hath given us to his Son, and also given his Son for

us.

All that the Father giveth me (hall come.)

In thefe laft Words, there is closely inferted an Answer unto the Father's End in giving of his Elect to Jefus Chrift. The Father's End was, that they might come to him, and be faved by him; and that, fays the Son, fhall be done; neither Sin nor Satan, neither Flesh nor World, neither Wisdom nor Folly, fhall hinder their coming to me. They shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft

out.

Here therefore the Lord Jefus pofitively determineth to put forth fuch a Sufficiency of all Grace, as fhall effectually perform this Promife. They shall come: That is, he will caufe them to come, by infufing of an effectual Blefling into all the Means that fhall be ufed to that End. As was faid to the evil Spirit that was fent to perfwade Ahab to go and fall at Ramoth Gilead; Go: Thou shalt perfwade him and prevail alfo; go forth, and do so, 1 Kings 22. 2.2. So will Jefus Chrift fay to the Means that fhall be ufed for the bringing of thofe to him that the Father hath given him. I fay he will blefs it effectually to this very End; it fhall perfwade them, and fhall prevail alfo. Elfe, as I faid, the Father's End would be fruftrate: For the Father's Will is, That, Of all that he hath given him, he should lofe nothing, but fhould raife it up at the last Day; in Order next unto himfelf, Chrift the Firft-fruits, afterwards thofe that are his, at his coming, (1 Cor. 15.) But this cannot be done, if there fhould fail to be a Work of Grace effectually wrought, though but in any one of them. But this fhall not fail to be wrought in them, even in all the Father hath given him to fave. All that the Father hath given me, fhall come unto me, &c. But to fpeak more distinctly to

the

the Words, They shall come.

Two Things I would

fhew you from thefe Words:

First, What it is to come to Christ.

Secondly, What force there is in this Promife, to make them come to him.

First, I would fhew you what it is to come to Chrift. This Word Come, must be understood spiritually, not carnally; for many came to him carnally, or bodily, that had no faving Advantage by him: Multitudes did thus come unto him in the Days of his Fleh; yea, innumerable Companies. There is alfo at this Day a formal customary coming to his Ordinances and Way of Worship, which availeth not any Thing; but with them I fhall not now meddle: For they are not intended in the Text. The coming then intended in the Text, is to be understood of the coming of the Mind to him, even the moving of the Heart towards him, from a found Senfe of the abfolute Want that a Man hath of him for his Juftification and Salvation.

This Defcription of coming to Chrift, divideth itfelf into two Heads..

First, That coming to Chrift is a moving of the Mind towards him.

Secondly, That it is a moving of the Mind to

wards him from a found Senfe of the abfolute Want that a Man, hath of him for his Justification and Salvation.

To speak to the firft, That it is a moving of the Mind towards him. This is evident, because coming hither or thither, if it be voluntary, is by an Act of the Mind or Will; fo coming to Chrift, is through the inclining of the Will. Thy People fhall be willing, Pial. 110. 3. This Willingness of Hart, is it which fets the Mind a moving after, or towards him. The Church expreffeth this moving of her Mind towards Chrift, by the moving of her

Bowels.

Bowels. My beloved put in his Hand by the Hole of the Door, and my Bowels were moved for him, Song 5.4. My Bowels; the Paffions of my Mind and Affections; which Paffions of the Affections are expreffed by the yearning and founding of the Bowels, the yearning and paffionate working of them, the founding of them, or their making a Noife for him, Gen. 43. 30. 1 Kings 3. 26. a. 16. 11.

This then is the coming to Chrift, even a moving towards him with the Mind. And it shall come 19 pafs, That every Thing that liveth, which moveth whitherfoever the Water fhall come, fhall live, Ezek. 47.9.

The Water in this Text, is the Grace of God in the Doctrine of it: The living Things are the Children of Men, to whom the Grace of God, by the Gospel is preached. Now, faith he, every living Thing which moveth whither foever the Water fall come, fhali live. And fee how this Word (moveth) is expounded by Chrift himself in the Book of the Revelations The Spirit and the Bride fay, Come, and and let him that heareth fay, Come. And let him that is athirst, Come. And whosoever will, that is willing, let him take the Water of Life freely, Rev.

