Christ, A Complete Saviour

Wherefore he is able also to fare them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make intercelSon for them. Htaasws tii. 25.

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for if Am.—Hebrews vii. 2,5.

THE Apostle in this chapter prescnteth us. with two things: That is, with the greatness of the person, and of the priesthood of our Lord Jesus.

1. He presenteth us with the greatness of his person, in that he preferreth him before Abraham, who is the sather of us all : Yea,4n that he preferreth him' before Melchisedec, who was above Abraham, and blessed him who-had^the promises.

2. As to his priesthood, he sheweth the greatness of that, in that he was made a priest, not by the law of a carnal commandment, but by the power of an endless life. Not without, but with an oath, by him that said, "The Lord 'sware and will aot repent, thou art a priest for ever afk'r the order of Melchisedec ; wherefore this-man, because he liveth ever, hath an' unchangeable priesthood." Now my text is drawn from this conclusion, namely, that Christ abideth a priest continually ;"where<fore he is able also to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." . In trie words I take notice of four things. 1. Of the intercession of Christ: "he maketh •intercession."

a: Of the benefit of his Intercession, "wherefore toe is a£le also to save to the .uttermost," &c.

''' 4. We

j. We have also here set before us the persons interested in this intercession of Christ: and they are those "that come- unto God by him," _ 4- We have also here the certainty of their reaping this benefit by him, to wit, seeing he ever livetta to make intercession for them : wherefore he z'sable alfa to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveih to make intercession^ for them.

I. We will begin with his intercession, and will¹ shew you,

1. What that is.

2. For what he intercedes. And,.

3. What is also to be inferred from Christ's making intercession for us.

x, I begin then with the first, that is, to shew you what intercession is.- Intercession is prayer but all prayer is not intercession. Intercession then is that prayer that is made by a third person, about the concerns that are between two. And it may be made, either to set them at a sarther difference,, or to make them friends. (For intercession may be made against, as well as for a person or peOple)Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Ehas, how he maketh intercession to God' against Israel? But the intercession that we are now to speak of> is not? an intercession of this kind, not an intercession against, but an intercession for a people. He ever ltveth to make intercession for them. The high priest is ordained for, but not to be against the people. Every high-pikst taken From among men, isordained for men, in things pertaining to God, to; make reconciliation for the sins of the people j or that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for situ This then is intercessipn. and the intercession of

Christ is to fee between two, between God and man, or man's good. And,

a. It extendeth itself unto thefe v

t/f, To pray that the elect may 1* brought all home to him, that is, to God.

%dlj, To pray that their sins committed after •conversion, may be forgiven them.

3<#y, To pray that their graces which they receive at conversion, may be maintained and supplied. • .

4////y, To pray that their persons, may be preferved unto his heavenly kingdom.

This is the intercession of Christ,-or that for which he doth make intercession.

•i. He prays for all the elect, that they may be brought home to God, and so into the unity of the faith, &c. This is clear, for that he saith, "neither pray I for these alone, (that is, for those only that are converted), but for them also that shall believe on me through their word for all them that shall, that are appointed to believe, or as you have It a little above, *f for all them which thou hast given me." And the reason is, for that he hath paid a ransom for them. Christ therefore, when he maketh intercession for the ungodly, (and all the unconverted elect are such,) doth but petitionarily ask for his. own, his purchased ones, those for whom he died before, that they might be saved by his blood.

zd/y, When any of them are brought home to God, he^ret prays for them ; namely, that the sins which through infirmity they after conversion commit, may. also be forgiven them.

This is shewed us by intercession of the high-priest under the law., that was to bear away the iniquities of the holy things of the children of Israel; yea, v and aj?d also by 1-ys ,*tOBc%ent % them that sinned: For that it saith, "And the priest shall make sax atonement for him, for the fin which he hath linoed, a#d it shall be forgiven him."

This also is intimated, eveg where our Lord do make mfcerceÆfon, %ing, "I pray npt that stio.uldst take ther#, oyt of the world, but that th> shouldst keep them from, the evil."

That Christ prayed that the converted .should be kept from all manner of commission of sin, must not be supposed ; for that is.the. way to make, his intercession, at least in some things, invalid, and, to tradict himself j "for (satfhj he)I know theu h me always But the waning is, 1 pray that- you wouldst keep them ftom, foul-damning deJusion such as are unavoidably/stich i ajio that thou wquld; keep them from the foul-destroying evil of every sin, of ev,erj_; tenapt#ion. Now thi& he doth by his pre* vailing, and by his pardoning grace.

$dly, In his intercession, he prayeth also that those graces which. we>i^©eive,at'C»oviersil)n, may, be maintained and supplied. This, is clear where.he saith, '- Simon, Sjm.an, Saian has.desired to.have you, that he mjgftt* sift you a& wheat, but I have, prayed for thee, that thy. saith, sail npt."' Ay, may some say, he is said to pray here for the support and supply o$ saith.; but doth it therefore follow, that he for the maintaining and supply of all our g Yea, in. that he prayed for the preservation, faith, he prayed for the preservation of all our gr; for saith is the mother grace, the root grace, the grace that hath all others in the bowels of it, and^' that from which all others flow; yea, it is that which gives being to. all our other graces, and that by. which all the reft do live. Let then saith be

preserved, presented,and all graces continue and five, that • according to the present ftarfe, health and degree of saith. So then Christ prayed for the ptefefvat ion of -every grace, when he prated for the preservation of saith 4 ThM text also Is of the &me tendency, where ^he forth, "Keep through thine ;owh uarhe thole whom thou haft given me ; Keep Vftem in thy fear, in the saith, in the true religion, in the way of life by thy grace, by thy power, by thy wisdom," &c. This must be much of the meaning of this place, and he that excludes this fense, will make but poor Work, of another exposition.

>\thly, He also in his intercession pfayeth that odr persons be preserved, and brought safe unto his heavenly kingdom* And this he doth, :%ft, By pteadirtg interest m them* 'idtyy By p*es«3i«g that be Md fives*, by g*otfrife, '.(glory t© them. - -..

Sd/y, By pleading bis oWh ?*lbitifidn toMvefti©. *jL\tfay, By pleading t&e reason, why ft iffuft feel©* iji, He prays that their personsMay tfflfneifo glory, for that they are hrt, arid-that by the b&t of titles «' Thine they were, arid thou gaveft them me_t Father, I will have them, Father, I witl haVe them, tor they are mine : Thine they were and thou gavest them file." What is %iine, my wife, cr my child, or my jewel, or rfiy Joy, fefe I may have it with-me. Thus therefore he pleads, or cries in his intefcemdtl, that Out persons might be preserved to glory. "They are mtoe> and thou gaveft them me.

E<#v, He also pleads that he had giveta, given already, that is, in the promise, glory to them, arid therefore they must not go without ft. And the glory wfcitfa thou gavest. *8ey i ttaVe given them.'', - Righteous

Righteous men, when they give a good thing fey promise, they defign the performance of that promise j nay, they more than design it, they purpose, they determine it. As the mad prophtt also saith ot God, In another cafe, " Hath he said, and shall he not do it ? or bath he spoken, and mail he not make it good ?" Hath Christ given us glory, and (hall we not have it? Yea, hath the truth itseft' bestowed it upon us, and shall those to whom .'it is given, even given by scripture of truth, be yet deprived thereof. V • s

$dly, He pleads*, in his interceding that they might have glory, his own resolution to have it so. "Father I will that those whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." Behold ye here, he is resolved to have it so; it shall be so ; I will have it so. We read of Adonijah, that his sather never denied bins in any thing. He never said to him, Why hast thou done so? (indeed he denied him the kingdom* for his brother was heir of that from the Lord.) How much more will our Father let our Lord Jesus hafe his mind and will in this, since he also is as willing t© have it so, as is the Son himself. "Fear uot, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure t» givf you the kingdom." Resolution will drive things^ar, especially resolution t© do that which none but they that cannot hinder shall oppose. Why, this is the'case, the resolution of our intercessor is, that we be preserved to glory ; yea, and this resolution he-pleads in his intercession. "Father 1 will that those which thou hast given me, be with me where I am," &c. Must it not therefore now be so ? .-'

He also in the last place, jn this his intercession, urges ft reason why he will have it so, namety, "That they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world."

And this is a reason to the purpose. It U as if he had said, Father, these have continued with me in my temptations; these have seen me under all my disadvantages j these have seen me in my poor, low, contemptible condition; these have seen what scorn, reproach, flanders, and disgrace, I have borne for thy sake in the world: and now I will have them also be where they shall fee me in thy glory. I have told them that 1 am thy Son, and they have' believed that j I have told them that thou lovest me, and they believed that ; I have also told them that thou wouldst take me again to glory, and they have believed that, but they have not seen my glory, nor can they but be like the Queen of Sheba, they will but believe by the halves, unless their own eyes do behold it. Besides, Father, these are they that love nae, and it will be an increase of their joy, if fhey may but see me in glory: It will be as an heaven to their hearts, to fee their Saviour in glory. "I will therefore that those which thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory." This therefore is a reason why Christ Jesus our Lord intercedes to have his people with him in glory.

3. I come now to the third thing, namely, to shew you what is to be inferred from Christ's making intercession for us.

1st, •.This is to be inferred from hence, That saints (for I will here say nothing of those of the elect: uncalled) do oft-times give occasion of offence to God, even they that have received grace. For intercession is made to continue one in the favour of v z another, another, and to make up those breaches that anjt time lhall happen to be made by one, to the alieoat* ing of the affections of the other. And thus h« makes reconciliation for iniquity. For reconciliation; may be made for iniquity two ways ; first;, by pay ing of a price ; secondly, by insisting upon the price, paid for the offender, by way of intercession. Therefore you read, that as a goat was to be killed, so his blood was by the priest to be brought within the vail, and in a way of intercession to be sprinkled before, and upon the mercy seat. "Then lhall h« kill the goat of the.ssivofieri&g that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that bJood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat j and he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannefles of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins. And so shall he do for the taberi tiacle of the congregation that remaineth among them, in the midst of aH their unclean nesses." This was to be done as you fee, that the tabernacle, which, was the place of God's presence and graces, might yet remain among the children of Israel, notwitlv {landing their uncleannefles and transgressions. This also is the. effect-of Christ's intercession; it is that, the signs of God's presence and his grace might femain among his people, notwithstanding they have by their transgressions so often provoked God to depart from them.'

zd/y. By Christ's intercession I gather, that awakened men and women, such as the godiy are, dare not, after ogence -given, come in their own names to make unto God an application for mercy* God in himself is a consuming fire, and sin has made

the the best of tfe, as a ftdbbie is to fire. Whefefctfs they may not, they cannot, they dare not approach God's presence for help, but by and through a mediator and intercessor. When Iseael sow the f>e, the blackness and darkness, and heard the thunder (and lightning), and the terrible found of the trumpet, they said to Mofts, ff Speak thou unto Us, *«& we will hear: But let not God speak with os, left We die." Guilt, and sense of the disparity that ife betwixt God and us, will make tt* took mt for * man that may lay his hand upon Us both j and that may set us right in the eyes of our Father again. This, I say, 1 infer from, the intercession of thrift \ for, if there had been a possibility of curability to have approached God with advantage without, what need had there been of the iiuercelioa of Christ?

Absalom durst not approach, no not the presence of his sather by himself, without a mediator and in* tercessor; wherefore he sends to joab to go to the king and make intercerBoft for him. Aho» Joab durst not go upon that errafid himself, bat by tttk mediatioh of another. Sin is a fearful ihfHg, if wili quash and quell the courage of a man, and make him afraid to approach the presence Of him Whom he has offended ; though the offended is but a man. How much more then shall it discourage A man, When once loaded with guilt and shame^ from attempting to approach the presence of A holy, and fin revenging God ? unless he Can come to hirst .ih rough, and in the name of an intercessor. But here now is the help and comfort of the people of God. There i3 to help them under all their mfff* mhies, an intercessor prepared, and at work : Hi ever Hveth to make tnterceffion.

3<#y, I alfo infer from hence, that should we out '.. of of an ignorant boldness and presumption, attempt", when we have offended, by ourselves to approach the presence of God, God would not accept us.' He t»d Eliphaz so. What Eliphaz t Houghs, or wa3 about to do, I know not; bat God said unto him, ** My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends, for you have not spoken os me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves, (that is, by him) a burnt offering, and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I accept, lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, like my servant Job." See here, an offence is a bar and an obstruction to acceptance with God, but by a mediator, but by an. intercessor. He that comes to God by himself, God will answer him by himself, that is, without an intercessor: And I will tell you such are not like to get any pleasant or comfortable answer j "I will answer him that (so) cometh, according to the multitude of his idols. And I will set my sace against that man, and will make him a sign arid a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and ye shall know that I am the Lord."

He that intercedes for another, with a holy and just God, had need be clean himself, lest he, with whom he so busieth himself, say to him, First clear thyself, and then come and speak for thy friend.— Wherefore this is the very description ot this our high priest and blessed intercessor*: "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, un>defiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, who needeth not daily, as those high

priests, priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins," &c. Had we not had such an intercessor, we had been in a very poor qase ; but we have one tliat becomes, one fits us to the purpose, one against whom our God hath nothing, can object nothing; one in whose mouth no guile could be sound. - 4iAJy_y Since Christ is an intercessor, I infer, that he has wherewithal in readiness to answer to any demands that may be-prOpounded by him that hath been by us offended, in order to a renewing of peace, and letting out of that grace to us that we have sinned away; and yet have need of. Oft times the offended saith to ttte intercessor, Well, thou comest to me about this man, what interest he has in thee is one thing, what offence he has committed against jne is another. (I fpeak.now after the manner of men). Now, what can an intercessor do, if he is not able to answer this question t But now, if he be .able to answer this question, that is according to law and justice, no question but he may prevail with the offended, for him for whom he makes intercession. ,

Why this is our cafe, to be sure thus sar it is, we have offended a just and holy God, and Jesus Christ is become intercessor. He also knows foil well, that for our parts; if it would save us from hell, we cannot produce, towards a peace with God, so much as poor two sarthings ; that is, not any thing that can by law and justice be esteemed worth an halfpenny ; yet he makes intercession, it follows therefore, that he has wherewith of bis own, if that question afore is propounded, to answer to every reasonable demand. Hence it is said, that he has gifts as well as sacrifice for sin. Every high priest is ordained to offer .gifts and sacrifices ; wherefore it is of

necessity, S«r bis sorrows and h»nailiati©RS, in his tears and blood ; but foHow him- t® where be is now, and thea you (hall see him tn bis robes, in bis priestly robes, and witfer bis- golden. girdfe about bis paps. Then you shall see him wearing the breast plate of judgment:, aod with-alt your names-written upon his heart. Then you shall perceive, that the whole saoairy in heaven .and earth is named by him, and how he pre»v&iietb wi.th God, the Father of mercies, f©r you- Staad A while, and bsten, yea, enter wkbiboldaaeft into the holiest, and fee your Jesus* a& he uw appears. i>& the presence of God for you,; what w-ork be makefe agakst the devil, and sin, and death, and hell, for you. Ah, k is- brave following of Jesus G'heWb to -the holiest, and the vail is rent,, you may fee with open sace, as in a glass the glory of the Lord.' This thep is our high priest, this is intercession»thefea-se' the- benefits of it> It lieth in our pact to. improwe k ; and wisdom to do that XvJso;aamea /frw& the •mei'cy feat or throne of grace, whefe.he, even ou» high priest, ever liveth to make intercession for ys. To-whom be glory for ever and ever. - . >> - , .

necessity, that this man have somewhat also to 6ffer. And observe it,'that the apostle speaks here of Christ as in heaven, theYs ministerihg in the second part of his office: For if he were on earth, he stfsuscl , be a priest. These gifts therefore, and this fa ~fice, he now Offereeh in heavsn by way of intercession', *rging and pleading as an intercessors the valuableneTs ot his gil is,- for the pacifying of that wrath that our sather hath conceived .against us for the difd)>ediences that we arc guilty of: "A gift in secret pacifieth a>}gtr, and a reward in the fofom strong wrath.

