ANSWER. David came thus, Paul and the jailer came thus; also Christ"s murderers came thus. Psa. 51:1-3; Acts 9:6; 16:30, 31; 2:37.
QUESTION. But doth it not seem most reasonable that we should first mend and be good?
ANSWER. The whole have no need of the physician, but those that are sick; Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
QUESTION. But is it not the best way, if one can, to mend first?
ANSWER. This is just as if a sick man should say, "Is it not best for me to be well before I go to the physician?" or as if a wounded man should say, "When I am cured I will lay on the plaster."
QUESTION. But when a poor creature sees its vileness, it is afraid to come to Christ, is it not?
ANSWER. Yes, but without ground; for he has said, "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not;" and "to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." Isa. 35:4; 66:2.
QUESTION. What encouragement can be given us thus to come?
ANSWER. The prodigal came thus, and his father received him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him. Thus Christ received the Colossians, and consequently all that are saved. Luke 15; Col. 2:13.
QUESTION. Will you give me one more encouragement?
ANSWER. The promises are so worded, that they that are scarlet sinners, crimson sinners, blasphemous sinners, have encouragement to come to him with hopes of life. Isa. 1: 18; Mark 3:28; John 6:36; Luke 24:47; Acts 13:36
TEMPTATIONS OF THE SOUL COMING TO CHRIST.
No sooner doth Satan perceive what G.o.d is doing with the soul in a way of grace and mercy, but he endeavoreth what he may, to make the renewing thereof bitter and wearisome work to the sinner. O what mists, what mountains, what clouds, what darkness, what objections, what false apprehensions of G.o.d, of Christ, of grace, of the word, and of the soul"s condition, doth he now lay before it, and haunt it with! whereby he dejecteth, casteth down, daunteth, distresseth, and almost driveth it quite into despair. Now, by the reason of these things, faith and all the grace that is in the soul is hard put to it to come at the promise, and by the promise, to Christ; as it is said, when the tempest and great danger of shipwreck lay upon the vessel in which Paul was, "They had much work to come by the boat."
Acts 27:16. For Satan"s design is, if he cannot keep the soul from Christ, to make his coming to him and closing with him as hard, as difficult and troublesome as he by his devices can. But faith, true justifying faith, is a grace that is not weary by all that Satan can do; but meditateth upon the word, and taketh stomach and courage, fighteth and crieth; and by crying and fighting, by help from heaven, its way is made through all the oppositions that appear so mighty, and draweth up at last to Jesus Christ, into whose bosom it putteth the soul; where, for the time, it sweetly resteth, after its marvellous tossings to and fro.
And besides what hath been said, let me yet ill.u.s.trate this truth unto you by this familiar similitude.
Suppose a man, a traitor, that by the law should die for his sin, is yet such a one that the king hath exceeding kindness for; may not the king of his clemency pardon this man, yea, order that his pardon should be drawn up and sealed, and so in every sense be made sure, and yet for the present keep all this close enough from the ears or the knowledge of the person therein concerned? Yea, may not the king after all leave this person, with others under the same transgression, to sue for and obtain this pardon with great expense and difficulty, with many tears and heartachings, with many fears and dubious cogitations?
Why, this is the case between G.o.d and the soul that he saveth: he saveth him, pardoneth him, and secureth him from the curse and death that are due unto sin, but yet doth not tell him so; but he ascends in his great suit unto G.o.d for it. Only this difference we must make between G.o.d and the potentates of this world: G.o.d cannot pardon before the sinner stands before him righteous by the righteousness of Christ; because he has, in judgment, and justice, and righteousness, threatened and concluded that he that lacks righteousness shall die.
TRIALS AND ENCOURAGEMENTS OF THE AWAKENED.
There are two things in special, when men begin to be awakened, that kill their thoughts of being saved.
1. A sense of sin. 2. The wages due thereto. These kill the heart; for who can bear up under the guilt of sin? "If our sins he upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?" How, indeed! it is impossible. So neither can man grapple with the justice of G.o.d. Can thy heart endure, or thy hands be strong? they cannot. A wounded spirit, who can bear? Men cannot, angels cannot; wherefore, if now Christ he hid, and the blessing of faith in his blood denied, woe be to them: such go after Saul and Judas, one to the sword and the other to the halter, and so miserably end their days. For come to G.o.d they dare not; the thoughts of that eternal Majesty strike them through.
