they are made to all promiscuously to whom thâ— means of Grace are sent and the great truthâ— which concern Christ and Salvation by him are urged upon them but where the Spiriâ— of God doth inwardly reveal Christ in thâ— Souls of any and makes them sharers in hiâ— Salvation he always brings them to such â— frame such therefore are the only blesseâ— ones Mat 5. 4 Blessed are they that mourn fâ—â— they shall be comforted 2. That we must distinguish between Passiâ— â—nd Active Conversion This distinction is generally received among the Orthodox and â—y all them who acknowledge that there are the Habits of Saving Grace infused into us in order to our being able to exert Grace in our lives and the Apostle plainly shews the difference Gal. 5. 25. If we live in the Spirit let us walk in the Spirit Passive Conversion then is that Change which is made in us in Regenera 〈◊〉 by the infusion of all saving Graces into 〈◊〉 of which it is said 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any â—â—n be in Christ Jesus he is a new Creaturâ— Active Conversion consists in the exerting and â—â—ercising of these Graces The former is â—â—one by the Spirit alone in the latter he â—â— operates with us And we may take from â—â—nce this brief accouâ—t of the present affair 1. That Gods Elect do many times long despise the offers of Christ that are made to them â—â— the Gospel God will have his own to know that their Conversion as well as their Salvation is of Grace and that they have a nature in them as full of obstinacy and enmity as others he therefore leaves them for a season to resist his Spirit and to shew the desperate malignity that is in them and they neglect the things of their peace â—witâ—stand the offers of a Saviour and quench the motions of the Spirit in them that accompany the Calls of the Gospel This Ephraim confesseth of himself Jer. 31. 18. Thou hast chastized me and I was chastized as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Yea sometimes violently to oppose and persecute his Church Such an one was Paul when a Pharisee Phil. 3. 6. Touching zeal persecuting the Church 2. That there are some common legal works wrought in the Elect antecedent to their Regeneration or Passive Conversion The Spirit of God is wont to begin with men by Convictions and Terrors by setting the Law home on their Consciences which make them afraid and those are wrought not only in Gods Children but in others also and the Elect themselves do too frequently stifle these motions out grow these awakenings and retâ—â—â— again to their former security the time of their new birth is not yet come and God hereby lets them see what enemies they are to their own Salvation and that if he had not come with Almighty Efficacy to them they had refused him to their destruction as well as others How many such common works have some out grown and become worse after them and yet they have had their months in which God hath taken them because he had an Immutable love for them See for this Isa 57. 17 18. I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his ways and will heal him 3. That all saving qualifications are wrought in them at once in Passive Conversion When the Spirit of God comes to produce this great Change in the Sinner he infuseth into him all his Sanctifying Graces there is a new man created in him Eph. 4. 24. There is a perfection of parts though not of degrees Sanctification is throughout 1 Thes 5. 23. There is therefore no order in the production of these saving qualities in the Soul but they come in all at once In Conversion whole Christ is put â—â— it is therefore called a new birth Joh. 3. 3. And it is the babe of Grace which is born and it hath all its members entire 4. That God draws the man to exert these Graces in Active Conversion after the manner of a Rational Agent In the exerting of Grace the man is not only active but voluntary too he acts as a cause by Counsel As therefore there is the Co operation of God in this as well as his operation in the former according to Phil. 2. 13. It is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his own good pleasure So he works upon the Rational Faculties or Powers that are put into man and having sanctified them he draws them forth to put the new nature into act upon sight deliberation and with perswasion He is not drawn to it by meer instinct but he knows what he doth and why he doth it he hath a foundation on which he acts every Grace he knows whom he believes in and why he so doth 2 Tim. 1. 12. I know whom I have believed and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day and so of the rest God is therefore said to draw â—s with the cords of a man Hos 11. 4. 5. In this Conversion the Soul betakes it self to Christ by faith as to a Fountain opened for Sin and for Uncleanness The great Grace celebrated in the Gospel is Faith by which we close with Christ for life wherein we comply with the main Article of the New-Covenant and therefore Salvation is ascertained to it Joh. 3. 16. Whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life This Grace is not before the others in being though it leads in the exercise and doth indeed influence all the other being that which fetcheth in help from Christ for the acting of them Now Christ is the immediate Object on whom Faith fiâ—eth it believes in him for all the good that it wants and seeth to be stored in him and that which draws it so to rely on him is the discovery it hath made of his sufficiency and readiness to answer its great necessity which is to be delivered from the guilt and defilement of sin and thaâ— because it apprehends all this to be fountained in him that it may be communicated by him to all those that stand in need of it and this it doth upon the invitation given in the Gospel to all that are oppressed with the burden of sin to come to him for succour against it 6. This Faith is always accompanied with true Repentance In active Conversion these two Graces are in conjunction I shall not here meddle with the disputes which of these two Graces is the first if we speak of their production they are together and so there is no priority of any Grace they being created in the same instant if we speak of thâ—ir production they are together and so there is no priority of any Grace they being created in the same instant if we speak of the order of nature in their activity Faith must have the precedency because it influenceth all the other for though