What gists these are the scripture every where testifies. He gave himself, he gave his life, he feis all for us. -: ''

These gifts, as he offered them up at the 'dees justice, on Mount Calvary for us ; fo now he fe in heaven, he prefenteth them continually before God, as gifts and sacrifices, valuable for the sins, fix *11 the sins'we through infirmity do tttrtttfjir, fronS the day of our conversion to the day of our death. And these gifts are so satissactory, fo prevalent wits* God, that they always prevail for a continual remission of our sins with him. Yea, they prevail w'' him, for more than for the remission of sins . have, through their procurement our graces oftea renewed, thekscvil often rebuked, the snare often broken,guilt often taken away from the conscience, and many a blessed frflife from God, and lov from his life creating eouritenunee.

5*h/y, Since Christ K an intercessor, I infer, that believers should not rest at the cross for comforts |uft fkation they shoud look for there; but being justified by his blood, they should ascend up after him to *h* itetoae. At the crofe vcai vviil fee hirft

And thsia I hWe_; spefce-'to-<?he first thing, to wit, of the. i$terae$on-*)f Ghrift; '- .

And now J come more particularly to speak to- (tile second) the 'baneftts of his intercession, namely, that, we at* laved hereby: Wherefore he is able to save them, Yeeing he msketh intercession for them. He is able to save them to the uttermost;"- :'L'

Lrmy handling of this head, I must'shew you, x. What the Apostle means here by /ave, wheref&e M h abte to-save, . $

5c • \sit:..*.:' - V *- -' z. What

2. What he means here by saving to the uttermost. He is able to save to the uttermost. -jc

3. And then, thirdly, we shall do as we did in that foregoing, tQ wit, gather some inferences from' the whole, and speak to them.. - s . '.' ;' '>

1. What doth the Apostle mean hej* by save; He.is able to save them.

To save may be taken two ways; (in the general), I know it may be taken many ways j for there are many salvations that we enjoy, yea, that we never knew of, nor can know, Until we come thither where all secret things shall be seen, and where that, which has been done in darkness shall be proclaimed upon the house tops. .' ' • , ••

But I say there are two ways that this word may be taken. - , >;

vfl, To save in a way of justification...' _:.

zdly, Or to save in a way of preservation.

Now Christ saves both these ways; but which of these, or whether both of them are intended in this place, of that I shall tell you my thoughts anon j mean while I will shew you, .- j ...

1. What it is to be saved in the first fense.

2. And also how that is brought to pass. .-'

, 1. To be laved, is to be delivered from guilt of sin, that is by the law, as is the ministration of death and condemnation; or to be set free therefrom before God. This is to be saved ; for he that is not set free therefrom, whatever he may think of himself, or whatever others may think concerning him, tie is a condemned man. It saith not, he shall be, but, he is condemned already. The reason is., for that he has deserved the sentence of the ministration of condemnation, which is the law -_r yea,} that law has already arraigned, accused and condemned^ clemiied him before God, for that it hath found him guilty of sin. Now he that is set free from this, or, as the phrase is, being made free from sin^ that is, from the Imputation of guilt, there can to him be no condemnation, no condemnation to hell fire; but the person thus made free, may properly be said to be saved. Wherefore, as sometimes it saith, we (hall be saved, respecting saving in the second sense, or the utmost completing of salvation; so sometimes it saith we are saved, as respecting our being already secured from guilt, and so from condemnation to hell for sin, and so set safe, and quit from the second death before God.

2 . No, saving thus comes to us by what Christ did for us in this world, by what Christ did for us, as suffering for us, I say, it comes to us thus; that is, it comes to us by grace, through the redemption that is in Christ. And thus to be saved is called justification ; justification to life, because one thus saved is, as I laid, acquitted from guilt and that everlasting damnation to which for sin he had made himself obnoxious by the law.

Hence we are said to be sayed by his death, justified by his blood, and reconciled to God by the death of his Son j all which must respect his offering of himself on the day he died, and not his improving of his so doing in a way of intercefsion, because in the same place the Apostle reserveth a second, or an additional salvation, and applieth that to his intercession, much more then being now, or already justified by bis blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him, that is, through what he will further do for us j for if when we were enemieSj. we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, tjiuch more being reconciled, (that is by w his liis death,) we fliall be saved by his life, his intercession which he ever liveth to complete.

§ee here, we are said to be justified, reconciled already, and therefore we Jhall be saved,.justified by his blood and death, and saved thro' him by his life. '"

Now the saving intended in the te^t, is saving in this second sense; that is, a saving of us by preserving us, by delivering of us from all those hazards that we run betwixt our state of justification and our state of glorification. Tea, such a saving of us, as we that'are justified needy to bring us intp glory. Therefore. -'

2jfy, When he faith he is able to save, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession, he addeth saving to saving i saving by his life, to saving by his death; saving by his improving of his blood, tp savirtg by his spilling of his blood. He gave himself a ransom for us, and now improves that gift in the presence of God, by way/of intercession.

For, as I have hinted already,, the high priests under the law, took the blqod of the sacrifices tha£ were offered for sin, and brought it within the veil, and there sprinkled it before, and upon the mercy seat, and by it made intercession iot the people to an additionally of saving them; the sum of which Paul thus applies to Christ when he saith, He tan save, seeing he ever liveth to make inteiceffioriT'

That also in the Romans is clear to this purpose, who is he that condemnetk ? h is Christ that died; that is, who i9 he that shall lay any thing tp the charge oF God's elect to condemnation to hell, since Christ has taken away the curse, by his death, from before God ? then he adds, that there is slothing that fliall yet happen to us, shall destroy

W tls, since Christ also liveth to make intercession for us: "who shall condemn ? it is Christ that died,yea, rather that it is risen again, who even is at the right hand ot God, and rrjaketh intercession fox us."

Christ then by his death saved us as we are sinners,-enemies, and in a state pf condemnation by sin; and Christ by his life saveth us as considered justified, and reconciled to God by his blood. then'we have salvation from that condemnation that sin had brought us unto, and salvation^' frorrt those ruins that all the enemies of our fouls would yet bring' vis unto, but cannot; for the intercession.' of Christ preventeth. V

Christ hath redeemed tis from the curse of the law; whatever the law can take hold of tb^: curse Us for, that Christ has redeemed us from, by being made a curse for us. But this curse that €-hrift was made for us, must be consined to his sufferings, not to his exaltation j,and consequently,-not tohis intercession, for Christ is made no- curse but when lie suffered ;^; not'in his-ihteretrssion; so then as he died, he took away the curse and sin that was tli» cause thereof, by the sacrifice of himself, and by his iife, his intercefsion- he saveth us from all those things that attempt to bring us into that^- condemnation again;

The salvation? then that we have by the intercession of Christ as was said. (Lspeak now of them that are capable of receiving comfort and relief by this doctrine), is salvation that follows upon, or that comes after justification. We that are saved as to justification of life, need yet to be saved with that that preserveth to glory. For though by the death, of Christ we are saved from the curse of the law, pi- attempts are made by many, that we may be

. kept kept from the glory that justified persons are de> signed for ; and from these we are saved by his inr terceffion.

A man then that must be externally saved, is to be considered, i. As an heir of wrath ; a. As am keir of God.

An heir of wrath he is in himself by sin;, an heit of God he is by grace through Christ, Now, as an heir of wrath> he is redeemed, and as an heir of God he is preserved : as an heir of wrath he is redeemed by blood, and as an heir of God he is preserved by this intercession. \

Christ by his death, then, puts me, I being reconciled to God thereby, into a justified state, and God accepts me to grace and savour through him.; but this doth not hinder, but that, all this notwithstanding, there are, that would frustrate me of the end to which I am designed by this reconciliation to God, by redemption thro' grace; and from the accomplishing of this design, I am saved by the blessed intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ob}, i. Perhaps some may say, we are not saved from all punishment of sin by the death of Christ j so not from all danger of damnation by the intercession of Christ.

Ans. We are saved from all punishment in heif fire, by the death of Christ. Jesus' has delivered us from the wrath to come, So that, as to this great punishment, God for his sake has forgiven us all trespasses. But we being tranflated from being flaves to Satan, to be sons of God, God rcserveth yet this liberty in his hand to chastise us, if we offend, as a sather chastiseth his son; but this chastisement is not in legal wrath, but in satherly affection, not to destroy us, but that still we might be

made made to get advantage thereby, even be made parfakers of his holiness. This is, that we might not be condemned with the world. As to the second part of the objection, there do (as we say, many things happen betwixt, or between, the cup and the lip) many-things attempt to overthrow the work of God, and to cause that we should perish through our weakness, notwithstanding the price that hath by Christ been paid for us ; but what saith the scripture? "who shall separate us from the love of Christ? mall tribulation or distress, or persecution, Or samine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ?" (as it written, ^*fot thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the flaughter"); nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neisher death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, (hall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jefus our Lord." ,

Thus the Apostle reckoneth up all the disadvantages that a justified person is incident to in this life, and by way of challenge declares, that not any one of them, nor altogether, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, that is towards us by Christ, his death and his intercession.

Obj.%. It may be further objected,* that the Apostle doth here leave out sin, unto which we know the saints are subject, after justification. And sin of itself, we need no other enemies, is of that nature, as to destroy the whole world.

Ans. Sin is sin, in the nature of sin, wherever it is found. But sin, as to the damning effects thereof, is taken away from them unto whom righteouf

* I

ness is imputed for justification. Nor shall any, or all the things aforementioned, tho' there is a tendency in every one of them to drive us into sin, drown us thro* it, in perdition and destruction: / am persuaded (says Paul) they fliall never be able to dn that. The Apostle therefore doth implicitly, tho' not expressly, challenge sin, yea, sin by all its advantages : and then glorieth in the love of God in Christ Jesus, from which he concludeth it shall never separate the justified. Besides, it would now have been needless to have expresfly here put in sin by itself, seeing, before he had argued, that those he speaks of, were freely justified therefrom. '.

One word more before I go to the second head. The Father as I told you, has reserved to himself a liberty to chastise his sons, to wit, with temporal chastisements, if they offend. This still abideth to us, notwithstanding God's grace, Christ's death, or blefsed intercefsion. And this punishment is so surely entailed to the transgressions that we who believe shall commit, that it is impossible that we, f lould be utterly freed therefrom. Insomuch that the apostle positively concludeth them to be bastards, what preteaces to sonship soever they have, if they axe not, for sin, partakers of satherly chastisements.

For the reversing of this punishment it is that we should pray, if perhaps God will remit it, when we arc .taught to say, Our Father, forgive us our Trespasses. And he that admits of any other fense of this petition, derogates from the death of Christ, or faith, or both. For either he concludes, that for some of his sins Christ did not die j or that he is bound to believe that God, though he did, has nofeyet, nor will forgive them till from the petitioner some legal work be done. Forgive us as we

forgive forgive them that trespass against us. But now apply this to temporal punishments, and then k istrue that God has reserved a liberty in his hand to punish even the sins of'his people upon them ; yea, and will not pardon their sin, as to the remitting of such punishment, unless some good work by then be done: If you forgive not men their trespafles, neither will your Heavenly Father for give your trespasses.

And this is' the cause why some that belong to God are yet so under the afflicting hand of God: they have sinned, and God who is their Father punisheth : yea, and this is the reason why some who are dear to God have this kind of punishment never so given, but it abides with them to their lives end, goes with them to the day ot their death, yea, is the very cause of thtir death : by this punishment they are cut off out of the land of the living. But all this that they might not be condemned with the world,

Christ died not to save from this punishment: Christ intercedes not to save from this punishment; nothing but a good life will save from this punishment, not always that neither. •

The hidings of God's sace, the sharpness of his providences, the severe and sharp chastisements that oft-times overtake the very spirits of his people, plainly shews that Christ died not to save from temporal punishments ; praise not to save from temporal punishments that is absolutely. God has reserved a power to punish with temporal punishments the best and dearest of his people, if need be. And sometimes he remits them, sometimes not, even as it pleases him.

2. I shall now shew you something of what it is for Christ by his intercession to save to the uttermost. "He is able to save them to the uttermost."

•~This

This is a great expression, and carrieth with ft much. Uttermost fignifieth, to the outside, to the end, to the last, to the furthest part j and it hath respect both to persons and things.

ij. To persons. Some persons are, in their own apprehensions, even further from Christ than any body else; asar off, a great way off, yet a coming, as the prodigal was. Now these many times are exceedingly afraid j the fight of that distance that they think is betwixt Christ and them makes them afraid. As it is said in another place, they that dwell in the uttermost parts, are afraid at thy tokens } so thefe are afraid they shall not speed, not obtain that for which they come to God. But the scripture says_r he is able to save to the uttermost, to the very hindermost, them that conle lo €od by hint.

Two sorts of men seem to be sar, very sar from God. i. The town sinner. z. The great backflider. But both these, if they come, he is able to save to-the uttermost. He is able to save them from all those dangers that they fear will pre vent their obtaining of that grace and mercy they would have to help them in time of need. The publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven.

idly. As this scripture respecteth persons, so it respecteth things. There are some things with which some are attended, that are' coming to God by Christ, that make their coming hard, and very difficult. .'

