16. Thirteenthly Faith purifieth the Heart but Unbelief keepeth it polluted and impure Acts 15. 9. Tit. 1. 15 16. Fourteenthly By Faith the Righteousness of Christ is imputed to us but by Unbelief we are shut up under the Law to Perish Rom. 4. 23 24. Chap. 11. 32. Gal. 3. 23. Fifteenthly Faith maketh our Work acceptable to God through Christ but whatsoever is of Unbelief is Sin For without Faith it is impossible to please him Heb. 11. 4. Rom. 14. 23. Heb. 11. 6. Sixteenthly Faith giveth us Peace and Comfort in our Souls but Unbelief worketh Trouble and Tossings like the restless Waves of the Sea Rom. 5. 1. Jam. 1. 6. Seventeenthly Faith makes us see Preciousness in Christ but Unbelief sees no Form Beauty or Comlyness in him 1 Pet. 2. 7. Isa. 53. 1 2 3. Eighteenthly By Faith we have our Life in Christ's Fulness but by Unbelief we starve and pine away Gal. 2. 20. Nineteenthly Faith giveth us the Victory over the Law Sin Death the Devil and all Evils but Unbelief layeth us Obnoxious to them all 1 Joh. 5. 4 5. Luk. 12. 46. Twentyeth Faith will shew us more Excellency in Things not seen than in them that are but Unbelief sees more in Things that are here than in Things that will be here-after 2 Cor. 4. 18. Heb. 11. 24 25 26 27. 1 Cor. 15. 32. Twenty-First Faith maketh the Ways of God pleasant and amiable but Unbelief maketh them heavy and hard Gal. 5. 6. 2 Cor. 12. 10 11. Joh. 6. 60. Psal. 2. 3. Twenty-Second By Faith Abraham Isaac and Jacob possessed the Land of Promise But because of Unbelief neither Aaron nor Moses nor Mirian could get thither Heb. 11. 9. Heb. 3. 19. Twenty-Third By Faith the Children of Israel passed through the Red Sea but by Unbelief the Generality of them perished in the Wilderness Heb. 11. 29. Jude 5. Twenty-Fourth By Faith Gidion did more with Three-hundred men and a few empty Pitchers than all the Twelve Tribes could do because they believed not God Judg. 7. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22. Numb 14. 11 44. Twenty-Fifth By Faith Peter walked on the Water but by Unbelief he began to sink Mat. 14. 21 22 23 24 Thus might many more be added which for brevity sake I omit Beseeching every one that thinketh he hath a Soul to Save or be Damned to take heed of Unbelief Lest seeing there is a Promise left us of Entering into his Rest any of us by Unbelief should indeed come short of it The Second Use a Use of Examination WE come now to a Use of Examination Sinner Thou hast heard of the Necessity of Coming to Christ also Of the Willingness of Christ to Receive the Coming-Soul Together with the Benefit that They by him shall have that indeed come to Him Put thy self now upon this Serious Enquiry Am I indeed come to Jesus Christ Motives plenty I might here urge to prevail with thee to a Conscientious Performance of this Duty As 1. Thou art in Sin in the Flesh in Death in the Snare of the Devil and under the Curse of the Law if thou art not coming to Jesus Christ. 2. There is no way to be delivered from these but by coming to Jesus Christ. 3. If thou comest Jesus Christ will Receive thee and will in no wise cast thee out 4. Thou wilt not Repent it in the Day of Judgement if now thou comest to Jesus Christ. 5. But thou wilt surely Mourn at last if now thou shalt refuse to come And 6. Lastly Now thou hast been invited to come now will thy Judgment be greater and thy Damnation more fearful if thou shalt yet Refuse than if thou hadst never heard of Coming to Christ. Object But we hope we are come to Jesus Christ Answ. 'T is well if it proves so But lest thou should speak without Ground and so fall unawares into Hell Fire Let us Examine a little First Art thou indeed come to Jesus Christ What hast thou left behind thee What didst thou come away from in thy Coming to Jesus Christ When Lot came out of Sodom he left the Sodomites behind him Gen. 19. When Abraham came out of Chaldea he left his Country and Kindred behind him Gen. 12. Acts 7. When Ruth came to put her Trust under the Wings of the Lord God of Israel she left her Father and Mother her Gods and the Land of her Nativity behind her Ruth 1. 15 16 17. Chap. 2. 11 12. When Peter came to Christ he left his Nets behind him Mat. 4. 18. When Zacheus came to Christ he left the Receipt of Custom behind him Luk. 19. When Paul came to Christ he left his own Righteousness behind him Philip 3. 7 8. When those that used Curious Arts came to Jesus Christ they took their Curious Books and burned them though in another Man's Eye they were counted worth Fifty-Thousand Peices of Silver Acts 19. 