after him ; the desires are panting for him. The voice of God makes the soul that hears it restless. As for others, their wills are fixed, there is no tnoving of them, John v. 40. Now consider how it is with thee, reader : Art thou one that art weighing and pondering the terms of the gospel, strugghng through discouragements and temptations to come to Christ upon his o^^^^ terms, lifting up thy heart to him for power to believe, crying with the spouse. Draw me, I will run after thee f This is a comfortable sign Christ hath spoken to thy heart.
3. A spirit of prayer is an evidence of spiritual life, as the effect of Christ's voice to thy soul. As soon as ever Christ hath spoken effectually unto Paul's heart, the first effect that appeared in him as a sign of spiritual life, was prayer-breath. Acts ix. 11. Behold he prayeth ! God hath no still-born children. Measure thyself by this rule : Time was, when thou couldst sav a prayer, and wert very well satisfied with it, whether thou hadst anv communion with God in it or no; but is it so still .^ Is there not a holy restlessness of spirit after God, since the time that his word came home to thy
Treart ? Surely thou canst remember when it was not with thee as it is now.
4. There is a spiritual relish, a divine gust resulting from the spiritual life, which is also evidential of it ; Omnis vita gustu duci- tur. If God have spoken life to thy soul, there will be in it an agreeable pleasure and delight in spiritual things, Psal. Ixiii. 5. " My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,"" &c. Now tliy thoughts can feed with pleasure upon spiritual things which they nauseated before.