Englands Duty Under the Present Gospel Liberty, Sermon 5

Englands Duty Under the Present Gospel Liberty · Sermon 5

p. 131SERMON V.

Revel. 3. 20. Behold I stand at the door [and knock,] &c.

IN the former Point we have seen the Redeemers posture, a posture of condescending humility, rather the posture of a Servant than the Lord of all. Behold I stand at the door; we now come to consider his action, or motion for entrance, I stand and knock; this metaphorical action of knocking signifies nothing else but the motions made by Christ for entrance into the Souls of sinners; and affords us this fifth Observation.

V. DOCT.

That every conviction of Conscience and motion upon the Affections of sinners, is a knock of Christ from Heaven for entrance into their Souls.

This action of knocking is ascribed sometimes to the Soul, and is expressive of its desires to come into the gracious Presence and Communion of God; so Matth. 7. 7. To him that knocks it shall p. 132be opened (i. e.) to him that seeks by importunate Prayer, Fellowship and Communion with the Lord; but here it is applied to Christ, and is expressive of his importunate desire to come into union and communion with the Souls of sinners. Here I shall open to you the following particulars,

1. What are the doors of the Soul at which Christ knocks?

2. What his knocking at these doors implies.

3. By what instruments he knocks at them.

4. In what manner he performs this action.

First, What are the doors of the Soul at which Christ knocks? You all know that the term Christ here useth cannot be proper, but metaphorical; 'tis a Figurative speech, the door is that part which is introductive into the House, and whatsoever is introductive into the Soul, that is the door of the Soul. Now in the Soul of Man there are many powers and faculties that have this use, and are of an introductive nature to let things into the Soul of Man. Some are more outward, as we may speak comparatively, and some more inward, as the doors of our houses are.

Christ knocks orderly at them all, one after another, for the operations of the Spirit disturb not the order of Nature.

1. The first door that opens and lets into the Soul is the Vnderstanding; nothing passes into the Soul, but it must first come through this door of the Understanding; nothing can touch the Heart or move the affections, but what hath first toucht the Understanding. Hence we read so often in p. 133Scripture of the opening of the Understanding; that being as it were the fore-door of the Soul.

2ly. Within this is the Royal-gate of the Soul, viz. The will of Man, that noble and imperial Power; many things may pass into the Mind or Understanding of a Man, and yet be able to get no further, the door of the Will may be shut against them. There were many precious Truths of God let into the Understandings of the Heathens by the light of Nature, but could never get further, their Hearts and Wills were lockt and shut up against them; as you may see, Rom. 1. 18. They held the Truths of God in Vnrighteousness; that is, they bound and imprisoned those common notices the Law of Nature imprest upon their Minds concerning the Being and Nature of God, and the duties of both Tables. These Truths could get no further into their Souls, and which is of sad and dreadful consideration, Christ himself stands betwixt these two doors in the Souls of many persons; he is got into their Understandings and Consciences, they are convinced of the possibility and necessity of obtaining Jesus Christ, but still the door of their Will is barr'd against him, which drew from him that sad complaint, Iohn 5. 40. You will not come unto me that you might have life. When this door of the Will is once effectually opened, then all the inner doors of the affections are quickly set open to receive and welcom him. Desires, joy, delight, and all the rest stand open to him. These are the doors at which the Redeemer knocks.

Secondly, Next we must consider what is ment by Christ's knocking at these doors, and what p. 134that action implies. In the general, knocking is nothing else but an action significative, of the desires of one that is without to come in; 'tis a sign appointed to that end: And what is Christs knocking but a signification to the Soul of his earnest desires to come into it; a notice given to the Soul of Christ's willingness to possess it for his own habitation? And it is as much as if Christ should say, Soul, thou art the House that was built by my Hand, purchased and redeemed by my Blood; I have an unquestionable right to it, and now demand entrance. More particularly, there are divers great things implied in this gracious act of Christ's knocking at the door of the Soul.

1. It implies the special favour and distinguishing grace and goodness of Jesus Christ, that he will stand and knock at our doors, when he passes by so great a part of the World, never giving one such knock or call at other Mens doors; it is certainly a most glorious and admirable condescension and favour of Heaven, and whereever it is successful, it speaks a Man highly favoured of God. Oh that when Christ passes by the Souls of Thousands, and Millions, that would certainly afford him as comfortable an habitation as our Souls can do, and will not give one effectual knock, or call at their doors all the days of their life; that he will please to turn aside to thy Soul, and wait, and knock there for entrance; I say, here is one of the greatest acts of favour that can be shewn to the Soul of a sinner. How many Souls be there in the World equal in natural Dignity to yours, and of sweeter natural Tempers, whom yet the Lord Jesus lets alone in p. 135the quiet possession of Satan, Luke 11. 21. There is a deep silence and stilness in their Consciences, no stirrings nor disturbances by Convictions, but through a dreadful Judgment of God are left in a deep sleep; and if their Consciences at any time begin to grumble, how soon are they husht and quieted again by Satan? What the condition of the World was in former Ages, we may see in Acts 14. 16. Who in times past suffered all Nations to walk in their own ways. O 'tis the greatest Mercy in the World for the sleepy Conscience of a sinner to be roused by Convictions, because it is introductive to all other Spiritual Mercies. I confess this act of Grace is little apprehended by the Sons and Daughters of Men; much rather would poor sinners be let alone than be thus disturbed by troublesom convictions; and when Christ disturbs their rest, how do they startle at the knocks of his Word and Spirit? How angry be they that they cannot be let alone to enjoy their quiet sleep in sin till the flames of Hell awaken them? Mr. Fenner, that great and eminent Instrument of God in this Work, tells us, in one of his Sermons, how it fared with a certain Man that came to hear him Preach: It seems the Word had got entrance into his Conscience, and gave it a terrible Allarum, and as he was going home, some that followed him, heard him thus blaming and bemoaning himself, O what a fool, what a beast was I to come under this Sermon to day? I shall never have peace and quietness any more. And what is the reason that smooth and general Preaching is so much applauded and affected in the World; And close convincing Doctrin so much shunned and hated; p. 136but this, that sinners are very loath to be disquieted and have their Consciences throughly awakned. Well, whatever your apprehensions be, certainly it is an unspeakable Mercy for Christ to knock and disquiet the Souls of sinners by his calls. That's the first thing.

2ly. The next thing implied in this action of Christ is this, That the first motions towards the recovery and Salvation of sinners begin not in themselves, but in Christ. We never knock at Heavens door by Prayer till Christ hath first knockt at our doors by his Spirit: Did not Christ move first, there would be no motions after him in our Hearts; we move towards him, because he hath first moved upon our Souls. Christ might sit long enough unsought and undesired, did he not make the first motion. All our motions are secondary and consequential motions, Isa. 65. 1. I am found of them that sought me not. As we love him because he first loved us, so we seek after him, because he first sought us. Alas, poor sinners are as well satisfied as any people in the World can be, to lye fast asleep in the Devil's Arms. When the Spirit of God goes forth with the Word of Conviction, he finds the Souls of Men in the very same posture which the Angels, that had surveyed the World, reported the whole Earth to be in, Zach. 1. 11. Behold all the Earth sitteth still, and is at rest. Every Man setled and satisfied in his own way; what a strange stilness, and midnight silence is there amongst sinners? Not a sigh, not a cry to be heard for sin: So the Psalmist, Psal. 14. 2. represents the case of sinners, The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the Children of Men, to see if p. 137there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, &c. There is one thing that is admirably strange in this case, that even those Men and Women whose Rattles of earthly pleasures and delights, which brought them into this sleep and security, are taken away from them by the Hand of Providence, I mean their Estates, Health, Children, &c. yet they awake not; there are no stirrings after God. O what a dead sleep hath sin cast the Souls of sinners into! You have a notable Scripture to this purpose, in Iob 35. 9. 10. they are the words of Elihu, concerning Men and Women under grievous oppression; persons squeezed and ground by the cruel Hands of wicked Men, by reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry; they cry out by reason of the Arm of the Mighty, but none saith, where is God my Maker who giveth songs in the night? i. e. Succour, Comfort and Refreshment to the afflicted.