18 19 20. What say'st thou Man Hast thou left thy Darling Sins thy Sodomitish Pleasures thy Acquaintance and vain Companions thy unlawful Gain thy Idol Gods and Righteousness and thy unlawful Curious Arts behind thee If any of these be with thee and thou with them in thy Heart and Life thou art not yet come to Jesus Christ. Secondly Art thou come to Jesus Christ Prethee tell me VVhat moved hee come to Jesus Christ Men do not usually come or go to this or that Place before they have a Moving Cause or rather a Cause moving them thereto No more do they come to Jesus Christ I do not say before they have a Cause but before that Cause moveth them to come What say'st thou Hast thou a Cause moving thee to come To be at present in a State of Condemnation is Cause sufficient for Men to come to Jesus Christ for Life But that will not do except that Cause move them the which it will never do until their Eyes be opened to see themselves in that Condition For it is not a Man's being under Wrath but his seeing it that moveth him to come to Jesus Christ. Alas All Men by Sin are under Wrath yet but few of that All came to Jesus Christ And the Reason is because they do not see their Condition Who hath warned you to flee from the Wrath to come Mat. 3. 7. Until Men are warned and also receive the VVarning they will not come to Jesus Christ. Take three or four Instances for this 1. Adam and Eve came not to Jesus Christ until they Received the Alarum the Conviction of their Undone State by Sin Gen. 3. 2. The Children of Israel cryed not out for a Mediator before they saw themselves in danger of Death by the Law Exod. 20. 18 19. 3. Before the Publican came he saw himself lost and undone Luk 18. 13. 4. The Prodigal came not until he saw Death at the Door ready to devour him Luk. 15. 17 18. 5. The Three-Thousand came not until they knew not what to do to be Saved Acts 2.
kill us we shall but die Here now was necessity at work and this necessity drove them to go thither for life whether else they would never have gon for it Thus it is with them that in truth come to Jesus Christ Death is before them they see it and feel it he is feeding upon them and will eat them quite up if they come not to Jesus Christ and therefore they come even of necessity being forced thereto by that Sense they have of their being utterly and everlastingly undone if they find not safety in him These then are they that will come indeed these are they that are invited to come Come unto me all ye that Labor and are Heavy Laden and I will give you rest Matt. 11. 28. Take two or three things to make this more plain to wit that coming to Christ floweth from a sound sense of the absolute need that a Man hath of him as afore 1. They shall come with Weeping with Supplication will I lead them I will cause them to walk by the Rivers of Waters in a plain way wherein they shall not stumble Jer. 31. 9. Mind it they come with Weeping and Supplication they come with Prayers and Tears Now Prayers and Tears are the effects of a right Sense of the need of Mercy Thus a senseless Sinner cannot Come he cannot Pray he cannot Cry he cannot come sensible of what he sees not nor feels In those Days and at that time the Children of Israel shall come they and the Children of Judah together going weeping they shall seek the Lord their God they shall ask the way to Zion with their Faces thitherward saying come and let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that shall not be forgotten Jer. 50. 4 5. Secondly This coming to Christ it is called a running to him as flying to him a flying from Wrath to come By all which Termes is set forth the sense of the man that comes to wit That he is affected with the sense of his sin and the Death due thereto that he is sensible that the avenger of Blood pursues him and that therefore he is cut off if he makes not speed to the Son of God for Life Mat. 3. 7. Psal. 143. 9. Flying is the last work of a man in danger all that are in danger do not Fly No not all that see themselves in danger flying is the last work of a man in danger all that hear of danger will will not fly Men will consider if there be no other way of escape before they Fly Therefore as I said flying is the last thing When all Refuge fails and a man is made to see that there is nothing left him but Sin Death and Damnation unless he flyes to Christ for Life then he flies and not till then Thirdly That the true coming is from a sense of an absolute need of Jesus Christ to save c. is evident by the Out-cry that is made by them that come even as they are coming to him Lord save or I perish Men and Brethren what shall we do Sirs what must I do to be saved and the like This Language doth sufficiently discover that the truly coming Souls are Souls sensible of their need of Salvation by Jesus Christ and moreover that there is nothing else that can help them but Christ. Fourthly It is yet further evident by these few things that follow it is said that such are pricked in their Hearts that is with the sentence of Death by the Law and the least prick in the Heart kills a Man Acts 2. 37. such are said as I said before to Weep to Tremble and to be astonished in themselves at the evident and unavoidable danger that attends them unless they fly to Jesus Christ Acts 9 chap. 16. Fifthly Coming to Christ is attended with an honest and sincere forsaking of all for him If any Man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be my Disciple And whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple Luk. 14. 