him united to him and are in him and so no condemnation to them that are in Christ and therefore they must needs have a large supply and communication from Jesus Christ Suppose that a man were in the Sun the very fountain of light if he be near the Sun he hath much light but if he be in the Sun then a more large fulness of light and so they that come unto Christ they are neer Christ they are nigh unto him John 6.56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him He abides in me and dwells in me The Soul therefore that comes to Christ must needs haâ—e a full supply Again This full supply that is given out unto Believers it is given out not only fully but freely Saith Christ I do not ask any thing at all but whosoever comes he shall have his fill he shall have a full supply and that freely he shall drink and that freely only do but come and you shall drink and thy soul shall live Revel 22.17 And Whosoever will let him come and drink of the water of life freely And so Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price Without any price at all it is only coming and that to every one that comes to him it 's most free You have had two or three Demonstrations I shall but briefly name them and so proceed to shew and satisfy your hearts in this that Jesus Christ requireth nothing of any soul that comes to him for the giving out of a large supply 1. If Christ should require any thing and should not give out freely there is not a soul that ever was in the World or ever shall be in the World that had or hath wherewith to purchase any thing or any one drop of the water of life For we cannot as much as will or think or speak of our selves not so much as to have a good thought And 2. Jesus Christ will have it so because it is his pleasure and delight 3. It must needs be so because of that Invitation that Jesus Christ doth here make unto poor souls that come unto him Thus far I have proceeded Before I come to the Application there is only one thing would be cleared as an Objection by the way and that is taken from the Saints Objection Do we say there is such a fulness in Jesus Christ and will he give out a large and full supply unto all that come to him and that freely How can this stand with the experience of them that are true believers that truly come unto Jesus Christ They are so sensible of their own wants weaknesses and their own defects of grace as what more frequent complaints and who do more frequently complain than true believers And there is never a true believing soul that comes to Jesus Christ but is sensible of some defect or want or other and hath not attained to perfection and the more and nearer he comes to Christ still the more sensible of his defects and wants O! none so weak as I am none so poor in grace as I am none so weak in faith so wanting in love in humility in patience and in meekness as I and O! none hath such a cold heart such a dead heart such an unfruitful heart as I have You will say where is this same full supply then Shall all that come to Christ have a full supply how can these things be What shall we say then that those that make such complaints as these are not true believers no God forbid Or shall we say that this Truth that Jesus Christ hath spoken is not truth why where is then this same full supply how can this stand to be a truth that all that do come to Jesus Christ shall have a full supply and shall drink abundantly and shall drink freely when he saith Every one that cometh unto me shall drink of the water of life and that freely Do not many believers fear that their sins will be their ruine and fear condemnation sometimes Now how doth this stand with this full supply which is to be had in Christ I shall clear this by answering to two or three things Answer 1. First Every believing soul that comes to Jesus Christ hath drunk such a draught of this same water of life that he is freed for ever from condemnation He shall never dy or perish or be condemned for sin no he is freed from all condemnation the poorest the weakest the meanest hath drunk a full supply that it shall never perish by its sins it is passed from death to life there is no condemnation none unto them now that they are in Christ Jesus no condemnation to the poorest and meanest believer and now all their sins are forgiven there is a full forgiveness those sins shall never be laid to their charge And as the Holy Ghost saith I will be merciful unto their unrighteousness their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more And the blood of Jesus Christ is able to cleanse us from all our sins It 's true indeed a believer that hath drunk of this same water of life and that is freed from all his sins he may be possibly be exercised with fears and possibly his Assurance and his Apprehension of his Justification to himself may have some cloud upon it he may be excercised with clouds may fear his going down into the pit though there is no real ground of it for indeed he is freed from all the guilt of these for he is now passed from death to life John 11.26 He that believeth in me shall never dy that is his very temporal death shall be but as a sleep to him the sting is taken out and he shall never die eternally And so therefore to clear this Objection there is never a believing soul that is come to Christ but hath drunk such a draught of the water of life that he is passed from death to life and shall never see death or condemnation That is one Answer 2. Secondly Every Soul that is come to Christ though in respect of his Sanctification of sanctifying and saving grace he is not perfect he hath not drunk such a draught but he desires more and may desire more yet notwithstanding that draught that he hath drunk is such a draught as he shall never be thirsty more so as to be wholly destitute of this same water of life as he was before Christ saith John 6.35 He that cometh to me shall never hunger he that believeth on me shall never thirst He shall be carried on as he shall never decrease so as to be destitute but shall grow up as the grain of mustard seed Christ makes use of by way of Parable likening the Kingdom of Heaven to a grain of mustard seed and to a little Leaven which never
