Plea 1. Let me plead tkine own necessity with thee; a mighty argument ; which in other cases useth to make its ways througn all oppositions, and make all difficulties fly before it ; thou art a poor necessitous, pining, famishing soul ; l:ov/ever thy body be accommo- dated, thou hast not one bit of spiritual bread for thy famishing soul to live upon. Christ is the bread that cometh down from heaven. The atarxmg prodigal f Luke xv. 16, 17. is the lively emblem of thy soul ; he feeds upon husks, and thou feedest upon that which is not bread, Isa. Iv. 2. Thou ai't wretched and miserable, poor, blind, and naked, Rev. iii. 1 7. Thy body hath often been filled and re- freshed ^vith the good creatures of God, but thy soul never tasted one bit of spiritual bread since it came into thy ]3ody ; it never relished the sweetness of a pardon, the deliciousness of a promise, the joy and comfort of Christ ; the choicest food that ever thou tasted, was such as thy soul cannot live upon.
Plea 2. Christ is at the door of thy soul with plenty and variety of heavenly comforts, costly dainties, purchased by his blood ; if thou wilt but open to him, " Thou shalt be abundantly satisfied with " the fatness of his house, and drink of the rivers of his pleasure,'' Psal. xxxvi. 7, 8. " He that believeth," as the scripture hath said, " out of his belly shall flow rivers of hving water," John vii. 88. meaning the graces and comforts of the Spirit.
Plea 3. If Christ be put off and refused now, you may never taste of those invaluable mercies for ever, Luke xiv. 24. " For I say unto '^ you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my " supper." They were bidden, invited to this feast, and so are you ; they refused to come, God grant you may not ; for methinks this sentence of Christ, " Those men which were bidden shall not taste of " my supper," is like a sentence upon a malefactor that is to be hanged in chains, and whom the law permits none to relieve. O, it will be dreadful to see the saints sitting at the royal feast in heaven, and yourselves shut out as a company of starving beggars standing in the streets, and about the doors where the marriage-supper is kept; they see the lights, they behold the rich dishes carried up, they hear tJie mirth and music of the guests, but not a bit comes to their share.
Plea 4i. The refusal of Christ's invitation, as it is the greatest of all sins, so it will be avenged with the sorest wrath and greatest
punishment ; it is said of those guests that were bidden, Mat. xxii. 5. that they made hght of it, but it fell heavy upon them, ver. 7. " He was wroth, and sent forth his armies and destroyed those " murderers, and burnt up their city.'' Have a care of making hght of Christ.
Plea 5. Wliat hght and vain things are all those pleasures of sin, for the sake wliereof you deprive your souls of the everlasting comforts of Jesus Christ ? Deluded soul, it is not the intent of Christ to rob thee of thy comfort, but to exchange thy sinful for spiritual delights, to thy unspeakable advantage. It is true, you sliall have no more pleasure in sin, but instead of that you shall have peace with God, joy in die Holy Ghost, and solid comi'orts for evermore. What are the sensitive or sinful pleasures of the world .^ You have the total sum of them in 1 John ii. 16, 17. " All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the " eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the " world. And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof; but " he that doth the will of God abideth for ever."
Quest. But how may a poor, unregenerate soul he prevailed w'ltli to make such a blessed exchange, to part with the pleasures of' sin in exchange for the comforts of Jesus Christ ?
Answer. Besides all that hath been offered before, let n\e briefly add these three following directions and counsels to such a $ouI.
1. Labour to see and feel thy need of Christ, and then thou wilt quickly be willing to give up all the pleasures of sin for the enjoyment of him. What makes men so tenacious of their lusts, so hard to be persuaded to give up their sinful pleasures, but this, that they never felt the need of a Saviour ! Oh, sinner, didst thou but feel thy need of Christ, wert thou but hungry and thirsty for him, thou wouldst never stand upon such trifles for the enjoyment of him. We read, in the famine of Jerusalem, how they parted with their pleasant things for bread to relieve their souls ; jewels, rings, bracelets, things which cost dear, and were highly valued at another time, now were willingly parted with for bread. Christ is more necessary to thee than thy necessary bread.
2. Consider the spii'itual and immortal nature of thine own soul, which cannot live upon material things, and must over-live all temporary things. Now if thy soul cannot live upon them, and must certainly over-live them ; what a miserable condition will it unavoidably fall into, when all these sensual, and sinful enjoy- ments are vanished and gone, as thou knowest they shortly will be ? 1 John ii. 17. " These things pass away :'' and then hath thy soul nothing to live upon to all eternity.
3. Hearken to the reports and experiences of the saints, who
have tried both sorts of pleasures, which you never did : They have tried the pleasures of sin, and they have tasted the pleasures of C!irist, and so are best able to make a true judgment upon both ; and they have accordingly determined, " That one glimpse " of the light of God's countenance, puts more gladness into their " hearts, Uian in the time that their corn and their wine in- " creased,"' Psal. iv. 7. Nay, the wisest Christians, upon trial of both, have rightly determined. That the worst things in religion are infimiehj to he preferred to the best things belonging to sin ; the very sufferings and afflictions of the people of God, have been pronoun- ced better than the pleasures of sin f err a season^ Heb. xi. 25. Could, you but see with th>^ir eyes, and were you but capable of making a right judgment as they did, there needed not a word more to be said to persuade you to let go your most pleasant, and profitable lusts, in exchange for Christ and his beneficial, comfortable sufferings.
SecoiidJy^ The point affords variety of counsels and exhortations to the regenerate, who liave opened their wills to Christ, and are thereupon admitted into this comfortable state.
It is found, in experience, a difficult thing for a soul, after conversion, to bear and duly manage their own comforts, as it v/as to bear and rightly manage their troubles at conversion. My business here is to advise souls, under their first comforts and feel- ings r.f the Spirit, how to manage and improve their spiritual com- forts, that they may abide with them, and be growing things con- tinually in their souls.
Advice 1. And first. See that you humbly admire and adore the condescending goodness of God to you, in all the comforts of the SjKi it which refresh you.