5. Spiritual aversations as well as spmtual inclinations speak a spiritual life. Every creature hath an aversation to that which is noxious and destructive to it. Now there is nothing so destructive and dangerous to the spiritual life as sin ; that is the deadly poison which the renewed soul dreads^ Psal. xix. 13. " Keep back thy " servant also from presumptuous sins." It cries out as a man that finds himself upon the brink of a pit, or edge of a precipice : Keep back thy servant. Such aversations to sin, and tremblings under temptations tending thereunto, are a comfortable sign Christ hath spoken life Ito thy soul.
Lastly^ Heavenly tendencies and propensions after God are an excellent sign thy soul hath heard his voice, and been quickened with spiritual life by it. Sanctification is a well of water springing up into everlasting life, John iv. S!4. If thou hast seen the beauty, felt the power, and heard the voice of Christ, thy soul like an ur- centered body, will be still propending, gravitating, and inclining Christward. When thou hast once heard this eiFectual call. Matt, xi. 28. Come 2tnto me, thy soul will be continually echoing with the spouse. Rev. xxii. 17. " Come Lord Jesus, the Spirit and the bride " say come, and let him that heareth say come."" A sweeter sign of thy hearing Christ"'s voice can hardly be found in a soul of man, than restless longing to be with Christ in the state of perfect freedom from sin, and full fruition of the beloved and blessed Je- sus.
Rev. iii. 20. If any man hear my voice ^ [and open the door.]
A HE powerful voice of Christ is the key that opens the door of the soul to receive him. The opening of the heart to receive Christ is the main design aimed at in all the external and internal admini- strations of the gospel and Spirit.
Tiie gospel hath two great designs and intentions. One is to open the heart of God to men, and to shew them the everlasting counsels of grace and peace which were hid in God from ages and generations past : that all men may now see what God hath been designing and contriving for their happiness in Christ before the world was ; Ephes. iii. 9- " To make all men see what is the fel- " lov/ship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world " hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, " to the intent that now unto the principahties and powers iii '^ heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold *' wisdom of God.*"" The next intention and aim of the gospel is, to set open the hearts of man to receive Jesus Christ, without which all the glorious discoveries of the eternal counsels and gracious con- trivances of God for and about us, would signify nothing to our real advantage. Christ's standing, knocking, and speaking by his Spiiit (of which we have before treated) receive their success, and attam their end, when the heart opens itself by faith to receive him, aad not till then. Hence note,
Doct. 9. That tlie opening of the heart to receive Christy hyfaithy is the great design and aim of the gospel.
This is the mark to which all the aiTows in the gospel-quiver are levelled; the centre into which those blessed lines are drawn. John XX. 31. " These things are written that you might believe, " and, believing, miglit have life through his name."*' All those precious truths that are written in the scriptures are to bring you to faith. The great aim of the Spirit in his illuminations, convic- tions, humiliations, &c. are tlie very same thing, John vi. 29. " This is the work of God, that you believe.'" It is not only Opn,s Deo dig?iii7n, a work worthy of such an author, but it is that on which God's eye is fixed in his workings upon us ; the end and aim of his work.
Great persons have great designs. This is the glorious project of the great God, and every person in the Godhead is engaged and concerned in it. (1.) The Father hath his hand in this work, and such a hand as without it no heart could ever open or move in the least towards Christ ; John vi. 44. " No man can come unto " me (saith Christ) except the Father which hath sent me draw " him.'' None but he that raised up Christ from the dead can raise up a dead heart unto saving faith in him. (2.) The Son's hand is in this work, he is not only the object, but the author of our faith, 1 John v. 20. " We know that the Son of God is come, '' and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that " is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus
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*' Christ, "this is the true God, and eternal Hfe.'' (3 ) And tliert for the Spirit^ he comes from heaven designedly and expressly to convince sinners of their need of Christ, and heget faith in them, Johri xvi. 9. So that this apjx^ars to he the great design of heaven, the drift and level both of the wofd and works of God. Touching this design of the gospel, I shall here speak, endeavouring to o}x?ri this great and glorious project of heaven in the ensuing properties of it ; which are,
1. The greatness of it.
2. The difficulty of it.
3. The instruments employed in it.
4. The scope and aim of it. And,