him that Soul will be unstable its Comforts will be unstable and though he may hold up his head so long as all is calm and clear above him but when the assaults of the Devil come and the powers of Hell are let loose upon it to try its Foundation if the foundation be not deep rooted all the building will come to nothing it is like a Plant or Tree that is planted but shallow in the Ground and will be apt to wither so Christ compares it Mat. 13.21 The Seed that fell upon the stony ground sprang up for a while but when the Sun did rise when temptations came scorching temptations and tribulations and tryals came they withered away because they wanted depth of earth for the root they had no rooting they were not humbled and convinced of sin they took up a Profession and confessed Christ and professed Christ but never were truly convinced of sin and this is the great reason why Professors are subject to so many doubts and scruples about their condition when they come into sickness and dangers then they are ready to question their condition What is the reason why possibly this may be one Because they were never convinced truly of sin by the Spirit of God And therefore you see now upon all these accounts That Conviction of sin is very necessary for sinners in order to their Conversion and Salvation So now I have finished the second Thing propounded I should now have come to the third Thing to shew you That convincing of sin is the Work of the Spirit of God But that and some other things I must leave till another opportunity The Holy Ghost convinceth of Sin SERMON V. JOHN 16.9 Of Sin because they believe not on me YOU have heard the coherence of these words before and therefore I shall not trouble you with that and the Point you may remember what it was that was last propounded from these words Namely That it is the very first work of the Spirit of God in order to Salvation to convince the Soul of Sin For so Christ here is comforting of his Disciples against their sorrow upon his departure from them and he tels them That he would send the Comforter to them and he tells them what the Comforter should do he should assist them in their Ministry towards the conversion and salvation of Souls and the first thing he shall do he shall convince the World of Sin and then of Righteousness and then of Judgement but this is his first work to convince the world of Sin There were four things propounded to be spoken to for the clearing of this Point 1. To shew you what we are to understand by this Conviction of Sin which is the first work of the Spirit and wherein it lay and that you heard in three things 2. You heard the necessity of it why this work of convincing of Sin is so necessary in order to conversion and Salvation You heard the necessity of it in five or six things upon which account it was necessary in order to salvation to be convinced of Sin Well there are two things yet remain to be spoken to for the opening of this Point 3. The third thing is to shew that this work of convincing of Sin is the proper work of the Spirit Nothing short of the Spirit of God can really and truly convince the soul of Sin in order to salvation And then 4. That it is not only the work of the Spirit but the first work of the Spirit in order to Salvation These two things I shall now proceed to through the Lords assistance 3. Well then we are to fall upon the third to make it evident to you that the work of convincing of Sin is the proper work of the Spirit of God And how doth that appear Briefly I shall give you two or three Demonstrations of it 1. It appears from the opposition that is in every carnal heart to be convinced of Sin There is a desperate opposition in our hearts naturally we are utterly averse and unwilling to be convinced of Sin We are loth to come to the Light as Christ tells us John 3.20 Every one that doth evil hateth the Light neither cometh to the Light least his deeds should be reproved lest he should be convinced It is the same word with this in the Text He is loath to be convinced of sin it is the natural frame of our hearts to be averse and opposite to conviction of sin therefore there must come a stronger power the power of the Spirit to this work of convincing of sin else we shall never be convinced for I pray mark what this convincing of sin is For a soul to yield to the convictions of sin is to yield to its own sentence of condemnation and do you think that any one is ready to yield to the sentence of its own condemnation Now if a soul yield to the conviction of sin he yields to the sentence of condemnation For the soul that sinneth shall dye And if a soul yield that he is guilty of this or that sin now he yields to the sentence of Death and Damnation And do you think the soul will yield to the sentence of Condemnation passed against it self You see sometimes a Malefactor at the Bar Is he willing think you to be convinced of his crime which he is accused of No he will stand out against it and deny it as long as he can and if he cannot deny it he will mince it and will not yield to the conviction so long as he can possibly hold out against it and this is the guise of our hearts naturally not to yield to conviction but we will hold out against it as long as ever we can let any man come to us to convince us and reprove us we will hold against it and shift it off and mince it and avoid it all that ever we can this is natural to us as it was with our first Parents when God called them to an account for their first sin they shifted it off Adam to his Wife his Wife to the Serpent and would not willingly be convinced Just as I told you before it was with Saul 1 Sam. 15. When Saul had disobeyed the Commandment of the Lord in going against Amalek God gave him a severe charge to cut off all Men Women Children and Cattel Well he cuts off the generality of the People but he spared Agag and he spared the best of the Cattel Well Samuel comes to him afterward and Saul he comes boasting saith he Come thou blessed of the Lord I have fulfilled the Commandment of the Lord hast thou fulfilled the Commandment of the Lord saith Samuel What meaneth then the bleating of the Sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the Oxen well he would not be convinced saith he 'T is true some of them are saved alive for sacrifice for the Lord he would not yield to the Conviction until such time as Samuel was