1 There is a more than ordinary breaking up of the corruptions of their nature. It seems as if their lusts and vile passions of the flefh were become masters, and might now do what they will with the soul. Yea, they take this mas, and toss and tumble him like a ball ist a large plate. This man is

not not a master of himself, of his thoughts, nor of his passions: his iniquities like the wind do carry him away : he thinks to go forward, but this wind blows him backward ; he Iaboureth against this wind, but cannot sind that he getteth ground: he takes what advantage opportunity doth minister to him, but all he gets is to be beat out of heart, out of breath, out of courage; he stands still, and pants, and gapeth as for life. J opened my month, and panted, said David, for I longedjor thy commandments. }.

He sets forward again, but has nothing but labour and sorrow.

a. Nay, to help forward his calamity, Satan (angels) will not be wanting, both to trouble his head with the fumes of their stinking breath, nor to throw up his heels in their dirty places._: And while he was yet a coming, th|. devil threw him down and tore him. How many strange, hideous, and amazing blasphemies, have those, feme of those that are coming to Christ, injected and fixed upon their spirits against him ! nothing so common to such, as to have some hellish wish or other against God they are coming to, and against Christ by whom they would come to him. These blasphemies are like those frogs that I have heard of, that will leap up, and catch hold of, and hang by their claws. Now help, Lord, now Lord JeTus, what fliall I do; now Son of David, have mercy upon me, I say, to say these words is hard work for such an one. But he is able to save to the uttermost this comer to God by him.

3. There are also the oppositions of senle and reason hard at work, for the devil, against the soul. The men of bis own house are risen up against him.

One's One's fense and reason; one would think, mould: not sall in with the devil against ourselves ; and? yet nothing more common, nothing more natural, than for one fense and reason^' to'turn the unnatural, and war both against^-' our God and' us. And now it is hard^ coming to God. Better can a man hear, and^-deal -with any objections against hirnselfy than with those that himself doth make against himfetf. They lie close, stick sast, speak aloud, and will be heard, yea, will haunt and hunt him as the devil doth some in _tevery hole and corner. But come, man, come, for he is able to save to the ut-? termost.- . .

4; Now guilt is the consequence and fruit of all this j and what so intolerable a burden as guilt? They talk of the stones,.and of the sands of the sea but it'is guilt that breaks the heart with its bm£ den. And Satat* has the art of making the uttermost of every sin; he can blow it up, makeit swell,make every hair of his head as big as a cedar. He can tell bow to make it a heinous offence, and unpardonable offence, an offence of that continuance and committed-against so much light,that (says he) it is impossible it should ever be forgrjen. But, foul, he is able to lave to' the uttermost, he can do exceeding abundantly above-alt that we can ajk or think. .

Join to^all this,- the rage and terror of men whtch thing of itself is sufficient to quash and break to pieces all desires to come toGod by Christ ; yea, and doth so to thousands that are not wilting to go ~to hell r Yet thou art kept and made to go pantingot* j a world of men and devils, and fin, are not able to keep thee from coming. But how comes it to pass that thou art fo hearty, that thou fittest % fece againstfo much wind and weather? I dare • • f

csjgr it arises not from thyself, not from any of, thine enemies; this comes from .God, though thou art not aware thereof; and is obtained for thee by the intercession of the blessed Son of God, who is also able to save thee to the uttermost, that earnest .Gfod by him*

6. And for a conclusion as to this, I will add that there is much of the honor of the Lord Jesus engaged, as to the saving of the coming man to the uttermost: I am. glorified in them,.saith he, He Is exalted' to be a Saviour: And if the blessed one doth count it ap exaltation to be a Saviour, and surely it is an exaltation to be a Saviour, and a great one. They shall cry unto the Lord because.os their oppressors, and he Jhdllfend them a Saviour, and a great cite, and he shall deliver them. Jf it is a glory to be a Saviour, a great Saviour, then it is a glory for a Saviour, a great one, to save, and save, and save to ^euttermost, to the uttermost man,to the uttermost sin,to the uttermost temptation. And henceit is,that he saith again, speaking of the transgressions, sins, and iniquities that he would pardon, that it should turn to him for a name of joy, a praise, and an honour before all nations. He therefore counts it an honor _ftobe a great Saviour, to sovejuen to the uttermost.

When Moses laid, / beseech theefliew me t fa glory,.. the answer was, / will make-all my gobdnejs pass before thee; and I will prodaw tlie mme of the Lor4 before thee.

And when.hecame indeed to make proclamation, then he proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord Gad, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgivif* iniqidtie.s, tranfgu(fions\, andfins, and that will by no means char tpeguilty^.; and that will by no

means clear them that will not come to me, th*_t they may be saved.

See here, if it is not by himself accounted his glory, to make his goodness, all his goodness pass before us: And how can that be, if he saveth not to the uttermost them that come unto God by him; For . goodness is by us no wife seen but by those acts by which it expresseth itself to be so. And I am sure, to save, to save to the uttermost, is one of the most eminent expressions by which we understand it is great goodness. 1 know goodness has many ways to express itself to be what it is to the world j but then it expresseth its greatness, when it pardons and saves, when it pardons and saves to the uttermost. My goodness, says Christ, extends not itself to my Father, but to my saints; my Father ha6no need of my goodness, but my saints have, and therefore it shall reach forth itself for their help, in whom is all my delight; And O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid tip for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that (rust in thee before the sons of men!

It is therefore that which tendeth to get Christ a name, a same and glory, to be abie to save to the uttermost them that come lo God by him.

But some may say, What is the meaning of this word able ? Wherefore he is [able] to save: He is able to save to the uttermost. How comes it to pass that his power to save is rather put in than his willingness? For willingness, saith the loul, would bet? tar have pleased me.

I will speak two or three words to this question.. And, ^M .

}Jt- By this word able is suggested to us the sufficiency of his merit; the great worthiness of his tfnerit : for, as intercessor, he sticks sast by his merit: All bis petitions, prayers, or supplications, are •grounded upon the worthiness of bis person as mediator, and on the validity of his oiering, as priest. This is the more clear, if you consider -that the reason why those priests and sacrifices under the iaw could »ot make the worshippers perfect: It was, I say, because there wanted in them worthinefs and merit in *beir saeri^ces. But this man, when: he .cameand ofiesed bis-sacrifices, he did by that one aft perfect for ever them that are sanctified or set apart: for glory. Wherefore this man, after he bad .offered up one sacrifice for fin, for ever sat down on the eight band of God.

Wiben Moses prayed -for>fbe people of Israel,thus he said, And now, i iejetdithee, let the sower of my Lord be great, according as thou^' haft Jpoken. But Whatibadifae spoken? The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression^ and by no means clearing the guilty. Pardon 1 beseech, thee, ike iniquity of this people, according to the great' ness of thy mercy, and as thou haft forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.

zdly, Has he but power, we know he is willing, «lse he would -not have promised, it is also his glory .*o pardon and save. So then,in his ability lies our ilafety. What if We were never so willing, if h<? tarere not of ability sufficient, what would his willingness do? But be has shewed.asl said, his willingnefc 'by promising, He that cometh to me, I will in no wife cajt oKt j so that now our comfort lies in his power, in thaf he is able to make good his word. And this also will then be seen when he hath saved them that come to God by him, when he hath saved them to tke uttermost; not to the uttermost of his ability, x but to the uttermost of our necessity. For to the uttermost of his ability, \ believe he will never be put to it to save his church ; not for that he is loth so to save, but because there is no need so to rave ; he shall not need to put out all his power and to press the utmost of his merit for the saving of his church, Alas! there is sufficiency of merit in him, to save a thousand times as many more as are like to be saved by him; He is able, to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ajk or think, pleasure not therefore what he can do, by what he'has, doth or will do; neither do thou interpret this word,/o the ut* jermoj, as if it related to the uttermost of his ability* but rather as it relateth (for so it doth indeed) to the greatness of thy necessity j For as he is able to save thee, though thy condition be> as it may be supposed to be, the woritthat ever man was in that was saved ; so. he is able to. save thee though thy condition were ten times worse than \%. is.

What ! Shall not 'the .worthiness of the Son of God be sufficient to save from the sin of man ? or shall the sin of the world be of that weight to destroy, that it shall put Jesus Christ to the uttermost of the worth of his person and merit, to save therefrom ? J believe i£ is blasphemy to think so. We can easily imagine.that he can save all .the world, ,-, that is, that he is.pf ability to 4j it. But we cannot ->\ imagine that he can do more than we can think he J can. But our imagination and thoughts set no: bounds^o his ability.: He is able to do exceeding <r» >.{ bundantly above all that we ask or think; but what that is, 1 say, no man can think, no man can imagine. So then, Jesus Christ can do more than ever any man > thought he could do^as^' to saving: He can do, we know not what. . • > .

This therefore should encourage comers to come to him, and them that come, to hope. This^I say, should encourage them to let out, to lengthen, and heighten their thoughts by the word, torMe uttermost, seeing he can save to the uttermost thefn that come to God by him: s.'

3. And now I comg to the third thing that I told you I should speak to, and that is, to those inferences that may be gathered from these words.

jjf, Are they that are justified by Christ's blood such as have need yet to be saved by his intercession ? Then from hence it follows, that justification will stand with imperfection. It doth not therefore follow, that a justified man is without infirmity j for he that is without infirmity, that is, perfect with absolute perfection, has no need to be yet saved by an act yet to be performed by a mediator, and his mediation. , \'

When I say, justification will stand with imper* section j I do not mean, that it will allow, countenance, or approve thereof j - but I mean, there is no necessity of our perfection, of our personal perfection, as to our justification, and that we are justified without it j yea, that that in justified persons remains. :'. .- .

Again, when 1 say, that justification will stand with imperfection, I do not mean that in our justification we are imperfect; for in that we are com>plete ; we are complete in him who is our justice. If otherwise, the imperfection is in the matter that justifieth us, which is the righteousness of Christ j yea, and to say so, would conclude that wrong judgment proceedeth from him that imputeth that righteousness to justification, since an imperfect thing is imputed to us for justification. But sar be it from

any any that befieveth that Gqd is true, to imagine siichV a thing ail his works are perfect, there is nothing, wanting in them as to the present design*

But what then do we mean when we say, justification will stand with a state of imperfection?

Anf. Why, I mean, that justified men are yet finneis in themselves, are yet full of imperfections,, yes, sinful imperfections. Justified Paul said, I know that in me (that is, in my filefli) dwells no good thing . While we are yet sinners, we are justified by the bloc J: jtfChrist: hence again, it is said, he justifies the tut* %odh. Justification then only covereth our sin from the si^'it of God; it maketh us not perfect with inherent perfection. But' God for the sake of that righteousness which by his grace is imputed to us* declareth us quit and discharged from the curse, and fees sin in us no more to condemnation.

And this is the reason, or one reason, why they that are justified have need of an intercefsor ; to wit, to save us from the evil of the sin that remains in ©ur flesti after justified by grace, through Christ* and set free from the law as to condemnation. Therefore, as it is said we are saved, so it is said, He *s able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

The godly (for now we will call them the godly, though there is yet abundance of sin in them) feel in themselves many things, even after justification* by which they are convinced they are still attended with personal sinful imperfections.

i. They feel unbelief, sear, mistrust, doubting, dispondings, murmurings, blasphemies, pride, lightness, foolishness, avarice, flefhly lusts, heartleflhefs to^ood, wicked desires low thoughts of Christ,

too too good thoughts of sin, and, at times, too great an itching aster the worst of immoralities. : 2. They feel in themselves an aptness to incline to errors, as to lean to the works of the law for justification ; to question the truth of the resurrection, and judgment to come j to diflemble and play the hypocrite in profession, and in performance of duties; to do religious duties, rather to please man than God, who trieth the heart.

3. They seel an inclination, in them, in times of trial to saint under the cross, to seek too much to save themselves, to dissemble the known truth for the obtaining a little savour w ith men, and to speak things that they ought not, that they may fleep in a whole skin. . -\

4. They feel wearisomenes.- in religious duties, but a natural propensity to things of the flefh. They feel a desire to go beyond bounds both at board and bed, and bodily exercise, in all lawful recreation.

5. They feel in themselves an aptness to talce the advantage of using of things that are lawful, as food, jaiment, fleer), talk, estates, relations, beauty, wit, parts, and graces, to unlawful ends. These things, with many more of the like kind, the justified man finds and feels in himself, to his humbling, and often casting down.: And to (ave him from the destroying evil of these, Christ ever liveth to make intereeflion for him.

. Again, the justified man is imperfect in his graces; and therefore needeth to be saved by the interceffion of Christ, from the bad fruit that that imperfection yields.

Justifying righteousness is accompanied with graces, the graces of the Spirit. Though these graces are not that matter by and through which X 2' , we we are justified, nor any part thereof, that being only the obedience of Christ imputed to us of mere pleasure and good will; but, I say, they come when justification comes ; and though they are not fa easily discerned at the first, they (hew forth themselves afterwards. But, I say, how many soever they are, and how sast soever they grow, their utmost arrivement here is but a state short of perfection.>

Non» of the graces of God's Spirit, in our hearts, can do their work in us without shortness, and that because of their own imperfections, and also because of the oppositions that they meet with from our flefh. . .

i. Faith, which is the root grace, the grand grace, its shortness is sufficiently manifested, by its shortness of apprehension of things pertaining to the person, officer, relations, and works of Christ, now Iq the heavenly place, for us. It is also very defective in its fetching of comfort from the word to us, and in continuing of it with us, when, at any time, we attain unto it. In its receiving of strength to subdue sin, and in its purisyings of the heart* (though indeed it doth what it doth in reality,) yet fcowrlhort is it of doing'of it thoroughly ? Often times, were it not for supplies, by virtue of the in* terceffion of Christ, saith would foil of performing its office in any measure.

z. There is hope, another grace of the Spirit, bestowed upon us; and how often is that also, as to the excellency of working, made to flag! I Jhall fnifi, said David, / am cut off from before thine eyes, laid he. And now, where was his hope in th« right gospel discovery of it? Also, all our fears of men, and fears of death, and fears of judgment, they arise

from from the imperfections of hope. But from all those saults Christ saves us by his intercession, v

3. There is love, that, should be rn us as bot as fife. It is Compared to fire, to fire of the hottest fort i yea, it is said to be hotter than the coals of juniper. But who finds this heat in love, so much as for one poor quarter of an hour together ? Some little flashes, perhaps some, at sometimes, may feel j but where is that constant burning of affection, that the word, the love of God, and the love of Christ calls for ? yea, and that the necessities of the poor and afflicted members of Christ call tor also. Ah I love is cold in these frozen days j and short when it is at the highest.