26 27. By these and the like expressions elsewhere Christ describeth the true Commer or the man that indeed is coming to him he is one that casteth all behind his Back he leaveth all he forsaketh all he hateth all things that would stand in his way to hinder his coming to Jesus Christ. There are a great many pretended Commers to Jesus Christ in the World And they are much like to the man that you read of in Matt. 21. 30. that said at his Fathers bidding I go Sir and went not I say there are a great many such Commers to Jesus Christ they say when Christ calls by his Gospel I come Sir but still they abide by their Pleasures and carnal Delights They come not at all only they give him a Courtly Complement but he takes notice of it and will not let it pass for any more than a Lie He said I go Sir and went not he dissembled and lied Take heed of this you that flatter your selves with your own deceivings words will not do with Jesus Christ coming is coming and nothing else will go for coming with him Before I spake to the other Head I shall answer some Objections that usually lie in the way of those that in Truth are coming to Jesus Christ. Objection I. Though I cannot deny but my mind runs after Christ and that too as being moved thereto from a sight and consideration of my lost Condition For I see without him I perish yet I fear my ends are not right in coming to him Quest. Why what is thine end in coming to Jesus Christ Answer My end is that I might have Life and be saved by Jesus Christ. This is thy Objection well let me tell thee that to come to Christ for Life and to be saved though at prethou hast no other end is a lawful and good coming to Jesus Christ. This is evident because Christ propoundeth Life as the only Argument to prevail with sinners to come to him and also blameth them because they come not to him for Life And ye will not Come to me that ye might have Life Joh. 5. Besides there are many other Scriptures whereby he allureth Sinners to come to him in which he propoundeth nothing to them but their safety As He that believeth in him shall not perish he that believeth is passed from Death to Life He that believeth shall be Saved He that believeth on him is not condemned And believing coming are all one So that you see to Come to Christ for Life is a lawful coming and good And let me add over and above that for a man to come to Christ for Life though he comes to him for nothing else but Life he gives much honour to him First He Honoureth the Word of Christ and consenteth to the Truth of it and that in
and hold not thy peace for I have much People in this City Joh. 10. 16. Act. 18. 9 10. The People that the Lord here speaks of were not at this time accounted His by reason of a Work of Conversion that already had passed upon them but by Vertue of the Gift of the Father for he had given them unto him Therefore was Paul to stay here to speak the Word of the Lord to them that by his Speaking the Holy Ghost might effectually work out their Souls to the causing them to Come who was also ready with Heart and Soul to receive them Thirdly Christ by these Words also suggesteth That no more came unto Him than indeed was given him of the Father For the Him in this place is one of the All that by Christ was mentioned before All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me and every Him of that All I will in no wise cast out This the Apostle insinuateth where he saith He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ Till we All come in the Unity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a Perfect Man unto the Measure of the Stature of the Fulness of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 12 13. Mark As in the Text so here he speaketh of All Untill we All come We All All who Doubtless All that the Father giveth to Christ. This is further insinuated because he calleth this All The Body of Christ the Measure of the Stature of the Fulness of Christ By which he means the Universal Number given to wit The true Elect Church which is said to be his Body and Fulness Ephes. 1. 22 23. Fourthly And Christ Jesus by these Words further suggesteth That he is well content with this Gift of the Father to him All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out I will heartily willingly and with great Content of Mind receive him They shew us also that Christ's Love in Receiving is as large as his Father's Love in Giving and no larger Hence he thanks him for his Gift and also thanks him for hiding of Him and his Things from the rest of the Wicked Mat. 11. 25. Luk. 10 21. But Secondly and more particularly And him that cometh And him This word Him By it Christ looketh back to the Gift of the Father not only in the Lump and whole of the Gift but to every Him of that Lump As who should say I do not only accept of the Gift of my Father in the General but have a special Regard to every of them in Particular and will secure not only some or the greatest part but Every Him every Dust Not an Hooff of all shall be lost or left behind And indeed in this he consenteth to his Father's Will which is That of All that he hath given him he should lose Nothing Joh. 6. 