unfitness this should rather be so far from hindering and discouraging us as that it should encourage us to come why because that having nothing and Christ being the fulness of all we should go unto Christ for all as Rev. 3.18 saith Christ Thou art poor and naked blind and miserable and hast nothing wherefore come to me I counsel thee to come to me for Ey salve and for rayment gold and treasure and riches Why here now is Christs argument on the contrary Why Brethren he fills the hungry and the empty with good things and they are to come to Christ Jesus Christ invites such poor souls as have nothing at all no ability at all a poor blind creature if one be more blind and unable and more ignorant than another here is the invitation that Jesus Christ doth make this day to such a poor soul that he shall if he come he shall drink and he shall have of this Water of Life Objection But another Objection is Alas I am a poor old creature an old man or an old woman that have lived without God and without Christ all this time and have slighted the offers of grace and all the invitations of Christ in his Gospel And also a poor old sinner and will Jesus Christ invite me I possibly have been a drunkard and an old drunkard and a swearer and a blasphemer of the name of God and the ways of Christ and can I think that ever Christ should entertain me when I come Answer Why now mark what I say unto you in a word from the Lord Let not any one here except himself and exclude himself if Jesus Christ do not except and exclude him look into the invitation doth Jesus Christ exclude and say Let every one come to me except he be an old drunkard or an old swearer no he doth not say so he excludes none See how the Words run if any man will come he shall drink if any man without exception can you have it spoken more full or in plainer terms If any man will come unto me he shall drink John 6.35 36 37. saith Jesus there I am the Bread of life he that cometh unto me shall not hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst but I said unto you that ye also have seen me and believe not All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Let him be what he will whatsoever he be never such an old sinner and therefore why should a poor soul make this exception in his coming to Christ Now know it if there be any such a soul in the Congregation that hath lived so many years and all his life long hath been in sinful courses the invitation is to him and to all others that If any come to me saith Christ I will give him the water of life Objection But to object further Alas I have no strength nor power and I am unworthy to come and therefore it is but a folly to make such an invitation unto me and I have no power Answer You have heard before what it is to come to Christ viz. To venture and cast your self upon Christs invitation in his promise and the soul now venturing to lean upon Christs word and to trust Christ upon his word and to expect what Christ holds forth in his word this is a coming unto Christ you know what the Prodigal was and when the Lord sees a poor soul afar off he meets him and strengthens him and encourageth him and leadeth him by the hand and upholdeth him Objection Ay but you will say Alas I am willing to come to Christ but I have no word and a soul cannot come to Christ unless the Lord gives out some promise secretly to draw the heart to Christ and I cannot remember that ever the Lord spake to me whereby I should ever come Answer Well Suppose you cannot remember that ever you had any word or promise given out to draw or perswade your heart to cast it self and to adventure upon Christ yet behold here is a word from the Lord this day which he causes to be proclaimed in your hearing Jesus Christ holds forth unto you this day whoever you be that comes he shall drink and shall drink abundantly and most freely drink of the waters of life and shall never perish but shall live for ever and therefore from this time forward let not any soul say well the Lord hath not this day holden forth any word to me know it the Lord speaks to you even to one and to another this day If any man be athirst let him come unto me and drink Have you any thing more to object think with your selves what it is Objection Ay you will say there is one thing more and that is here in the Text If any man be athirst let him come and I cannot say I am athirst There are two things in answer to this Answer 1. The Promise that Christ makes here of giving the water of life is not so much to the thirsty as to the comer Whoever he be that comes to me shall drink 't is true indeed he saith every one that thirsts let him come to me and drink Why ordinarily men and women poor sinners are not ready to come to Christ without they be made very thirsty and see their necessity ay but notwithstanding saith Christ If any man do but come whoeuer he be if he doth but come and so Whosoever will whosoever he be let him come and take of the water of life freely The Promise is made not to thirsters only but to comers and be sure if you come he will give you to drink fully and freely Rev. 