4. The grace of humility, when is it I who has a thimbleful thereof? Where is he that is clothed with humility, and that does what he b commanded with all humility of mind?

5. For zeal, where is that also ? Zeal for God, against sin, prosanenefs, superstition, and idolatry. I speak now to the godly, who have this zeal in the root and habit ; but, Oh I how little of it pots forth itself into actions, in such a day as this is!

6. There is reverence, fear, and standing in awe of God's word and judgments: Where are the excellent workings thereof to be found r* and where it is most, how sar short of perfect acts is it I

7. Simplicity, and godly sincerity also, with how much dirt is it mixed in the best, especially among those of the saints that are rich, who have got the poor and beggarly art of complaining ? For the more complaint, the lefs sincerity : M*ny words will not Jill a ktjhel; but in the multitude of words tier* lacks not fin'. Plain men are thin come up in thi* day to find a mouth without fiaud and deceit

, now, now, is a rare thing. Thus might one: count up all the graces of the Spirit, and shew wherein every one of them are scanty, and wanting Of perfection. Now, look, what they want of perfection is fuppli-" ed with sin and vanity; for there is a fullness of sin and flefh at hand, to make up all the vacant places in our souls. There is no place in the fouls of the godly, but it is filled up with darkness, when the light is wanting, and with sin, so sar forth as grace is wanting: Satan also diligently waiteth to come in at the door, if Careless has left it a little ajar. .

But, Oh! the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ever liveth to make intercession for us, and that by so doing, saves from all the imperfect acts and workings of our graces, and from all the advantages that flefh, and sin, and Satan, getteth upon us thereby.

Further, as Christ Jesus our Lord doth save us, by his intercession, from that hurt that would unavoidably come upon us by these ; so also, by that we are saved from the evil that is at any time found in any or all our holy duties and performances, that is our duty daily to be found in. That our duties are imperfect, follows upon what was discoursed before; for if our graces be imperfect, how can our duties but be so too?

i. Our prayers, how imperfect are they? How apt is our tongue to run in prayer before our hearts? With how much unbelief are they mixed? With how-much earnestness do our lips move, while our hearts li_e within as cold as a clod ? Yea, and oft times it is Iq be feared, we alk for that with our ^oth, that we care not whether we have or no. Where is the man that pursues, with all his might, » - what what.but now he seemed to ask for with- mifi rra heart? Prayer is become a (hell, a piece of formality, a very empty thing, as to the spirit and life of prayer, at this day. I speak now of the prayers of the godly. I once met with a poor woman, that, in the greatest ©f her distresses, told me, (he did use to rise io the night, in cold weather, and pray to God,, while she sweat with fears of the loss .of her prayer, and desires that her so*bl might be saved. I hare heard of many that have prayed, but ot few that have prayed till -they have sweat, by reason of their wrestkng with God for mercy in that duty.

a. There is the duty or aim.- giving, anotthergof-₁ pel performance; but how poorly is it done in eur days ? We have so many ways to lay out morey in toys, and fools baubles for oar children, that we can spaie none, or very little, for the rehef of the:poor. Also, do not many give that to their dogs, yea, Jet it lie in their houses until it stinks fc» vilely that neither dog nor cat will eat it, which, had it been bestowed well in time, might have been a succour and nourishment to some poor member ©f Christ.

3, There is hearing of the word : But, atas 1 the place of hearing is the place of fleeping, with many a fine professor. 1 have often observed* that those that keep shops can briskly attend upon, a two-penny customer ; but when they come themselreatoGocFs market, they spend their time too much in lettiwg their thoughts to wander from God's commandments, or in a nasty, drowsy way. The heads also, and hearts of most hearers, are to the word, as the sieve is to water ; they can hold no sermons, remember no text, bring home no proofc, pTodoce none of the sermon to the edification and profit of other*. And do not the heft take m> too much in hearing,

mm»t

and mind too little, what,' by the. word_$ God calls for at their hands, to perform it with a good con* science?

. 4. There is saithfulness in callings, saithfulness to brethren, saithfulness to the world, saithfulness to children, to servants, to all according to our place and capacity j Oh 1 how little of it is there found in the mouths and lives, to speak nothing of the hearts, of professors. _;*

I will proceed no saither in this kind of repetition of things j only thus much give me leave to say over again, even many of the truly godly are very , saulty here. But what would they do if there were not one always at the right hand of God, by intercession taking away these kind of iniquities?

idly, Are those that are justified by the blood df Christ such, after that, as have need also of saving by Christ's intercession ? From hence then we may infer, that as sin, so Satan will not give over from assaulting the best of Saints.

- It is not justification that can secure us from being assaulted by Satan, Simon, Simon, Satan has defirtd to have you.

There are two things that do encourage the devil to set upon the people of God.

I. He knows not who are elect j for all that profess are not ; and therefore he will make trial if he can get them into his sieve, whether he can cause them to perish. And great succefs he hath had this way.. Many a brave professor has he overcome •. He has cast some of the stars frorn heaven to earth. He picked one out from among the apostles, and one, as it 'is thought, from among the seven deacons, and many from Christ's disciples. But how many think you now adays doth he utterly destroy with msnet? ¹ J _{2. lf}

%, If it so happeneth that be cannot destroy, because Christ by his intercession prevaiieth j yet will he set upon the church to defile and tfflict it. For, i. If he can but get us to sall with Peter, then he has obtained that dishonour he brought to God, the weak to be stumbled? the world offended, the gospel vilified and repr6ached. Or,

z. If he cannot throw up our heels, yet by buffeting of us, he can grieve us, afflict, put us to pain, fright us, drive us to many doubts, and make our life uncomfortable unto us, and make us go groarw ing to our Father's house, But blessed be God for his Christ, and for that, he ever liveth to make intent' eejston fgr us.?

3*//y, Are those that are justified by the blood of Christ, such as, after that, have need to be saved by Christ's intercession? Then hence I infer, that it is dangerous going about any thing in our own name and strength. If we would have helps from the intercession of Christ, let us have a care that we do I what we do according to the word of Christ. Do what he bids us, as well as we can, as he bids us, Jthen we need not doubt but to have help and salvation in those duties, by the intercession of Christ: Do (ill (say's the apostle) in the name if the Lord Jesus .Chi ist. O,! but then the devil and the world will be .most of all offended. Well, well j but if you do jiothing,but as in his fear, by his.word, in his name, you may be sure of what help his intercession can afford you; and that can afford you much help, not only to begin, but to go through with your work, jr. some good measure, as you should f and by that also^you shall be secured from those dangers, if not temptations to dangers, that those that gb out about business in their own names and strength, shall be' sure to meet withal.' ' ' -' y; ^r yklyi Are

4/'hly, Arc those that are justisiedby the Wood of Christ, such as, after that, have need of being saved by Christ's intercession? Then hence I infer again, that God has a great diflike of the fins of his own people, and would sall upon them in judgment and anger, much more severe than, he doth, were it not for Christ's intercession. The gospel is not, as feme think, a loose and licentious doctrine, nor God's discipline of his church, a negligent and careseft discipline, for though those who believe already, have also an intercefsor ; yet Ged.tolbew bis detestation against sin, doth often make them seel to purpose the weight of his singers. The sincere, that sain would walk oft with God, have felt what I say, and that to the breaking of their bones full •oft. The loose ones, and those that God loves not, may be utter strangers to this; but those that are his own indeed, do know it is otherwise. You have I known above all others, says God, therefore you will 1 punijk for your iniquities. God keeps a very stnct house among his children; David found it so, Heman found jt io, job found it so, and the church of God found it so. And I know not that this mind is ever the less against >sin,-notwithstanding we have an intercessor. True, our intercessor saves us from damning evils,'from damaing judgments j but he tneisber doth nor will fecure us from temporal punishment^fronTjpif itualpunistiment, unless we watch, tdcny ourselves, and .walk »n 'his fear. I would to \God, that those who are otherwise minded, did but 4ed»>sor three or-four.months, something of what 1 shave fdt >for several yea«s together, »for base,>sinM thoughts, il.with it, I tay₍,<f it might Defer the* sgood, a*.d >sor the better regulating of -their under«andtt|gs. JBut wlwtlwr rfhey obtain nay wA -or

>BO, no, sure I am that God is, no countenancer of sin; no, not in his own people: Nay, he will bear it least of all in them. And as for others, however he may for a while, have patience towards them, if perhaps his goodness may lead them to repentance; yet the day is coming, when he will pay the carnal and hypocrites home, with devouring fire for their offences.' " s>

But if our holy God will not let us go altogether unpunished, though we have so able and blessed an intercessor, that has always to present God with on our behalf, so valuable a price of his own blood, now before the throne of' grace, what should we have done, if there had been no days-man, none to plead for us, or to make intercession on our behalf, Jer. xxx. 11. For I am with thee,faith the Lord., to save thee: though 1 make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered them, yet I will not make a full end of thee, but I will correcl thee in measures^ and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. If it be so, I say, what had become of us, if we had no intercessor? and what will become of them concerning whom the Lord has said already, / will not take up their names into my lips ? I pray not for them.

Sthly, Are those that are already justified by the blood of Christ, yet such as have need of being saved by his intercession? then hence I infer, that Christ is not only the beginner, but the completer of our salvation : or, as the Holy Ghost calls him, the author and fini/her of our salvation: or, as it calls him again, the author of eternal salvation ; of salvation throughout, from the beginning to the end, from the first to the last. Hi? hands have laid the foundation of it, in his own blood, and his hands Y (hall

#ere they not rinsed and washed in' the blood, were shey not sweetened and perfumed in tlie incense, and conveyed to God hiaiself, through the white hand of Jesus Christ :^; for that is his! golden censer, from . thence ascends the smofcd that is in the nostrils of God, of such a sweet savour.

bthly.- Are those that' are already justified by the blood of Ghrist, such'as do still stand in need of befrig saved by his intercession f Then hence I infer again, that we that- have been saved hitherto and preserved from she dangers that we have met with since our first conversion to' this moment, should ascribe the glory Co Jesus Christ, to God by Jesus Christ. I have prayed that thy saith sail not. I' pray that thou- wouldst keep them from the evil, as the true cause of our standing,-and of otff Continuing in saith and holy profefsion of the gospel to this¹ very day. Wherefore we must give the glory of all to God by Christ: / will not trust in my tow, (said David) neither Jkall my szvordsave me'. But thou haft saved us from our enemies and hast put them to shame that hated us. In God we boast all the day long, and praise his name for ever, Selah. He caused (is afways to triumph in Christ: we rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in' the fl<sjh. Thus you lee, that both in the Old and New Testament, all the gloryis giv^n- to- the Lord^ as well for preservation to heaven,- as for justification of fife: And he that is well acquainted with himself, will do this readily; though light heads, and such as are not acquainted with the desperate evil that is in their natures, will sacrifice to their own net. But such will so sacrifice but a while. Sir Death is coming, and he will put them into the view of what they fee not now, and will feed sweetly upon them, because they made not

tltf

the Lord their trust. And therefore ascribe thou the glory of the prefervation of thy soul in the saith hitherto, to the salvation which Christ Jesus our Lord obtains for thee by his intercession.

ytA/y, Are those that are already justified by the blood of Christ, such as do still stand in need of being sayed by his intercession ? Then is this also to be inferred from hence, that saints should look to him for that saving, that they shall yet have need of betwixt this and the day of their dissolution ; yea, from henceforward, even to the day of judgments I say they should still look to him for the remaining, part of their salvation, or for that of their salvation which is yet behind : and let them look for it with considence, for it is in a saithful hand ; and for thy encouragement, to look and hope for the completing ot thy salvation in glory, let me present thee with a few things.

1. The hardest or worst part of the work of thy Saviour is over; his bloody work, his bearing of thy sin and curse, his loss of the light of his Father's sace for a time; his dying upon the cursed tree, that was the worst, the sorest, the hardest, and most difficult part of the work of redemption ; and yet this he did willingly, cheerfully, and without thy desires; yea, this he did, as considering those for whom he did it, in a state of rebellion and enmity to him.

z. Consider also, that he has made a beginning with thy soul to reconcile thee to God, and to that end has bestowed his justice upon thee, put his Spint within thee, and began to make the unweildable mountain and rock, thy heart, to turn towards him, and desire after him. to believe in him, and

. Consider

Consider also, that some comfortable pledges of his love thou hast already received ; namely, as to feel the sweetness of his love; as to fee the light of his countenance; as to be made to know his power, in raising of thee when thou wast down j and how he has made thee stand while hell has been pushing at thee, utterly to overthrow thee.

4. Thou mayest consider also, that what remains behind of the work of thy salvation in his hands, as it is the most easy part, so the most comfortable, and that part which will more immediately issue in his glory; and therefore he will mind it,

5. That which is behind is also more safe in his hand, than if it was in thine own; He is wife, he' is powerful, he is saithful, and therefore will manage that part that is lacking to our salvation well, until he has completed it. It is his love to thee has made him that he putteth no trust in thee ; fee knows that he can himself bring thee to his kingdom most surely, and therefore has not left the work to thee, no, not any part thereof.

JLive in hope then, in a lively hope, that since Christ is risen from the dead, he lives to make intercession for thee ; and that thou shfclt reap the blefled benefit of this two-fold salvation that is wrought, and that is, working out for thee, by Jesus Christ our Lord. And thus have we treated of the benefit of his intercession, in that he is able to save to the uttermost. And this leads me to the third particular.

III. The third particular is, to (hew who are the persons interested in this intercession of Christ; and they are those that come to God by him. The words are very concise, and distinctly laid down: they ate they that come, that come to God, that 'Y 2 wme come to God by him : Wherefore he is able also tfi save them, to save them to the uttermost them that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. *~

A little first to comment upon the order of the words, That come unto God by him.

1. There are that come unto God, but not by him ; and these are not included in this text, have not a share in this privilege. Thus the Jews came to God, the unbelieving Jews, who had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. These submitted not to Christ, the righteousness of God, but thought to come to him by works of their own, or at least, as it were, by them, and so came short of salvation by grace, for that reigns to salvation only in Christ. To these Christ's person and undertakings were a stumbling stone ; for at him they stumbled, anc^aid split themselves to pieces, though they indeed were such as came to God for life.

