Spirit, fuch as knowledge, vanishing convictions, &c. but the opening of the heart by faith is the special, faving, and peculiar work of the Spirit, John vi. 29. "This is the work of God that ye believe.' Yea, it is the effect of the Almighty Power of God, the exceeding greatnefs of his power is exerted in the work of faith, Eph. i. 19. It rifes not out of nature, as common gifts do; but of this it is exprefsly faid, Eph. ii. 8. "It is not of yourselves,, it is the gift of "God." Where this work is effectually wrought, we may reafon as folidly as comfortably from it, both backward, to the electing love of God, and forward, to our eternal glorification with him, Rom. viii. 30.

Confolat. 2. The opening of thy heart to Chrift by faving faith, gives thee intereft in Chrift the very fame hour; the relation is then conftituted, the conjugal tie or bond is faftened betwixt him. and thy foul; John i. 12. "To as many as received him, to "them gave he power, (viz. right or privilege) to become the Sons "of God, even to as many as believe on his name." You neither need, nor may expect an extraordinary meffenger or voice from heaven to tell you that Chrift is yours, and you are his; you have a better foundation in this word and work of faith: For my part, if God will give me the clear and fatisfying experience of this work upon my heart, I would never defire more fatisfaction on this fide heaven. I know not but the devil may counterfeit an extraordinary voice, and cheat the foul by a lying oracle; but if I really feel my heart and will fincerely opening to Christ upon gospelterms, I am fure there is no deceit in that.

Confolat. 3. The opening of thy heart to Chrift by faith is a good affurance that heaven fhall be opened to thy foul hereafter: Heaven is fhut against none but those that shut their heart against Christ by unbelief. Will you bar Chrift out of your fouls by ignorance and unbelief, and then cry, Lord, open to us? No, God will open to none but them that open to Chrift. Eternity itself shall but suffice to blefs God for this opening act of faith: "He that believeth "fhall be faved," Mark xvi. 16.

Confolat. 4. The opening of thy foul to Chrift by faith makes it Chrift's habitation for ever; in that hour out goes fin and Satan, and in comes Chrift and grace: "If any man open unto me, I will "come in to him," faith the text. Of fuch a foul Christ faith as it was faid of the temple, Pfal. cxxxii. 13, 14 "The Lord hath ❝ desired it for his habitation. This is my reft for ever; here "will I dwell, for I have defired it." The foul now becomes an hallowed temple to the Lord: as he hath faid, "I will dwell in "them, and walk in them, and will be their God, and they shall "be my people," 2 Cor. vi. 16. O what a heaven upon earth is here! Chrift dwelling in the foul is the glory of the foul; as God's

dwelling in the temple was the glory of the temple.

Confolat. 5. In a word, the opening of the heart to Chrift is that work which anfwers the great defign of the gospel. Wherefore hath God fet up ordinances and minifters, yea, wherefore is the Spirit fent forth but to open the hearts of finners to Chrift by faith? When this is done, the main end and intention of the gofpel is attained and anfwered; the union is effected betwixt Chrift and the foul; it is now put out of hazard. The whole work of the gofpel after that is but to build up, confirm, and comfort the foul; ripen its implanted graces, and make it meet for glory.

And thus, through the affiftance of the Spirit, I have finished the fifth obfervation, That every conviction of confcience, and motion upon the affections, is a knock or call of Chrift for entrance into the finner's heart.

HE

SERMON VI.

REVEL. iii. 20.

Behold I [ftand] at the door and knock, &c.

[ I ftand and knock. ]

ERE is pains and patience, all means used by Chrift to gain entrance into the fouls of finners. It fpeaks the earnestness of his fuit, and vehemency of his defire to be in union with the fouls of men. The fixth obfervation therefore will be this,

Doct. 6. That Jefus Chrift is an earnest fuitor for union and communion with the fouls of finners.

This point lies directly and fully in the very eye and intention of the text. In the opening of it, two things must be spoken to, in the doctrinal part, viz.

I. The demonftration of this truth, that he is fo.

II. The marvellous and admirable grace and condescension of Chrift, that he fhould be fo.

I. For demonftration of this truth, that Chrift is an earneft fuitor for union and communion with the fouls of finners. I fhall draw down the demonftration of this truth, from a view and confideration of the difpofitions, carriages, and actions of the Lord Jefus towards poor finners from first to laft: And when you have compared them all together, and by them feen the temper of his heart,

how great and clear a light will fhine upon this point! That his heart hath ftill inclined towards union and communion with finful man, will evidently appear by confidering him in a fourfold state and time.

i. Before his incarnation.

2. In the days of his flesh.
3. At his death. And,

4. At, and fince his afcenfion into heaven.

Firft, Confider him before his incarnation, and you will find two things in that state which plainly fpeak his defire after union with

us.

1. Demonst. In the covenant of redemption he made with God concerning us before this world had a being; for fuch covenants and promifes did really pafs betwixt him and the Father before all time, or elfe I know not how to understand that fcripture, Tit. i. 2. "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie promifed "before the world began." To whom could that promise be made but unto Chrift, which bears date before the creation? What else can this mean but the covenant of redemption made betwixt the Father and the Son? the terms whereof are fet down in Ifa. hii. 10, 11. where you find what Chrift was to do, viz. To make his foul an offering for fin. And what should be his reward for pouring out his foul unto death, viz. To fee his feed, to fee the travail of his foul, even a church purchafed with his own blood? Whether this be not a great demonftration of the propenfion and inclination of Christ's heart and defire towards union and communion with poor finners, let all men judge. O what a value did Chrift fet upon our fouls, that upon fuch coftly terms he would confent to redeem them! Unto this agreement God the Father held him, Rom. viii. 32. God spared not his own Son. And this very covenant Chrift pleaded with the Father, John viii. 6. « I have manifefted thy name to the men which thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and "thou gavest them me." This plainly fhews the vehement defire of Chrift's heart to be in union with men; according to that Prov. viii. 31. "Rejoicing in the habitable parts of his earth, and my "delights were with the fons of men." Bleffed Jefus ! nothing but the ftrength of thine own defire and love could ever have drawn thee out of that bofom of delights to fuffer fo many things for the fake of poor finners.

