them longer under it: But certain it is, who ever hath heard the convincing voice of Chrift, he feels fo much forrow for fin, as for ever feparates him from the love of it.

III. Effect. This voice of Christ rouzes and awakens the careless and fluggish mind to the greateft folicitude and thoughtfulness after deliverance, and efcape from the danger that hangs over it; Acts xvi. 30. "Trembling and aftonifhed, he cried out, Sirs, what "niuft I do to be faved?" All the powers of the foul run into folicitude and care about deliverance. You fhall generally obferve in convinced and humbled finners, three evident figns of extraor dinary folicitude about falvation. (1.) There is a strong intention of their minds and thoughts, they ftand night and day like a bow at the full bent; their thoughts are ftill poring upon this matter, their fleep departs, for their fin and danger is ever before them. (2.) It appears by their fearching inquifitivenefs about the way of efcape; the queftion they ftill carry with them from company to company, where they meet with any whom they judge able to refolve or direct them, is this: What courfe fhall I take? What fhall I do? Is there any hope for fuch a one as I? Did you ever know a foul in my condition? (3.) It appears by the little notice they take at this time of their outward troubles and afflictions; which, it may be, are strong and fharp enough to overwhelm them at another time; but now they take little notice of them. Sin lies fo heavy, that it makes heavy afflictions lie light.

IV. Effect. A fourth effect of the voice of Chrift, is encourage-ment and hope, putting the foul upon the ufe of means in order to the attainment' of Chrift and falvation; for, it is an inviting as well as a convicting voice: And this is a remarkable difference betwixt the voice of Chrift and the voice of Satan, with respect to fin. Saran labours to cut off all hope, and ftrike the foul dead under the defpair of mercy; as well knowing, that if he can cut off hope, all emotions and endeavours of the foul after Chrift are effectually ftopt, and at a dead ftand: But how much convincing terrors foever there are in the voice of Chrift, there is always fomething left behind it upon the heart to breed and fupport hope. And truly the foul, amidit thefe fad circumftances, hath great need of fome encouragement; but the Lord ufually, after fharp convictions, fets home upon the foul fuch a word as that, John vi. 37. "Him that "cometh to me I will in no wife caft out: For I came down from "heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that fent "me." Whercin Chrift offers the most rational fatisfaction, and greatest encouragement imaginable, that a poor convinced finner, if he be made willing, fhall certainly find an hearty welcome and acceptation with Chrift. For mark how he argues it on purpose for the fatisfaction of fuch fouls; "I came not down from heaven

"to do mine own will, but the will of him that fent me." The force of the encouragement lies here, "I and my Father are one;" one in will, and one in defign, our wills never did, nor poffibly can jar and clash one with another; that would be utterly repugnant to the perfect unity that is betwixt us. Now, faith he, I came down from heaven, not only to do mine own will,) which muft neceffarily be fuppofed to be intently fet, and strongly inclined to receive ' and fave all convinced and willing finners, this being the very end of my incarnation and death) but also to do the will of my Father, who hath fent me to bind up the broken-hearted, and anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek, Ifa. lxi. 1. And therefore no fuch foul can rationally doubt of a welcome reception with me. And because the fears and jealoufies of a convinced confcience are great and many, and the devil fets in with them to aggravate them beyond the hopes of mercy; therefore it is ufual with the Lord, at fuch a time as this, to direct the convinced and trembling finner to fuch a scripture as that, Heb. vii. 25. "Wherefore he is also able to "fave them to the uttermoft, that come unto God by him," &c. Making the fulness of Chrift's faving power to fhine with a cheerful beam into the dark and diftreffed foul of a finner, from fuch a word as that.

V. Effect. A fifth effect or confequent of Chrift's powerful voice, is an attractive efficacy, or fweet alluring of the foul to Chrift by that power and efficacy which it communicates to the foul, John vi. 44, 45. "No man can come unto me, except the Father which "hath fent me draw him. Every man, therefore, that hath heard " and learned of the Father cometh unto me." Mark it, this voice fpeedily puts the foul into motion after Chrift; coming follows hearing; when once the foul hath heard the voice of God, away it comes from all finful engagements in the world; all bonds and ties betwixt the foul and fin break afunder and give way; nothing can hold it from Chrift. There is a ftrange reftleffuefs in the spirit of man, nothing but Chrift can centre and quiet it.