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that heareth say Come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him come and drink of the water of life freely Remember the Promise is not to the thirsty alone but unto the comer therefore venture to come and you may be sure Jesus Christ will give you to drink of the water of life Answer 2. But then again you say you do not thirst Can any soul here before the Lord say that you have no need of the water of life that you have no need of nor desire everlasting life that you have no need to have your sins pardoned is there any soul in the Congregation that can say that there is no need then you may stand off and say there is no invitation made to me but I dare say for every one in the congregation that he would willingly dy the death of the righteous and therefore let every poor soul know whatsoever is spoken to one is spoken to every one Jesus Christ hath made this invitation if any man do but come to Christ do but venture upon Christ that is the way he shall drink of the water of life and what shall I say more for the
accepting of this his gracious promise I say it thy sins are forgiven thee relying upon him in the Faithfulness of his Word and Promise I say the Lord Jesus Christ hath forgiven thy sins and you may go home and record it for a Memorial that this day at such a time the Lord hath drawn out my soul to make a close with himself and now eternal life is come unto thee the Lord hath forgiven thy sins and now thou art passed from death to life Let me make the offer again unto such poor sinners as have held out all this time and have not laid hold upon this gracious invitation made by Jesus Christ that will yet venture the Lord perswading your hearts though possibly you have been enemies and opposers and possibly might come to oppose and catch and though never so far off and lost in your selves yet notwithstanding hearken to this invitation that if the Lord doth perswade your hearts to say solemnly and seriously Lord upon this Word of thy gracious Promise and Invitation I do now desire to trust and to venture upon thy Word and do expect the performance and accomplishment of thy Word that now it may be given out to thee that so you also might be brought in unto Christ to partake of this water of life Vse 1. A Word of Exhortation to you who are come to Christ Go away now even as the Virgin Mary and say My Soul doth magnifie the Lord and my Spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour for he hath regarded the low Estate of his poor creature It is said that the Eunuch went away rejoycing after that Philip was caught away by the Spirit and so hath every Believer cause to do Use 2. Another Word is That you would go unto God with a holy boldness as to your God and Father for such special mercies as you desire to have at the Lords hand Now as the Holy Ghost saith Seek the Lord while he may be found and draw nigh unto him while he is near The Lord is near to you do do you draw neer to him with a humble and holy boldness as to your God and Father and you may ask what you will and now beg that the Lord would establish his Work of Grace in your hearts and now ask for this and that mercy and for your relations even what you will In Gen. 17. Abraham falls down in a begging posture God having made a Covenant with him O Lord now that Ismael might live in thy sight so say I Go to God and desire some special mercy this day now while the Lord is nigh Use 3. You who are brought near unto God hath the Lord spoken to you Take heed that you do not stop your ear unto what God speaks and return again to folly Look that you do not walk as the Gentiles did in the vanity of your minds Eph. 4.17 Now you must take heed that you do not walk in the same vanities in your foolish pastimes in your vain conversations take heed you do not walk after the course of the World If the Lord hath taken you out of the World called you unto Christ you are now to walk in a diligent performance of all duties unto the Lord walk close with God in your particular Callings from the heart take heed that you walk exactly and inoffensively keeping a good Conscience Use 4. And lastly That still upon all occasions you would be coming to Christ We are not to content our selves with once coming unto Christ and there is an end but we must come daily even every day When you find your hearts out of frame when you are straitned and dead-hearted come to Christ even every day by vertue of this Promise through this Word leaning and resting upon Christ and O remember this blessed Word this blessed Word of the Lord Jesus Christ wherein he hath said If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink FINIS
this tender to them he doth first take a course to convince them of their sin Thou saist saith he to the Church of Laodiced that thou art rich and wantest nothing but I tell thee saith Christ that thou art poor and miserable and wretched and blind and naked and therefore now I counsel thee to come and buy Eye-salve of me and Gold and white Rayment So that this is the way that Christ takes when he would have a soul to come to him he convinces him first of sin Therefore this is one ground or respect why conviction of sin is so necessary in order to salvation because else a Soul will never be willing to come to Christ 2. Because Vnless a Soul be convinced of sin Christ is not willing to come to that Soul to save that Soul I say Christ is not willing to save a soul that is not convinced of Sin and therefore saith Christ mark I pray The Whole need not the Physitian but those that are sick Mat. 9.12 I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Christ came not to call them that are no sinners to repentance And who are these Are not all sinners Is not every one a sinner There is not a Just man upon the Earth that liveth and sinneth not But who are these that are Righteous here I came not to call the Righteous but Sinners Who are Sinners By sinners here he meanes those