Doct. 10. That Christ will certainly come into the soul that opens to him ; and will not come empty-Jutnded, but will bring rich entertainment with him. I will come in to him, and sup with him.
When the prodigal (the emblem of a convert) returned to his father, Luke xv. 22. his father not only received, but adorned and feasted him. In opening this point, I shall shew.
First, What Chrises coming into the soul intends.
Secondly, How it appears Christ will come in to the opening soul.
Thirdly, What thai rich entertainment is he brings 'with him.
Fourthly, Why he thus entertains the soul that receives him and opens to him.
First, What Chrisfs combing in to the soul intends ; and in gene- ral I must say, this is a great mystery, which will not be fully Xmderstood till we come to heaven ; John xiv. 20. " At that day " you shall know thati am in my Father, and you in me, and I in " you." Then the essential union of Christ and his Father, and the mystical union between believers and Christ, will be more clearly understood than we are capable to understand them in this imperfect state : yet for the present so much is discovered, as may justly astonish poor sinners at the marvellous condescension of the Lord Jesus to them. More particularly, this expression, / will come in to hijn, imports no less than his uniting such a soul to him- self; for he comes in with a design to dwell in that soul by faith, Eph. iii. 17. to make such a man a mystical member of his body, flesh and bones, Eph. v. 30. which is the highest honour the soul of man is capable of. Indeed this coming of Christ into the soul of a sinner, doth not make him one j^^^son with Christ : that is the singular honour to which our nature is advanced by the hypostati- cal union : But this makes a person mystically one with Christ ; and though it be beneatli the hypostatical union^ yet it is more than a mere fcederal union. Chrisfs coming into the soul, signifies more than his coming into covenant with it, for it is the taking of such a person into a mystical union with himself, by the imparting of his Spirit unto him. As the vital sap of the stock coming into the graft, makes it one with the stock, John xv. 15. so the coming of Christ's Spirit into the soul, makes it a member of his mystical body ; and this is a glorious supernatural work of God, 1 Cor. i. 30. most honourable, most comfortable, and for ever sure and indissoluble ; as I have elsewhere * more fully shewed.
Secondly.^ I shall evidence the truth and certainty of this most comfortable point, that Christ will come in, and that with singular refreshments and comforts, to every soul that hears his voice and opens to him. No present unworthiness, or former rebellions shall bar out Christ, or obstruct his entrance into such a soul. What- ever thou hast been or done ; all that notwithstanding, Christ will come in to thee, and dwell \rith thee, and make thy soul an habita- tion for himself through the Spirit, Eph. ii. 22. I say, let thy heart be open to him, and he will both fill and feast thee, with a non ob- stante ^ as to all thy former miscarriages.
I know it is the common discouragement that multitudes of convinced humbled sinners he under, who seeing so much vileness
in their natures and practices, cannot be persuaded that ever the Lord Jesus will cast an eye of favour on them, much less take up his abode in them. What, dwell in such a heart as mine, which hath been an liabitation of devils, a sink, a puddle of sin from my beginning ! this is hard to be believed ; but, sinner, thou hast the word of a King from heaven for it, a word whose credit has never failed from the first moment it was spoken, that whatever thy for- mer* or present vileness or unworthiness hath been, or is, he will not be shy of such a soul as thou art, if tho,u be but willing to open to him. Thy great unworthiness shall be no bar to his union with thee. " If any man open, I will come in to him," &c. For,
1. If personal unworthiness were sufficient to bar Christ out of thy soul, it would equally bar him out of all the souls in the world : for all are unworthy as well as thyself Wherever Christ finds sinfulness, he finds unworthiness ; and to be sure he finds this wherever he comes. Christ never expected to find worthiness in thee, but it highly pleases him to find thee under a becoming sense of thy pergonal unworthiness, Jer. iii. 13. " Only acknow* " ledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord *' thy God," &c. The returning prodigal acknowledged to his father, " I am not worthy to be called thy son," Luke xv. 18, 19. But this did not bar his access to, or hinder his acceptance by his father. All that come to God to be justified, must see and confess their own vileness, and come to him as one that justifieth the un- godly, Rom. iv. 5.
2. Thy former vileness and present unworthiness can be no bar to Christ's entrance, because it can be no surprise to him. He knew thou wast an unworthy soul when he made the first overture of grace and reconciliation to thee; and if thy unworthiness hindered not the beginning of his treaty with thee, it shall not hinder the closing and finisting act thereof in his union with thee. *' I knew that thou wast a transgressor from the womb," Isa. xlvii. 8.
3. Christ never yet came into any soul where Satan had not the possession before him. Every soul in which Christ now dwells, was once in Satan's power and possession. Acts xxvi. 18. " To turn " them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to " God." So Luke xi. 21, 22. " When a strong man armed keepeth " his palace, his goods are in peace : but when a stronger than " he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from " him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoil."
4. Thy present vileness and unworthiness can be no bar to Christ's entrance into thy soul, because Christ never yet objected to any man his unworthiness, but his unwillingness to come unt<r
him ; John v. 40. " You will not come unto me, that you might " have life."" And again, Mat. xxiii. 37. " How oft would I have " gatliered thy children, and ye would not ?"" Indeed, you find something like a repulse from Christ to that poor Canaanitess, Mat. XV. 24, 26. " Lord, help me," said that poor distressed soul ; " but he answered and said, it is not meet to take the children's " bread, and to cast it to dogs." However harshly and discou- ragingly these words sound, yet certainly it was none of Christ's intent to damp and discourage her faith, but to draw it forth to a more excellent and intense degree: which effect is produced, ver. 27.