39. And him Christ Jesus also by his thus dividing the Gift of his Father into Hims and by his speaking of them in the Singular Number shews what a particular Work shall be wrought in each one at the time appointed of the Father And it shall come to pass in that Day saith the Prophet that the Lord shall beat off from the Channel of the River to the Stream of Egypt and ye shall be gathered one by one O ye Children of Israel Isa. 27. 12. He shews also hereby That no Lineage Kindred or Relation can at all be profited by any Outward or Carnal Union with the Person that the Father hath given to Christ. 'T is only Him the Given Him the Coming Him that he intends absolutely to secure And him There are divers sorts of Persons that the Father hath given to Jesus Christ They are not all of one Rank of one Quality Some are High some Low some are Wise some Fools some are more Civil and Complying with the Law some more Profane and averse to Him and his Gospel Now since those that are given to him are in some sense so divers and again since he yet saith And Him that cometh c. He by that doth give us to understand that he is not as Men for picking and choosing to take a Best and leave a Worst but he is for Him that the Father hath given him and that cometh to him He will not alter nor change it a Good for a Bad or a Bad for a Good Levit. 27. 9 10. There is many a sad Wretch given by the Father to Jesus Christ but not one of them all is despised or slighted by him It is said of those that the Father hath given to Christ That they have done worse than the Heathen That they were Murderers Thieves Drunkards Unclean Persons and what not But he has Received them Washed them and Saved them A fit Emblem of this Sort is that wretched Instance mentioned in the Sixteenth of Ezekiel that was cast out in a Stincking Condition to the loathing of its Person in the day that it was Born A Creature in such a wretched Condition that no Eye pittied to do any of the Things there mentioned unto it or to have Compassion upon it No Eye but his that speaketh in the Text. And Him Let him be as red as Blood let him be as red as Crimson Some men are blood-Red sinners Crimson sinners Sinners of a double die dipt and dipt again before they come to Jesus Christ. Art thou that readest these Lines such an one speak out man Art thou such an one and art thou now coming to Jesus Christ for the Mercy of Justification that thou mightest be made white in his Blood and be covevered with his Righteousness Fear not for as much as this thy coming betokeneth that thou art of the number of them that the Father hath given to Christ for he will in no wise cast thee out Come now saith Christ and let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be as Red as Crimson they shall be as wooll Isa. 1 18. And him There was many a strange him came to Jesus Christ in the days of his flesh but he received them all without turning any away Speaking unto them of the Kingdom of God and Healing such as had need of healing Luk. 9. 11. Chap. 4. 40. These words And him are therefore words to be wondered at That not one of them who by vertue of the Fathers gift and drawing are coming to Jesus Christ I say that not one of them what ever they have been what ever they have done should be rejected or set by But admitted to a share in his saving grace 'T is said in Luke that the people wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth Luk. 4. 22. Now this is one of his
gracious words these words are like drops of honey as it is said Pleasant words are as an honey-Comb sweet to the Soul and health to the bones These are gracious words indeed even as full as a faithful and a merciful High Priest could speak them Luther saith When Christ speaketh he hath a mouth as wide as Heaven and Earth That is to speak fully to the incouragement of every sinfull him that is coming to Jesus Christ. And that his word is certain hear how himself confines it Heaven and Earth saith he shall pass away but my word shall not pass away Isa. 63. 1. Mat. 24. 35. It is also confirmed by the testimony of the Four Evangelists who gave faithful relation of his loving reception of all Sorts of coming sinners whether they were publicans harlots thieves possessed of Devils Bedlams and what not Luk. 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Mat. 21. 21. Luk. 15. Chap. and Chap. 23. 41 42. Mark 19. 9. Chap. 5. 1 2 3 to 9. This then shews us First The greatness of the merits of Christ. Secondly The willingness of his heart to impute them for Life to the great if coming sinners First This shews us the greatness of the Merits of Christ for it must not be supposed that his words are bigger than his worthyness He is Strong to execute his word he can Do as well as Speak He can do exceeding abundantly more than we ask or think even to the uttermost and out side of his word Ephes. 