that are convinced of their sinful estate and those Righteous that are not convinced they look upon themselves as Righteous though they are as sinful as any others yet notwithstanding they not being convinced they look upon themselves as just and righteous Now saith Christ I come not to call the Righteous but I come to call Sinners to repentance Sinners those that are convinced of sin that are sinners indeed and know themselves to be sinners I come to call them to repentance to life and salvation and mark saith Christ again Luke 19.10 I am come to seek and to save that which is lost I am come to them that are lost I come not to seek and to save them that are not lost lost you will say Is not every sinner lost saith the Apostle If our Gospel be hid 't is hid to them that are lost Is not every sinner a lost Creature a dead Creature What doth Christ come to seek and to save every sinner in the World No saith he I am come to seek and to save them that are lost who are they that are lost 't is true all sinners are lost in respect of their state and Condition but every Sinner is not lost in respect of their sense of their lost condition I pray when do you look upon a Man or Woman to be lost When may one be said to be lost I pray mark you may observe these three things in it 1. When he is gone out of his way when he hath missed his way whither he intends to go then he is lost but not only so But 2. When he hath not only missed his way and he is out of his way but also when he doth not know the way how to return into the right way he doth not know the way back again you will say now the man is lost But 3. Further when a man comes to be sensible of this that he is gone out of his way and he doth not know which way to return home again and he is ready to sit down because he doth not know which way to take only saith he if I go this way or that way I may go further out of my way therefore he is fain to sit down and knows not what to do nor which way to take such a man is lost but if a man be out of the way and know the way back again he is not lost he may find the way or if so be he be not sensible he is out of his way he is not lost but when these things concur together then he is lost Thus it is wi h a sinner when he comes to be convinced that he is out of the way of Salvation and he knows not how to come into the way and he knows he is like to perish in this state he is now in now the sinner is lost Now saith Christ This is the poor Creature that I am come to seek and to save when a poor sinner is convinced of his sinful Estate and is so lost now Christ comes to seek and to save him Now if a man or woman be not lost Christ will not come to seek to save them That are lost that is those that are convinced of their being in a lost Estate And that is the second Reason or Ground why convincing of sin is necessary in order to Salvation Christ else will hardly come to seek and to save such 3. Convincing of Sin is necessary in order to Salvation Because unless a Soul be convinced of sin if Christ should come to save it it will not be willing to accept of Christ and receive Christ and Salvation by Christ he will not be willing withall no Christ came to his own and his own received him not He came to the Jews that were as it were his own Country Men but they would not receive him Why they were not convinced One that is not sick will not care for receiving the Physician or for having the Physician to come at him he hath no need of him The Whole need not the Physician saith Christ but they that are sick Truly untill a Soul be convinced of Sin it is whole and sound in its own Apprehension and that Soul doth not need the Physician Let Christ come and offer himself and tender Life and Salvation he doth not accept of it he hath no need of it and hence it is that Christ tenders and offers himself in the Gospel and offers Salvation therein to poor sinners and People because they are not convinced of their need of Christ receive him not Christ comes near to them and offers himself and Life and Salvation to them through himself and by believing on himself Ay but they will not accept him nor receive him they will not close with him they will not own him though Christ come so near to them 'T is true Christ doth not come so immediately to save those that are not convinced but he will first convince them and then save them That is the third Argument upon which account Conviction of Sin is necessary in order to Conversion and Salvation 4. If a Soul be not convinced of sin that Soul will be hardly taken off from its sins it will not part with its sins and if it do not part with sin it cannot be saved no man can be saved with his sins I say a Soul that is not convinced of sin will not really part with his sins 't is true a Soul may possibly be restrained sometimes that it dares not venture upon those sins that
it did before as possibly through some dread or terror anguish or fear possibly the Soul hath been amazed through some eminent danger which he hath been in possibly he hath been sick to death nigh to the grave and hath seen the door of Eternity to stand open to receive him he hath been amazed and now if the Lord please he may have his life he will turn a new man and forsake those evil ways and courses he formerly lived in or if he be in some sudden danger or accident that he is amazed and affrighted O now he will never do as he hath done but now when the danger is over and the fear is vanished he is the same man he was before I could give you a sad story of this but that I would not take up time that way now you know how it was with Balaam when Balak sent to him to curse Israel Balaam met with a message from God to the contrary Do not go with him saith he for it will cost you your life when the Messenger came saith Balaam If Balak would give me his house full of gold and silver I cannot go beyond the Commandment of my God yet Balaam had an eye to