But now present such poor dejected sinners with a crucified Christ, and persuade them that the sins under which they shake and tremble were long ago laid upon the back of Christ, and the noise and sense and fear of d.a.m.ning begins to cease, depart, and fly away: dolors and terrors fade and vanish, and that soul conceiveth hopes of life; for thus the soul argueth: "Is this indeed the truth of G.o.d, that Christ was made to be sin to me--was made the curse of G.o.d for me?
Hath he indeed borne all my sins, and spilt his blood for my redemption? O blessed tidings, O welcome grace! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Now is peace come, now the face of heaven is altered. Behold, all things are become new." Now the sinner can abide G.o.d"s presence, yea, sees unutterable glory and beauty in him; for here he sees justice smile.
While Jacob was afraid of Esau, how heavily did he drive, even towards the promised land; but when killing thoughts were turned into kissing, and the fears of the sword"s point turned into brotherly embraces, what says he? "I have seen thy face as though it had been the face of G.o.d, and thou wast pleased with me."
So and far better is it with a poor distressed sinner, at the revelation of the grace of G.o.d through Jesus Christ. "G.o.d was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespa.s.ses unto them." O, what work will such a word make upon a wounded conscience, especially when the next words follow: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of G.o.d in him."
Now the soul sees qualifications able to set him quiet in the sight of G.o.d--qualifications prepared already. Prepared, I say, already, and that by G.o.d through Christ; even such as can perfectly answer the law. What doth the law require? If obedience, here it is; if b.l.o.o.d.y sacrifice, here it is; if infinite righteousness, here it is.
Now then the law condemns no more him that believes before G.o.d; for all its demands are answered, all its curses are swallowed up in the death and curse Christ underwent.
OBJECTION. But reason saith, "Since personal sin brought the death, surely personal obedience must bring us life and glory."
ANSWER. True, reason saith so, and so doth the law itself, Rom.
10:5; but G.o.d we know is above them both, and he in the covenant of grace saith otherwise, to wit, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that G.o.d hath raised hint from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
Let reason then hold its tongue; yea, let the law with all its wisdom subject itself to him that made it; let it look for sin where G.o.d hath laid it; let it approve the righteousness which G.o.d approveth: yea, though it be not that of the law, but that by faith of Jesus Christ.
G.o.d hath made him our righteousness; G.o.d hath made him our sin; G.o.d hath made him our curse; G.o.d hath made him our blessing: methinks this word, G.o.d hath made it so, should silence all the world.
I shall leave the obstinate where I found him, and shall say to him that is willing to be saved, "Sinner, thou hast the advantage of thy neighbor, not only because thou art willing to live, but because there are those that are willing thou shouldst, to wit, those unto whom the issues of death belong; and they are the Father and the Son, to whom be glory with the blessed Spirit of grace."
I have seen some, that have promised nothing at first setting out to be pilgrims, and that one would have thought could not have lived another day, that have yet proved very good pilgrims.
OBJECTION. I am afraid the day of grace is past, and if it should be, what shall I do then?
ANSWER. With some men indeed, the day of grace is past before their lives are at an end: or thus, the day of grace is past before the day of death is come; as Christ saith, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace," the word of grace or reconciliation; "but now they are hid from thine eyes." Luke 19:42. But for thy better satisfaction, let me ask, Doth the Lord knock still at the door of thy heart, by his word and Spirit? If so, then the day of grace is not pa.s.sed with thy soul; for where he doth so knock, there he doth also proffer and promise to come in and sup, that is, to communicate of his love unto them; which he would not do were the day of grace pa.s.sed with the soul. Rev 3:20.
OBJECTION. But how shall I know whether Christ doth so knock at my heart as to be desirous to come in, that I may know also whether the day of grace be pa.s.sed with me or not?
ANSWER. Doth the Lord make thee sensible of thy miserable state without an interest in Jesus Christ; and that naturally thou hast no share in him, no faith in him, no communion with him, no delight in him, or the least love to him? If he hath, and is doing this, he is knocking at thy heart. Doth he, together with this, put into thy heart an earnest desire after communion with him, with holy resolutions not to be satisfied without it? Doth he sometimes give thee some secret persuasions, though scarcely discernible, that thou mayest attain an interest in him? Doth he now and then glance in some of the promises into thy heart, causing them to leave some heavenly savor, though but for a short time, on thy spirit? Dost thou at times see some little excellency in Christ, and doth it stir up in thy soul some breathings after him? If so, then fear not. The day of grace is not pa.s.sed with thy poor soul; for if the day of grace should be pa.s.sed with such a soul as this, then that scripture must be broken, where Christ saith, "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise," upon no terms whatsoever, "cast out." John 6:37.
