faid Chrift, that they that fee not, might fee. And if he faith, Seeye Blind that have Eyes; Who hall hinder it, Eph. 5. 8. John 9. 39. Isa. 39. 18. ↑ Chap. 43. 8.

This Promife therefore is, as I faid, a bigbellied Promife, having in the Bowels of it, all Things that fhall occur to the compleat fulfilling of itself, They fhall come. But it is objected, that they are blind: Well, Shall-come is ftill the fame, and continueth to fay, They shall come to me. There fore he faith again, I will bring the Blind by a Way that they know not, I will lead them in Pathi that they know not. I will make Darkness light be fore them, and crooked Things fraighty theje Thingt will I do unto them, and not forfake them, lia. 42. 16

Mark, I will bring them, though they be blind; I will bring them by a Way they know not; I I will, I will; and therefore, they shall come to me.

Objection 5.

But how if they have exceeded many in Sin, and fo made themfelves far more abominable? They are the ring-leading Sinners in the Country, the Town, or Family.

Anfw. What then? Shall that hinder the Execution of Shall-come? It is not Trangreffions, nor Sins, nor all their Tranfgreffion in all their Sins (if they by the Father are given to Chrift to fave them) that shall hinder this Promife, that it fhould not be fulfilled upon them. In thofe Days, and at that Time, faith the Lord, the Iniquities of frael fhall be fought for, and there shall be none; and the Sins of Judah, and they shall not be found, Jer. 32. 30. Not that they had none (for they abounded in Tranfgreffion,

2 Chron. 33. 9:

Ezek.

Ezek. 16. 48.) but God would pardon, cover, hide, and put them away, by Virtue of his abfo lute Promife, by which they are given to Chrift to fave them. And I will cleanfe them from all their Iniquity, whereby they have finned against mez and I will pardon all their Iniquity, whereby they have tranfgreffed against me. And it shall be to me for a Name of Joy, a Praife, and an Honour before all the Nations of the Earth, which shall hear of all the Good I do unto them; and they shall fear and tremble for all the Goodness and all the Prof perity that I procure in it, Jer. 33. 8. 9.

Odjection. 6.

But how if they have not Faith and Repentance? How shall they come then?

Anf. Why, he that faith, They shall come, fhall he not make it good? If they shall come, they fhall come; and he that hath faid, they fhall come, if Faith and Repentance be the Way to come, as indeed they are, then Faith and Repentance fhall be given to them; for Shallcome must be fulfilled on them.

རྩྭ

Firft, Faith fhall be given them; I will alfa leave in the Midft of thee an afflicted and poor People, and they shall truft in the Name of the Lord. There fhall be a Root of Jeffee, and he shall rise to Reign over the Gentiles, and in him shall the Gentiles truft, Zeph. 3. 12. Rom. 15, 12.

Secondly, They fhall have Repentance; He is exalted to give Repentance; They shall come weeping, and jeeking the Lord their God: And again, with Weeping and Supplication will I lead them, Acts 5. 30, 31. Jer. 31.9.

1

I told you before, that an abfolute Promife hath all conditional ones in the Belly of it, and alfo

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Provifion

Provifion to answer all thofe Qualifications that they propound to him that feeketh for their Benefit: And it must be so; for if shall-come be an absolute Promife, as indeed it is, then it must be fulfilled, upon every of thofe concerned therein. I fay, it must be fulfilled, if God can by Grace, and his absolute Will, fulfil it. Besides, fince coming and believing is all one, (according to John 6. 35.) He that cometh to me fhall never hunger, and he that believeth in me shall never thirst.