Here are Men turned out of their Estates, thrown into Prisons, cast upon all extremities and miseries, and what do these poor creatures do? Why (saith he) they cry by reason of their oppression. O my Father, or my Mother, my Wife, my Child, my Estate, my Liberty, but none saith where is my God? O my sin, or my misery by reason of sin; where is he that giveth Songs in the night? The People of God when they lye musing upon their beds under affliction, they have their Songs in the Night, in the midst of the multitude of their troubled thoughts within them, the Comforts of God delight their Souls. Those are their Songs in the Night, but no such word or thought in carnal Men; how plain is it, p. 138that all the first motions of Salvation have their first spring and rise in God, and not in us. That's the Second thing implied in Christ's knocking.

Thirdly, Christ knocking at the door of the Heart, implies the method of the Spirit in Conversion; to be congruous and agreeable to the nature of Man's Soul; mark Christ's expression in the Text, he doth not say, Behold I come to the door and break it open by violence; no, Christ makes no forcible Entries whether sinners will or no; he will come in by consent of the Will or not at all. I stand and knock, if any Man open the door, I will come in to him. There is a great difference between a friendly admission by consent, and a forcible entrance; in a forcible entrance bars of Iron are brought to break open the door; but in a friendly admission one knocks and the other opens: Forcible actions are unsuitable to the nature of the Will, whose motions are free and spontaneous; therefore it is said, Psal. 110. 3. The people shall be willing in the day of thy power. 'Tis true, the Power of God is upon the Will of Man in the day of his Conversion, or else it would never open to Christ; but yet that Power of God doth not act against the freedom of Man's Will, by co-action and force; no, but of unwilling he makes it willing; taking away the obstinacy and reluctancy of the Will by the efficacy of his Grace, which some Divines call victrix delectatio, a sweet and pleasant victory; and so the door of the Will still opens freely, Hosea 11. 4. I drew them with the cords of a Man, with the bands of Love. I drew them, there's Almighty Power; but how did this Power draw them? With the cords of a Man, i. e. with rational p. 139arguments, convincing the Judgment. Beasts are driven and forced, but Men are drawn by reason, and will not move without it if they act like themselves; it must be confessed, that when the day of God's Power is come, for the bringing home of a poor sinner to Christ, he cannot resist the Power of God's Spirit that draws him effectually; Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh unto me; yet still the Soul comes freely by the consent of his Will; for this is the method of Christ in drawing Souls to him. There is in the day of a sinners Conversion a kid, an offer made for the Will both by Satan and Christ. Satan bids Riches, Honours, and Pleasures, with ease and quietness to the flesh in the enjoyment of them; abide where thou art saith Satan, remain with me and thou shalt escape all the Persecutions, losses and troubles of the World, which Conscience entangles other Men in; thou shalt draw thy life through peace and pleasure to thy dying day. O saith the flesh this is a good motion, what can be better for me? But then saith Christ, dost thou not consider that all these enjoyments will quickly be at an end, and what shall become of thee then? Behold I offer thee the free, full, and final pardon of thy sins; Peace and reconciliation with God, treasures in Heaven, all these shall be thine, with Troubles, Reproaches and Persecutions in this World. The Understanding and Conscience of a sinner being convinced of the vanity of earthly things, and the indispensable necessity of pardon and peace with God: I say, when a convinced Judgment hath duly ballanced these things, and laid them before the Will, and the Spirit of God p. 140put forth his Power in the renovation of it; it moves towards Christ freely, and yet cannot according to its natural order act otherwise than it doth. And doubtless this is the true meaning of that expression, so often mistaken and abused, in Luke 14. 23. Compel them to come in. What! by forcing Men against the light of their Consciences? No, no, to the shame of many Protestants let us hear the Gloss of Stella a Popish Commentator upon the place. Christ (saith he) compels Men to come in by shewing to their Will such an excelling good, as it cannot but embrace; for volunt as natur aliter fertur in bonum. The Will is naturally carried to the choice of the best good. And thus the Spirit works upon the Soul harmoniously and agreeably to its own Nature. That's the Third thing implied in Christ's knocking.

Fouthly, Christ's knocking at the door of the Soul, manifestly implies the immediate access of the Spirit of God unto the Soul of Man; that he can come to the very innermost door of the Soul at his pleasure, and make what impressions upon it he pleaseth. As for other instruments used in this Work, they have no such privilege or Power; Ministers can but knock at the external door of the senses. Thine Eyes shall see thy Teachers, we can see their persons and hear their voices; we can reason with sinners and plead with their Souls; but awaken them we cannot, open their Hearts we cannot. We can only lodge our message in their Ears, and leave it to the Spirit of God to make it effectual. This is a Royalty belonging unto the Spirit of God, incommunicable to Angels or Men. If an Angel from Heaven were the Preacher, he could not give one immediate p. 141stroak to the Conscience, much less can Man; we have no dominion over your Consciences: The keys of the doors of your Souls hang not at our girdles, but are in the Hands of Christ, Revel. 3. 7. He hath the key of David, he openeth and no Man shutteth; and he shutteth and no Man openeth. The Consciences and all the faculties lye naked and open to the stroak of God's Spirit; he can wound them and heal them, and make what impressions he pleaseth upon them. Learn hence what need there is both for Ministers and People before they enter upon the solemn Ordinances of God, to lift up their Hearts by Prayer for the blessing and Power of the Spirit upon them. Lord send forth thy Spirit, pour it forth upon, and with thy Word. Ah, how many Sermons have we Preach'd and you heard, and yet there is no opening? These are the four things implied in Christ's knocking at the door, viz. Condescending Grace; All first motions begin in God; The motions of his Spirit are congruous and agreeable to the nature of the Soul; And that his Spirit can have immedate access to the innermost faculties and Powers of the Soul at his pleasure. Now in the next place let us consider,

Thirdly, By what Instruments Christ knocks at the Doors, that is, the Judgment, Conscience and Will of a sinner. And these are two, viz.

By

1. His Word.

2. His Providence.

Here my Work will be to shew you how the Spirit of God makes use both of the Word and Works of God, to rouse and open the Consciences p. 142and Hearts of Sinners. These are the two Hammers or instruments of the Spirit by which he knocks at the door of the Heart.