the wages of unrighteousness and he would try to go and at last ventures to go he might be restrained a while but he was not really convinced of Sin and on he would go he would venture at last Just as it is with two Lovers two young people fall in love and their Parents are against their proceedings and their Parents threaten them and charge them to come no more at one another but so long as their affections hold they will find some way or other to come together and though they may for a time be restrained yet they will take some occasion or other to come together again Thus it is with a sinner so long as his affections are not taken off from sin and till a Soul be convinced of sin his affections remain to it and though it may be affrighted and restrained for a time yet it will return again Just as it is with a Bowl it will run on so long as the force of the hand remains but it will return again to its natural Bias so it is with a sinner possibly he may be under some restraint through some fright and amazement by some eminent danger it is in but when that fear or fright is over as long as the affections hold and were never disingaged and broken off from sin the sinner will return and be as eager and as violent upon his sins as before but when a Soul comes to be really convinced of his sin and hath it set home upon him as suppose it be the prophanation of the Sabbath or suppose it be disobedience to Parents or suppose this or that sin if a Soul come to be really convinced of it its affections towards it are broken off and then it will be ready to say with Ephraim Hos 4. ult What have I to do any more with Idols he had been convinced of it and now What have I to do any more with Idols This is the fourth Argument whereby it doth appear that this work of Convincing of sin is necessary in order to Conversion and Salvation 5. Convincing of Sin is necessary in order to Salvation Because unless a Soul be really convinced of sin that Soul can never love Jesus Christ never prize Jesus Christ Vnto them that believe saith the Apostle he is precious 1 Pet. 2.7 That is to you who have been convinced of Sin and brought off from Sin by the power of the Spirit convinced of Sin and drawn to Christ by faith and be ieving through the Spirit now to you Jesus Christ is precious O when a Soul comes to be sensible what a lost creature it is how undone it is in it self it will think how much it is engaged and beholden to Christ O this is he that I am bound to love for ever this is he that hath done so much for me if it had not been for Christ I had perished for ever The Soul when it hath been convinced of Sin and brought off from the love of Sin and brought to lean upon Christ by Faith now Jesus Christ is lovely and precious to him and hence you may see what is the reason that many Professors that have made a great shew in the world and a great noise in the Churches and yet they have little love to Christ and Jesus Christ is not very precious to them And possibly many complain of it O that I could love Jesus Christ more and it is a good complaint I confess O that he were more precious to me and what is the reason that Jesus Christ is more precious to our Souls and that the Soul can love the Lord Jesus Christ no more O! here is one great reason possibly the Soul was never really and truly convinced of Sin the more really the Soul hath been convinced of Sin the more dear and precious will Jesus Christ be to that Soul 6. And lastly The last Ground and Respect for which it is so necessâ—ry that a Soul should be convincâ—d of sin in order to Salvation Because else if a Soul be n t really convinced of sin that Soul notwithstanding all his Profession will be very unstable in its Faith and Comforts It will be tottering and wavering that Soul will never be rooted and grounded but its Comforts will be up and down it will be like a house that is built upon a sandy foundation a light foundation that hath no depth and you see the danger of that house that is built upon the Sands that hath a shallow slight foundation it is in danger to tumble especially when storms come and great Winds blow as Christ speaks Mat. 7. to our present purpose saith he He that heareth my Words and doth them not I will liken him to a Builder that built his house upon the Sands And saith he When the Wind blew and the Rain beat upon the house it fell because it wanted a good Foundation Truly so a Soul that hath no sure Foundation that is that was never really convinced of sin of his need of Christ that Soul will be like a house without a Foundation it will meet with temptations storms and tempests to try what ground it stands on and hence it is that it comes to be so often tottering and shaking I remember a speech of a holy eminent Servant of Christ to set out the necessity of Conviction of sin saith he The less Fine a man pays for his house when he enters the more Rent he must pay afterward He meant thus the less Conviction a man hath of sin at first that is the Fine the less his Fine is the more Rent he must pay afterward his meaning was this the more he will be subject to Troubles and Doubts and Scruples afterwards A Soul that hath not a real conviction of sin upon