22. 17.

So that to move in thy Mind and Will after Chrift is to be coming to him. There are many poor Souls that are coming to Chrift, that yet cannot tell how to believe it; because they think that coming to him, is fome ftrange and wonderful Thing; and indeed fo it is: But I mean they overlook the Inclination of their Will, the moving of their Mind, and the founding of their Bowels after him; and count thefe none of this ftrange and wonderful Thing; when indeed it is a Work of greatest Wonder in this World, to see a Man who was fometimes dead in Sin, poffeffed of the Devil, an Enemy to Chrift, and to all Things fpiritually good: I fay, to see this Man moving with his Mind

after

after the Lord Jefus Chrift is one of the highest Wonders in the World. i

Secondly, It is a moving of the Mind towards him, from a fecond Senfe of the abfolute Want that a Man hath of him for his Juftification and Salvation. Indeed, without this Senfe of a loft Condition without him, there will be no moving of the Mind towards him: A moving of their Mouth there may be; With their Mouth they fhew much Love, Ezek. 33. 31. Such a People as this will come as the true People cometh; that is, in fhew and outward Appearance: And they will fit before God's Minifters, as his People fit before them; and they will hear his Words too, but they will not do them; that is, will not come inwardly with their Minds: For with their Mouth they fhew much Love, but their Heart (or Mind) goeth after their Covetousness. Now all this is, because they want an effectual Senfe of the Mifery of their State by Nature; for not till they have that, will they in their Mind move after him. Therefore thus it is faid concerning the true Comers, At that Day the great Trumpet fhall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the Land of Affyria, and the Outcafts of the Land of Egypt, and fhall worship the Lord in his holy Mountain, at JeruSalem, (Ifa. 27. 13.) They are then (as you fee) the Out-cafts, and thofe that are ready to perish, that indeed have their Minds effectually moved to come to Jefus Chrift. This Senfe of Things, was that which made the three Thousand come, that made Saul come, that made the Jailor come, and that indeed makes all others come, that come effectually, Acts 2. 8. 16. chapters.

Of the true coming to Chrift, the three Lepers were a famous Semblance; of whom you read, 2 Kings 7. 3, &c. The Famine in thofe Days was fore in the Land, there was no Bread for the People; and as for that Suftenance that was, which

was

was Affes Flesh, and Doves Dung, that was only in Samaria, and of these the Lepers had no Share, for they were thrust without the City. Well, now they fat in the Gate of the City, and Hunger was, as I may fay, making his laft Meal of them; and being therefore half dead already, what do they think of doing? Why, firft they difplay the difmal Colours of Death before each others Faces, and then refolve what to do, saying, If we fay we will go into the City, then the Famine is in the City, and we shall die there; if we fit ftill here, we die alfo: Now therefore come, let us fall into the Hoft of the Syrians; if they Jave us alive we shall live, if they kill us we shall but die. Here now was Neceffity at Work, and this Neceffity drove them to go thither for Life, whither elfe they would never have gone for it. Thus it is with them that in Truth come to Jefus Chrift: Death is before them, they fee it, and feel it; he is feeding upon them, and will eat them quite up, if they come not to Jefus Chrift; and therefore they come, even of Neceflity, being forced thereto by that Senfe they have of their being utterly and everlaftingly undone, if they find not Safety in him. These are they that will come: Indeed these are they that are invited to come. Come unto me all that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you ref Mat. 11. 21.

ye

Take two or three Things to make this more plain; to wit, That coming to Chrift, floweth from a found Senfe of the abfolute Need that a Man hath of him, as afore.

1. They shall come with Weeping, and with Supplication will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by Rivers of Waters in a plain Way wherein they shall not fumble, Jer. 31. 9. Mind it! they come with -Weeping and Supplication; they come with Prayers and Tears. Now Prayers and Tears are the Effects of a right Senfe of the Need of Mercy. Thus a fenfelefs Sinner cannot come, he cannot pray, he

canne