First, We will enquire what it is to come to Chrift, and how many things are included in it.

In general, to come to Chrift, is a phrase equipollent, or of the fame amount with believing in Chrift. It is an expreffion that carries the nature and neceflity of faith in it, and is reciprocated with believing. John vi. 35. " He that cometh to me fhall never "hunger, and he that believeth in me fhall never thirst.” Coming to Chrift, is believing in Chrift; and believing in Chrift, is coming to Chrift: they are nona's, and import the felf fame thing. Only in this notion of faith, there are many rich and excellent things hinted to no other word ca o aptly conus, which yey to our minds.

Firt, It hints this to us, That the fouls of convinced and burdened finners do not only difcern the reality of Chrift, or that he is, but also the neceffity of applying Chrift, and that their eternal life is in their union with him: for this is moft certain, that the object of faith must be determinate and fixed; the foul muit believe that Chrift is, or elfe there can be no emotions of the foul after him: all coming pre-fuppofes a fixed term to which we come, Heb. xi. 6. "He that cometh to God, muft believe that God is." Take away this, and all motions after Chrift prefently ftop. No wonder then that fouls, in their firft motions to Chrift, find themfelves clogged with fo many atheistical temptations, fhaking their affent to the truth of the gofpel at the very root and foundation of it; but they that come to Chrift, do fee that he is, and that their life and happiness lie in their union with him, elfe they would never come to him upon fuch terms as they do.

Secondly, Coming to Chrift implies the foul's defpair of falvation any other way. The way of faith is a fupernatural way, and fouls will not attempt it until they have tried all natural ways to help and fave themielves, and find it all in vain; therefore the text defcribes thefe comers to Chrift as weary perfons, that have been labouring and ftriving in all other ways for reft, but can find none; and so are forced to relinquish all their fond expectations of falvation in any other way, and come to Chrift as their last and only remedy.

Thirdly, Coming to Chrift notes a fupernatural and almighty power, acting the foul quite above its own natural abilities in this motion. John vi. 44. "No man can come unto me, except my

Father which hath fent me draw him." It is as poffible for the ess ponderous. mountains to start from their bafes and centres, mount Themfelves aloft into the air, and there fly like wandering atoms hither and thither, as it is for any man, of himfelf, i. c. by a pure natural power of his own, to come to Chrift. It was not a ftranger thing for Peter to come to Chrift, walking upon the waves of the

fea, than for his, or any man's foul, to come to Chrift in the way of faith.

Fourthly, Coming to Chrift notes the voluntarinefs of the foul in its motion to Chrift. It is true, there is no coming without the Father's drawing; but that drawing hath nothing of coaction in it; it doth not deftroy, but powerfully, and with an overcoming fweetnefs, perfuade the will. It is not forced or driven, but it comes: being made "willing in the day of God's power," Pfal. cx. 3. Afk a poor diftreffed finner in that feafon, Are you willing to come to Chrift? O rather than live life is not fo neceffary as Chrift is! O! with all my heart, ten thousand worlds for Jefus Chrift, if he could be purchafed, were nothing anfwerable to his value in mine eyes! The foul's motion to Chrift is free and voluntary, it is coming.

Fifthly, It implies this in it, That no duties, or ordinances, (which are but the ways or means by which we come to Chrift), are, or ought to be central and terminative to the foul: i. e. the foul of a believer is not to fit down, and rest in them, but to come by them or through them to Jefus Chrift, and take up his reft in him only. No duties, no reformations, no ordinances of God, how excellent foever these things are in themfelves, and how neceffary foever they are in their proper place and ufe, can give reft to the weary and heavy laden foul: it cannot centre in any of them, and you may fee it cannot, because it ftill gravitates and inclines to another thing, even Chrift, and cannot terminate its motion till it be come to him. Chrift is the term to which a believer moves; and therefore he cannot fit down by the way, or be as well fatiffied as if he were at his journey's end. Ordinances and duties have the nature and ufe of means to bring us to Chrift, but not to be to any man inftead of Chrift.

