him. This was his language, «Come unto me all ye that labour, "and are heavy aden, and I will give you reft, Mat. xi. 28. " In "the last day, the great day of the feaft, Jefus ftood up and cried, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink," John vii. 37. Himfelf refembles it to the clucking of a hen, to gather her chickens under her wings, Luke xiii. 34. "O Jerufalem, Jeru"falem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, " as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings!" Certainly the whole ftream of the gospel is nothing else but the charming voice of the heavenly bridegroom.

4. The joy he always expreft for the fuccefs of the gospel, fpeaks him to be an earnest fuitor for the hearts of finners. It is very remarkable, that all the evangelifts who have recorded the life of Chrift, never mentioned one laugh or fmile that ever came from him, for he was a man of førrows. Yet once you read, that he rejoiced in spirit; and you fhall fee the occafion of it, in Luke 1. 21. In that hour Jefus rejoiced in fpirit. And what was it that gladdened his heart, but the report brought him by the feventy, who returned with joy, faying, Lord, even the devils are fubject to us through thy name. And he faid unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven, ver. 17, 18. Satan's kingdom was going down in the world, and the mysteries of falvation revealed unto babes; this made his holy heart leap with joy within him, to behold the fuccefs of the gofpel deftroying Satan's kingdom; and the pooreft, meaneft among men enlightened and converted by it. This was a cordial to his very foul, and spake the earnestness of his defire after union and communion with finners.

5. His forrows and mourning upon the account of the obstinacy and unbelief of finners, fpeaks the vehemency of his defire after union with them; it is faid, Mark iii. 5. «When he had looked "round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hard"nefs of their hearts," &c. You fee from hence, that a hard heart is a grief to Jefus Chrift. O how tenderly did Christ resent it, when Jerufalem rejected him' It is faid, Luke xix. 41. "That "when Jefus came nigh to the city, he wept over it." The Redeemer's tears wept over obftinate Jerufalem, fpake the zeal and fervency of his affection to their falvation; how loth Chrift is to give up finners. What a mournful voice is that in John v. 40. «And you will not come unto me, that you might have life." How fain would I give you life? but you would rather die than come unto me for it. What can Chrift do more to express his willingness? All the forrows that ever touched the heart of Chrift from men, were upon this account, that they would not yield to his calls and invitations.

VOL. IV.

6. This appears to be the great defign of Chrift, by the unwea ried labours he underwent day and night to accnplifh it: Many weary journeys Chrift took, many fermons and prayers he preached and poured out, and all upon this defign, to open the hearts of finners to him, and win the confent of their wills, to become his; this was the work which he preferred to his neceflary food; John iv. 34. "My meat is to do the will of him that fent me, and to "finish his work:" q. d. My bringing home the elect of God, and faving them from wrath to come, is more to me than meat and drink. So vehement and intenfe were his defires after the winning of finners, that he would lofe no occafion to accomplish it. If he were never fo weary with his travels and labours, yet if any occafion offered to fave a loft foul, he would be fure to improve it. You have an instance of this in John iv. 6. "Then cometh he to "a city of Samaria, called Sychar, &c. now Jacob's well was there. "Jefus therefore being weary with his journey, fat thus on the "well," &c. Chrift was weary with his journey, and fat on the well for a little reft and refreshment, in the heat of the day. At the fame time comes a woman of Samaria to draw water; a great finner fhe was: Chrift compaffionately beholding this miferable object, forgets his own wearinefs, prefently falls a preaching repentance to this finner, and opens her heart; a greater refreshment to him than that well could afford him, by giving him a feat to fit on, or water to drink.