2. As there are that come to God, but not by Christ : so there are that come to Christ, but not to God by him. Of this fort are they, who hearing that Christ is a Saviour, therefore come to him for ] ardon; but cannot abide to come to God by him, for that he is holy, and so will snub their lusts', and will change their hearts and natures. Mind me what I say, There are a great many that would be saved by Christ, but love not to be sanctified by God through him. Thefe make a stop at Christ, and will go nufurther; might such have pardon, they care not whether ever they went to heaven or no. Of this kind of coming to Christ, I think it is, of which he warneth his disciples, when he saith, In that day _ye shall njk me nothing: Verily, verily, I say Wb 0 you, whatsoever ye stall aft the Father in my name,

he he will give it yaw. As who should say, When you ask for any thing, make not a stop at me, but come to my Father by me : For they that come to me, and not to my Father through me, will have, nothing of what they come for. Righteousness shall be imputed to us, if we believe in him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. To come to Christ for a benefit, andilop there, and not come to God by him, prevaileth nothing. Here the mother of Zebedee's children erred, and about this it was that the Lord Jesus cautioned her: Lord, (said (he) grant that these my two Jons may Jit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left in thy kingdom. But what is the answer of Christ? To Jit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, hut for whom it is prepared of my Father. As who should say, Woman, of myself I do nothing, my Father worketh with me. Go therefore to him by me, for I am the way to him; what thou canst obtain of him by me, thou shalt have j that is to say, what of the things that pertain to eternal life, whether pardon or glory.

It is true, the Son has power to give pardon and glory, but he gives it not by himself, but by and according to the^will of his Father. They therefore that come to him for an eternal good, and look not to the Father by him, come short thereof; I mean now, pardon and glory.

And hence, though it is said the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, to wit, to shew the certainty of his Godhead, and of the excellency of his mediation; yet forgiveness of sin is said to lie more particularly in the hand of the Father, and that, God for Christ's sake forgiveth us.

The Father, as we Jsee, will not forgive, unless we come to him by the Son; why then mould we conceit that the Son will forgive those that come not to the Father by him.

So then, justifying righteousnefs is in the Son_r and with him alsois intercession -_f but forgiveness is with the Father ; yea, the gift of the Holy Ghost,, yea, and the power of imputing of the righteousnefs of Christ is yet in the hand of the Father. Hence Christ prays to the Father to forgive, prays to the Father to fend the Spirit, and it is God that imputeth righteousness to justification to us. The Father then doth nothing but for the sake of, and through the'Son; the Son also doth nothing derogating from the glory of the Father: But it would be a derogation to the glory of the Father, if the Son should grant to save them. that come not to the Father by him. Wherefore, you that cry, Christ, Christ, delighting yourselves in the thoughts of forgiveness, but care not to come by Christ to the Father for it, you are not at all concerned in the blessed text, for he only saves by his interceflion them that come to God by him.

There are three forts of people that may be said to come to Christ, but not to God by him.

1. They whose utmost design in coming is, only that guilt and fear of damning may be removed from them. And there are three signs of such a one. . i. He that takes up in a belief of pardon, and so goes on in his course of carnality, as he did before.

2. He whose comfort in the belief of pardon, standeth alone, without other fruits of the Holy Ghost.

3. He that having been washed, can be content to tumble in the mire, as the sow, again, or as the aog that did spue, to lick up his Vomit again.

I, They

2. They may be said to come to Christ, but not • to God by him, who do pick and chuse doctrines,

itching only after that which sounds of grace, but secretly abhorring of that which presseth to moral goodness. Thefe did never see God, what notions soever they may have of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of forgiveness from him.

3. They surely did never come to God by Christ, however they may boast of the grace of Christ, that will from the freeness of gospel-grace plead an indulgence for sin.

And now to speak a few words of coming to God, of coming as the text irrtends. And in speaking to this, I must touch upon two thing^c.

1. Concerning God.

2. Concerning the frame of the hears of him that comes to him.

1. O, God ! God is thcchief good. Good so as nothing is but himself. He is in himself most happy, yea, all good, and all true happiness is only to be found in God, as that which is essential to bis nature; nor is there any good, or any happiness in or with any creature or thing, but what is communicated to it by God. God is the only desirable good nothing without him is worthy of our hearts. Right thoughts ofGod are able to ravish the heart j how much more happy is the man that has an interest in God. God alone is able by himself to put the soul into a more blessed, comfortable, and happy condition, than can the whole world ; yea, and more, than if all the created happiness of all the angels of heaven did dwell in one man's bosom. God is the upholder of all creatures, and whatever they have that is a suitable good to their kind, it is from, God; by God all things have their subsistence,

appearing, Christ caHs a hearing, and a teaching, and a learning, jit is written in .the prophets, And they Jhallbe all taught os God .: Every man therefor* that hath heard and learned of the Father ^Qrnetbmto me j that is, to God by me. But I fay, what must they _;heaf and leaw qfthe Eather₄ but that Christ is the way to glory, the way to tha God of glory? This is a drawing doctrine,: wherefore that which is in this yerfe is called teaching and learning., is called in the verse before, the drawing of the Father < No man .can come to-fye, except the Father which h#th sent me, jdraw him; that is, with powerful proposals, and alluring conclusions, and heart subduing influences.

iHaving thus touched .upon this., we will now proceed to-shew you what kind of people they are that come to God by Christ.; and then shall draw ,some inferences from this also. .,;--.

There are therefore three forts of people that. ,come to God by Christ., ₍ j.. Men newly awakened. _:r

, p.. Men turned back from back fliding. 3. The sincere and upright man.' .? I; Men newly awakened. (By awakened, I mean .awakened thoroughly.) So awakened,as to-be made to fee themselves, what they are; the world, what it is j the law, what it is -₃ hell, what it. is ; .deaths' what it is j Christ, what he is ; and G^odj.^hat^he' ^; and also what Judgment is, _s ~^_,« ''„.'' J / , A man that will come to God b/Christ: aright,.' must needs, precedent to his so coming, have acorn-: petent knowledge of things fhis kind.

i. He must know, himlejf, what a wretched and miserable sinner he is, before he will take one step forward in order to his coming to God by Christ. This is plain from A great many scriptures. As

that that of the parable of the prodigal, that of the three thousand, that of the gaoler, and these and many more besides: The whole have no need of the physician. They were not the found, but the lame and diseased, that came to him to be cured of their infirmities ; and it is not the righteous, but the sinners, that do well know themselves to be such, that come to God by Christ.

It is not in the power of all the men on earth to make one man come to God by Christ, because it is not in their power to make men fee their state by nature. And what should a man come to God for, that can live in the world without him ? Reason says so, experience says so, the scripture beareth witness that so it is of a truth. It is a sight of what I am that must unroost me, that must shake my foul, and make me leave my present rest. No man comes to God but by Christ, but he that knows himself, and what sin hath done to him ; that is the first.

Secondly, As he must know himself, and what a wretch he is, so he must know the world, and what an empty thing it is. Cain did see himself, but saw not the emptiness of this world j and therefore, instead of going to God by Christ, he went to the world, and there did take up to his dying day. The world is a g:tat snare to the soul, even to the souls of awakened .sinners, by reason of its big looks, and the sair promises it makes to those that will please to entertain it. It will also make as though it could do as much as to the quieting of the spirit, as either sermon, Bible, or preacher. Yea, and it has its followers ready at its heels continually to blow its applause abroad, saying, Who willjliew us any (other) £00,- ? And though this their way is their folly, yet their posterity approveth their savings. ' So that

•unless a man tinder some aw-akeriings, fee the cmpti* nefs of the world, he will take up in the good things • thereof, and hot come to God by Christ. Many there bfe rtow in hell that can seal to this for truth; It was the world that took awakened Cain, awakened Judas* awakened Bem&s. Yea, Balaam, though he had some kind of visions of God, yet was kept by the world from coming to him aright. See with, what earnestness the young man in the gospel camd to Jefus Christ, and that for eternal life. He ran to him, he kneeled down to him, arid alked, (arid that before a multitude,) Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life f And yet when hd was told, hs could not come, the world soon steps betwixt that life and him, and persuaded him to lake up in itself;; and so, for aught we know, he never looked aster life more.

There are four things in the world that have a tendency to lull an awakened man afleep, if God also makes him not afraid of the world. ;^' . ''' 1. There is the bustle and cumber 'of the world, that will call a man off from looking after the salvation of his soul. This is intimated by the parable of the thorny ground. Worldly cumber is ^sa devilish thing. It will hurry a man from his bed, without prayer; to a sermon, and from it again, -without prayer. It will choak prayer, it will choak the word, it will choak convictions, it will' choak the soul, and cause that awakening shall be' to no 'saving purpose.

2. There is the frtendfliip of the world, to which if a man is not mortified, fhere is no coming for him to God by Christ. And a man-cart never be mortified to it, unless he shall fee the emptiness and iraoity of it. Whosoever makes himself a friend of B % . this world, is the enemy of God ; and how then can he come to him by Christ?

3, There are the terrors of the world; if a man stands in fear of them, he also will not come to God by Christ; The fear of man brings a snare. How many have, in all ages, been kept from coming to God aright, by the terrors of the world? yea, how many are there, to one's thinking, have almost got to the gates of heaven, and have been scared, and driven quite back again, by nothing but the terrors pf this world ? This is that which Christ so cautioneth his disciples about j for he knew it was a deadly thing. Peter also bids the saints beware of this, as of a thing very destructive.

4. There is also the glory of the world; an absolute hindrance tQ convictions and awakenings, to wit, honours, and greatness, and preferments : Hoin can ye believe, (said Christ) that receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only ? If therefore a man is not in his affections crucified tQ these, it wiU keep him srpm coming to God aright,

Thirdly, As a man must know himself, how vile he is, and know the world, how empty it is; so he must know the law, how severe it is ; else he will not come to God by Jesus Christ our Lord,

A man that i$ under awakenings, is under a double danger of falling fliort of coming to God by^: if he knows not the severity of the law.

j. He is either in danger of flighting its Or,

2. Of seeking to make amends to it by doing ot good works. And nothing can keep him from splitting his soul upon one-of these two rocks,.but a sound knowledge of the severity of the law.

First* He is in danger of flighting the penalty. This is seen by the practice of all the prosane in the world. Bo they not know the law ? Verily, many of them- Can say the ted commandments without book. But they do not know the: severity of the law; and therefore when at any time awakenings come upon theii* consciences, they strive to drive away the guilt of one sin by wallowing in the filth of another.

But would they do thus, if they knew the severity of the law? they would as soon eat five. The severity of the law would be an intolerable, unsupportable burden to their consciences. It would drive them, and make them fly for refuge to lay hold on* the hope set before them.

Secondly, Or if he flights not the penalty, he will seek to make amends to it, by doing of good works, for the sins he has committed. This is manifest by the practice of the Jews and Turks, and all that swerve on that hand, to wit, to seek life and happiness by the law. Paul also was here before he met -with Jesus Christ in the way* This is natural to consciences that are awakened, unless also they have given to them to see the true severity of the law. The which that thou mayst do, if my mite will help, J will cast in for thy conviction these four things. . First, The law charges thee with its curse, as well for the pollution of thy nature, as for the defilements of thy life; yea, and if thou hadst never committed sinful acts, thy pollution of nature must stand in thy way to life, if thou comest not td God for mercy by Christ.

Secondly, The law takes notice of (and chargetfi thee with its curse, as well for sinful thoughts, as for vise and sinful actions, The very thought of

foQlishness if there be no-woeful place (no woeful state) for the sinner'to receive his wages in for sin, when his days are ended in this world. Wherefore this word saved, fupposcth such a place and state. He is able to save from hell, from the woeful place, from the •woeful state of hell, them that come to God by

• Christ therefore Often insinuates the truth of an hell, in his invitations to the sinners of this world to come to him ; afi where he tells them, they shall be saved if they do; they shall be damned if they do not. As if he had said, there is a hell, a terrible hell, and they that come to me I will save them from it; but they that come not, the law will damn them in it. Therefore, that thou mayst indeed come to God by Christ for mercy, believe there is a hell, a woeful'terrible place. Hell is God's creature, he hath made it deep and large! the punishments are by the lashes of his wrath, which will issue from his mouth like a stream of burning brim

must know this by the word, and fly from it, op thou shalt know it by thy sins, and lie and cry in it.

I might enlarge, but if I did I should he swallowed up ; for we are, while here, no more able to set -forth the torments of hell, than we are (while liere} to set forth the joys of heaven : only this may and ought to be said, that God is able, as to save, so to cast into hell: And as he is able to make heaven sweet, good, pleasureable, and glorious, beyond thought; so he is able to make the torments of hell so exquisite, so hot, so sharp, so intolerable, that no tongue can utter it, no, not the damned in hell themselves. If thou lovest thy foul, flight not the knowl«dg^e of ^hcW> that, with the law, are the

the foul. Thou" spurs which Christ usoth to prfek {quote foieward to himself withal. What is the cause that singers carl play so delightfully wrth sin? It U that-they forget that there is a hell for theavro deteend into for ihei-r so doing, when they go out pf ibis worlds For here usually he gives our stop 10 a sinful course j we perceive that hell hath opened her mouth before us. Lest thou (houldst forget, I beseech thee, another time, to retain the knowledge of hell in thine understanding, and apply the burning hot thoughts thereof to thy conscience; this is one way to njake thee gather up thy heels arid mend thy peace jo thy coming to Jesus Christ, and to God the FaSbtr him.

Sixthly, It is also necessary that he that co/fietb to God by the Lord Jesus, should know what death is, and the uncertainty of its approaches upon us. Death is, as 1 may call it, the feller, the cutter down. Death is that that puts a stop to a further living here, and that which lay man where it finds hjnj: If he is in the saith in Jesus, it lays him down there to fleefji till the Lord comes: I>he be not in the faith, it lays him down in his sins, until the Lord comes: Again, if thou hast some beginnings that look like good, and death (hould overtake thee before those beginnings are ripe, thy fruit will wither* and thou wilt sall short of being gathered into Ged-'s barn. Some men are cut off like the tops of the ears of corn, and some are even nipped by death in the very bud of their spring: but the safety is when a nun is ripe, and shall be gathered to,his grave, as a ibock of corn to the barn in its season. ,?- . . Now, if death should surprise and seize theeheforc thou art fit to die, all is lost_; for there is no fepcntan«e in,the grave j or rather, as the wise mm.

has >h&it,M*hatfoev#r ihy fondfinddfatejds, dy k with alt .ihy might i for there is no work nodmive, mt kmtvU edge, nor txijdom^ in the gram, whtiher ihougo<eW.