Sixthly, * Coming to Chrift, implies an hope or expectation from Chrift in the coming foul. he hath no hope, why doth t-move forward? As good fit ftilly and refolve to perish where it is, as to come to Chrift, if there is no ground to expect falvation by him. Hope is the fpring of motion and induftry; if you cut off hope, you hinder faith: it cannot move to Chrift, except it be fatisfied, at least, of the poffibility of mercy and falvation by him. Hence it is, that when comers to Chrift are struggling with the doubts and fears of the iffae, the Lord is pleafed to enliven their faint hopes, by fetting home fuch fcriptures as thefe, John vi. 37. "He that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out." And Heb. "He is able to fave to the uttermoft, all that come unto

vil. 25.

* Come unto me, i. e. with the graces of faith, religicus hope, and defire. Brugenfis is on the place.

SERM. IX. "God by him." This puts life into hope, and hope puts life into industry and motion.

Seventhly, Coming to Chrift for rest implies, that believers have, and lawfully may have an eye to their own happiness, in clofing with the Lord Jefus Chrift. The poor foul comes for reft; it comes for falvation; its eye and aim are upon it; and this aim of the foul, at its own good, is legitimated, and allowed by that expreffion of Chrift, John v. 40. " Ye will not come unto me, that ye may have life." If Chrift blame them for not coming to him, that they might have life, fure he would not blame them, had they come to him for life.

Eighthly, but Laftly, and which is the principal thing in this expreffion; Coming to Chrift, notes the all-fufficiency of Chrift, to anfwer all the needs and wants of diftreffed fouls, and their betaking themselves accordingly to him only for relief, being content to come to Chrift for whatever they need, and live upon that fulnefs that is in him. If there were not an all-fufficiency in Chrift, no foul would come to him; for this is the very ground upon which men come. Heb. vii. 25." He is able to fave to the ut« termost, all that come to God by him:",ority, to the uttermoft: In the greateft plunges, difficulties, and dangers. He hath a fulness of faving power in him, and this encourages fouls to come unto him. One beggar ufes not to wait at the door of ano ther, but all at the doors of them they conceive able to relieve them. And as this notes the fulness of Christ as our Saviour, fo it must needs note the emptinefs and humility of the foul as a comer to him. This is called fubmiffion, in Rom. x. 3. Proud nature must be deeply diftreffed, humbled, and moulded into another temper, before it will be perfuaded to live upon thofe terms, to come to Chrift for every thing it wants, to live upon Chriff's fulnefs in the way of grace and favour, and have no stock of its own to live upon. O! this is hard, but it is the way of faith.

Secondly, In the next place, let us fee how Chrift invites men to come to him, and you fhall find the means employed in this work, are either internal, and principal, namely, the Spirit of God, who is Chrift's vicegerent, and comes to us in his name and room, to perfuade us to believe, John xv. 26; or external, namely, the preaching of the gofpel by commiffioned ambaffadors, who, in Chrift's ftead, befeech men to be reconciled to God, i. e. to come to Chrift by faith, in order to their reconciliation and peace with God. But all means and inftruments employed in this work of bringing men to Chrift, entirely depend upon the bleffing and concurrence of the Spirit of God, without whom they fignify nothing. How long may minifters preach before one foul comes to Chrift, except the Spirit co-operate in that work! Now as to the manner in which

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men are perfuaded, and their wills wrought upon to come to Chrift, I will briefly note feveral acts of the Spirit, in order there

unto.

Firft, There is an illuftrating work of the Spirit upon the minds of finners, opening their eyes to fee their danger and mifery; till thefe be difcovered, no man ftirs from his place: It is fenfe of danger that rouzes the fecure finner, that diftreffes him, and makes him look about for deliverance, crying, What shall I do to be faved? And it is the difcovery of Chrift's ability to fave, which is the ground and reafon, (as was obferved above,) of its motion to Chrift. Hence, feeing the Son, is joined with believing, or coming to him, in John vi. 40.