1. The Word, written or preached, but especially preached; to this Christ gives the preference, to all other instruments imployed about this Work; and answerably the Word is called God's Hammer, Ier. 23. 29. Is not my Word like fire, and as the Hammer which breaketh the rocks in pieces? By this Hammer Christ raps at the door of a sinners Soul, to give warning that he is there. The Spirit of God can open the Heart immediately if he pleaseth; but he will honour his Word in this Work. And therefore, when Lydias Heart was to be opened, Paul, the great Gospel Preacher, must be invited even by an Angel to come over to Macedonia, and assist in that blessed Work, Acts 16. 9. Lydia was to be converted, her Heart must be opened to Christ; the Angel could not do it, but calls for the help of the Apostle, Gods appointed Instrument to carry on that Work. I have made thee (saith God to Paul) a Minister and a witness to open their Eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, Acts 26. 18. Now, there be three ways in which the Spirit uses the Word as his Hammer in knocking at the door of the Soul.

1. He knocks by the particular convictions of of the Word upon the Conscience; this knock by conviction rings and sounds through all the rooms and chambers of the Soul; particular and effectual conviction wounds to the very centre of the Soul. Ah, when the Word shall come whom by the Spirits particular application, like p. 143that of Nathans to David, Thou art the Man; then all the powers of the Soul are rouzed and allarmed; now it pierces as a two-edged Sword, Heb. 4. 12. divides the Soul and Spirit, the superiour and inferiour Faculties of it: Cuts down by the back-bone, lays open the secret guilt, and innermost thoughts of a Man's Heart, before which the sinner cannot stand. The secrets of his Heart are made manifest and falling down on his Face, he must acknowledg that God is in the Word, of a Truth, 1 Cor. 14. 24. O these convictions of the Word, are such a rap, such a knock at the door of the Conscience as will never be forgotten; no not in Heaven, to all Eternity.

2ly. Christ knocks in the Word by its terrible comminations and awful threatnings, menacing the Soul that opens not, with eternal ruine; these are dreadful knocks; O sinner, saith Christ, wilt thou not open? Shall all the tenders of my Grace made to thee be in vain? Know then that this thy obstinacy shall be thy damnation. Thus the Word denounces ruine in the name of the great and terrible God to all wilful impenitents and obstinate unbelievers, Iohn 3. 36. He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath ef God abideth on him. O dreadful sound, like unto which is that, Iohn 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall dye in your sins. q. d. Thy Mittimu… for Hell shall be made and signed; will you not come to me that you might have life? then I will foretel what death you shall dye, you shall even dye in your sins. Oh, it were better for thee to dye like a Dog in a ditch, than to dye in thy sins. These are loud knocks of the Word, terrible sounds, yet no more than needs to startle p. 144the drousie Consciences of sinners. And then,

3ly. The Spirit knocks by the gracious invitations of the Word, the sweet allurements and gracious insinuations of it; and without this no Heart would ever open to Christ. It is not frost and snow, storms and thunder, but the gentle distilling dews, and cherishing Sun-beams, that make the flowers open in the Spring. The terrors of the Law may be preparative, but the grace of the Gospel is that which effectually opens the sinners Heart. The obdurate flint will sooner fly when smitten upon the soft pillow, than upon the anvil. Now the Gospel abounds with alluring invitations to draw the Will and open the Heart of a sinner; such is that, Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden; and I will give you rest. O what a charming voice is here! He that considers it may well wonder what Heart in the World can resist it; like unto this is that in Isa. 55. 1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money let him come; yea, let him come and buy Wine and Milk without money and without price. q. d. Come sinner, come; though thou have no qualifications, no worthiness, nor righteousness of thy own; though thou be but a heap of sin and vileness, yet come; my grace is a gift, not a sale; and such is that in Iohn 7. 37. In the last day, the great day of the feast, Iesus stood up and cried, If any Man thirst, let him come to me and drink. q. d. My grace is no sealed Fountain, 'tis free and open to the greatest of sinners, if they thirst, they are invited to come and drink. This is that Oyl of Gospel grace which makes the Key turn so pleasantly and effectually amongst all the cross p. 145wards of Man's Will. And thus you see how the Word preached becomes an instrument in the Spirit's Hand, to open the door of a sinners Heart, at which it knocks by its mighty Convictions, dreadful Threats, and gracious Invitations.

Secondly, We next come to the Second Hammer by which the Spirit knocks at the sinners Heart, and that is the providential Works of God. These in subserviency to the Word, are of excellent use to awaken sinners, and make them open their Hearts to Christ. God hath magnified his Word above all his Name; yet there are some of the providential Works of God greatly serviceable in this case; the Word sanctifies Providences, and Providences assist the Word, and make it work. Now there are two sorts of Providential Dispensations which the Lord Jesus makes use of to gain entrance for him into the Hearts of Men.

Viz.

1. Judgments.

2. Mercies.

1. Judgments and Afflictions, the Word of God many times works not till some stroak of God come to quicken and assist it; thus did the Lord open the Heart of that Monster of wickedness Manasseh, the Word would not work alone, but a smart rod quickned its operation, 2 Chron. 33. 10, 11, 12. And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people; but they would not hearken. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the host of the King of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and p. 146carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers.

Thus the Heart of this Man relented under the Word assisted by the Rod. Ah, 'tis good that God take such a course with some sinners, else the Word would do them no good; and to this purpose is that in Iob 36. 8, 9, 10. And if they be bound in fetters, and holden in cords of affliction; then he sheweth them their work and their transgression, that they have exceeded; and openeth their Ears to discipline. This is that rough course, the obstinacy of Men's Hearts makes necessary for their recovery; and therefore it is very observable that some words of God have lain dead in some sinners Hearts for years together, and at last have begun to work under some smart and close Rod. Alas, while all things are pleasant and prosperous about us, the Word hath but little operation and effect, Ier. 22. 21, 22. I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst I will not hear: this hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. The wind shall eat up all thy pastures, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. q. d. Your Eyes are so dazled with the beautiful Flowers, and your Ears so charmed with the Syren Songs and Lullabies of earthly delights, that my Word can take no place upon you. Let an East-wind blow, and wither up these Flowers; then the Word shall work and Conscience rescent the concernments of Eternity; this course God is feign to take with many of you; here you sit from Sabbath to Sabbath under the Word, and nothing p. 147takes place upon your Hearts. Will you not hear the voice of my VVord? go Death, saith God, and smite that Man's Child dead, I will try what that will do; go Poverty, and blast his Estate, and see what that will do; go Sickness, and smite his Body, and shake him over the Graves mouth, I will see what that will do. Thus God sends to sinners, as Absolom sent to Ioab, who refused to come near him, till he set fire to his field of Corn, and then away comes Ioab, 2 Sam. 14. 29, 30, 31. And thus the Lord opened the Heart of the Iaylor, by putting him into a fright, a panick fear of Death, Acts 16. 27. And thus doth the Lord devise means to bring back his banished.