IXsath is God's serjeant, God's bailffls, ants he arrftfts iti God-*s name when he comes but seldom gives warning before: be. dappeth us on the shoulder : and when be attests us, though he may stay^' a little while, and give as leave to pant, and tumbie,>aftd tofe ourselves for awhile upon a bed of languishing, yet at last he will prick our bladder, and let ttut our life,' and then our souls will be poured'Upon the ground, yea, into hell, if we ate not ready and prepared for the life everlasting. He that doth not watch for, and is not afraid left death should prevent him, will not make haste to God by Ghrift. What Job soid of temporal affections, such an one will death be, if thou art not aware: Whenl looked Jor good, evil mint: The days tf affliEtim p-evented me. If thou lookest, or beginnest - look for good, and the day of death shall cut thee off before thou hast found that good thou lookest for, alt is loft, soul, and life, and heaves, and all. Wherefore it is convenient that thou conclude she grave is thy house, and that thou make thy bed once a day in the grave: also, that thou fay mtb corruption, Thou art my father; and to the worm, Thou art my moths) And my jij&r, I say, be acquainted with the grave and death. The fool puts the evil day sar away, but! the wife man brings -it nigh. Better be ready to die seven years before death comesj than want one day, one hour, one moment, one tear, one sorrowful sigh, at the remembrance of die ill-spent lifo that 1 have lived. This theii is that which I admoniih thee of, namely, that thou know death, what it it, what k deth when it, comes, »\-.t.v-. "also,

deeming price. He justifies us, by bestowing upon us, not by expecting from us. He justifies us by his grace, not by Our works. In a word, thou must be well grounded in the knowledge of what Christ is, and how men are justified by him, ®r thou wilt not come unto God by him. ,

As thou must koow him, and how men are justi*hed by him, so thou must know the readiness that js in him to receive and lo do for thole, what they need, that come unto Gad by him, Suppose his merits were never so efficacious,-yet st it could be proved, that there is a lothness in him that these merits should be bestowed upon the coming ones; there would but few adventure to wait ©pan him. Pot now, as he is full, he is free. Nothing pleases him better, than lo give What he has away, than ta bestow itt Upon the poosr and needy, -. Arid at -will be convenient that thcovwha art a coming foul, Jfrould kctow this for thy aorofoarfc to encourage thee tp coune to God by him. Take two or three lay* ings of his for the confirming of what is now said it Come unto me, ttIt'ye thai labour, and ate beaiuy laden, qnd 1 will-give; you nest. All thai theFatter $iv* et A me shall com to w; and him that emits te me, I mill in no wife xqfi out, I am net £<me le> aal) ike righteous, but Jiriners to repentance. This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that C&r$$ef»i fame into the world ta savesinners, of whom I am chief.

Seventhly, As a man that would come to God by Christ, must antecedent to h» to coming, know himself, what he is; the world, how empty it is j the law., how severe it is ; death, and what it is; and Christ, and what he is j fo also he must know €od : He that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a j&wardet sf those iche diligently seek

©us majesty, be not his chief design, he is not; concerned in the salvation that is propounded in our text, He is able, and Jo will save to the uttermost them, that come unto God by him.

What is heaven without God ? what is ease without the peace and enjoyment of God? what is deliverance from hell, without the enjoyment of God? The propounding therefore these, and only these, to thyself for thy happiness, in thy coming to Jesus Christ, is a proposal not a hair's breadth more than what a man without giuce can propound. What, or who is he that would not go to heaven? What, or who is he that would not also have ease from the guil t of sin? And where is the man that chuscth to go to hell ? But many there are that cannot abide Cod; no, they like not to go to heaven, because God is there. If the devil had a heaven to bestow upon men, a vicious and a beastly heaven (if it bq lawful thus to speak,) I durst pawn my soul upon it, were it a thousand times better than it is, that upon a bare invitation the foul fiend, would have twenty to God's one. They, I say, cannot abide God ; nay, for all the devil has nothing but a hell for them, yet how thick men go to him, but hov thinly to God Almighty ! The nature of God lietfh cross to the lusts of men. A holy God, a glorious holy God, an insinitely holy God j this spoils all. But to the soul that is awakened, and that is n»ade to fee- things as they are, to him God is what h© is in himself, the blessed, the highest, the only eternal good, and he, without the enjoyment of whom all thing* would sound but empty in the ears of that soul. . . '". .

Now then, I advise thee, that hast a mind to come to God by Christ, that thou seek the knowledge of

God: fflerrtrful reward be given to evil-doers, but glory to die righteous. This is the day in which men, if they could, would creep into the ground for fear j but because they cannot, therefore -they will call and cry to the mountains to sall upon them, but they Iball not ; therefore they stand bound to beat their judgment.

T-his day will be the day of breaking up of closet .cotfucils, cabinet councils, secret purposes, hidden thoughts ; yea, God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing'; I say he shall do it then. For he will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. This is the day that is appointed to put them to shame and contempt in, that have, in this world, been bold and audacious in their vile and beastly ways. At this day God will cover aR such 'bold and brazen saces with shame. Now they will blush till the blood is ready .to burst tfbrough their cheeks : O the confusion and shame that will cover their saces, while God is discovering to them what a nasty, what a beastly, what an uncomely, and what an unreasonable life they lived Mi the world.' They shall now see the contemned God that fed them, that cloathed. them, that gave ♦hem life and limb, and that maintained their breath, in their nostrils. But, Oh! when they see the gulph beiore them, and all things ready to receive them in thither, then, then they will know what sinning against God means.

And I say, Thou that art for coming to God by Christ, must know this, and be well assured of this, or thou wilt never come to God by him. 'What of the glory of God shall be put upon them that do indeed come to him, will also help in A a his bis spiritual journey, if it be well considered by thee? but perhaps terror and unbelief will suffer thee to consider but little of that. However, the things aforementioned will be goads j will serve to prick thee forward ; and if they do so, they will be God's great bjefling unto thee, and that for which thou wilt give him thy thanks for ever.

Thus I have in few words spoken something as to the first sort of comers to God by Christ; namely, of the coining of the newly awakened man, And I say again, if any of the things aforenamed be wanting, and are not with his heart, it is a question whether, notwithstanding all the noise that he naaj make about religion, he will ever come to C Christ.

j. If he knows not himself and the badr his condition, wherefore should he come? .. •.'w

z, If he knows not the world, and the emptiness and vanity thereof, wherefore Ihould he come?

3. If he knows not the law, and the severity thereof, wherefore should he come?

4. If he knows not hell, and the torments tt of, wherefore should he come?

e. If he knows not what death should he come?

6. And if he knows not the Father and the Son, how can he come?

7. And to know that there is a judgment to pome, is as necessary to his coming, as most of the rest of the things propounded. Coming to God by Christ is for shelter, for safety, for advantage, and everlasting happiness. But he that knows not that, understands not the thing* aforementioned, fees not his need of taking shelter, of flying for safety, of coming for advantage to God by Christ. I know

there there are degree? of this knowledge, and he that has it most warm upon him, in all likelihood, will make most haste ; or, as David saith, will hasten his escape ftom the windy storm and tempest ; and he that fees least, is in most danger of being the loiterer; and so of losing the prize. For all that Tun do not obtain it ; and all that strive for it have it not. fore the mystery of God's wisdom, and how willing he is that spectators should be warned, and made take heed. Yea, he will permit* that some of his own shall sall into the fire, to convince the world that hell is hot; and to warn their brethren to take heed that they flip not with their fee|, I have often said in ray heart, that this was the cause why God suffered so many of the believing Jews to sall, to wit, that the Gentiles might take heed.—

Secondly, 1 shall now come to the second man mentioned, to wit, the man that i* turned back from hisbaekfliding,and speak something alsoabout his coming again to God by Christ.

There are t^vo things remarkable in the returning of a backflider to God by Christ.

1. The first is, he gives a second testimony to the truth of all things spoken of before.

2. He also gives a second testimony of the necessity of coming to God by Christ.

i Of the manner of his coming to God by Christj perhaps I also may speak a word or two. But,

First, The returning again of the backflider, gives a second testimony to the truth of man's state being by nature miserable, of the vanity of this world, of the severity of the law, certainty of death, and ferrjbleness of judgment to come. His first coming told them so, but bis second coming te'ls them so with a double confirmation of the truth. It is so, saith his first coming; Oh ! it is so, saith h'rs second. The backfliding of a Christian comes through the overmuch persuading of Satan and lust; that the man was mistaken, and that there was no such horror .in the things from which he fled j nor so much good in the things to which he hasted. Turn again,fool, says the devil, turn ag&i_n to thy former course. I wonder what phrenzy it Km that drove thee to thy heels, and that made thee to leave so much good

behind

0 brethren, (saith the backflider that is returned,) did you fee how I left my God ? did you fee how

1 turned again to those vanities from which some time before I fled? Oh ! I was deluded j I was. bewitched; I was deceived j for 1 found all things from which I fled at the first, still worse by sar when I went to them the second time. Do not backflide. Oh ! do not backflide. The first ground of your departing from them was good, never tempt God a second time.

id-y, And as he gave us a second testimony, that the world and himself are so, as at first he believed they were; so by this his returning, he testifies that God and Christ are the same, and much more than ever he believed at first they were. This man has made a proof before, and a proof after conviction, of the evil of the one, and the good of the other. This man has made a proof by feeling and seeing, ar.d that before and aster grace received. This man God has set up to be a witness; this man is two men, has the testimony of two men, must serve in the place of two men , he knows what it is to be fetched from a st.ite of nature by grace; but this all Christians know as well as he. Ay, but he knows what it is to be fetched from the world, from the devil, and hell, the second time -_t and that hut A a a few professors know; for few that sall away return to God again. Ay, but this man is come again, wherefore there is news in his mouth, fad news, dreadful news, and news that is to make the standing saint to take heed lest he sall. The returning backflider therefore is a rare man, a man of worth and intelligence, a man to whom the men of the world should flock, and of whom they should learn to fear the Lord God. He also is a man of whom the saints should receive both caution, counsel, and strength in their present standing ; and that should, by his harms, learn to serve the Lord with fear, and to rejoice with trembling.

This man has the second time also had a proof of God's goodness in his Christ unto him, a proof which the standing Christian has not (I would not tempt him that stands to sall) j but the good that a returning backflider has received at God's hands, and at the hand of Christ, is a double good, he has been converted twice, fetched from the world and from the devil, and from himself twice; Oh grace ! and has been made to know the stability of God's covenant, the unchangeablenefs of God's mind, the sure and lasting truth of his promise in Christ, and of the sufficiency of the merits of Christ, over and over.

Of the manner of this man's toming to God by Christ, I shall also speak a word or two.

He comes as the new awakened sinner comes, and that from the same motives, and the knowledge of things, as he hath over and above, (which he had as goad have been without,) that which the newly awakened sinner has not, to wit, the guilt of his. backfliding, which is a guilt of a worse complexion, ©f a-deeper dye, and of a heavier nature than is any guilt else in the world. He is also attended with tears and doubts that arise from other reasons and considerations, than do the doubts and fears of the new awakened man ; doubts built upon the vile

, nefe of his backfliding; He has also more dreadful scriptures to consider of, and they will look more wishfully in his sace, (yea, and will also make him take notice of their grim physiognomy), than has the newly awakened man. Besides, as a punishment of his backfliding, God seems to withdraw the sweet influences of his Spirit* and is as if he would not suffer him to pray, nor to repent any more; as if he would now take all away from him, and leave him to those lusts and. idols that he left his God to follow. Swarms of his new roguries shall haunt him in every place, and that not only in the guilt, but in the filth and pollution of them. None knows the things that haunt the backflider's mind j his new sins are all turned talking devils, threatnir^ devils, roaring devils, within him. Besides, he doubts of the truth of his first conversion, consequently he has it lying uponhim, as a strong suspicion, that there was nothing of truth in all his first experience; and this also adds lead to his heels, and makes him come, as to sense and feeling, more heavy, and with the greater difficulty, to God by Christ. As saithfulnefs of other men kills him, he can see not an honest, humble, holy, saithful servant* of God, but he is pierced and wounded at the heart.

. Ay, lays he, within himself, that man sears God, that man hath saithfully followed God, that man, like the elect: angels, has kept his place j but I am sallen from my station like a devil.- That man honoureth God, edifieth the laints, convinceth the world, and condemneth them, and is become heir of

righttoufnefi I'now mean₄one that has been called to the saith, and, that has in some good meaiure of sincerity and uprightness therein:abode with God. 'This pan also cotuds tp God hy Christi; but his coming is to be distinguished, I megn itj the main of it, from the coming-of the other two. . ft_i:. know hots: frail (they are, because, the -more, they know that, the more they are engaged in their souls to take heed to their ways, and to fear lest; they mould tempt their God to leave them, '. u "t 2. They come, to Gqd by Christ for the weakening of their lusts and corruptions: For they area? sore, yea, a plague, to a truly sanctified soul.. Those, , to be rid of which, if it might be, a godly man: chufeth rather to die than.-to.live> This David did mean, when he cried, Create in me a clean hea*t,.Q» God, and renew, a right spiritxvit/iin me. Arid PaUj, when he cried out, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver, me from the,body es this death. rj*.

The other comes.for the knowledge of.fotgUrftnese, a thing that the upright, and, saithlul Christian for the most part has a comfortable saith, of,and that for which he is often helped to give thanks, to Got?. I do not lay he doubtethenot^or that he has' no* his evidences sometimes, clouded. Jsgjf do I say thit the knowledge of his reconciliationto God by Jefias Christ is so high, so firm, so fixed, and stedsast,tbat iit cannot be (hakejvc)r thatch*-needs no more. I will then explain tnj self*, Hec«mesnot toGod:as»an unconverted' ftastep comet; he'eornes not as a.backflider come& when? be isietmowg to God Fiona his batkstifljings -_r but heeoisies.^ba foe,, as one of the household of God,, and he cOmies, as c*ne that has ftot had sincere conviction, wickedly departed from feis God- \w V-rV \&^..- * ;• -.*

He then comes so God withabat access and godly boldnefs that is only proper to such as himself j that is, to them that walk with Gad. Thus every one that -shall be saved doth not do? thus every one that shall be saved cannot do. To ir.r stance the two spoken of before. . . ^L i >z",

a. He comes to- God by Christ constantly by prayer, by meditation*by every ordinance; for therefore he makiSf h use of ordinances, because by them, through Christ, he,gettesh inJo the presence of God.

3. He comes to God through Christ,because be judgeth that God only is that good, that blessedness, that happiness, that is worth looking after; that , . ,. • i "good,

J. They come to God by Christ for the renewing strengthening of their graces. The graces that the godly have received,,are, and they seel they are,. subject to decay, yea, they cannot live without a continual supply of.gtn.ce.. This, is the meaning of that, Let us have grace, and let us come boldly to thethrone of grace, that we may obtain grace, and find mercy to help in time of need. „

4. They come to God by Christ, to be helped against those temptations that they may meet withal. They know that every new temptation has a new snare, and what evil, that at present they know not; but they know their God knows, and can deliver us OUt os temptation when we are in, and keep us out while we are out.