Then, when he faith, they fhall come, it is as much as to fay, they shall believe, and confequently repent to the Saving of the Soul. So then the prefent Want of Faith and Repentance, cannot make the Promise of God of none Effect: because that this Promife hath in it to give, what others call for and expect. I will give them an Heart, I will give them my Spirit, I will give them Repentance, I will give them Faith. Mark thefe Words! If any Man be in Chrift, he is a new Creature. But how came he to be a new Creature, fince none can create but God? Why, God indeed doth make them new Creatures. Behold, faith he, I make all Things new. And hence it follows, even after he had faid, they are new Creatures; And all Things are of God: that is, all these new Creatures ftandeth in the several Operations, and special Workings of the Spirit of Grace, who is God, 2 Cor. 5. 17, 18.

Objection 7.

But how fhall they efcape all thofe dangerous and damnable Opinions, that like Rocks and Quickfands are in the Way in which they are going?

Anf. Indeed this Age is an Age of Errors, if ever there was an Age of Errors in the World;

but

but yet the Gift of the Father, laid claim to by the Son in the Text, muft Needs efcape them, and in Conclufion come to him. There are a Company of Shall-comes in the Bible that doth fecure them. Not but that they may be affaulted by them; yea, and alfo for the Time intangled and detained by them from the Bishop of their Souls; but thefe Shall-comes will break those Chains and Fetters, that thofe given to Chrift are intangled in, and they shall come, because he hath faid they fhall come to him.

Indeed, Errors are like that Whore, of whom you read in the Proverbs, that fitteth in her Seat in the high Places of the City, To call Paflengers who go right on their Way, (Prov. 9. 13, 14, 15, 16.) But the Perfons, as I faid, that by the Father are given to the Son to fave them, are fit one Time or other, fecured by hall-come to me.

And therefore, of fuch it is faid, God will guide them with his Eye, with his Counfel, by his Spirit, and that in the Way of Peace, by the Springs of Water, and into all Truth, Pfal. 32. 8. Pfal. 73. 24. John 16. 13. Luke 1. 79. Ifa. 47. 10. So then he that hath fuch a Guide (and all that the Father giveth to Chrift, fhall have it) he fhall escape thofe Dangers, he fhall not err in the Way; yea, though he be a Fool, he shall not err therein, (Ifa. 35) for of every such an one it is faid, Thine Ears fhall bear a Word behind thee, faying, This is the Way, walk in it, when ye turn to the right Hand, and when ye turn to the Left, Ifa. 30. 21.

There were Thieves and Robbers before Chrift's coming, as there are alfo now, but faid he, The Sheep did not hear them.

And why did they not hear them, but because they were under the Power of Shall-come; that abfolute Promise, that had that Grace in itself to

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beftov

bestow upon them, as could make them able rightly to diftinguish of Voices, My Sheep bear my Voice. But how came they to hear it? Why, to them it is given to know and to hear, and that diftinguishingly, John 10. 8, 16. Chap. 5. 25. Eph. 5. 14.

Further, The very plain Sentence of the Text makes Provifion against all these Things; for, faith it, All that the Father giveth me, thall come to me; that is, fhall not be stopped, or be allured to take up any where Short of me, nor fhall they turn afide, to abide with any befides me.

Shall come to (me.)

To me.] By thefe Words there is further infinuated (though not expreffed) a double Cause of their coming to him.

First, There is in Chrift a Fulness of Allfufficiency of that, even of all that which is needful. to make us happy.

Secondly, Thofe that indeed come to him, do therefore come to him that they may receive it at his Hand.

For the first of thefe, There is in Chrift a Fulnefs of All-fufficiency of all that, even of all that which is needful to make us happy. Hence it is faid, For it pleased the Father, that in him bould all Fulnefs dawell. And again, Of his Fulness, all we have received, and Grace for Grace, Col. 1. 19. Joh. 1. 16. It is alfo faid of him, that his Riches are unfearchable. The unfearchable Riches of Chrift, Eph. 3. 8. Hear what he faith of himself, Riches and Honour are with me, even durable Riches and Righteoufnefs: My Fruit is better than Gold, yea, than fine Gold, and my Revenue than' choice Silver: I lead in the Way of Righteousness, in the Midft of the Paths of Judgment, that I may

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