II. As God makes use of the Hammer of Judgments, so he makes use also of Mercies to make way for Christ into the Hearts of Men. Every Mercy is a call, a knock of God, and truly if there be any ingenuity left unextinguished in the Heart, one would think Mercy should prevail more than all the Judgments in the World, Rom. 2. 4. Knowest thou not that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? q. d. Dost thou not see the Hand of Mercy stretched out to lead thee into a corner, there to mourn over thy sins committed against so gracious and merciful a God? By every Mercy you receive, Christ doth as it were …ee you to open your Hearts to him; they are so many gifts sent from Heaven to make way for Christ into your Hearts. It would be an endless task to enumerate all the Mercies bestowed to this end upon the unregenerate; but surely this is the errand of them all; and the Lord takes it very ill when his end is not answered in them; hence p. 148is that complaint, Ier. 5. 24. Neither say they in their Heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth us rain, both the former and the latter in his season. Some of you have been marvelously preserved in times of common Contagion and Death, when thousands have fallen at your righthand and left: then have you been preserved or recovered, according to that, Exod. 15. 26. I will put none of those Diseases upon thee, for I am the Lord that healeth thee. I am Iehovah Rophe, the Lord the Phisitian; many of you have been at the Graves mouth, in many Diseases; others upon the Deeps, yet the Hand of Mercy pulled you back and suffered you not to drop into the Grave and Hell in the same moment. O what a knock was here given by the Hand of Mercy at thy hard Heart! Certainly if Men would but observe, they might see a strange, marvellous working and moulding of things by the Hand of providence, for the production of thousands of Mercies for them; and if Mercy would do the work, and win you over to Christ, many rods had been spared, which your obstinacy hath made necessary. O ungrateful sinners! Doth your Redeemer thus woo and fee you by so many gifts of Mercy, and yet will you shut him out? Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? For which of all his benefits do your ungrateful Souls shut the door upon him?

III. You see what Christ's knocking at the Soul of a sinner implies, and by what instruments it is performed. In the last place, we will consider the manner how this action is performed, in the Ten following Particulars, wherein much of the mistery of Conversion will be opened; p. 149the Lord grant your experience may answer them. VVe cannot indeed exactly describe and mark all the footsteps of the Spirit in this VVork upon the Souls of Men; yet these things seem eminently observable.

1. The knocks of Christ at the sinners Heart are silent and secret to all persons in the VVorld except the Soul it self, at whose door he knocks; here be many hundreds of you this day under the VVord; if the Lord shall this day knock by Conviction at any Man's Heart, none will hear that knock, but that Man only; for it is a knock without sound or noise to any but the particular Soul concerned in it. It was fore-prophesied of our Redeemer, and of this very act of his, Isa. 4. 2. 2. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the Street. The Kingdom of God cometh not into the Souls of Men with publick observation; you read in 1 Cor. 2. 11. No Man knoweth the things of a Man, saving the Spirit of a Man that is in him. None knows what Convictions another Man's Conscience feels, until he himself shall discover them; you hear the same sound of the Gospel, but you hear not the inward stroaks it gives to another Man's Conscience. Christ's approaches to the Soul make no noise; little do we know what the Spirit of Christ whispers in the Ear of him that sits next us. 'Tis said of the inward comforts of the Spirit, I will give him the hidden Manna which no Man knows but he that eateth of it. This is true also of inward terrors and troubles. Christ's knocks by Conviction are but a secret whisper of his Spirit in the Ear of a sinner, saying, Thou art the Man, this is thy case. That is the first thing in the p. 150manner of Christ's knocking, 'tis a silent knock without publick sound.

2ly, These silent inward knocks of the Spirit of Christ, though they are heard by none but the Soul it self, yet do they greatly differ as to the terror, or mildness of them in different subjects. Some hear them with more terror and astonishment, others in a mild and gentle manner, when the Lord knockt at the Iaylors Conscience, Acts 16. 29, 30. it was a terrible stroak; he called for a light, and sprang in like a Man distracted; and trembling and astonied fell down at the Apostles feet, crying, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Here was a terrible knock indeed, which almost affrighted his Soul out of his Body; it is as if he had said, Tell me, for the Lord's sake, and tell me quickly, whether there be any way of Salvation, and where it lies, for I am a lost Man, an undone Soul. But when the Lord opened the Heart of Lydia, there were no such terrors, the Lord spake to her in a more mild and gentle voice; as you see verse 14. the Spirit of God varies his method according to the temper of the Soul he worketh on. Knotty pieces need greater wedges and harder blows to rive them asunder; and as he directs his Ministers, Iude 22. to make a difference, to deal tenderly and compassionately with some; but others, to save with fear; so he himself observeth like different methods.

3ly, Some knocks of Christ are succesful, and obtain the desired effect. He knocks and the Soul opens; but others are insuccessful, he knocks once, and again by Convictions, which may cause the Conscience for the present to startle a little, but there is no opening to Christ by Faith. O p. 151friends this is of dreadful consideration, Prov. 1. 24. I called, and you refused; I stretched out my Hand, and no Man regarded. There's a call without an answer, a knock, and no opening; and these things are very common, especially among the unconverted, that live under a lively Gospel rouzing Ministry; of this Christ complains, Matth. 11. 16, 17. Whereunto shall I liken this generation? They are like unto Children sitting in the market-place, and calling to their fellows, saying, We have piped unto you, and you have not daunced: We have mourned unto you, but you have not lamented. q. d. Neither the delicious airs and melody of Gospel grace, nor the mournful and dreadful threats of damnation to unbelievers avail any thing to open your Hearts to embrace me; no voices from mount Gerezim, or mount Ebal will prevail with you. Ah, how many sad witnesses unto this truth have I now before mine Eyes! But God forbid it should be thus all round. No, no, there be some Souls who hear, and open; even every one that hath heard and learned of the Father, Iohn 6. 45. When the Spirit of God puts forth his Power with the Word, then, and not till then it becomes successful.

4ly, Sometimes Christ knocks with a thick succession of Convictions, a quick repetition of his calls. Some men have had thousands of Convictions in a few years; for in this case the Lord saith, as it is Exod. 4. 8. If they will not harken to the voice of the first sign, yet they may believe the voice of the latter sign. And yet sometimes neither the former nor the latter avail any thing. How oft would I have gathered thy Children, and ye woul not, Matth. 23. 37. How often? Intimating p. 152the many calls Christ gave Ierusalem to come unto him, yet all in vain. Obstinate sinners, Christ hath been knocking and calling at some of your Consciences from your very Child-hood; thousands of Convictions have been tryed upon some of you, and yet to this day your Souls are shut fast against him. The Lord hath waited from year to year for your answer, by this signifying how loath he is to part with you; such a time thou wast upon a sick-bed nigh unto Death; at such a time under such a Sermon, and then Christ knockt at thy Soul; if all this be in vain, so many Convictions as you have stifled, so many fagots you carry with you to Hell to increase your flames and torments; yet commonly those quick repetitions and redoublings of the stroaks of Convictions end well; and it is a good sign when one Conviction revives another, and the Lord keeps the Soul still waking. But O take heed, and try not his Patience too long, lest the next stroak be more dreadful than all the former; not to open your Hearts, but smite dead your hopes for Heaven.

5ly, Sometimes Christ knocks intermittingly, knocking and stopping, a call and silence, and that at a considerable time and distance; a conviction this day, and it may be not another in many Months. There be some aged sinners that have not had more than one or two remarkable rouzings of Conscience in fifty or sixty years time, and then no more. Dont think that the Lord will make his Spirit always strive with Men, Gen 6. 3. no, there is a time when God saith to the Word, convict the Conscience of that Man or Woman no more, not a stroak more by way p. 153of Conviction, but henceforth be thou for Obduration, not to open but to shut him up, Isa. 6. 10. Reader, bethink thy self, how long was it since thy Conscience was rouzed and awakened? O saith one, seven or ten years ago I heard such a Sermon, which tore my Conscience to pieces, I fell under such a sad providence which rouzed and awakened, all my fears, but since that time all hath been still and quiet; the Lord give a second awakning lest you awake with the flames of God's wrath about you. I observe it is usual when God works upon any very early, he knocks thus intermittingly; now the Conscience is active and full of trouble, then the vanities of Youth extinguish these Convictions again; but the Lord follows his design, and at last the Conviction settles and ends in Conversion.