VI. Effect. And then laftly, the last effect of Chrift's voice or call is fweet reft and confolation to the inner man. When once the foul is come home to Chrift by the efficacy of his heavenly call or voice, it enters into peace, Heb. iv. 3. " We, which have believ❝ed, do enter into reft;" not only fball, but do enter into rest. As the first effect of Chrift's voice was terror and great trouble to the foul, fo the last effect is peace; it puts the foul into the most excellent pofition in the world, for comfort and joy; it never stood upon fuch ground before; for this vocation ftands betwixt predeftination and glorification, Rom. viii. 30. « Moreover, whom he "did predeftinate, them he alfo called, and whom he called, them « he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glori

"fied." See here into what a blessed mount of vifion, the voice of Chrift calleth the fouls of finners! where, let the foul look backward or forward, from eternity to eternity, there is nothing but a vision of peace before its eyes. This call of God points it backward to God's eternal choice, which by this very call it is now manifeft, he made of that foul before the world was; and it alfo points forward to that eternal glory unto which God is leading it. These are the effects of this Almighty voice of Christ, and these the special inftructions fealed by it upon the hearts of

men.

But now, this voice of Chrift is not heard at all times; but in some special seafon or hour, as Chrift calls it, John v. 25. "The ❝hour cometh when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of "God." And, elsewhere, by the apostle, it is called "the accept❝ed time, the day of falvation," 2 Cor. vi. 2. And the conjunc tion of the Spirit of Chrift with the word, ordinances, or providences of God, but efpecially the word, makes this bleffed hour. The word alone, though never fo excellently preached, conduces no more to the conviction and falvation of a finner than the waters of Bethesda did, when the angel came not down to trouble them, John v. 4. But when the Lord pours out his Spirit with the word, according to that promife, Prov. i. 33. "I will pour out my Spirit

upon you, and make known my words unto you," then Chrift fpeaks to the heart; this great conjunction of the word and Spirit makes that bleffed time and season of falvation the time of love, the time of life. Now the voice of Chrift is heard with effect; the ordinances impregnated with convincing and converting efficacy. There was an abundant effusion of the Spirit in the first age of Christianity, and then the voice of Chrift was heard by multitudes of fouls at once. There hath fince been a restraint of the Spirit, comparatively speaking; whereas three thousand fouls were then converted at one fermon, poffibly three thousand fermons have fince been preached, and not one foul effectually called. This hath made the church like a wilderness; a land of drought; and fo it is like to remain, "until the Spirit be poured upon us "from on high, and the wildernefs be a fruitful field;" according to that promife, Ifa. xxxii. 15. And fuch a time we expect; Lord haften it, when the waters of the ordinances fhall be healed, " and every thing that liveth, which moveth whitherfoever the "river fhall come, fhall live. And fishers fhall ftand upon it "from En-gedi even unto En-eglaim; they fhall be a place to "fpread forth nets; their fifh fhall be according to their kind, as "the fish of the great fea, exceeding many," Ezek. xlvii. 9, 10. Then minifters fhall no longer fifh with angles, catching now one, and then another; but fhall fpread forth their nets, and inclofe