When we were without strength in due timâ— Christ died for the ungodly Gal. 4. 4. When thâ— fulness of time was come God sent forth his Soâ— c. Had not man plunged himself into mâ—sery and helplessness in himself or in the whole Creation there had been no occasion for it Hence we have Christ himself declaring the design of his coming in our nature Mat. 9. 13. I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and our Prophet acquaints us what the Blood of the Covenant was for Zech. 9. 11. By the Blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisonerâ— out of the pit where there is no water and that blood was no other than what our Text and Doctrine call a fountain 2. That Sinners may obtain Salvation by it they must partake in it There must not only be a remedy suitable and sufficient provided but there must be an application made of it if ever the Creatures misery be removed by it Let there be never so full a fountain never so much plenty of living waters yet if the man do not drink of them his thirsty Soul will not be satisfied therewith but he must perish for all It is not enough that there is a Christ who is able to give eternal life who is able to save to the uttermost but we must have him if we live by him 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not â—he Son hath not life Except the man drink of these waters they will never profit him what else is the reason why so many perish tho there be enough in Christ to save the whole world Christ himself hath told us a reason of it in regard of such as live under the Gospel viz. they will not come to him that they may have life Joh. 5. 40. For it is by participation in it that the vertue of Christ's Redemption becomes ours 3. It is by being united to Christ by faith that they come to partake in him Union with Christ is the foundation of Communion with him and faith is the bond of that Union on our part he must dwell in us in order to his communicating of his saving benefits to us and how that is we are told Eph. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith Hence the Apostle propounds that solemn case 2 Cor. 13. 5. Know you not your own selves how that Christ is in you except ye are reprobates It is by faith that we receive Christ unbelief shuts him out and so hinders us of all saving good by him if we believe not in him we shall never receive the waâ—ers of liâ—e from him 4. That they may thus believe in him they must have him Opened to them Faith is the act of a reasonable creature and so it must have a ground for it Paul can say I know whom I have trusted 2 Tim 1. 12 Hence 1. He must be opened by Revelation There must be a discovery mâ—de oâ— him to and inâ— the Soul by which it may be certified of his fulness and suitableness that he is able to answer the Souls wants and to supply its needs to fill its cravings and remedy its miseries what else should move it to adventure its all upon him it is therefore said Psal 9. 10. They that know thy name will put their trust in thee and in Rom 10. 14. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard 2. He â—ust also be Opened by Encouragement Sin hath brought Guilt and a Curse upon the Sinner the awakened Sinner apprehends the Wrath of God that is out against him and how shall he believe that God will shew him mercy or that though he be able yet he is willing to apply this power to him for his Salvation Certainly there must be a free offer an earnest invitation or else he will never dare to adventure to come to him whom he apprehends to be a consuming fire here lieth the encouragement Mat. 10. 49. Be of good comfort rise he calleth thee 5. That he might accommodate this to their nature 1. He hath revealed these truths to men extraordinarily inspired As they are to come to us by Revelation so God chose such to whom he would make it and by whom he would communicate it to others and on this account we read 2 Pet. 1. 21. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and 2 Tim 3. 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God 2. He hath recorded them in his written Word In that he hath commended his mind to us and hath bidden us to Search the Scriptures as we hope to have Eternal Lâ—â—e and hath given us this reason why we should thus do because they testifie of him Jâ—h 5. 39. And it is evident that whatsoever God would have to be known concerning Christ and the way to life by him in this life is recorded in the Scriptures and there are we to seek for it and no where else 3. He hath appointed the Ordinances of the Gospel in which these truths are to be dispensed He hath instituted the Preaching of the Gospel and sent his Ambassadors Commissioned by him for this very end and that is the great business which they are to intend and nothing else but what is in subordination to this Cor. 2. 2. I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him Crucified and how doth Paul glory in this Eph 3. 8. Unto me who am less than the least of all Saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentil s the unsearchable riches of Christ They are to declare this â—ountain and to commend it unto meâ— and pray them to come to it and thus iâ— stands open for all that will repair to it 3. In what respect it is said to be opened in the days of the Gospel A We are by the days of the Gospel to understand all that time from Christ's having appeared in the Flesh and accomplished the work of Redemption till the day of Judgment which is called the Gospel day in opposition to the times of the dispensation of the Law of Moses else it is certain that it hath been a Gospel day ever since the Revelation which was made to our First Parents of the womans seed breaking the head of the Serpent Gen. 3. 15. And here we may observe three things 1. It is clear from the Word of God that this fountain was opened to man before Christ came in our Flesh There was a way of Salvation discovered unto man presently after he had undone himself by sin and there were a great many saved by the vertue of this fountain in the times of the Law there were then holy men who were the Friends of God men after his own heart men that trusted in him and waited for his Salvation There were Prophesies and Predictions about Christ from the beginning and those that then believed