6ly, Christ sometimes knocks with both Hands at once, with the Word and with the Rod together; the latter in subserviency to the former; and if ever the Soul be like to open, it will open then, when Ordinances and Afflictions work together: The Word smites the Conscience with Conviction, and at or about the same time, providence smites the outward-man with some affliction, to make the Word work effectually; or under some smart affliction, a suitable word is seasonably directed to the Conscience, and thus Iuncta Iuvant, the one assisteth the other, and both together produce the desired effect: Thus the Lord wrought upon the Thessalonians, 1 Thes. 1. 6. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction. A Child dies, an Estate is lost, or a Sickness seizeth, at the time when Conscience is prepared by a p. 154Conviction from the Word, or Afflictions have prepared it for the Word. The Rod upon the Back, helps the Word to work upon the Heart; and if both these working in fellowship will not do the work, there is little hope that any thing will do it.

7ly, Every knock of Christ disturbs the sinful rest of the Soul; it rouzeth guilt in the Conscience, and puts the inner-man into great distress and trouble; before Christ comes and knocks at the door of the Heart all is still and quiet within; the Soul is in a quiet sleep of sinful security, no fears, or troubles molest its rest, Luke 11. 21. When a strongman armed keepeth his Palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted. The armour which Satan puts into the Hands of sinners to defend themselves against the Convictive stroaks of the Word, are the general Mercy of God, the outward Duties of Religion, partial Reformations, &c. But when Christ comes by effectual Conviction, he disarms the sinner of all these pleas, and then the Soul sees what broken Reeds it leaned upon. When the Commandment came, (saith Paul) sin revived, and I dyed, Rom. 7. 9. i. e. all my vain hopes expired; no artifice of Satan can any longer quiet the sinners Conscience; he apprehends himself in a miserable condition, meditates an escape; farewel now to sound and quiet sleep; no peace till out of danger.

8ly, Every effectual knock of Christ gives an allarm to Hell, and puts Satan to all his shifts and arts to secure the possession of the convinced p. 155sinner. The Devil is a jealous Spirit, and when his interest is in danger, he bestirs himself to purpose; the time of Conviction is an hour of temptation. We wrestle not with flesh and blood, (saith the Apostle) but against Principalities, against Powers, against the Rulers of the darkness of this World, against Spiritual wickedness (or wicked Spirits)in high-places, or about heavenlies, Eph. 6. 12. The strife betwixt Satan and the Soul is now for no less than the prize of eternal Life; 'tis now for all, or none; for life or death, for Heaven or Hell; the powers of Hell are now all in Arms to destroy Convictions, and secure the possession of the Soul against Christ; as when a Granado falls into a Garison, the first care of the Defendants is, to stifle and choak it before it break. Whilst Christ is speaking by his Spirit in one Ear, the Devil is whispering in the other; and the things he whispers to quench Convictions are usually such as these; It is time enough yet, what need such hast? Enjoy thy pleasures a little longer, thou maist come to Christ and be saved at last; if that will not do, then he changeth his voice, to what purpose wilt thou go to Christ? 'Tis now too late; the time of Grace is over; hadst thou come to him in thy youth, and obeyed his first call, it had been somewhat, but now it is …o no purpose: If this will not quiet the Soul, then he saith, Thy sins are too great to be pardoned, there's no hope for such a prodigious sinner as thou art. If the Lord help the Soul to overcome this, by discovering to it the riches of mercy, pardoning the greatest of sinners; then he represents the multitudes which are in the same case with the convinced sinner; come, fear p. 156not, if it go ill with thee, it will be as bad for millions of Men and Women; if thou go to Hell, thousands will go with thee; but if the Soul be loath to be damned for company, then he bids it look upon the train of troubles and afflictions that come along with Christ, and will certainly follow him, if the door be opened to let him in; if Christ come in reproaches, losses and sufferings will certainly come in with him; troops of miseries and calamities follow him; himself hath told thee so, and art thou mad to ruine all thy comforts in the World, and plunge thy self into a Sea of trouble, for what thine Eyes never saw? But if the Soul reply, These are more tollerable than damnation; better my flesh suffer for a time than my Soul be cast away for ever; then he represents the insuperable difficulties of Religion; what a hard thing it is to be saved; how many painful duties and acts of mortification the Soul must pass through. Thus you see what an allarm Conviction gives to the powers of Hell.

9ly, Every effectual knock of Christ is followed on, and new Convictions revive old, and former ones; and the Lord never leaves knocking till the door be opened; if one Sermon will not do, another shall; if one wound be plaistered, and healed by the art of Satan, a fresh wound shall be made; if a former Conviction vanish, the next shall be sealed upon the Soul; and when the Spirit of the Lord sealeth a Conviction upon the Conscience, raze it out who can. And here's the difference betwixt special and common Convictions; common Convictions come and go, they put the Soul in a fright for a day or a p. 157month, and then trouble it no more for ever; but special Convictions will be continued, one thing backs another, for Christ is in pursuit of the Soul, and will give it chase till at last he overtake and come up with it.

10ly, In the last place, All the knocks of Christ cease and end when the sinners day of grace is ended. This is of dreadful consideration, when the time of Mercy is over, no more strivings of the Spirit with a Man after that. Christ saith to the drousie sinner, as he spake to the drousie Disciples in the Garden, Sleep on now, and take your rest. So here, I called thee in such a Sermon, but thou heardest not; by such a providence, but thou obeyedst not; sleep on now, and take thy rest: My people would not hearken to my voice, and Israel would none of me; So I gave them up to their own Hearts lust, to walk in their own counsels, Psal. 81. 11, 12. q. d. I have done with them, the treaty is ended, I will make no more essays towards their Conversion and Salvation. So I gave them up. Methinks it sounds as much as this, Take him Sin, Take him Devil, I will have no more to do with him. So Hosea 4. 17. Ephraim is joyned to idols, let him alone. His Heart is glued fast to sin, he is enamoured upon other Lovers, let him a lone. O beloved, 'tis a dreadful thing for God to say, let this Man alone in his formality, and that Man in his carnal security: Let not this be misapplied by poor trembling Souls under Conviction. I know the fear of this Judgment is upon their Hearts, nothing makes them tremble more than lest the day of Grace be ended with them. But there is no ground for this fear whilst the Spirit continues Convincing, and the p. 158Soul trembling, lest his Convictions should prove ineffectual. Thus much of the nature, instruments, and manner of Christ's knocking at the door of a sinners Heart. Our way is now opened to a fruitful Application of this Point, which will wind up in divers necessary Uses.

I. Vse for Information.

And first, The Point before us will be useful for Information, in the following Inferences and Deductions.

