Heaven Upon Earth, Sermon · Direction 3
III. DIRECTION.
If you would get acquainted with God, get Chriſt along with you, when you go to God. You are like to ſpeed no way ſo ſoon as this way; nay, let me ſay, all that I have ſaid before ſignifies nothing at all without this. There is no Name under Heaven, by which we can be ſaved, but by the Name of Chriſt; and whoſoever comes to the Father by him, he will in no wiſe caſt out, God can't deny his own Son any thing, he can never forget that great undertaking of his, by which he glorified his Fathers infinite Juſtice, and infinite Love, and did him more honour than all the Saints and Angels in the world. His Son, the Lord Chriſt, hath ſuch an intereſt in his Father, that he can as ſoon deſpiſe his own honour, as to refuſe any requeſt that is preſented to him, by his Son. If Chriſt come to him, and ſay, Father, here is a poor ſinner that I have undertaken for, and that flew to me for refuge, Look upon him for my ſake; why the Fathers Arms are preſently open; he will not reject his Sons Petitions. The truth of it is, this is the greateſt cauſe of the miſcarriage of poor Creatures, that go about to do that themſelves, and by themſelves, which they can never do alone. They go to God all alone, and no Wonder then they meet with a frown; for there is no Name under Heaven, by which a man can be ſaved, but by the Name of Chriſt; and out of Chriſt, God is a conſuming fire; & there is but one Mediator the man Chriſt Jeſus. And there is but one Advocate with the Father, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous. That which Joſeph ſaid of Benjamin, God ſaith of Chriſt, except you bring Benjamin along with you, you ſhall not ſee my Face, except you bring Chriſt along with you, you ſhall not ſee my Face. There is a notable ſtory which is commonly by Divines applied to our preſent purpoſe, and that not without good reaſon; it is concerning a Law among the Moloſſians, where whoſoever came to the King with his Son in his Arms, ſhould be accepted into favour, let his fault be what it will. So let a man be what he will before, yet if ye come to God in Chriſt, he can't be thruſt away. O therefore if thou wouldeſt have any countenance from God, beg for a Chriſt to bear thee company into the preſence of God. I will tell you this for your comfort, Chriſt hath a loving deſign in his heart to do ſuch offices of kindneſs for poor Malefactors that underſtand ſomething of their danger. If you ſee your ſelf loſt for want of reconciliation with God, Chriſt he ſtands ready to lead you into his Fathers houſe. O did you but know how willing he is to bring undone loſt Penitents to God, it would make your heart leap within you for joy. Behold, how oft he asks after you; what doth that ſinner mean to ruine himſelf? I would with all my heart bring him out of all thoſe perplexities, and undertake to make God and him Friends, if he would be but ruled by me; and upon this account he ſends up and down many hundreds of his Miniſters to tell ſinners as much, that they may not be undone everlaſtingly. Doth not Wiſdom call? doth not Chriſt plead the Caſe, and expoſtulate with ſinners? and who would not, that hath any underſtanding at all of his ſtate out of Chriſt, with all poſſible thankfulneſs be encouraged to accept of his kindneſs? Chriſt hath done as much as this comes to already for many Millions, and his Father never ſaid to him, Son, why do you trouble your ſelf and me with ſo many of theſe wretched Creatures, let them alone to take their courſe. Where did God ever expreſs himſelf in this manner? did he ever take it unkindly that his Son ſhould every day bring ſuch Gueſts to his houſe, and be continually begging one Boon or other for them, or putting up ſome Petitions upon their account, or pleading with his Father for them when they do offend. Is God diſpleaſed at ſuch work as this? is he not as willing to receive ſuch, as his Son is to bring them? and both Father and Son more willing to ſave the ſinner than he is to be ſaved? O kindneſs! Chriſt loves the ſinner better than he loves himſelf! and as I ſaid before, ſo I ſay again, the Father doth not grutch any thing that Chriſt gives, or doth for poor ſinners. The Righteouſneſs of Chriſt, it is that Wedding Garment, in which we may ſit at the Kings Table, and are welcome; theſe are the Robes of our elder Brother, in which we can't miſs of our Fathers Bleſſing. O how many poor Creatures have walked in the dark many years, becauſe they have not been brought off from themſelves, but have ſought that by themſelves, which is to be ſought only by Chriſt; becauſe they have looked for that in the Law, which is to be found only in the Goſpel; and no wonder their buſineſs went on ſo ſlowly, when they went the quite contrary way to work. When any comes to God without Chriſt, they come like Simon Magus, with their own money in their hand to buy a great Commodity, which is not to be purchaſed with ſuch kind of Coyn. If you come to God through Chriſt, you may come with boldneſs to the Throne of Grace; but if you come without him, you do but come with Madneſs upon the point of the flaming Sword.