cannot cry, he cannot come fenfible of what he fees not, nor feels. In thofe Days, and at that Time, the Children of Ifrael fhall come; they and the Children of Judah together, going and Weeping; they fhall feek the Lord their God; they fhall afk the rWay toZion, with their Faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that shall not be forgot. ten, Jer. 50. 4. 5.

Secondly, This coming to Chrift, it is called a running to him, as flying to him; a flying to him from Wrath to come. By all which Terms, is fet forth the Senfe of the Man that comes; to wit, That he is affected with the Senfe of his Sin, and the Death due thereto; that he is fenfible that the Avenger of Blood purfuès him, and that therefore he is cut off, if he makes not Speed to the Son of God for Life, Mat. 3. 7. Pfal. 143.9. Flying is the last Work of a Man in Danger, all that are in Danger do not fly; no, not all that fee themselves in Danger; all that hear of Danger will not fly. Men will confider if there be no other Way of Efcape before they fly. Therefore, as I faid, flying is the last Thing: When all Refuge fails, and a Man is made to fee that there is nothing left him but Sin, Death, and Damnation, unlefs he flies to Chrift for Life; then he flies, and not till then.

Thirdly, That the true coming is from a Senfe of an abfolute Need of Jefus Chrift to fave, &c. is evident by the Out-cry that is made by them to come, even as they are coming to him, Mat. 14. 30. Acts 2. 37. Acts 16. 30. Lord fave me or I perish; Men and Brethren, what fhall we do; Sirs, what muft I do to be faved, (and the like). This Language doth fufficiently difcover that the truly coming Souls, are Souls fenfible of their Need of Salvation by Jefus Chrift; and moreover, that there is nothing elfe that can help them, but Chrift.

Fourthly,

Fourthly, It is yet farther evident by these few Things that follow; It is faid that fuch are pricked in their Hearts, that is, with the Sentence of Death by the Law; and the leaft Prick in the Heart kills a Man, Acts 2. 57. Such are faid, as I faid before, to weep, to tremble, and to be aftonished in themselves at the evident and unavoidable Danger that attends them, unless they fly to Jefus Chrift, Acts 9. 16.

Fifthly, Coming to Chrift is attended with an honest and fincere forfaking all for him. If any Man come unto me and hateth not his Father and Mother, and Wife and Children, and Brethren and Sifters, yea, and his own Life alfo, he cannot be my Difciple; and whofoever do not bear his Crofs, and come after me, cannot be my Difciple, Luke 14. 26, 27.

By thefe, and the like Expreffions elsewhere, Chrift defcribeth the true Comer, or the Man that indeed is coming to him; he is one that cafteth all behind his Back; he leaveth all, he forfaketh all, he hateth all Things that would ftand in his Way to hinder his coming to Jefus Christ. There are a great many pretended Comers to Jefus Chrift in the World. And they are much like to the Man you read of in Mat. 21. 30. that faid to his Father's Bidding, I go, Sir, and went not. I fay there are a great many fuch Comers to Jefus Chrift; they fay, when Chrift calls by his Gofpel, I come Sir, but still they abide by their Pleafure and carnal Delights. They come not at all, only they give him a courtly Compliment; but he takes no Notice of it, and will not let it pafs for any more than a Lye. He faid, I go Sir, and went not; he diffembled and lied. Take Heed of this, you that flatter yourselves with your own Deceivings.

Words

will not do with Jefus Chrift: Coming is coming, and nothing elfe will go for coming with him.

Before I speak to the other Head; I fhall anfwer fome Objections that ufually lie in the Way of thofe that in Truth are coming to Jefus Chrift,

Objection 1.

Though I cannot deny, but my Mind runs after Chrift, and that too as being moved thereto from a Sight and Confideration of my loft Condition, (for I fee without him I perifh) yet I fear my Ends are not right in coming to him.

Queft. Why, what is thine End in coming to Chrift?

Anfw. My End is, that I might have Life, and be faved by Jefus Chrift.

