Faith fees the greateft love, the fweeteft kindnefs; and this melts the heart. No doubt, the prodigal was more melted and broken, by his father's embracing of him fo kindly, than by all his former miferies. What! art thou embracing me, a ftubborn child, and unworthy fpendthrift! So Chrift comes in the gofpel, faying, Come thou, poor finner, that haft done evil as thou couldeft; though thou haft wronged me, and my Spirit, and my Father, and thyfelf, yet come and I will get you a pardon for all that; fear not, I will be thine to fave thee; my blood thine, to wath thee; my righteoufnefs thine, to juftify thee; my Spirit thine, to fanctify thee. O this melts the heart! What! is this for me, guilty me, rebellious me! Yea, it is for thee gracioufly and freely! O! how doth the foul now diffolve into tears! 6. Objection is drawn from fear that the day of grace is gone. Alas! I have refufed many calls, invitations, and offers, in fo much that Chrift will not regard me! I have often flighted the gofpel-offer, trampled on this precious blood; and with what confidence can I now claim it? Anf. It is to be hoped, that while you have this call, yet to receive Christ, that now is the accepted time, now is the day of falvation; if your former refufals of Chrift have not yet been malicious and deceitful, but rather timerarious and inadvertant, which though a grievous fin, yet not unpardonable: and now, fince Chrift doth not yet exclude you from the gospeloffer, why do you exclude yourselves? The more you have refufed his offer formerly, the more you have need of a pardon. You should go to God, as David, saying, Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great. This would indeed be a strange argument with man, Pardon my crime, for it is great; but it is a strong argument with God: Lord, it is great, and fo I have more need of a pardon; it is great, and fo thou wilt have great honour in pardoning: even as a phyfician hath in curing a defperate difeafe. The finning againft Chrift's blood, or flighting it, is indeed a heinous fin; but the more heinous it is, the more need you have to haften to this blood, as the only fountain that can wash away the guilt of trampling upon it. Nay, though you had fhed this blood, as the Jews did, yet you are welcome to come to it for mercy: fee the commiffion that Chrift gives to his apoftles, Luke xxiv. 46, 47. “Preach repentance, and remiffion, in his name, to all nations, and begin at Jerufalem." O! why at Jerufalem, where he was mocked, pierced, crucified? Nay, begin there; for they have moft need of my blood to wath them. If any thing could alienate Christ's heart from finners, furely the confideration of their crucifying of him, and ufing him fo deceitfully, might have done it; yea, fays he, go make offer of my blood and mercy to thefe my murderers; and accordingly, it was done by Peter, Acts ii. and many of them got this blood applied to them. Again, 7. Objection is drawn from the long continuance in fin. I am an old finner; my fins are of very long ⚫ continuance; I have remained long in the grave of fin and I am juft an old rotten finner.' Anfw. I fear there are fome old finners here very near to hell and damnation; the devil hath got the prime of their age, and he is likely to get the dregs. Oh! if gofpel-grace would draw you, I would let down the cord of love, by telling you, that, though your fins be old, yet they are not fo old as Chrift's mercies, which are everlasting mercies. It is not the firft old diftemper that Chrift hath cured; he raised Lazarus with a word, though he had been four days in the grave: he ftopt a bloody iffue, with the hem of his garment, that had run twelve years: he loofed a poor woman, whom Satan had bound eighteen years he cured an impotent man that had an infirmity thirty years: and, can he not eafily cure all your old foul-diftempers? He received thofe that came at the eleventh hour: he received fome that came at the laft hour; particularly the thief on the crofs, whom the devil thought he was fure of, having drawn him the length of the mouth of hell, juft ready to caft him in; yet, even then, upon his look to Chrift, did the arms of mercy take hold of him. This is encouragement to you to look to him. 8. Objection is drawn from a doubt or jealousy about our right to receive Chrift. Oh! fays one, though • Chrift 'Chrift can fave me, yet I have no right to receive him though his blood is fufficient to wash me, yet I have no right to it.' Anfw. You have a full right and warrant, from the very call of the gospel, to fly to it fee what Chrift enjoins minifters to do, Mark xvi. 15. "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature:" Make offer of me and my blood to all, without diftinction; whatever be their age, fex, or circumftances; man, woman, and child. Let no children hearing me, think they are too young to be included in this call to come to Chrift: nay, the gospel is preached to you as well as to old folk: you may die in your youth; and if you die without Chrift, you will perith as well as old Chriftlefs perfons. "Preach the gofpel to every creature;" even to the worft of finners: every creature, be they never fo wicked; even though they have finned themfelves into the likeness of beafts or devils; yet, if they be creatures, offer my blood, my mercy, my merit, my righteoufnefs to them: invite and prefs them to come. to me and receive me; and," Him that cometh, I will in no wife caft out." O finner, let the gofpel offer be accepted: and you fhall find, whatever you have been, that there is mercy enough in God's bowels to pity you; merit enough in Chrift's blood to pardon you; and power enough in his interceffion to procure and apply it to you. Lock to him for a fhare of this grace offered to you; and receive not the grace of God in vain. 9. Objection is drawn from the power of fin. Alas! 