I. Inference.

Into how deep a sleep hath sin cast the Souls of sinners, that Christ must stand so long, and give such loud repeated knocks, before it will awake and open to him? There is the Spirit of a deep sleep fallen upon Men, like that into which God cast Adam. God speaketh once, yea twice, but Man regards it not; 'tis the hardest thing in the World to rouze and awaken a Man out of his carnal security. Look over Satans Kingdom, and you shall find a general stilness and quietness among his Subjects. There's no trouble for Sin, no strivings after Salvation, no cryings out, What shall we do to be saved? Go into the crouds of carnal Men and Women, and you shall find them all intent and busie about other matters. How long shall you be in their company, before you hear one groan for sin? Or see one tear slide from their Eyes on that account? Oh, what a marvelous thing is here! Do not their Consciences know the guilt that lyes upon them? Are they p. 159not aware of a day of reckoning which approacheth? Yes, yes, these things are not hid from their Consciences; What art then is used to keep them so still and quiet? Why, there are divers Rattles to still the Consciences of sinners, and they do it effectually. There are five causes and occasions of this wonderful stilness in the Souls of sinners.

1. Ignorance of the nature of regenerating Grace; taking that for regeneration which is none of it; thus did the Iews, Ioh. 8. 55. confidently affirm God to be their God, and yet they did not know him. How many proor ignorant creatures think there is no need of any other Work of regeneration, but what passed upon them in Baptism? They were born and Baptized Christians, and that's enough they think to save them, Matth. 3. 9. We have Abraham to our Father; they thought it sufficient that Abraham's blood ran in their Veins, though there were not a spark of Abraham's faith kindled in their Souls: the Lord forgive the sin of those Men that lead poor Souls into such fatal mistakes. O if Men were but aware of the necessity of a greater and further Work to pass upon their Souls than their Baptism, common powerless profession, or the Similar Works which appear upon formal Hypocrites, Heaven and Earth would ring with their cries. But ignorance of the nature and necessity of special regenerating Grace, like a Dose of Opium casts the Consciences of many into this deep sleep.

2ly. Freedom from grosser sins and pollutions of the World, stills and quiets the Consciences of thousands; they have had a civil, sober and p. 160fair Education, and though there be no Grace, and Regeneration; yet what Saints do they seem to themselves being adorned with sobriety and civility! This stilled the Conscience of the Pharisee, Luke 18. 11. God I thank thee that I am not as other Men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican. Thus like delicate Agag they spruce up themselves with moral homilitical vertues, wherein many thousand Heathens were more gay than themselves; but Justice will hew them to pieces as Agag was, for all their moral ornaments and endowments.

3ly, The strict performance of the external duties of Religion quiets the Consciences of many; they question not but those that do so well shall fare well, and that God will never damn Men and Women that keep their Church and say their Prayers as they do. Thus the carnal Jews deluded themselves, crying, The Temple of the Lord, The Temple of the Lord; as malefactors in some of our Neighbouring Kingdoms, fly to the Church from the Hand of Justice, so do these; but God will pluck them from the Horns of the Altar and convince them that the empty name of Religion is no security from damnation.

4ly, Many Consciences are still'd and quieted in a natural sinful state, by misinterpreting the voices of Providence; it may be God prospers your Earthly affairs; succeeds and smiles upon your undertakings; and this you conclude must be a Token of his love and favour: But alas, this is a great mistake, the Lord give you better evidences of his love than these; for who prosper more in the World than wicked Men? And who are more crost than the people of God? p. 161Read Iob 21. and Psal. 73. and compare both with Eccles. 9. 1. and you will quickly find the vanity of all hopes built upon such a foundation.

However by such things as these are, the God of this World blinds the Eyes of multitudes.

II. Inference.

If every conviction be a knock of Christ., how deeply are all Souls concerned in the success and issue of them?

Conviction is an Embrio of the new Creature; if it go out its full time, and come to a perfect new Birth, it brings forth Salvation to your Souls; if it miscarry finally, you are finally lost. It is of infinite concernment therefore to every Man and Woman to be tender over those Convictions their Consciences go big with all. 'Tis true, Conviction and Conversion are two things; there may be Conviction without Conversion, though there can be no Conversion without Conviction. The blossoms upon the Trees in the Spring of the Year, cannot properly be called Fruit, they are rather the rudiments of Fruit, or something in order to Fruit: if they open kindly and knit or set firmly, perfect Fruit follows them; but if a blast, or a frosty Morning kill them, no Fruit is to be expected. Thus it is here, great care therefore ought to be taken about the preservation and success of Convictions, both by

1. The Soul it self that is under them,

2. And by all others that are concerned about them.

p. 1621. What care should the Soul it self have upon whom Convictions are wrought: Have a care, Friends, how you quench them, divert or hinder the operations of them; lest you hinder, as much as in you lies, the very conception of Christ in your Soul by them. I remember it is said, in Exod. 21. 22. If M…n strive and hurt a Woman with Child, and mischief follow; life shall be given for life. The life of your Souls is bound up in the life of your Convictions. I know it is hard for Men and Women to dwell with their own Convictions; guilt and wrath are sad Subjects for Men's thoughts to dwell upon; but yet 'tis far better to dwell with the thoughts of sin and wrath here, than to lye sweltering under them in Hell for ever. You may be rid of your Convictions and your Salvation together; be not too eager after peace, a good Trouble is better than a false Peace. And upon the other side, beware that your Convictions and Troubles turn not into discouragements to Faith; this will cross the proper intention of them: They are Christ's knocks for entrance, and were never intended to be bars or stumbling blocks in your way to him; not stops, but steps in your way to Christ.

2ly, Let all others that are concerned about convinced Souls beware what Counsels they give, and what rules they prescribe; lest they render them abortive, and destroy all in the bud. There are two errors, too commonly committed, one in excess, perswading Souls under trouble of Conscience that there's no coming for them to Christ, unless they be so and so prepared; humbled, just at such a degree; this is dangerous counsel, p. 163it over-heats the troubles of Conscience, and keeps the Soul from its proper present duty and remedy. I am sure Paul and Silas took no such course with the convinced Jaylor, nor Peter with the three thousand wounded Consciences, Acts 2. Nor do I find where God hath stated the time and degree of Spiritual Troubles, so that there must be no adresses to Christ in the way of Faith, until they have suffered them so long, and to such an height: If they have imbittered sin to the Soul, and made it see the necessity of a Saviour; I think they cannot move too soon after Christ in the way of Faith. Let not Men set bounds where God sets none.

There is another error committed in defect, when Promises and Comforts are presently applied, before the nature of Faith is known, or one act of recumbency put forth towards Christ: These hasty comforts come to nothing; they will not, they cannot stand. 'Tis a dangerous thing to apply Gospel cordials, and pour out the precious ointment of the Promises upon them that were never Heart-sick for sin; When upon every sleight trouble, which is but as an early dew, the peculiar consolations of penitent and believing Souls are hand-over-head applied to them: How many such unskilful Empericks are there in every place? Such as the Prophet Ieremy complains of, They have healed the hurt of the Daughter of my People slightly, crying, Peace, peace, where there is no peace. Remember the foundation is now laying for Eternity, and that this is the time of deep consideration; Men and Women must ponder the terms, and count the cost, and deliberately accept and close with Christ, before p. 164the Consolations of the Promises can be regularly administred to them.