Spirit of God cometh to convince a Soul of sin you will find the contrary the Soul will be ready to close with the very Instrument and Means that doth convince him of sin it will embrace and love the instrument you may see it Acts 2. When Peter and John and the Apostles dealt plainly with the people at the 22 verse say they Ye men of Israel hear these Words v. 23. Him being delivered by the determinate Counsel and Foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Say they Ye have killed the Son of God There was plain dealing and so afterwards and so afterwards he tells them again verse 36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ Well how did they bear this at their hands v. 37. Now when they heard this they were priâ—ked at their hearts and they said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren What shall we do Men and Brethren not Enemies no but Brethren now Ay when the Spirit of God convinces a soul of sin by any Instruments it will look at the instruments rather as Brethren than as haters of them they will look upon them in another manner and give them other manner of Appellations and Greetings Men and Brethren And truly Brethren this is a good sign that the Holy Ghost hath been at work upon the heart in a way of conviction when as the soul is ready to close with those that are the Means and Instruments of convincing them of sin That is the fourth thing whereby we may come to discern the difference between the trouble for sin that comes from the evil Spirit and that trouble that comes from the holy Spirit in a way of convincing of sin 5. When Trouble for sin doth come from the evil Spirit ordinarily the heart will be ready to murmur against God himself secretly murmur against God himself and think that God dealeth very hardly with sinners and very rigidly to lay such heavy punishments upon sinners for small matters as they are ready to think What afflict us here lay such heavy punishments upon us here for a small sin and then inflict eternal death too and let the wrath of God ly upon the soul for ever for sin God deals very hardly for sin the heart secretly rises against God and murmurs against God for it as if God were unrighteous and dealt very rigidly and severely as Cain Gen. 4. saith he My Punishment is greater than I can bear 't is too great a punishment And I remember Ezek. 18.25 The Lord complains of the people that they were ready to murmur against him as if his ways were not equal The Fathers have eaten sowre grapes and the Childrens teeth we set on edge We are punished say they for our Fathers sins God deals unrighteously with us and unequally with us that God is fain to clear himself I tell you saith God the Soul that sinneth it shall dy And the Child shall not bear the punishment of his Fathers So they were ready to judge hardly of God as if God were unrighteous And so I remember Revel 16.10 11. And the fifth Angel powred out his Vial upon the seat of the Beast and his Kingdom was full of Darkness and they gnawed their tongues for pain And what then v. 11. And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pain and their soares and repented not of their Deeds When God comes to lay afflictions upon a soul and sin is set home by the Devil they will be ready to blaspheme God at least secretly in their hearts that God is a hard God and deals very rigidly and severely what for a small matâ—er to lay such heavy punishments upon us here and eternal wrath for ever the Lord dealeth unrighteously Whereas now on the other side when a soul is convinced of sin by the holy Spirit of God the Soul is ready to justify God though he do afflict As I remember Ezra 9.14 saith Ezra there And whatever is come upon us for our evil Deeds our God hath punished us less than our iniquities have deserved God might have laid much more upon us So Nehem. 9.33 Nehemiah and the rest there do acknowledge that the Lord was righteous in all that was come upon them Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right So I remember David when God had convinced him of his sin of Murder and Adultery Psal 51. he makes that as his penitential Psalm and saith he Verse 4. That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and clear when thou judgest Lord saith he I will clear thee whatever cometh of me this is the guise and frame of a soul that is convinced of sin by the Spirit of God such a Soul will justify God and acknowledge that God is holy and righteous in all his dealings So Psal 22.2 3. There David complains that God had shut out his prayer I cry night and day saith he but thou regardest not but yet saith he thou art holy thou art righteous still Thus it is with a soul that is convinced by the holy Spirit of God 6. You shall find another difference When the evil spirit convinces a Soul of Sin and troubles the Soul about sin you may observe there the Soul is not troubled for sin as 't is sin nor is it taken off from sin as sin but only troubled about the effects of it but is not taken off from sin no not from any sin as 't is sin possibly such a Soul may be under restraint for a time from his sin or possibly he will never venture upon that sin again that his Soul hath been troubled about and his Conscience so tattered and terrified about yet is not taken off from all sin You know Judas was troubled for his sin the Devil had drawn him into sin to betray Christ when he had drawn him into the sin then the Devil falls upon his Conscience and drives him into despair even to hang himself But it is likely if he had lived an hundred years after he would never have done the like crime again he would never have betrayed his Master again but yet he was not taken off from sin as sin if a Soul be taken off from sin aâ— sin he will be cut off from all sin for you see he fell upon self murder for all that and upon the sin of despair for all that so that I say such a soul is not taken off from all sin Whereas now a soul that is convinced by the Spirit of God it doth cut him off from all sin that now a Soul doth loath and hate every sin that he knows to be sin he will not meddle with it Psal 119. saith David I hate every false way And as Ephraim saith Hos 14.8 What have I to do any more with Idols Never meddle with