'I find fin to be ftrong in me; how fhould I believe or ( receive Chrift? none have fuch an abominable heart; 'furely the Lord will loath me.' Anfw. That as a fenfe of the power of fin, is better than to be fenfelefs and ftupid under it; fo, confider the nature of unbelief more than the strength of fin; for, it is an evil heart of unbelief, that gives ftrength to fin. There are two things you must be obliged to Christ for his merit, to get the guilt of fin pardoned; and his Spirit, to get the power of fin fubdued. There is no healing, but under the wings. of Chrift; and therefore you must go to him for it. What think you of faith, man? Is it an enemy to holi-nefs? No, by no means; it is the only way to it. And : do do you find fin oppofing you? Why then, know, that a time of contrariety, is a time for faith to work. When a man fees death, then it is time for faith to believe life; when he fees the grave, it is time for faith to believe the refurrection; when he fees guilt, it is time for faith to believe pardoning mercy; and when he fees fin, it is time for faith to receive a Saviour: when he fees ftrong corruption, then it is time for faith to lay hold on Christ's strength, and caft yourself upon his faithful promife, for healing and pardoning of it. You may try other ways, but they will not do; you may wash in other waters, but they will not cleanse you; you may perplex your own thoughts, with a thousand fhifts befides this, but they will not avail you: in Christ, and the promises of the covenant, are the cures of your finful nature; and faith doth apply the healing medicine. But now, to name no more, 10. Objection is drawn from the weakness of the creature, and of means. Why, fay you, I have no ftrength to believe; no ftrength to pray; no heart to duty or, if I effay it at any time, I have no fuc'cefs in it, no benefit by it.' Here are two fcruples, and I fhall divide them, in order to give a more distinct reply. Well then, the first part of the objection is: Oh! I have no ftrength to believe, no power to receive 'Chrift; yea, no heart to pray for faith.' Anf. It is fit you know your own utter impotency to believe; they who think they can believe well enough of themselves, they mistake the faith of God's operation for fancy, and ftrong imagination of their own brain. But, whereas you fay you have no ftrength; fee that the disease lies not rather in this, that you have no will: if you were made willing, you undoubtedly would find yourselves made able in due time: therefore, cry for one pull more of omnipotent grace, to make you willing in the day of his power. And whereas you fay you cannot cry, you have no heart to pray; it is perhaps your mercy, to be kept empty-handed, that you may not make a Chrift of your duty, or a Saviour of your frame; for, perhaps, you would reft there. However, know, that unbelief is the great great cause of indifpofition for duty; for it fills the man with hard thoughts of God: Oh! fays unbelief, God. is fo holy, he will never regard you; God is fo juft, ' he will never endure you.' Unbelief makes God all full of frowns and anger; and fo the man's fpirit finks within him but faith would bring up the foul; Pfalm xxvii. 13. "I had fainted, unlefs I had believed to fee: the goodness of the Lord, in the land of the living." Faith fhews God to be on a throne of grace; and this raifes the heart and faith fets the foul upon prevailing motives in prayer; fuch as, the name of God, the blood. of Chrift, the promife of the covenant, the interceflion of Chrift, the faithfulness of God. In the mean time, think not either to believe or pray aright, without oppofition from Satan, an evil heart of unbelief, the prevalency of fin, and an enfnaring world. You must wrefile, thro' grace, all the way to glory: "The kingdom of heaven fuffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Be ftrong in the grace that is in Chrift Jefus. Prefs toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus." The fecond part of the objection is, That, though 'you effay, you find no fuccefs in duty, no benefit byit; I am flill where I was.' Anf. True feeking comes always to fomething: it is pride and impatience that fays, "It is vain to ferve the Lord:" See Mal. iii. 14. 18. and Ifa.lxiii. 22, 23, 24. "God is faithful who hath promifed." It is true, many afk and receive not, because they ask amifs, and do not ask in faith, nothing wavering. How fhould we speed, or what fuccefs can we expect, if we tell the true God to his face, that he is a liar and diffembler; that he will not make good a word that he fays? Therefore, feek the removal of this unbelief. Befides, remember that there is a twofold answer that God makes; real and fenfible. A king may fign a pardon and yet the criminal not know it, for a time: an answer may be given fometimes when we know not of it; e. g. You feek, perhaps, a heart to pray, and a heart to hate fin: well, upon this, perhaps, you find your heart harder, to your feeling, than it was; and your corruption bursting forth upon you; which makes you |