Get thy heart warmed with the sweet promise of Christ"s acceptance of the coming sinner, and that will make thee make more haste unto him. Discouraging thoughts are like unto cold weather; they benumb the senses and make us go ungainly about our business; but the sweet and warm gleeds [Footnote: Glowing coals.] of promise are like the comfortable beams of the sun, which enliveneth and refresheth. You see how little the bee and the fly do play in the air in winter--why, the cold hinders them from doing it: but when the wind and sun are warm, who so busy as they?
OBJECTION. But saith another, "I am so heartless, so slow, and, as I think, so indifferent in my coming, that to speak truth, I know not whether my kind of coming ought to be called a coming to Christ."
ANSWER. I read of some that are to follow Christ in chains--I say, to come after him in chains. Isa. 45:14. Surely they that come after Christ in chains, come to him in great difficulty.
And what chain so heavy as those that discourage thee? Thy chain, which is made up of guilt and filth, is heavy; it is a wretched band about thy neck, by which thy strength doth fail. But come, though thou comest in chains; it is glory to Christ, that a sinner comes after him in chains. The c.h.i.n.king of thy chains, though troublesome to thee, is not, nor can be, destruction to thy salvation. It is Christ"s work and glory to save thee from thy chains, to enlarge thy steps, and set thee at liberty. The blind man, though called, surely could not come apace to Jesus Christ; but Jesus Christ could stand still and stay for him.
To slight grace, to despise mercy, and to stop the ear when G.o.d speaks, when he speaks such great things so much to our profit, is a great provocation.
He offers, he calls, he woos, he invites, he prays, he beseeches us, in this day of his grace, to be reconciled to him; yea, and has provided for us the means of reconciliation himself. Now, to despise these must needs be a provoking; and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living G.o.d.
OBJECTION. But some man may say unto me, "Fain I would be saved, fain I would be saved by Christ; but I fear this day of grace is past, and that I shall perish, notwithstanding the exceeding riches of the grace of G.o.d."
ANSWER. To this doubt I would answer several things.
First, with respect to the day: 1. Art thou jogged and shaken and molested at the hearing of the word? Is thy conscience awakened and convinced, then, that thou art at present in a perishing state, and that thou hast need to cry to G.o.d for mercy? This is a hopeful sign that the day of grace is not past with thee.
2. Are there in thy more retired condition, arguings, strugglings, and strivings with thy spirit to persuade thee of the vanity of what vain things thou lovest, and to win thee in thy soul to a choice of Christ Jesus and his heavenly things? Take heed and rebel not, for the day of G.o.d"s grace and patience will not be past with thee till he saith his Spirit shall strive no more with thee: for then the woe comes, when he shall depart from them, and when he says to the means of grace, "Let them alone."
3. Art thou visited in the night seasons with dreams about thy state, and that thou art in danger of being lost? Hast thou heart-shaking apprehensions, when deep sleep is upon thee, of h.e.l.l, death, and judgment to come? These are signs that G.o.d has not wholly left thee, or cast thee behind his back for ever.
All this while G.o.d has not left the sinner, nor is come to the end of his patience towards him, but stands at least with the door of grace ajar in his hand, as being loath as yet to bolt it against him.
4. Art thou followed with affliction, and dost thou hear G.o.d"s angry voice in thy affliction? Doth he send with thy affliction an interpreter to show thee thy vileness, and why or wherefore the hand of G.o.d is upon thee and upon what thou hast, to wit, that it is for thy sinning against him, and that thou mightst be turned to him? If so, thy summer is not quite ended, thy harvest is not quite over and gone. Take heed; stand out no longer, lest he cause darkness, and lest thy feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and lest while you look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
5. Hast thou any enticing touches of the word of G.o.d upon thy mind?
Doth as it were some holy word of G.o.d give a glance upon thee, cast a smile upon thee, let fall though it be but one drop of its savor upon thy spirit; yea, though it stays but one moment with thee? Oh, then, the day of grace is not past, the gate of heaven is not shut, nor G.o.d"s heart withdrawn from thee as yet. Take heed therefore, and beware that thou make much of the heavenly gift and of that good word of G.o.d of which he has made thee taste.
Secondly, with respect to thy desires, what are they? Wouldst thou be saved? Wouldst thou be saved with a thorough salvation? Wouldst thou be saved from guilt and filth too? Wouldst thou be the servant of thy Saviour? Art thou indeed weary of the service of thy old masters, the devil, sin, and the world? And have these desires put thy soul to the flight? Hast thou through desires betaken thyself to thy heels? Dost thou fly to him that is a Saviour from the wrath to come, for life?