leaves spreading till it hath spread all over and the grain of mustard seed it grows and springs up further and further till it become a tree for the fowls in the air to lodge in so our inward man is renewed day by day as it will spring up increase and grow more and more though yet he that hath drunk of the Spirit hath not the full perfection of it at once but may desire more yet notwithstanding he hath so much as he shall never be dry again that is wholly destitute but shall grow up and increase and spring And let me add only a third thing Answer 3. You will say The Saints have not a full draught and full supply because they complain I answer that though here they be in a state of imperfection and stand in need of a daily supply being sensible of their own defects and weaknesses Yet every believing soul hath drunk so much of the water of life as now he hath right and title unto the Inheritance of Glory where there is such fulness of joy as he shall be satisfied and shall not be able to desire any more Psal 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of Joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore They shall have joy as much as they can hold every vessel shall be filled with glory so full as it can hold no more they shall enjoy as much as ever they are able to hold or containe every vessel shall be full of glory The beginnings of eternal life are here and though possibly they may be made to drink tears here in abundance yet notwithstanding they have the beginnings of eternal life and glory and when they come once to enjoy the consummation of it they shall not be able to desire one draught one jot more so He that believeth on me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water springing up unto eternal life So much for that Objection Now for the Application of the Point Vse 1. You see what Christ saith in the Text That man that comes unto me shall drink My drift in this Application shall be to press this Invitation of Jesus Christ Be it known unto you Men and Women young men and old and children that are capable of knowledge Know it that Jesus Christ doth invite every one of you that stands before him in this Ordinance to come unto him and draw water out of this Well of salvation It is a strong invitation that whosoever comes to him shall drink of this water of life Let me say unto you as Moses said unto the Children of Israel Deut. 32.46 And he said unto them Set your hearts unto all the Words that I testify among you this day Set your hearts to this Invitation of Jesus Christ to the Word that is now sounding in your ears for it is your life Jesus Christ doth bring eternal life to your doors to your hearts do not look upon them as if they were words of course and wind as if there were no truth or reality in them Brethren I suppose now if a friend should invite you to a Dinner or a Supper you would believe that he were real and you are ready to accept of his invitation because you think he means as he saith Why so now be it known unto you that Jesus Christ doth make an invitation to all here every one in the Congregation this day to come unto him and you shall have a supply of this water of life Suppose now that Jesus Christ were here present speaking these words as he did with his own mouth in the hearing of thousands and suppose now that if Jesus Christ were here in his bodily presence do you not think you should believe and give entertainment to what he spake behold Jesus Christ now speaks in his Word to all that are here present as he spake to all that were present then and makes proclamation saying Is any man athirst is there any that do desire this water of life that do desire to have their sins pardoned and forgiven them that do desire to be freed from condemnation that do desire to be adopted Sons and Daughters of God to have peace with God to have comfort and consolation in life and death and to have everlasting eternal glory when life shall be no more Know Jesus Christ holds forth all this whatsoever is requisite to eternal life Jesus Christ doth invite you to this and holds forth and promiseth to give a full draught of it to all that ever will come to him Therefore let no poor soul lay impediments and blocks in its own way to hinder him from coming unto Jesus Christ Objection But may one say I am afraid that I should presume if I should come unto Christ and therefore I dare not venture Answer O! let not any soul think so nor say so to hinder any of your souls from coming Know it that if Jesus Christ had made no invitation to you to come then you might very well say it 's presumption indeed for me to come but Jesus Christ invites thee himself in his Word and Promises that if you do come you shall have of this water of life and that freely Suppose a great rich man should invite a poor man to his Table and he comes being invited will ye say this is presumption when he spake to him himself and if he should not come 't is rather a slighting and despising his favour and love Why Jesus Christ holds forth a free invitation tenders it and promises it to any one soul that will come unto him upon his invitation and therefore let nothing stave thee off seeing he hath made a full and free invitation unto every one to come indeed Objection But alas I do not know that I am invited Christ invites me what me I am altogether unworthy to be invited to partake of this water of life alas so poor a creature so ignorant and so blind and so without strength as I am unable to perform any duty no strength and nothing at all to commend me unto the Lord or why the Lord should give me the least drop of the water of life and therefore certainly it is not to me Jesus Christ doth not invite me Answer I say Let not this Impediment ly in thy way because we have no strength or ability to do or to please or to serve him in any way why alas do you think now that Jesus Christ calls for any price invites people and then they must bring money in their hands No Brethren you are much mistaken Jesus Christ doth invite to come without money or without any price Whoever you be though you be never so weak and unable to perform any duty or service and never did any thing for the Lord yet you should come And Brethren the more unfit we are in our selves and the less we have of our selves and the more sensible we are of our own