3. 20. Now then since he concludeth Any Coming Him it must be concluded that he can save to the uttermost Sin Any coming Him He speaketh in Righteousness in very faithfulness when he began to build this blessed Gospel Fabrick the Text It was for that he had first sat down and counted the cost and for that he knew he was able to finish it What Lord Any him Any him that cometh to thee This is a Christ worth looking after this is a Christ worth coming to This then should learn us diligently to consider the Natural force of every word of God and to judge of Christ's ability to save not by our sins or by our shallow apprehensions of his Grace but by his word which is the true measure of Grace And if we do not judge thus we shall dishonor his Grace lose the benefit of his word and needlesly fright our selves into many Discouragements though coming to Jesus Christ. Him any him that cometh hath from this word of Christ to feed himself with hopes of Salvation As thou art therefore coming O thou coming sinner Judge thou whether Christ can savethee by the true Sense of his words Judge coming sinner of the Efficacy of his Blood of the perfection of his Righteousness and of the prevailancy of his intercession by his word And him saith he that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out In no wise that is for no Sin Judge therefore by his word how able he is to save thee It is said of Gods Sayings to the Children of Israel There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel all came to pass And again Not one thing hath failed of of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you all are come to pass unto you and not one thing hath failed thereof Josh. 21. 45. Chap. 23. 14. Coming sinner what promise thou findest in the word of Christ strain it whether thou canst so thou dost not corrupt it and his Blood and Merits will answer all what the word saith or any true Consequence that is drawn there-from that we may boldly venture upon As here in the Text he saith And Him that cometh indefinitetively without the least intimation of the rejection of any though never so great if he be a coming-sinner Take it then for granted that thou whoever thou art if coming art intended in these words neither shall it injure Christ at all if as Benhadad's Servants served Ahab thou shalt catch him at his word Now saith the Text The Men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him to wit any word of grace and did hastily catch it And it happened that Ahab called Benhadad his brother The men replyed therefore Thy brother Benhadad catching him at his word 1 King 20. 33. Sinner coming sinner serve Jesus Christ thus and he will take it kindly at thy hands When he in his argument called the Canaanitish woman Dog she catcht him at it and said Truth Lord yet the Dogs eat of the Crumbs that fall from their Masters Table I say she catcht him thus in his words and he took it kindly saying O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt Mat. 15. 26. Catch him coming sinner catch him Secondly The other thing that I told you is shewed us from these words is this The willingness of Christ's heart to impute his merits for Life to the great if coming sinner And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out The awakned coming sinner doth not so easily question the power of Christ as his willingness to save him Lord if thou wilt thou canst said one Mar. 1. 40. He did not put the If upon his power but upon his will he concluded he could but he was not as fully of perswasion that he would But we have the same ground to believe he will as we have to believe he can and indeed ground for both is the Word of God If he was not willing why did he promise why did he say he would receive the coming sinner Jacob took him there Thou saidst says he I will surely do thee Good Gen. 32. 12. For from this promise he concluded that it followed in reason He must be willing The Text also gives some ground for us to draw the same conclusion And him that cometh to me I Will in no wise cast out Here is his willingness asserted as well as his power suggested It is worth your observation that Abraham's Faith considered rather his power than his willingness that is he drew this Conclusion I shall have a Child from the Power that was in God to fulfill the Promise to him for he concluded he was willing give him one else he would not have promised one He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to perform Rom. 4. 20 21. But was not his faith exercised or tryed about his willingness too No there was no shew of reason for that because he had promised it indeed had he not promised it he might Lawfully have doubted it but since he had promised it there was left no ground at all for doubting because his willingness to give a Son was demonstrated in his promising him a Son These words therefore are sufficient ground to incourage any coming sinner