2. Demonft. Secondly, Let us confider Chrift's temper and dispofition towards union and communion with finners, within time; and every thing done by Chrift carries and conforms this conclufion.

1. His affumption of our nature plainly speaks it.
2. His whole life upon earth evidently difcovers it.

3. His doctrine is a clear proof of it.

4. His joy at the converfion of fouls proves it.
5. His forrows for men's unbelief evidence it.
6. His indefatigable labours plainly thew it."
7. His admirable encouragements to coming finners.
8. His dreadful menaces to obftinate finners.

9. His fending and encouraging minifters to draw and gather the world to himself.

All these things, which were tranfacted in the life of Chrift, plainly demonftrate how greatly and earnestly his heart did propend and incline towards this defirable union with the fons of

men.

1. Chrift's affumption of our nature manifefteth his defire after union with us. Herein he gave two incomparable proofs of his tranfcendent love to us, and defire after us.

(1.) In paffing by a more excellent nature.
(2.) In marrying our nature to himself.

(1.) He paffed by a fuperior and more excellent nature, Heb. ii. 16. "Verily he took not on him the nature of angels." Angels were excellent creatures, but behold veffels of gold caft into the fire, and earthen potfherds fitted for glory! It is true, the angels that kept their integrity are members of Christ's kingdom; he is a head to them by way of dominion, but unto us by way of vital union. Chrift takes the believer into a nearer union with himself than any angel in heaven; but for the multitudes of apoftate angels, he never defigned their recovery, but left them, as they were before, bound in chains of darknefs unto the judgment of the great day, Jude, ver. 6. This preterition of Christ heightens his love to poor man,

(2.) In marrying our nature to himfelf, and that after fin had blafted its beauty, and let in fo many direful calamities upon it, Rom. viii. 3. "He was found in the likeness of finful flesh," i. e. Flesh fubject to wearinefs, pains and death, which though there be no fin in them, yet are the effects and confequences of fin: fuch a nature he affumed into a perfonal union with himself, not to experience any new pleafure in it, but to capacitate himself to fuffer and fatisfy for us; and therein to give a convincing proof of the ftrength of his love, and vehemency of his defire to us. His perfonal union with our nature fhews his defire after a mystical union with our perfons. He would never have been the Son of man, but to make us the fons and daughters of the living God: he came in our likeness, that we, by fanctification, might be made in his Ekenefs. Behold how near Chrift comes to us by his incarnation! O what a stoop did he make therein to recover us! Rather than lofe us, he was contented to lofe his manifeftative glory for a time;

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for his incarnation made him of no reputation, Phil. ii. 7. Behold the defire of a Saviour after union with finners!

2. The whole life of Christ upon earth was an evident proof and demonstration of the defire of his heart to be in union and communion with us; John xvii. 19. "For their fakes I fanctify myfelf." The life of Chrift was wholly fet apart for us; therefore it is faid, Ifa. ix. 6. "Unto us a child is born, unto us a fon " is given." What was the errand and business upon which Chrift came into this world, but to feek and to fave that which was loft?

All the miracles he wrought on earth were fo many works of mercy; he could have wrought his miracles to have deftroyed and ruined fuch as received him not; but his Almighty Power was employed to heal and fave the bodies of men, that thereby he might win their fouls unto him; Acts x. 38. "God anointed Je"fus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghoft and with power; who "went about doing good, and healing all that were oppreffed of "the devil; for God was with him." When the apostles defired a commiffion from him to fetch fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans, he rebuked them, faying, "Ye know not what man"ner of spirit ye are of; for the Son of man came not to deftroy "men's lives, but to fave them," Luke ix. 54, 55, 56. The whole life of Chrift in this world was nothing elfe but a wooing, drawing motive to the hearts of finners; he rejected not the vileft of finners, Luke vii. 39. He rejected none that came unto him; he would not have little children forbidden to be brought unto him, Mark x. 13. What his winning carriage should be, was long before predicted by the prophet, Ifa. xlii. 3. "A bruifed reed thall he "not break, and fimoaking flax fhall he not quench." Lentulus, the proconful, in his epiftle, ad S. P. 2. R. having graphically defcribed the person of Chrift, gives this account of his carriage and deportment; "In his reproofs he was terrible, in his admo"nitions fair and amiable, cheerful without levity; he was never "feen to laugh, but often to weep; his words grave, few, and "modeft," &c.

Chrift was in the world as a load-ftone drawing all men to him; his deportment was every way fuitable to his commiffion, which was "to preach good tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken"hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening of "the prifon to them that are bound," Ifa. li. 1.

3. As his life, fo his doctrine was a wooing and inviting doctrine: a moft pathetical invitation unto finners: Never man fpake as he spake; whenever he opened his lips, heaven opened, the very heart of God was opened in it to finners; the whole ftream and current of his doctrine was one continued powerful perfuafive to draw finners to