7. The great and admirable encouragements Christ always gave to coming and willing fouls, plainly speak the earneft defire of his heart after union with them; never were the like encouragements given that Chrift gave to draw the fouls of men to him. It is remarkable in what general terms and forms of expreffion he delivered them, that none might be difcouraged, but come on in hope towards him: Come unto me all ye that labour, Matth. xi. 28. If any man thirst, John viii. 7. All along, the terms of invitation are exceeding large, which fpeak the defire of his heart to be so also; and his practice was answerable to his invitation; his mercies and compaffions never failed when the vileft of finners came to him in the way of repentance and faith. You read in Luke vii. 41, 42. that when Chrift fat at meat in the houfe of Simon the Pharifee, there came in a poor convinced finner, who had guilt enough upon her to fink ten thousand fouls to the bottom of hell; this poor wretch comes with a great deal of humility unto Chrift, not prefuming to come before his face, but falls down behind him, kiffeth his feet, washes them with tears, and wipes them with the hair of her head; all demonftrations of a broken heart. And how did the merciful Jefus welcome this poor finner? He feals her pardon, cuomends the fervour of her affections, and fends her away a joy

ful foul; herein making good that gracious promife, He that cometh anto me I will in no wife caft out.

8. The dreadful threatnings of Chrift against all that refuse him, and fhut the doors of their hearts against him, fpeak his vehement defire to prevent the lofs and ruin of fouls. The threats of Chrift are not intended to difcourage any from coming to him, to fright away fouls from him; no, that's not their intention: but to bring them under a bleffed neceffity of compliance with his

O the dreadful threatenings, which, like claps of thunder, brake from the mouth of Christ against all that should refuse or delay to come unto him!" If you believe not, you fhall die in your "fins: he that believeth not fhall not fee life," John iii. 36. What a terrible thunder-clap is that against all unbelievers! So Mark xvi. 16. He that believeth not shall be damned. All these, and many more are warning-pieces fhot off from heaven to prevent the ruin and damnation of men; the very threatenings of the gofpel carry a defign of mercy in them; damnation is threatened, that it may be prevented.

9. And then in the last place herein appears the earnestness of Chrift after union with finners, that when he could be no longer a preacher to this world in his own perfon, he ordained a fucceffion of minifters, in his bodily abfence from us, to gather and build the church, and to continue to the end of the world; to carry on the fuit that Chrift had begun, as long as there was one elect foul in the world lying in the state of fin and nature.

Reader, Chrift could not always abide here; he muft die, or we could not live; he must rise again, or we could not be justified; our bufinefs called him to another place and ftate: Now when. Chrift was to afcend to heaven, what doth he do? Why, he chufeth and calleth men, men made of the fame clay with ourselves, whofe prefence and appearance fhould not affright or difcourage us; who fhould treat with us in a familiar way about the great con cerns of our falvation in his name and stead: 2 Cor. v. 20, "We "then are ambaffadors for Chrift; as though God did befeech "you, we pray you in Chrift's ftead, be ye reconciled to God." He did not commiffionate angels to be his Legates, their prefence would confound and terrify us; but men caft into the fame mould with yourselves, who may fay to you as Elihu faid to Job, Job xxxiii. 6,7. Behold, I am according to thy with in God's fread; I alfo "am formed out of the clay. Behold, my terror shall not make « thee afraid, neither fhall my hand be heavy upon thee." Upon thefe commiffion-officers of Chrift he poured forth excellent gifts, in great diverfity and ufeful variety, to fit the capacities and various difpofitions of men's fouls: When he afcended up on bth, he gave gifts unto men; this minifterial office is by him eftablished in the

church, "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the "knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, unto the mea "fure of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift," Ephef. iv. 11, 12, 13. Unto these his minifters he gives the highest encouragements to quicken them to their labours: If one do but one part of the work, and another the other; one foweth, another reapeth; he tells them both,." He that reapeth receiveth wages, and ga"thereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that foweth and " he that reapeth may rejoice together," John. iv. 36. He tells them that every foul they win to him fhall be as a jewel in their crown of glory; Dan. xii. 3. "And they that be wife fhall fhine "as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to "righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever." What is Christ's intention in all these encouragements to his minifters? Surely it is as if he should fay to his fervants, study hard, pray earnestly, plead with finners affectionately; every foul you win to me fhall make an addition to your glory in heaven.