This is the Objection; well, let me tell thee, that to come to Chrift for Life, and to be saved, although at present thou haft no other End, is a lawfal and good Coming to Jefus Chrift. This is evident, becaufe Chrift propoundeth Life, as the only Argument to prevail with Sinners to come to him, and fo alfo blameth them because they come not to him for Life. And ye will not come to me that ye might have Life, John 5. 3. Befides, there are many other Scriptures whereby he allureth Sinners to come to him, in which he propoundeth nothing to them but their Safety. As, He that believeth in him fhall not perish; he that believeth is paffed from Death to Life. He that believeth fhall be faved. He that believeth on him is not condemned. And believing and coming are all one. So that you fee to come to Christ for Life, is a lawful coming, and good.

1. In that he believeth that he alone hath made Atonement for Sin, Rom. z.

And

And let me add over and above, that for a Man to come Chrift for Life, though he come to him for nothing else but Life, it is to give much Honour to him.

First, He honoureth the Word of Chrift, and confenteth to the Truth of it; and that in thefe two general Heads.

1. He confenteth to the Truth of all thofe Sayings that teftify, that Sin is most abominable in itfelf, difhonourable to God, and damnable to the Soul of Man; for thus fayeth the Man that cometh to Jefus Chrift, Jer. 44. 4. Rom. 2. 23. chap. 6. 23. 2 Thefl. 2. 12.

S

z In that he believeth, as the Word hath faid, that there is in the World's best Things, Righteousness and all, nothing but Death and Damnation; for fo alfo fays the Man that co comes to Jefus Chrift for Life. Rom. 7. 24, 25, chap. 8. 2 Cor. 3. 6, 7. 8.

2,3.

Secondly, He honoureth Chrift's Perfon, in that he believeth that there is Life in him, and that he is able to fave him from Death, Hell, the Devil, and Damnation; for unlefs a Man believes this, he will not come to Chrift for Life, Heb. 7:24, 25.

Thirdly, He hon ureth him, in that he believeth that he is authorized of the Father to give Life to thofe that come to him for it, Joan 5. 11, 12. chap. 17. 1, 2, 3.

Fourthly, He honoureth the Priesthood of Jefus Chrift.

2. In that he believeth that Chrift hath more Power to fave from Sin by the Sacrifice that he hath offered for it, than hach all Law, Devis, Death, or Sin to condemn: He that believes

C 2

'this will not come to Jefus Chrift for Life, Acts 13. 38. Heb. 2. 14, 15. Rev. 1. 17, 18.

Thirdly, In that he believeth that Chrift, according to his Office, will be most faithful and merciful in the Difcharge of his Office. This must be included in the Faith of him that comes for Life to Jefus Chrift, 1 John 2. 1, 2, 3. Heb.

2. 17, 18.

Fourthly. Further, He that cometh to Jefus Christ for Life, taketh Part with him againft Sin, and against the ragged and imperfect Righteousnefs of the World! yea, and against falfe Chrifts, and damnable Errors that fet themselves against the Worthiness of his Merits and Sufficiency: This is evident, for that fuch a Soul fingleth Chrift out from them all, as the only one that can fave.

Fifthly, Therefore as Noah, at God's Command, thou prepareft this Ark, for the faving of thyfelf, by which alfo thou condemneft the World, and art become Heir of the Righteoufuefs which is by Faith, (Heb. 11. 7.) wherefore coming Sinner be content; he that cometh to Jefus Christ believeth too that he is willing to fhew Mercy to, and have Compaffion upon him (tho' unworthy) that comes to him for Life. And therefore thy Soul lieth not only under a fpecial Invitation to come, but under a Promife too of being accepted and forgiven, Matt. 11. 28.

All these particular Parts and Qualities of Faith, are in that Soul that comes to Jefus Chrift for Life, as is evident to any indifferent Judgment.

For, will he that believeth not the Testimony of Chrift concerning the Bafeness of Sin, and the Infufficiency of the Righteoufnefs of the World, come to Chrift for Life? No.