. If.. They come to God by Christ for a blessing upon that means of grace which God has afforded for the succour of the soul, and the building of it up, in the saith; knowing that as the means, so a blessing upon it, is from God. And for this they have encouragement, because God has said, / will abundantly bless her provision, and satisfy her poor with bread. 6. They

<>. They come to Go>3 by Christ for the forgiveness of daily infirmities, and for the continuing them in the light of his countenance, notwithstanding. Thus he also would always accept them and their services, and grant that an answer of peace may be returned from their Father into their bosoms; for this is the life of their souls. There are a great many such things that the sincere and upright man comes to God for, too many here to mention, again,

This man comes to God to beseech him for the flourishing of Christ's kingdom, 'which he knows will never be until Antichrist is dead, ancfuntil Spirit is more plentifully poured upon us from on high.^' Therefore he also cries to God for the downsal of the first, and for the pouring out of the other.

2. He comes toGod for the hastening, the gathering in of his elect: ; for it is an affliction to think that so many of those for whom Christ died mould be still in a posture of hostility against him.

3. He comes to God for a spirit of unity to be poured out among believers ; for, for the divisions of Reubsn he has great thoughts of heart.

4. He com:* to God to pray for magistrates, and that God would make speed to set them all to that work that is so desirable to his church, that is, to liate the whore, to eat her flesh, to make her desolate, and burn her with fire.

5. He comes to God to beg that he would hasten that great and notable day, the day of the coming of oui Lord Jesus ; for he knows that Christ vvifl never be exalted as he must be till then j yea, he also knows that God's church will never be as she would, and shall '.ill then.

6. But the main meaning, if I may so call it, of

this >•"isttRisT A-'ebiaTiTrtB sAviotnt. sf&j

4W?'high ttxt,'is⁴this: Thafthtythat come to GA& by him, that is, by Christ, are those that come by ^;ChVrsttb' Godtoenjoy-him; by saith and spirit here, 'and'by open vision and • unshakablepossession of 'him in rhe'heXt world. '.This rs' rhe great design b£ 4he%til in its: coming tb God by Jesus Christ j aril 'it comes'to'brm by Jesus Gkfist, because it dares not cOnieisy itself,' and because God hirriself has made ^tmthe way,'the nevrand living way. Here, as^!I said, the Father meets with that which pleaseth him, 'and^he^sbul with that Which saveth her. Here is -right ebufriess~and merits^' to spare, wen righteousness -thattan justify'the' ungodly. ,^JHere is always, how 'empty soever we^cbev a fullness of merit always p're-fented to God by Christ, forobtaining ofthat which 'ar any time I Want, whether wisdom; grace, spirit, .or any good thing soever : Only since ivras upon 'this subject, I thought a'lfcile to touch upon things ^n' this order, for the enlarging of thy thoughts, for the conviction of thy spirit, for the stirring of thee tip to God,' and for the shewing of thee the good 'signs of grace, where it is, where it is abused, and 'Where any are seeking after it.

'And now I come to draw some inferences from 'this point also, as I have already done from these going before it.

You see that I have nowbeen speaking to you of the man that cometh to God, both with respect to the way he comes, as also with respect to the manner of spirit in which he comes: And hence I may well infer.

First, That he is no fool, no fool according, to the 'best judgment that cometh to God by Christ. The world, indeed, will count him one j for the things that be of the Spirit of God are foolishness to them;

B b but

himself for hereafter? for providing friends to receive him to harbour when others (hall turn him out of their doors? no more is he that gets another house for his harbour, before death stiall turn him out of doors here.' '- ' '• .''

Secondly, as he that cometh to God by Christ is no fooi, so he is no little-spirited fellow. Thereare a generation os men in this world,-that count themselves men of the largest capacities, when yet the greatness of their desires lift thefnselves no higher than to things below. If they can, with their net of craft and policy, encompass a bulky lump of earth, Oh! what a treasure have they ingrossed to themselves! mean while, the man in the text has laid siege to heaven, has found out the way to get into the city, and is resolved, in and by God's help, to make that his own. Earth is a drossy thing ia this man's account : earthly greatness and splendors are but like vanishing bubbles in this man's esteem: none but God, as the end of his desires, none but' Christ, as the means to accomplish this his end,arei things counted great by this man. No company now is acceptable to this man, but the Spirit of God; Christ and angels and saints, as fellovv heirs with himself. All other men and things he deals with as strangers and pilgrims were wont to doi This man's mind soars higher than the eagle or stork of the heavens; he is for musing about things/that are above, and their glory, and for thinking what shall come to pass hereafterw

But as I have shewed you what he is not, so now let me, by a few words, tell you what he is. •'

u Then, he is a man concerned for his soul, for his immortal soul. The foul is a thing, though of

most worth, least minded by most. The souls, most lie waste, while all other things are inclosed, . But this man has got it by the end, that his >soul is of more value than the world j wherefore he is.con.-> cerned for his soul. Scul concerns are concerns of. the highest nature, and concerns that arise si thoughts most deep and pondrous. He n knew what belonged to great and deep thoughts,, that is a stranger to foul concerns. Now* therhanw that comes to God. by. Christ, is a man that is. en~_f gaged in foul concerns.

2. He is a man whose spirit is subjected to a suita*^ bleness to spiritual things $ for a carnal mind caunatv suit; with, and.be delighted.in thesethings : .'*' ~ carnal mind is enmity against God. j sofi it- is>notf subject to the law of God, neither indeed car* ;b**''This is the man that God has tamed, and,:keeps_t tame by himself, while others run.wild* as, the asse* upon.the mountains. If birds, could speak', surelythey would tel)j that those that are kept in the cage, have with t h em another-tempeo than th ey;' t bat rai>ge> the air, and fly in-the fields and. woods. Yea, andr could those kept tame_; express, themselves, to th^j lest, they would tell that they have white bread and; milk, and sugar; while those without makeshift out of maggots and worms* They.are. also in a. p^ace where there are hetter thingSj and their companions are the- children of men: besides, thcy> l?arn such notes,, and can whistle- such: tunes, as_; other birds are strangers to. Oh,! the.nw.rj. whose, spirit is subjected to God, betwixt whom; and, ,Gpd there is a,reconciliation, ,not only as to a difference; made-up, but also .as to. a-, oneness of, hearts none

knows what lu.rn_ps of sugar God gives that man , ^{at notes} and tunes God learns that man : ⁴

bath put a hew song in my mouth, (saith David) even praises to our God : many mall fee it, and fear, and trust in the Lord."^: . \

Secondly, Is there a man that comes to God by Christ'? Thence I infer, that there is that believes there is a world to come- No man looks after that which he yet believes is not. Faith must be before coming to Christ will be; coming is the fruit of saith. He that comes must believe, antecedent to feis -coming: wherefore it is said, " We walk by faith j" that is, we come to God, through Christ, by saith. And hence I learn two things;

1. That saith is-of a,strong and forcible quality.

2. That they who come not to God by Christ have no saith.

First, saith is of a strong and forcible quality, and that whether it be true or salse.

1. A salse saith has done great things ; it has made men believe lies, plead for them, and stand to them, to the damnation of their fouls : "God shall fend them strong delusions that they shall believe a lie," to their damnation. Hence it is said, " Men make lies their refuge," Why ? Because they trust in a lie. A lie, if believed, if a man has saith in it, it will do great things, because saith is of a forcible quality. Suppose thyself to be twenty miles from borne, and there some man comes and possefses thee, that thy house, thy wise and children, are all burned with the fire; if thou believest it, though indewi there should be nothing of truth in what thou hast heard, yet will this lie drink up thy spirit, even as if the tidings were true. How many are there in the world, whose heart Satan hath filled with a belief that their state and condition for another world is good ? and these are made to live by lying hope, -- -' ' s b 2 that that all should be well with them; and so are kept from seeking for that which will make them happy indeed. Man is naturally apt and willing to be deceived, and therefore a groundless faith is the more taking and forcible. Fancy will help to confirm a salse saith, and so will conceit, and idleness of spirit. There is also in man a willingness to take things upon trust, without searching into the ground and reason of them. Nor will Satan be behind-hand to prompt and encourage, to thy believing of a lie; for that he knows will be a means to bring thee to that end to which he greatly desires thou shouldst come. Wherefore let men beware, and O that they could, of a salse and lying saith.

2. But if a salse saith is so forcible, what is a true? What force, I say, is there in a saith that is begotten by truth, managed by truth, fed by truth, and pieserved by the truth of God? This saith will make invisible things visible; not santastically -, but substantially so. Now, faith is the fub/rance of things hoped for, the evidenee of things not seen. True faith carrieth along with it an evidence of the certainty of what it believeth.and that evidence is the insallible word of God. There is a God, a Christ, a heaven, saith the saith that is good : for the word of God doth say so. The way to this God, and this heaven, is by Christ ; for the word of God doth fay so. If I run not to this God by this Christ, this heaven shall never be my portion; for the word of God doth say so. So then, thus believing makes the man come to God by him. His thus believing then it is that carries him away from this world, that makes him trample upon this woild, and that gives him the victory over this world: For whosoever is bom vf Qod overcemeSh the world, and this is zhe

viEiory viBory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that cometh by water and blood, even Jesus Christ: not by water only, but by water and blood; and it is the Spirit that bear el h witness because the Spirit istruth.

Secondly, Now, if this be trtie; that saith, true saith, is so forcible a thing, as to tatte a man from his feat of ease, and make him come to God by Christ as afore -_r then is it not truly inferred from hence, that they that come not to God by Christ have no saith? What ! is man such a fool as to believe things, and yet not look after'them? to believe great things, and yet not to concern himself with them ? Who would knowingly go over a pearl, and yet not count it worth stooping for? Believe thou art what thou att j believe hell is'what it is j believe death and judgment are coming as they are j and believe that the Father and the Son are, as by the Holy Ghost in the word they are described, and fit still in. thy sins, if thou canst, Thou canst hot sit still. Faith is forcible. Faith is grounded upon the voice of God in the word, upon the teaching of God in the word. And it pleases God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For believing makes them heartily close in with and embrace what by the word is set before them, because it seeth the reality of them.

Shall God speak to man's foul, and shall man believe? Shall man believe what God says, and nothing at all'regard it? It cannot be: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And we know that when saith is come, it purifies the heart of what is opposite to God, and the salvation ©f the souh ,'. . _f VrWshar. world, and those that are counted worthy of it, shall all be everlasting; but so shall not this, r the inhabitants of it. The earth, with' the rks thereof, shall be burned up, and the men that of it fliall die in like manner. But Israel shall saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; they shall not be. ashamed nor confounded, world without end.

This world, with the lovers of it, will end in a burning hell ; but the world to come sadeth not away.

* 3. The world that we are now in, has its best comforts mixed either with crosses or curses; but that to come with neither. There shall be no more curse; and as for crosses, all tears shall be wiped from the eyes of them that dwell there. There will be nothing but ravilhing pleasures and holy. There will be no cessation of joys, nor any speck of pollution ; In thy presence is futnejs of joy, and at thy ri^ht hand are pleasures for evermore.

4. There men shall be made like angels, neither can they die «ny more. There shall they behold the sace of God and his Son, and swim in the enjoyment of them for ever.

5. There men fliall see themselves beyond all misery, and shall know that it will be utterly impossible that either any thing like sorrow, or grief, or sickness, or discontent, should touch them more.

6. There men shall be rewarded of God for what they have done and suffered, according to his will

, for his sake; there they (hall eat and drink their comforts, and wear them to their everlasting consolation.

7- They are all kings that goto that work ^{0 flia11} °e proclaimed there. They shall al wrowned with crowns, and they shall wear .crowns, of life and glory, crowns of everlasting joy j. crowns of loving kindness ; yea, in that day the Lord of Hosts himself Jhall be for a crown of glory to those that are his people. Heb. it, ft /Isa. xxxv. 10 j, Plal. cjj'i. 4-; Isa. xxviii. 5. Now'if this world (though no more could be laid for it than is said in these few lines) '13 jiot infinitely far better than what the present world! is, I have missed it in my thoughts, But the coming man, the man that comes to God by Christ, is satisfied, knows what he does ; and If 'his way, all his way thither, were strewed with burning coals, he would chuse, God helping him, to tread that path,' rather than to have his portion with them that perish.

Fourthly, If there be a world to come, and such a way to it, so safe and good, and if God is there to be enjoyed by them that come to him by Christ j then this mews the great madness of the most of men; madness, 1 say, of the highest degree ; for that they come not to God by Christ that they may be.inheritors of the world to come. It is a right character which Solomon gives of them; The heart (saith he) of the sons of men are full of evil, and mad* ness is in their hearts, zvliiJe they live, and after that they go to the dead. . > \ .

A madman is intent upon fiis joys, upon any thing, but that about which he should be intent • and so are they that come not to God by Jesus Christ. A madman has neither ears to hear, nor a heart to do what they that are in their right wits advise him for the best, no more have they that come not to God by Christ. A madman sets more by the straws and cocks feathers by which he decks himself, than he does by all the pearls and jewels in. the world i and they that come not to God by

Christ, there, than to go to God by Christ', that they may be saved from wrath through -him ; yea, so mad are they, that they count the most sober, the most godly, the most holy man, the mad one ; the more earnest for lite, the more mad ; the more in the spirit, the more mad j the more defirous to promote the salvation of others, the more mad. But is not this a sign of madness, of madness unto perfection? And yet thus mad are many; and mad are all they, that while it is called to day, while their door is open, and while the golden sceptre of the golden grace ot the blessed God is held forth, stand in their own light, and come not to God by Christ. That is the fourth inference.

Fifthly, A fifth inference that I gather from this text is, That the end that God will make with men, will be according as they come or come not to God by Christ. They that come to God by Christ, have taken shelter, and have hid themselves, but they that come not to God by Christ, lay themselves open to the windy storm and tempest that will be in that day. And the wind then will be high, and the tempest strong, that will blow upon them that shall be found in themselves. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence ; a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him ; He /hall call to the heavens from above and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

And now, what will be found in that day to be the portion of them that in this day do not come to God by Christ, none knows but God, with whom the reward of unbelievers is. .

But writing and preaching is in vain as to such -_t let men say what they will, what they can to persuade to come, to dissuade from neglecting to come, cc they they are resolved not to stir. They will try if God will be so saithful to himself, and to his word, as to dare to condemn them to hell fire that have refused to hear and comply with the voice of him that speaketh from heaven.

But this is but a desperate venture; several things declare, that he is determined to be at a point in this matter.

i. The gallows are built, hell is prepared for the wicked.

