hath given us to his Son, and alfo given his Son

for us.

All that the Father giveth me (thall 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 saved by him; & that, fays the Son, fhall be done; neither Sin nor Satan, neither Flesh norWorld, neither Wisdom nor Folly, fhall hinder their coming to me. They fhall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out.

Here therefore the Lord Jefus pofitively determi neth to put forth fuch a Sufficiency of all Grace, as fhall effectually perform this Promife. They hall come: That is, he will caufe them to come, by infufing of an effectual Bleffing into all the Means that fhall be used to that End. As was faid to the evil Spirit that was fent to perfwade Ahab to go and fall at Ramath Gilead; Go: Thou fhalt perfuade him & prevail alfo; go forth, and do fo, 1 Kings 22. 22. So will Jefus Chrift fay to the Means that shall be ufed for the bringing of those to him that the Father hath given him. I fay he will bless it effectually to this very End; it fhall perfwade them, and fall 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 fhould lofe nothing, but should raise it up at the last Day; in order next unto himself, Chrift the First-fruits, afterwards thofe that are his, at his coming, 1 Cor. 15. But this cannot be done, if there should fail to be a Work of Grace effectually wrought, though but in But this fhall not fail to be any one of them. wrought in them, even in all the Father hath given him to fave. All that theFather hath given me, fhall come unto me, &c. But to fpeak more diftinctly to

the

the Words, They shall come. Two Things I would thew you from thefe Words:

First, What it is to come to Chrift.

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

First, I would flew you what it is to come to Chrift. This Word Come, muit be underfteod fpitually, 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 Flesh; yea, innumerable Companies. There is alfo at thisDay 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 theText, is to be underflood 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 Christ, divideth itfelf into two Heads.

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

Secondly, That it is a moving of the Mind towards him from a found Senfe of the abfolute Want that a Man hath of him for his Just Acation and Salvation.

To fpeak 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 hall be willing, Pfal. 110. 3. This Willingness of Heart, 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 the 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. Dan. 16. 11.

This then is the coming to Chrift, even a moving towards him with the Mind. And it shall come to país, 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 Gofpel is preached. Now, faith he, every living Thing which moveth whitherfoever the Water fhali come, fhall 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 let him that heareth fay, Come. And let him that is athirst, Come. And whofoever 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 fee 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 fee this Man moving with his Mind

af

after the Lord Jefus Chrift, is one of the highet Wonders in the World.

Secondly, It is a moving of theMind towards him, from a fecond Senfe of the abfolute Want that a Man hath of him for his Juftification and Salvation. Indeed, without this Sense 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 muchLove, 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 Covetoufnefs. 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 trueComers, At that Day the great Trumpet fhall be blown, and they fhall come which were ready to perish in the Land of Affyria, and the Outcafts of the Land of Egypt, & fhall worship the Lord in his holy Mountain, at Jerufalem, 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 Christ. This Senfe of Things, was that which made the three Thousand come, that made Saul come, that made the Jailor come, & 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, før they were thruft 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 resolve what to do, faying, If we fay we will go into the City, then the Famine is in the City, and we fhall die there; if we fit ftill here, we die alfo: Now therefore come, let us fall into the Hoft of the Syrians; if they fave us alive we shall live, if they kill us we fhall 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 ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give, you Reft, Mat, 11. 21.

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 fhall come with Weeping, & with Supplication will I lead them; I will caufe them to walk by Rivers of Waters in a plain Way wherein they fhall not ftumble, 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

canno