III. Inference.

What a singular blessing is a rouzing faithful Ministry among the people? By such a Ministry Christ knocks powerfully; this is one of the greatest blessings God can bestow upon a people, next to the saving effects of it; when he sends among them Powerful, Judicious, Preachers of the Gospel, under whose Ministry their Consciences cannot sleep quietly. These are the proper Instruments Christ knocks at Men's Hearts by: and as for those Prophets that sow pillows for drowsie sinners to sleep quietly upon, the Lord owns them not for his, Lam. 2. 14. Thy Prophets (not mine but thine) have seen vain and foolish things for thee, they have not discovered thine iniquity.

'Tis true, those Ministers that give Men no rest nor quietness in their sins, must expect but little rest and quietness themselves. What is it for Ministers to preach home to the Consciences of others, but to pull down the rage of the World upon their own Heads? But certainly you will have cause to bless God to Eternity for casting your lot under such a Ministry, and the Lord accounts such a mercy sufficient to recompense any outward affliction that lyes upon you, Isa. 30. 20. You fare richly under such Doctrine, though the Lord should feed you with the bread of Affliction, and give you the waters of Adversity to drink; this makes amends for all, Thine Eyes shall behold thy Teachers, and they shall be driven no more into corners. O blessed be God that p. 165Englands corners are this day emptied, that its Pulpits may be filled with laborious faithful Ministers. O that the knocks of Christ might this day be heard in all the Cities, Towns, and Villages of this Nation! the Kingdom of God is come nigh unto us; this mercy is invaluable; pray that the Lord would continue it, and make all your Ministers and Means, whether more publick or private, successful.

IV. Inference.

And then Lastly, let all Men beware of those things that deafen their Ears, and drown the sound of Christs knocks and calls in the Gospel.

What pernicious Enemies to the Souls of Men are all those persons and things that turn away Men's Ears from attending to the knocks and calls of Christ in his Word? Such are (1.) Prophane wicked Men, who like Elimas the Sorcerer, make it their buisness by wicked insinuations, flouts and jeers, to turn away Men's Ears from the Gospel, Acts 13. 10. O full of all subtilty, and all mischief, thou child of the Devil, thou enemy of all righteousness; wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? All opposition of godliness hath a spice of Devilishness; and no Child more resembles his Father than a scoffing Enemy resembles his Father the Devil. But blessed be God for that good Providence which, in a great measure, hath stopt the Mouths both of the Father and his Children this day. (2.) Take heed of carnal and ungodly Relations which discourage and threaten their Children, Servants, and all that depend on them, from attending upon p. 166on the means, or giving way to the Convictions which God by them hath set on upon their Hearts. Cruel Parents, who had rather see their Children turned into their Graves than turning to the ways of serious godliness. O that any should dare to quench the beginnings of Spiritual life in those to whom they were instruments to convey natural life. (3.) Take heed of the World, its distracting cares and charming pleasures; What a din, what a confused buz and noise do these things make in the Ears of Men! Mark 4. 19. The cares of this World choak the Word and it becometh unfruitful. Tell not them of getting Christ, they must study how to get bread. These are some of those distracting and diverting sounds which drown the voice of Christ's knocks and calls in the Gospel. As you value your Souls beware of them.

II. Vse for Exhortation.

Christ is now come near us in the Gospel, Behold he stands at the door and knocks: And I am here this day to demand your answer, and in his name I do solemnly demand it; What shall I return to him that sent me? What sayst thou sinner? Wilt thou open to Christ, or wilt thou shut him out; And with him thy own Pardon, Peace and Salvation? Once more let me try the force of a few more arguments upon your Hearts, and refute your vain pleas to the contrary; methinks no Heart should be able to resist such Motives and rational Perswasions as these following will be found to be.

p. 167First, You are in exream need of Christ;1. Motive you want him more than Bread or Breath; many things are convenient for your Bodies, but Christ is the one thing necessary for your Souls, Luke 10. 9. One thing is necessary. Necessity is an Engine that will open any thing in the World that can be opened; necessity will make all fly before it. Now there is a plain, present, absolute necessity lying upon every one of you to open your Hearts to Christ, and that without delay. Necessity goes before the face of Christ to open the way for him into the Heart; thou must have him, or be lost for ever. Christ and Faith are not among the may bees, but the must bees, to the happiness of thy Soul. A Man may be poor, and happy; reproached, and blessed; but he cannot be Christless, and safe; nor Christless, and comfortable; you must have Christ, or you cannot have life, Iohn 3. 36. You must have Christ or you can have no hope, Col. 1. 27. Christ and life, Christ and hope go together; no Christ no life, no Christ no hope; sinner, thou must have Christ, or thou canst have no pardon; for Christ and pardon are undivided, Ephes. 1. 7. In a word, you must have Christ or you can have no Salvation, Acts 4. 12. Well then, if thou canst have no life, nor hope; no pardon, nor Salvation without Christ; then a plain necessity goes before Christ to open his way into thine Heart; methinks, thou shouldst now say, Then will I open to Christ whatever the terms be. Come sufferings, losses, reproaches, yea death it self, all is one; Christ I must have, and Christ I will have; necessity is layed upon me, and my Heart is opened to Christ by it; wo to me for ever if I miss of Christ.

p. 168Secondly,2. Motive. The Lord Jesus is this day come nigh to every one of your Souls. I may say to you as Christ did to them, Luke 10. 9. The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. The Lord grant he be not as nigh to some of you as ever he shall be; for he must come nearer or else you are lost for ever. It is not Christ among you in the Means of Grace, but Christ within you by the Work of Grace, which must be unto you the hope of Glory, Colos. 1. 27. He is not only among you in respect of external Means, but he is come into your Understandings and Consciences. Yea, some motions of his you may feel upon your affections, there wants but a little more to make you eternally Happy. O what would one effectual touch upon your Wills be worth now! The Head-Work is done, but O that the Heart-Work were done too. You are almost saved, but to be almost saved, is to be wholly and eternally Lost, if it go no further. 'Tis a sad thing for a Man that hath one Foot in Heaven, to slide from thence into Hell. 'Tis sad to be Shipwreckt at the Harbours mouth.

Thirdly,3. Motive. Jesus Christ hath an unquestionable right to enter into and possess every one of your Souls. Satan is but an Usurper, Christ is your lawful Owner and Proprietor; thy Soul, sinner, hath not so full a Title to thy Body, as Christ hath to thy Soul. Satan keeps Christ out of his right. Christ knocks at the door of his own House; he built it and therefore may well claim admission into it; it is his own Creature, Col. 1. 16. By him were all things made, whether they be visible or p. 169invisible; Bodies or Souls. The invisible part, thy Soul, is his Workmanship, a stately Structure of his own raising. He hath also a right by Redemption, Christ hath bought thy Soul and that at the invaluable price of his own Blood. Who then can dispute the right of Christ to enter in to his own House? But alas! he cometh to his own, but his own receive him not.