.. x. -There are those already in chains, and stand 'bound over to the judgment of that day, that are, as to creation, higher and greater than men, to wit, the angels that sinned. Let sinners then look to .themselves.

3. The judge is prepared and appointed, and, it hath sallen out to be he that th6a hast refused to come to God by ; and that predicts no ₍£,ood to thee ; for then will he fay of all such, Those mine enemies that would not that 1 Jkould ^sign over them_f bring hither, andJlay^fthem before me.

But what a surprise will it be to them that now have come to God by Christ, to see themselves in heaven indeed ; saved indeed, and possefled of eve*Jasting life indeed ? For, alas! what is saith to possession ?. Faith .that is mixed with many tears, that is opposed with many assaults, and that seems sorue'times to be quite extinguished; I say, what is that to a seeing of myself in heaven ? Hence it is said, that he ihali then come to be admired in them that now believe, (because they did here believe the testimony,) then they shall admire that it was their lot to believe when they were in the world. They /hall also admire to think, to see, and behold, what believing, has brought them to, while the rest for refusing to come to God by.Christ, drink their tears mixed with burning brimstone.

Repentance will not be found in heaven among them that come ,to God by Christ; no, hell is the place of untimely repentance ; it is there where the' tears will be mixed with gnashing of teeth ; whiie they consider how mad, and worse they were, in not doming-to G'bd'by Jesus Christ.

Then will their hearts and mouths be full of, Lor J, Lord, open unto us. But the answer will be, ife jhut me out of doors; I was a stranger,' and ye took me not ill; besides, you refused to come to my Father by me, wherefore now you must^' go from Hiy Father by me. _>

They that will.not be laved by Christ; must t& damned by Christ. No manc^'efcap^oheof the two. Refuse the first they may^ but shun the second they cannot.

And now they that would nos come unto God by Christ, will have leisure and tirne^nbugh (if 1 may call it time) to consider what they have done, rn referring to come to God by Christ. Now they will meditate warmly Off' this⁵ thing, now their thoughts will be burning hot about it, and it is too late, will be in each thought, such a sting, that like a bow Of steel, it will continually strike him through.

Now they will bless those whom formerly they despised, and commend those they once contemned. Now would the rich man willingly change places with poor Lazarus, though he preferred his own condition before his in the world.

Th.e day of judgment will bring the worst to rights, in their opinions : They will not be capable etf misapprehending any more. They will never after that day put bitter for sweet, or darkness for light. saved that come unto God by Christ, is thus expressed': Seeing ht ever liveth'-to make interceston fir them. The intercession os' Christ, and the lastingness of it, is. a sure token of'the /alvation of them that come unto Gpd by him.

Of his intercession, what it is, and for whom, we have spoken aiready. Of the Cuccess and prevalency ot it, we have also spoken before 5 but the reason of its succefsfulnese,'of that we are to speak of now. And that reason, as the apostle sijggesteth, lies in the continuance of it: Seeing he ever liveth to make intereefflitu The apostle also makes very moch of the continuation of 'the priesthood of Christ, in other places of this epistle: lie abides a priest cmtinuttily: Thou aft a priest for ever; He hath an unchangeable priest stood-: And here he evet liveth to make intercession-.

Now, by the text, is (hewed the reason why he so continually harpeth upon ihe durablencsa of it, aamely, for that by the unchangeableness of this priesthood we are iaved ; nay, saved demonstratively, apparently; it is evident we are: He is also cb'.e to save them to the uttermost, that come unto Gcd by him> seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For,

First, The durablencls of his intercession prove?, that the covenant in which those that come to God by him, are concerned and wrapt up, is not shaken, broken, or made invalid by all their weaknesses and infirmities.

Christ is a priest according to covenant 'tind ih ail his acts of mediation he has regard to that covenant: So long as that covenant abides in its strength, - long Christ's intercession is of worth. Hence when God cast the old high-priest out of c c 2 doors, i

doors, he renders this reason for so doing -_r. because they continued not in my covenant, that is,jieither priests nor people : Therefore were they cast out of the priesthood, and the people pulled clown, as to a church state.

Now the covenant by which Christ acteth as a priest, so sar as we are concerned therein, he also himself acteth our part, being indeed the.head and mediator of the body: Wherefore God doth not count that the covenant is broken, though we sin, if Christ Jesus our Lord is found to do by it what by law is required of us. Therefore he saith, If hi* children break my lazv, and keep not my commandment s_y I ivill visit their Jins with a rod, tsV. But. their Jins shall mt Jhake my covenant, with my beloved, nor caUj that 1 for ever Jhoitld reject them. My covenant nut J not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my Viouth. His feed zvill I make lo endure for ever, his feed fiajl endure for ever. Hence rt is clear, that the covenant stands good to us, as long as Christ stands good to God, or before his sace. For he is not only our mediator by covenant, but he himfelf is our condition to God-ward; therefore he is said to be the covenant of the people,, or that which :he holy God by kw requireth of us. Hence again, he is said to be our justice or righteousness ; to wit, which ans>vereth to what is required of us by the law. He is made unto us of God so, and in our room, and in our stead prelenteth himself to So then, if any ask me, by what Christ's priesth is continued? I answer, by covenant : For that -'^M ^-o^venant hy which he is made priest, abideth of .oj ce. If any ask, whether the church is con^tsJ sn tlnr covenant? 1 answer, Yes : Yet so - po:nts and pr.rts thereof that concern life

and

and death everlasting, is laid upon his shoulders, and life alone is the door of it. He is -ihe' Lord our righteousness, and he is the'Saviour of the body; lb that my sins break not the covenant: But them notwithstanding, God's covenant stands sast with him, with him for evermore. And good reason, if no sault can be found with Christ, who is the person that did strike hands with his Father upon our account, and as for us, to wit, to do what was meet should be found upon us, when we came to appear before God by him.

And that God himself doth so understand this matter, is evident, because he also, by his Own act, giveth and imputeth to us that good that we never did, that righteousness which we never wrought out; yea, and, for the sake of that,'transfnitteth our fins unto Christ, as to one that had not only well satisfied for them, but could carry them so sar, both from us- and from God, that they- should never again come to be charged on the committers, to death and'damnation. The scriptures are so plentiful for this, that he must be a Turk, or a -Jew, or an Atheist, that denies it. Besides, God's commanding that men should believe in his Son unto righteousness, well enough proveth this thing : and the reason of this command doth prove it with an over and above : to wit, For he hath made him to be Jin for us who knezv no fin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in hint.

Hence comes out that proclamation, from God, at the rising again of Christ from the dead, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto- you the forgiveness of fins ; and by him ail that believe are jitflified front all things from which they could not be justified by the kzu of-Most s. If fyhen he speaks of it with respect to that establishment that it also had on Christ's part, by the sacri

i, he their

speaks of the mutual confirmation of it, both by the Father and the Son: Now, I say, since by this covenant he stands and abides a priest; and since the Lord sware, and will not repent, saying, Thou art a priest for ever; we are still further confirmed in the certain- salvation of him that cometh to God fey Christ.

The Lord by swearing confirrheth to Christ, and so to us in him, the immutability of his counsel, and that he is utterly unchangeable in his resolutions to save them to the uttermost, that come; to God by Christ. And this also shews, that, this covenant, and so the promise of remission of sins, is steadsast and immoveable. And it is worth your noting the ajanner and nature of this oath,- The Lard fiuarer, and will not repent. It is as much as to say, What X have now swornyd bind me for ever to stand to: or, I determine never to revoke ; and that is, That thou art a priest for ever. Now,as was said before, tfnea his priesthood stands by covenant, and this covenant e| his priesthood is confirmed by hisoatri, it cannot be, but that he that comes by him to God must be accepted of him ; for should such an one be rejected, it must be either for, the greatness of his sins, or for want of merit in the sacrifice he presented, and urged, as to the merit of it, before' the mercy-feat. But let the reason specified be what it will, the consequence salls harder upon the sacrifice of Christ than ft can do any where else, and' so on upon the covenant, and at last upon God himself, who has swore,,aud will not repent, that he k c. priest frr ever. I thus discourse, to shew you'

what

also have been already overcome by his death,) and what an encouraging consideration is here for alj

them that come to God by him, to hope for ,. eternal ! But,

Secondly, Let us speak a word to the fecpnd, head j namely, for that his hying forever capacitates him to be the last jn his own cause, and to have the casting voice; and that is an advantage next tq what is chiefest:.

His cause j what is his cause ? but that the death, that he died when he was in the world, was and is of merit sufficient to secure all those from hell, or, as the text has it, " to save them that come ,unto, God by him j" to save them to the uttermost.— Now, if this cause be faulty, why doth Ik live ? Yea, he liveth by the power of God, by the power of God towards us j Or with a respect to our welfare, for, I* he liveth to make intercession intercession against satan our accuser, for us. Besides, he liveth before God, and to God, and that after he had given his life a ransom for us. What can follow more clearly from this, but that amends was made brjp him for those souls for whose sins he suffered upon the tree? Wherefore, since hj^S Father has him his life and savour, and that after he d' ouV fins, it cannot )ae thought but that the now liveth is a life that he received as th the merit of his passion tor us.

God is just, and yet Christ liveth, and Jiveth in heaven. God is just, and yet Christ our passover, liveth there, do what our foes can to the contrary.'"

And thi? note, by the way, that though the design of satan against us, in his labouring continually to accuse us to God, and to prevail against our salvation.

that those for whom he died with full intention to save them, might be brought into that inheritance which he hath purchased tor them. Now then, his intercession must, as to length and breadth, reach no further than his merits. For he may not pray for those for whom he died not. Indeed if we take in the utmost extent of his death, then we must beware. For his death is sufficient to save the whole world; but his intercessions are kept within a narrower compass. The altar of burnt-offerings was a great deal bigger than the altar of incense, which was a figure of Christ's intercession. But this I say, his intercession is for those for whom he died, with full intention to save them; wherefore it must be grounded upon the validity of his sufferings. And indeed his intercession is nothing else that I know of, but a presenting of what he did in the world for us unto God, and pressing the value of it for our lajvation. The blood of sprinkling is that which speaketh meritorioufly, it is by the value of that, that God measureth out, and giveth unto us grace and life eternal ; wherefore Christ's intercessions also must be ordered and governed by merit. By his own blood he entered into the holy' place, having (before by it) obtained eternal redemption for us, for:our fouls. , ',

Now, if by blood he entered in thither, by blood he must also make intercession there. His blood made way for his entrance thither, his blood must make way for our entrance thither. Though, here again we must beware, for his blood did make way for him as priest to intercede, his blood makes way for us, as for those redeemed by it, that we might be saved.

This then shews sufficiently the worth of the blood

; • p d a of which he offered incense. Also there was the mercy feat and the cherubims of glory, (which were figures of the angels,) that love to be continually looking and prying into the management of this second part of the priesthood of Christ in the presence of God. Fur although themselves are not the persons so immediately concerned therein as we, yet the management of it, I say, is with so much grace, and glory, and wisdom, and effectualness, that ii is a heaven to the angels to fee it. O! to enjoy the odorous seent, and sweet memorial, the heartrefrefhing perfumes that ascend continually from the mercy seat to the (above) where God is, and also to behold how effectual it is to the end for which it is defigned,, is glorious ; and he that is not somewhat let into this by the grace of God, there is a great thing lacking to his saith, and he miffeth of many a sweet bit that he might otherwise enjoy.. Wherefore, I say,, be exhorted to the study of this part of Christ's work in the managing of our salvation for us. Ænct the ceremonies of the law may be a great heso to you as to this ., for though they be out of use now as to practice, yet the signification of them is rich, and that from which many gospellers have got much. Wherefore I advise that you read the five books of Moses often ; yea read, and read again, and do not despair of help to understand something of the will and mind of God therein, though you think they are fast locked up from you. Neither trouble your heads though you have not commentaries and expositions, pray and read, and read and pray > for a little from God is better than a great deal from men ; asfo what is from men is uncertain, and is often lost and tumbled over and

over by men; but what is from God is fixed as a nail in a sure place. (I know there are times of temptation, but) I speak now as to the common course of Christianity. There is nothing that so abides with 'usyiu-wliat we receive from God ; and the reason why Christians at thWday are at such a loss as to some things, is because they arc content with what comes from mens mouths without searching and kneeling before God, to know of him the truth of things. Things that we receive at God's hand, come to us as things from the minting house,, though old in themselves, yet new to us. Old truths arc always new to us, if they come to us with a smell of heaven upon them. I speak not this because 1 would have people despise their ministers, but to (hew that there is now a-days so much idleness among profefsors as hinders them from a diligent search after things, and makes them take up short of that that is sealed by the spirit of testimony to the conscience. Witness to the great decays at this day amongst us, and thnt stra«_&'- icvoiilng trota truth once professed by us.

Secondly, As I would press you to an earnest study and search after this great truth, so I would press you to a diligent improvement of it to yourselves, and to others. To know truth for knowledge-sake, is short of a gracious disposition of soul; ajjd to communicate truth out of a desire of praise and vain-glory for so doing, is also a swerving from godly simplicity ;,.but to improve what I know for the good of myself and others, is true Christianity indeed. >

Now truths received may be improved with reto myself and others, and that several ways.

i. To

1. To myself when I search after the power that belongs to those notions that L haV© received of truth. There belongs to everyltrue notion of truth a power; the notion is the shell, the power the kernel and life ; without this last truth doth me no good ; nor thosi- *° whom I communicate it. Hence Paul said to the Corinthians, "When I come to you again, I will not know the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." Search then after the power of what thou knowest ; for it is the, power that will do thee good. Now this will not be got but by earnest prayer, and much attending upon God; also there must not be admitted by thee, that thy heart be stuffed with cumbering cares of this world, for they are of a choking nature.

2. Take heed of flighting that little that thou hast. A good improvement of little is the way to make that little thrive ; and the way to obtain additions thereto : "He that is saithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much ; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much."

2. Improve them to others, and that

1. By labouring to instill them upon their hearts by good and wholesome words, presenting all to them with the authority of the scriptures.

2. Labour to inforce those instillings on them, by shewing them by thy life the peace, the glorious effects that they have upon thy foul.

Lastly, Let this doctrine give thee boldness to come to God. Shall Jesus Christ be interceding in heaven ? O then, be thou a praying man on earth ; yea, take courage to pray.' Think thus with thyself; I go to God, to God before whose throne Abe Lord Jesus is jeady to hand my petitions to him » yea, '" he ever lives to make intercession for me." This is a great encouragement to come to God hy prayers and supplications for ourselves, »nd fcy^»tcrcdStw*ibr0ttr san1ilies,«ttr jieighbours, and enemies. Farewell.