return into favour with God for which he also brings Scripture evidence Verse 25 26. Blindness in part is hapned to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in so all Israel shall be saved as it is written c. Nor can these things be understood Allegoricallâ— without violence done to the whole scope of the context 2. There is a Calling of the JEWS foretold to be in the days of the Gospel Their call and return from Babylon was before Christs coming in our flesh but there is another spoken of which is to be after that and therefore God makes mention of doing it a second time Isa 11. 11 12. The Lord shall set his hand again the Second time to recover the remnant of his people from Assyria and from Egypt c. And he saith that this shall come to pass in that day which the whole context assures us is the day of the Gospel after Christ had appeared in our nature and doubtless whatsoever was Prophesied conâ—erning that People after their return to their Land must look forward and many things cannot be understood of any but the Gospel day and such is our Text and Context inasmuch as Zechariah was one of these Prophets who Prophesied to the returned Captivity â— and the tenour of this particular Vision of â—iâ— points us to the day when Christ had been Crucified among them 3. There is â—â— Calling of the JEWS mentioned that is to be after they had been Rejected and Dissipated for their Despising of Christ And therefore the Casting them off or unchurâ—hing them and this return of theirs are joyned together yea the Apostle in the forecited Rom. 11. brings this in as a relief against despondâ—cy with respect unto tâ—â— former where he purposely speaks of their being cut off and 〈◊〉 us that they shall be grafted in again â—â—â—ee in particular Verse 15 16. and Verse 24. This also is the Call which our Text points to aâ—â—â— evident from Chap 12. 10 c Christ thâ—â—fore so speaks of their Rejection as that whiâ—â— had a limited time Luk. 21. 24. Jerusaâ—â— shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until tâ—â—â—mes of the Gentiles be fulfilled 4. There is a National Calling of them spoâ—â— of There were indeed many of them effectually Called by Christ and his Apostles and many that believed in those days Three thâ—â—sand were added at one time Acts 2. 41. And Five thousand â—â— another time Acts 4 4 Besideâ— many more upon other occasions Acts 2. 4. The Lord added dayly to the Church such as should be saved But all this while the Nâ—tion stood â—ff and did noâ— embrace Christ that therâ—fore is yet to come On this account the Apostle in Rom. 11. having in the beginning 〈◊〉 the Chapter proved that they were not utterly cast off because there were so many called already proceeds from Verse 11. to tâ—ll us of a more general return oâ— them and assures us 〈◊〉 it shall be All Israel Versâ— 26. Not as if every individual shall thus be Saved but the body of that Nation that shall then be living 5 There are such things asserted in the word of God concerning this Call as have never yet been â—complished The happy state of that forlorn Nation is so set forth as it never arrived to after their return from Babylon till their being â—ut off from being a People by the Romans To this we may refer the Prophesy in Isa 65. 1â— to end And that Hos 3. 4 5. And that Zech 12. 6 7 8. Which must needs refer to times yet unfulfilled for hitherto they are the most scattered contemptible and scorned people in the whole World and have so continued for more than Sixteen hundred years 6. To all let me add That the Providence of God towards them is to be adored in that they remain to be a distinct People to this day Notwithstanding all the Calamities that have befallen them and the horrible Dispersions of them upon the face of the Earth yet they keep themselves a Separate People in Life manners and customs divers from other Nations which certainly must be for some glorious end designed by the all-wise God and what shall we suppose it to be but that which is thus fore signifyed PROPOSITION II. That when that time comes there shall be a more peculiar Opening of this Fountain Theâ—â— is something to be done in that day which was never before done in this regard and that must be with regard to the manner and degree of the manifestation and application of it We may take a brief account of this affair in the following Conclusions 1. That there are happy Times predicted for the Church after her wilderness estate shall be oâ—â— As there was a time when after God had brought his People out of Egypt they went through the wilderness in order to their gâ—â—rious Settlement in Canaan so we are told of the Gospel Church that soon after its beiâ—â— called it should go into the wilderness and â—â— there for a prefixed time Rev. 12. 6. The â—â— men fled into the wilderness where she had a plâ—â—â— prepared of God that they should feed her therâ—â— thousand two hundred and threescore days But God hath promised to it in this world a moâ—e glorious Conspicuous state after these days are ended and this is celebrated in the four last Chapters of that book and this by some is supposed to be aimed at in Cant. 8. 5. Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness leaâ—â—â— upon her beloved It being a thing that shalâ— be very surprizing to all that shall observe â—â— Hitherto also may that have a special reference Psal 85. 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee Oh City of God 2. That these glorious things have not as yet befallen it in their compleat Accomplishment I dare not deny but that there are some things spoken in the Scriptures concerning the Church of God that must be referred to the Triumphâ—â—t state of it and it would be a delusion to apply them to its Militancy There must also be an allowance made for our supposing the Spirit of God who condescends to speak to â—s in our own Language to use Hyperbolical expressions and set forth the better condition of the Militant Church upon Earth with words borrowed from the state of Glory to which it shall at length arrive but we must not think that he goes about to delude us with flourishing Promises and then put us off with low and little performances There have indeed been wonderful accomplishments for the Church in these latter days peculiarly since the beginning of the Reformation but these are little in comparison with the things foretold to be brought to pass we are therefore to look for a transcendently greater Glory behind and making hast to appear Who shall read Isa 60. throughout and particularly from Verse 18. to the end And Chap 11. 6 c. with many other Prophesies of a like import he must confess