Fourthly,4. Motive. Open the door to Christ, for a train of blessings and mercies comes in with him; a troop of privileges follow him: In the same day and hour that Christ comes into thine Heart by a full consent and deliberate choice, a pardon comes with him of all the sins that ever thou committedst in Thought, Word, or Action. Will such a pardon be welcome to thy Soul? Then let Christ be welcome;Ephes. 1. 7.Eph 1:7 for where Christ comes, pardon comes; if you open to Christ, you open to peace; and who would shut the door of his Soul against Peace? If peace be welcome, let Christ be welcome; for peace follows faith in Christ, Rom. 5. 1: Where Christ comes, liberty comes, Iohn 8. 36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, then are you free indeed. Are you in love with Bonds and Fetters? Satans Laws are written in Blood: Christs yoak is easie, and his commands not grievous. If you love liberty, love Christ. In a word, where Christ comes, Salvation comes; for he is the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey him. If therefore you love Pardon, Peace, Liberty, and Salvation, shut not the door against Christ; for all these follow him where-ever he goes.

p. 170Fifthly,5. Motive. Christ this day solemnly demands entrance into thy Soul, he begs thee to open to him, 2 Cor. 5. 20. He commands thee to open to him, 1 Iohn 3. 23. He denounceth eternal Damnation to those that refuse him entrance. Now consider well, here is entrance demanded under pain of the eternal Wrath of God; this demand is filed and recorded in Heaven, at your own peril be it if you shut the door against him; only this I will say in my Redeemers behalf, if you refuse, bear witness Heaven and Earth this day, that Christ solemnly demanded entrance into thy Soul and was refused; bear witness, that the door was shut against the only Redeemer, who intreated, commanded and threatned eternal Damnation to the rejecters of him. O methinks that Scripture, Prov. 1. 24. 25. is able to strike terror into the very center of that Soul that refuses the offers of Christ.

Sixthly,6. Motive. And so I have done my Masters errand; if you now refuse the knock of Christ at your Hearts, he may never knock more; and where are you then? There is a knock which will be the last knock, a call which will be his last call; and after that no more knocks or calls, but an eternal Silence as to any overture of Mercy or Grace.

But if I do open to Christ he will never come into such a filthy polluted sinful Soul as mine is?1. Obj.

Who saith so?Answ. Who dare affirm so impudent a falshood in the very face of the Text? If any Man open unto me, I will come in to him.

p. 171If I open to Christ,2. Obj. I must bid farewel to ease and rest in this World; reproaches, sufferings, losses follow him.

If Christ,Answ. Pardon, and Salvation, be not worth the enduring and suffering these small things, sure thou valuest Christ and thy Soul at a low rate. Oh, who can sufficiently bewail the ignorance and folly of Unbelievers, that will fell their Souls and hopes of Heaven for such trifles! And if Christ and thy Soul must part upon these terms, then hear me sinner, and let it sink into thy Heart; thy Damnation will be both

1. Just and Righteous.

2. Unavoydable and sure.

1. Thy Damnation will be Just; for thou hadst thy own choice, and deliberately preferredst the insignificant trifles of this World before Christ and Salvation. It was plainly told thee what the issue of thy rejecting Christ would be, and yet after sufficient warning, thou adventuredst upon it; whatever other sinners will plead I know not, but as for thee thou must be speechless, Matth. 22. 12. If thou dye Christless thou must appear at his Bar speechless; and the day of Judgment will be the day of the revelation of the righteous Judgment of God, Rom. 2. 5.

2ly, It will also be Unavoidable, for there is no other way to Salvation but this, Acts 4. 12. No Christ, no Heaven; no Faith, no Christ; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great Salvation? Heb. 2. 3. Mercy it self cannot save thee out of p. 172Christ, for all the saving Mercy of God is dispensed to Men through him, Iude vers. 21. 'Tis to no purpose to cry Mercy, Lord, Mercy, when Christ, in whom all the Mercies of God are dispensed to Men, is rejected by thee.

III. Vse for Consolation.

This Point winds up in Consolation to all such, as hearing the knocks of Christ, have opened, or are now resolved to open their Hearts unto him; and that nothing henceforth shall keep Christ and their Souls asunder. To such I shall address the following grounds of Comfort:

I. Consolation.

An opening Heart to Christ is a work wholly and altogether Supernatural; A special work of the Spirit of God, never found upon any but an elect Soul. There are common gifts of the Spirit, such as Knowledge, vanishing Convictions, &c. but the opening of the Heart by Faith is the special, saving, and peculiar work of the Spirit, Iohn 6. 29. This is the work of God that ye believe. Yea it is the effect of the Almighty Power of God, the exceeding greatness of his Power is exerted in the work of Faith, Eph. 1. 19. it rises not out of Nature, as common gifts do; but of this it is expresly said, Eph. 2. 8. It is not of your selves, it is the gift of God. Where this work is effectually wrought, we may reason as solidly, as comfortably from it; both backward, to the electing love of God; and forward, to our eternal glorification with him, Rom. 8. 30.

p. 173II. Consolation.

The opening of thy Heart to Christ by saving Faith, gives thee interest in Christ the very same hour; the relation is then constituted, the conjugal tye or bond is fastned betwixt him and thy Soul, Iohn 1. 12. To as many as received him to them gave he power (viz. right or privilege) to become the Sons of God, even to as many as believed on his Name. You neither need nor may expect an extraordinary messenger or voice from Heaven to tell you that Christ is yours and you are his; you have a better foundation in this Word and Work of Faith; for my part if God will give me the clear and satisfying experience of this Work upon my Heart, I would never desire more satisfaction on this side Heaven. I know not but the Devil may counterfeit an extraordinary voice, and cheat the Soul by a lying Oracle; but if I really feel my Heart and Will sincerely opening to Christ upon Gospel terms, I am sure there is no deceit in that.

III. Consolation.

The opening of thy Heart to Christ by Faith, is a good assurance that Heaven shall be opened to thy Soul hereafter: Heaven is shut against none but those that shut their Hearts against Christ by Unbelief. Will you bar Christ out of your Souls by Ignorance and Unbelief, and then cry Lord open to us? No, God will open to none but them that open to Christ. Et…rnity it self shall but suffice to bless God for this p. 174opening act of Faith; He that believeth shall be saved, Mark 16. 16.

IV. Consolation.

The opening of thy Soul to Christ by Faith makes it Christs habitation for ever; in that hour outgoes sin and Satan, and incomes Christ and Grace: If any Man open unto me I will come in to him, saith the Text; of such a Soul Christ saith, as it was said of the Temple, Psalm 132. 13, 14. The Lord hath desired it for his Habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell for I have desired it. Thy Soul now becomes an hallowed Temple to the Lord; as he hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and will be their God, and they shall be my people, 2 Cor. 6. 16. O what an Heaven upon Earth is here! Christ dwelling in the Soul, is the glory of the Soul; as Gods dwelling in the Temple was the glory of the Temple.

V. Consolation.

In a word, the op…ing of the Heart to Christ is that work which answers the great design of the Gospel. Wherefore hath God set up Ordinances and Ministers, yea wherefore is the Spirit sent forth, but to open the Hearts of sinners to Christ by Faith? When this is done, the main end and intention of the Gospel is attained and answered; the union is effected betwixt Christ and the Soul; it is now put out of hazard. The whole Work of the Gospel after that is but to build up, confirm, p. 175and comfort the Soul; ripen its implanted Graces, and make it meet for glory.

And thus through the assistance of the Spirit I have finished the fifth Observation, That every Conviction of Conscience, and motion upon the Affections, is a knock or call of Christ for entrance into the sinners Heart.