whole fhoals, multitudes of converts. In the mean time there are fome fignal periods, and happy feafons, wherein Chrift uttereth his almighty voice in the word; but that season is utterly unforeknown to man; we cannot fay when it will come, but are to wait for it, as the man did at the pool of Bethesda. Minifters must preach in hope, wait in hope, if at any time God will give the people repentance, 2 Tim. ii. 25. We are often mistaken in our conjectures; when we have made the best preparations, and find a more than ordinary enlargedness of spirit, we are apt to conclude, certainly this is the bleffed hour wherein Christ will speak to the heart as we do to the ear: but we oft-times find ourselves mistaken; yet we must wait in hope, and fo muft our people. Such a happy time may come, and when it doth, it will be a day for ever to be remembered; because then the firft actual application of Chrift will be made to your fouls; without which all that the Father hath done in election, and the Son in his meritorious redemption, had been of no benefit or advantage to your fouls. And, therefore, you shall find that this work of the Spirit ftands betwixt both those works, and makes them both effectual to our falvation, 1 Pet. i. 2. This is that bleffed hour upon which our eternal blessedness depends; eternity will be taken up in bleffing God for this hour: it will be celebrated for ever in your praifes, in the world to come. O what an influence hath this hour to all eternity! The hearing of this voice of Chrift effectually opens the cabinet-counfels of heaven, and brings to light the eternal counfels of God concerning you; I Thef i. 4, 5. "Knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God: for "our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, "and in the Holy Ghoit." This gives greater affurance of the eternal love of God to a man's foul, than the sweetest smile of providence, or any oraculous voice from heaven could do. This is the time of life, the day of our spiritual refurrection, John v. 25. A greater and more glorious refurrection by far than that of your bodies at the last day; fo much greater, as the value of your fouls is above your bodies. As alfo, because the bleffedness of your corporeal refurrection depends upon this your fpiritual refurrection, by the voice of Chrift. Dreadful will the voice of Chrift be at the refurrection of your bodies, except you first hear this vital voice of Chrift quickening your fouls on earth with fpiritual life. To conclude; this is the great ra, or head of account, from which you are to reckon and date all your spiritual fanctified mercies; for as the Lord faid unto the Jews, Hag. ii. 19. "From henceforth will I "blefs you;" fo faith the Lord to you, from this hour wherein you have heard and obeyed the voice of Chrift, will I blefs you for ever with all fpiritual bleffings in heavenly places in him.

I. Ufe, for Lamentation.

This point prefents us with abundant matter of lamentation and mourning over the greatest part of thofe that fit under the found of the gospel: but yet as Chrift speaks of the Jews, John v. 37. "who have not heard the voice of God at any time:" the minifterial voice of Chrift they hear daily; but this efficacious internal voice, which makes the ministerial voice the word of life and power, they have not heard. The gospel, to the most of our hearers, is but an empty found: this is a fad fymptom, 2 Cor. iv. 3. "If "our gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft; in whom the "god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe "not," &c. This hiding of the gospel is not opposed to the external ministration of it, nor yet to the understanding of the true fenfe and meaning of the truths delivered by it; but only to that internal efficacy which is here called the hearing of Chrift's voice. Our people are generally well fatisfied when they have heard a fermon, much more if they can remember fomething of it, though the Lord hath not fpoken one truth they have heard home to their hearts. Now this is a fad cafe, and God grant it be not that very judgment threatened, Ifa. vi. 9. "Hear ye indeed, but un"derstand not; and fee ye indeed, but perceive not." So that hearing the mere voice of man, without feeling the power of God, is all one as if we heard not. Reflect fadly upon this you that fit as unconcerned under the word as the feats you fit upon. God fpeaketh once, yea twice, but man perceiveth it not. Well, the eternal decrees and counfels of God are now executing upon the fouls of men under the gospel. As many as are ordained to eternal life shall believe and feel the power of God's truths upon their hearts, Acts xiii. 48. And methinks it should be of a startling confideration, when you fhall fee others ftruck to the heart, caft into fears and tremblings by the fame word that doth not in the least touch your hearts. It may be you think this is but fancy and melancholy; that very thought is an artifice of Satan to blind your eyes. I am fure Chrift made another ufe of it, when he told the fecure and felf-righteous Jews, Mat. xxi. 32. "John came unto you in "the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the "publicans and harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had feen "it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him,” q. d. What fhift did you make to quiet your confciences, when you faw other poor finners fo humbled, and brought to faith under John's miniftry? It is ftrange there fhould be no reflections in your confciences upon your own state and condition; but thus it must be, one shall be taken and another left; to fome it fhall be the favour of life unto life, and to others the favour of death unto death. O