Weigh now the force of this fecond demonftration from the life of Chrift; will you have a proof of Chrift's earnest suit to gain the hearts of finners? his whole life upon earth was a great proof of it; his doctrine, fo full of pathetical invitations, proves it; the joy of his heart at the fuccefs of the gospel; his tears and forrows for the obftinacy of unbelievers; his labours and travels to gather finners to him; his admirable encouragements put into general invitations; his dreadful threatenings to all that reject his motions; his commiffionating and qualifying, continuing and encouraging his ministers to carry on his fuit in his name; all these things make up a full demonstration that Jesus Christ is an earnest fuitor for union and communion with the fouls of finners; which was the thing to be proved.

3. Demonft. Thirdly, the death of Chrift is the fulleft demonftration that ever was or can be given of his love to finners, and defire after union and communion with them. His doctrine and life difcovered much, but his death and fufferings abundantly more; in his doctrine he spent his breath, but upon the cross he spent his blood. Here he comes a fuing to the fouls of finners in his fcarlet robes, his red garments; garments dipt in his own blood. You may now propound the fame admiring queftion the church propounded, Ifa. Ixiii. 1, 2. "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatnefs of his ftrength? Wherefore "art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat?" Wilt thou know, finner, why he comes to thee in red garments? It is to give thee fuch a demonstration of his love as may draw forth all the love of thy heart to

him; by this blood he hath bought and purchafed thy foul for a (poufe for himself, Acts xx. 28. Now there are two things in the death of Chrift evidential of the fervency of his defires after

us.

1. The greatnefs of the fufferings which he endured.

2. The use and end to which they were defigned. Both thefe fhew how the heart of Chrift is heated with the vehemency of his own defires after union with our poor fouls.

1. The greatness of the fufferings of Chrift difcover the ardency of his affection. Chrift's fufferings are two-fold.

(1.) External, in his body,

(2.) Internal, in his foul.

Both together making up the fulness of his fufferings: when you fhall hear what Chrift hath endured in both kinds, to purchase you to himself, then you may guess what a value he put upon you, what defire he hath after you. Now (1.) as to the external fufferings of Chrift in his body, they were exceeding great, for the death he died was not a natural but violent death; indeed be could not die a natural death, for there was no fin in his nature to open a door to death that way: his body was intended for a facrifice to God, and as a facrifice it died; therefore it is faid, 1 Pet. . 18. He was put to death in the flesh; his foul and body were violently rent afunder in the fulness and perfection of his strength and vigour. And this violent death was alfo a curfed death; he was made a curfe for us, For it is written, curfed is every one that bangeth on a tree, Gal. iii. 13. A ceremonial curfe was affixed to the death of the cross; He that is hanged is accurfed of God, faith the law: the intention of that death was to fhew the person that died to be fo vile, that he was not worthy to touch heaven or earth, and therefore was hanged betwixt both. Moreover, this violent death Chrift died was a moft painful death; full of torture, and very fow and lingering: the cross was a rack to the body of Chrift; I may tell all my bones, faith he, they look and flare upon me, Pfalm xxi. 17. But yet (2.) the fufferings of his body were but the body of his fufferings; it were the fufferings of his foul that were the very foul of his fufferings. Thefe inward fufferings of Christ may likewife be confidered two ways. (1.) In his bitter propaflions in the garden; O what agonies and conflicts, what fharp encounters and diftreffes did his foul there meet with from the wrath of God there endured for your fakes! once and again he cried out, Abba Father, all things are poffible, let this cup pafs; Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pafs; thrice he returned to the fanie place, rolling himself on the ground. The fufferings of his foul caft his bleffed body into a bloody agony: "His fweat was as it "were great drops of blood falling to the ground," Luke xx. 43:44.