So there is this to encourage a man, there is God's command, and his sweet invitation, ' Come unto me.' And add to that his beseeching, ' We are ambassadors in Christ's name, to beseech j'ou to be reconciled to God,' 2 Cor. V. 20, to come to Christ, to come out of the state of nature, and out of the curse of God that you are under, to come out of the uncertain condi- tion that the world atibrds. We beseech you to be reconciled to God, to cast aw-ay your weapons whereby you are enemies to God ; he seeks to you for your love. And if you have nothing, come and buy without money ; have you a will to come ? If you be besotted, and will continue in your estate, then be damned, and rot in your estate ; but if you will, ' come and drink of the waters of life freely,' Rev. xxi. 6.
Let none be discouraged : Christ and the promises are open to all. Therefore how will God's vengeance be justified at the day of judgment, when these coixrses have been taken, and yet men will not come in ? As Christ said to the Jews, ' You wall not believe in me, that you might have life,' John v. 40. Men will not. Men are in love with the profits and pleasures and ftxding things : they will not embrace the promises that are ' yea and amen,' It is nothing but wilful rebellion that keeps men off, that rather than they will leave their sins, and come under the government of Christ, they will reject the ofiers of mercy ; if they cannot have Chiist with their sins, away mercy. If they can have him to lead them to hell, to swear, and cozen, &c., then welcome Christ : if he will come on those terms, he is welcome ; but rather than they will have him upon his own terms, they reject him.
So there is great reason for God to justify the damnation of wretched hard-hearted persons, that rather than they wdll alter their course, they will reject mercy, and Christ, and all. If they may have half Christ, they will. They will have him with mercy to forgive them, but they will not have whole Christ as a King to govern them. So there is ground for those that are not yet in the state of grace to come to Christ. If they will receive him upon his own terms, to take him as a King as well as a Priest, to take him as a King to rule them, as well as a Priest to reconcile them to his Father. Nay, God, as I said, in the ministry entreats them to receive Christ, to cast away the weapons of their rebellion, to come under his government, and all shall be well with them.
But for them that are in Christ, that have embraced and clasped him in some comfortable measure, what comfort is it for them that all the pro- mises in Christ are ' yea and amen ?'
2 COEINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 20. 401
I answer, when we are once in Christ, and beheve in Christ, all the Scrip- ture speaks comfoi't to us. If we come in, and receive him as he is oifered, upon his tei-ms, to be our governor, our king, our priest, and prophet, then all the promises are ' yea and amen' to us.
As for instance, forgiveness of sins : if we receive Christ, God will forgive us our sins, and be reconciled to us for Jesus Christ's sake. ' We have an advocate with the Father, and he is the propitiation for our sins,' 1 John ii. 2. ' The blood of Christ shall cleanse us from all sins,' 1 John i. 7. These promises shall be ' yea and amen' to thee ; if thy sins trouble thee, they shall be done away. How many promises to this pui'pose have we of the forgiveness of sins !
Again, if so be thou find want of grace, all the promises in Christ are ' yea and amen.' He hath promised his Holy Spirit to them that ask him, Luke xi. 13. There is a promise shall be ' yea and amen,' if thou beg it. He hath promised the fundamental graces. ' He will put his fear in our hearts, that we shall never depart from him,' Jer. xxxii. 40. * He will teach us to love one another,' John xiii. 34. You are taught of God to love one another. He hath promised private blessings in this kind, ' to circum- cise, and cut ofl' the foreskin of our hearts,' Jer. iv. 4. If a naughty and stony heart vex thee, ' he will take away that and give thee an heart of flesh,' Ezek. xi. 19, a tender heart. So these promises in Christ shall be * yea and amen,' if we apply and believe them, to take away our corruption, and subdue that ; and to give and plant graces, — he hath promised to do this. Therefore make use of them, not only of the promises of pardon and forgiveness of sins, but of grace necessary.
Ai-t thou sensible of thy imperfections, that thou canst not go about the duties of religion, and of thy particular calling ? What saith Moses ? ' Who gives a mouth ?' Exod. iv. 11. Is it not God that gives a mouth ? And, ' Be not afraid,' saith Christ, ' you shall have speech,' Mark xiii. 11, and a spirit given you that all shall not be able to withstand. Be not afraid, God that calls us he will enable us.