Secondly, There is the authoritative call, or commanding voice of the Spirit in the word; a voice that is full of awful majesty and power. 1 John iii. 23. "This is his commandment, that we « should believe on the name of his Son Jefus Chrift." This call of the Spirit to come to Chrift, removes one great obstruction, namely, the fear of prefumption out of the foul's way to Chrift, and, instead of prefumption in coming, makes it rebellion, and inexcuseable obftinacy, to refuse to come. This anfwers all pleas againft coming to Chrift from our unworthinefs and deep guilt; and mightily encourages the foul to come to Chrift, whatever it hath been, or done.

Thirdly, There are fl-encouraging, conditional * promises, to all that do come to Chrift in obedience to the command. Such is that in my text, I will give you reft: And that in John vi. 37. "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wife cast out. And these breathe life and encouragement into poor fouls that fear, and are daunted through their own unworthinefs.

Fourthly, There are dreadful threatnings denounced by the Spirit in the word, against all that refufe or neglect to come to Chrift, which are of great ufe to engage and quicken fouls in their way to Chrift. Mark xvi. 16. "He that believes not shall be damned: Die in his fins," John viii. 14. "The wrath of God shall remain " on him," John iii. ult. Which is as if the Lord had faid, Sinners, do not dally with Chrift, do not be always treating, and never concluding, or refolving: for if there be justice in heaven, or fire in hell, every foul that comes not to Chrift, muft, and fhall perish to all eternity. Upon your own heads let the blood and deftruction of your own fouls be for ever, if you will not come unto him. Fifthly, There are moving examples fet before fouls in the word, to prevail with them to come, alluring and encouraging examples of VOL. II.

• Promifes which imply the connection of the end with the means. Editor.

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fuch as have come to Chrift, under the deepeft guilt and discouragement, and yet found mercy. 1 Tim. i. 15, 16. "This is a "faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jefus Chrift "came into the world to fave finners, of whom I am chief: how"beit, (or nevertheless) for this caufe I have obtained mercy, that " in me first Jefus Chrift might fhew forth all long-fuffering, for "a pattern to them which fhould hereafter believe in him to life "everlasting." Who would not come to Chrift after such an example as this? And if this will not prevail, there are dreadful examples recorded in the word, fetting before us the miferable condition of all fuch as refufe the calls of the word to come to Christ. Pet. iii. 19, 20. By which alfo he went and preached to the Spirits which are in prifon, which fometime were difobedient, when once the long-fuffering of God waited in the days of Noah." The meaning is, the finners that lived before the Hood, but now are in hell, clapt up in that prifon, had the offers of grace made them, but defpifed them, and now lie for their difobe dience in prifon, under the wrath of God for it, in the lowest hell.

Sixthly, and lafly, There is an effectual perfuading, overcoming and victorious work of the Spirit upon the hearts and wills of finners, under which they come to Jefus Chrift. Of this I have fpoken at large before, in the fourth fermon, and therefore fhall not add any thing more here. This is the way and manner in which fouls are prevailed with to come to Jefus Chrift.

*

Thirdly, In the laft place, if you enquire why Chrift makes his invitations to weary and heavy laden fouls, and to no other, the anfwer is briefly this:

Firf, Becaufe in fo doing, he follows the commiffion which he received from his Father: for fo you will find it runs, in Ifa. Ixi. 1. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath "anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek, he hath fent "me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the

captives, and the opening of the prifon to them that are bound." You fee here how Chrift's commiffion directs him: his Father fent him to poor broken-hearted finners, and he will keep clofe to his commißion. "He came not to call the rightccus, but finners, (i. e. "fenfible burdened finners) to repentance." Matth. ix. 13. " I am nor fent, (aith he,) but unto the loft fheep of the houfe of

* Though weary and easy laden fouls only, and in the iffue, will believe'; yet finners, without exception, and as finners, are the objects of the gospel-proclamation. It is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Chrift came into the world To SAVE SINNERS, 1 Tim. i. 15. God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoseever believeth on him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting life, John iii. 16. Editer.