and effectual it will be unto the ends whereunto he designs it. For he is in it sharper than any two-edged sword. So that

Obs. III. The power of Christ in his word is irresistible, as to whatever effects he doth design it, Isa. lv. 10, 11. The power of Christ in his word is by many exceedingly despised and slighted. Few there are who seem to have any real effects of it produced in them or upon them. Hence, it is looked on in the world, as a thing of no great efficacy; and those who preach it in sincerity, are ready to cry out," Who hath believed our report ?" But all this ariseth from a mistake, as though it had but one end designed unto it. Had the Lord Christ no other end to accomplish by his word, but merely that which is the principal, the conversion of the souls of his elect, it might be conceived to fail towards the far greatest number of them to whom it is preached. But it is with him in his word, as it was in his own person. He was set for the fall, as well as the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that should be spoken against, Luke ii. 34. As he was to be unto some for a sanctuary, so for a "stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel; for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem," among whom many were to stumble at him, and fall and be broken, Isa. viii. 14, 15. And these things are all of them effectually accomplished towards them to whom he is preached. They are all of them either raised by him unto God out of their state of sin and misery, and do take sanctuary in him from sin and the law, or they stumble at him through their unbelief, and perish eternally. None can ever have Christ proposed unto them upon indifferent terms, so as to be left in the condition wherein they were before, they must all be saved by his grace, or perish under his wrath. And so is it also with him in his word. The end, whatever it be, that he assigns unto it with respect unto any, shall undoubtedly be accomplished. Now, these ends are various, 2 Cor. ii. 14, 15. Sometimes he intends by it only the hardening and further blinding of wicked sinners, that they may be the more prepared for deserved destruction. Isa. vi. 9-11. "Go, tell this people, hear you indeed, but understand not, and see you indeed, but perceive not; make the hearts of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed. Then, said I, Lord, how long? and he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the land be utterly desolate." The principal accomplishment hereof was in the personal ministry of Christ himself, towards the people of the Jews, Matt. xiii. 14. Mark iv. 12. Luke viii. 10. John xii. 40. But the game is the condition of things in the preaching of the word to

this day. Christ designs in it to harden and blind wicked sinners unto their destruction. And herein it misseth not of its effect. They are so, until they are utterly destroyed. Towards some, he designs it only for their conviction, and this it shall, through his power, unconquerably effect. There is not one whom he aimeth to convince, but he shall be convinced, whatever he intends by those convictions. His "arrows are sharp in the heart of his enemies, whereby the people fall under him," Psal. xlv. 5. Let men be never so much his enemies, yet if he intends their conviction, he will so sharpen his word upon their hearts, as that they shall let go their professed ennity, and fall down in the acknowledgment of his power. None whom he will have convinced by his word, shall be able to withstand it. Now, as the first sort of men may reject and despise the word as to any convictions from it which it is not designed to give them, but can never avoid its efficacy to harden them in their sins; so this second sort may resist and reject the word, as to any real saving work of conversion, which is not in it, or by it assigned unto them; but they cannot withstand its convictions, which are its proper work towards them. With respect unto others, it is designed for their conversion; and the power of Christ doth in this design so accompany it, as that it shall infallibly accomplish that work. These dead creatures shall hear the voice of the Son of God in it, and live, It is then certainly of high concern unto all men unto whom Christ comes in his word, to consider diligently what is, or is like to be the issue and consequence of it with respect unto themselves. Things are not issued according to outward appearance. If there were no hidden or secret events of the dispensation of the power of Christ in the word, all thoughts of any great matter in it might easily be cast off. For we see that the most live quietly under a neglect of it, without any visible effect upon their hearts or lives. And how then is it "sharper than any two-edged sword ?" Things are indeed quite otherwise, the word hath its work on all. And those who are neither convinced nor converted by it, are hardened, which is in many, evident to a spiritual eye. And surely we may do well to consider how it fareth with our own souls in this state of things. It is to no purpose to think to hide things secretly in our own thoughts, and to please ourselves in our own darkness; the power of Christ in the word will reach and search out all; for it pierceth to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow.

So that

Obs. IV. Though men may close, and hide things from themselves and others, yet they cannot exclude the power of Christ in his word from piercing into them. Men are apt strangely to hide, darken and confound things between their

soul and their spirit, that is, their affections and their minds. Herein consists no small part of the deceitfulness of sin; that it confounds and hides things in the soul, that it is not able to make a right judgment of itself. So men labour to deceive themselves, Isa. xxviii. 15. Hence, when a man can counte nance himself from any thing in his affections, his soul, against the reflections that are made upon him from the convictions of his mind or spirit, or when he can rest in the light of his understanding, notwithstanding the perverseness and frowardness of his affections, he is very apt to be secure in an ill condition. The first deceiveth the more ignorant, the latter the more knowing professors. The true state of their souls is by this means hid from themselves. But the power of Christ in his word, will pierce into these things and separate between them. He doth so as to his 1. discerning, his 2. discovering or convincing, and his 3. judging power. 1. Let things be never so close and hid, he discerneth all clearly and distinctly; they are not hid from him, Psal. cxxxix. 4. Jer. xxiii. 24. see John ii. 23-25. And where he designs 2. The conviction of men, he makes his word powerful to discover unto them all the secret follies of their minds and affections, the hidden recesses that sin hath in them, their close reserves, and spreads them before their eyes to their own amazement, Psal. I. 21. So our apostle tells us, that by prophesying or expounding the word of Christ, the secrets of men's hearts are discovered; that is, to themselves; they find the word dividing asunder between their souls and spirits, whereon they "fall down and give glory to God," 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25. And hereby also 3. he exerciseth his judging power in men. Let men arm themselves never so strongly and closely with love of sin and pleasure, carnal security, pride and hatred of the ways of God, until their brows become as brass, and their neck as a sinew of iron; or let their sins be covered with the fair pretence of a profession, Christ by his word will pierce through all into their very hearts, and having discovered, divided and scattered all their vain imaginations, he will judge them, and determine of their state and condition, Psal. xlv. 5. cx. 6. Hereby doth he break all their strength and peace, and the communication of supplies in sin and security, that have been between the mind and the affections; and destroys all their hopes. Men are apt to please themselves in their spiritual condition, though built on very sandy foundations. And although all other considerations fail them, yet they will maintain a life of hopes, though ungrounded and unwarrantable, Isa. lvii. 10. This is the condition of most false professors; but when the word of Christ by his power enters into their souls and consciences, it utterly casts down all their confidences, and destroys their hopes and expectations.

Nothing now remains but that such a person betake himself wholly to the life which he can make in sin with its lusts and pleasures; or else come over sincerely to him in whom is life, and who giveth life unto all that come unto him. So he "slays the wicked with the breath of his mouth," Isa. xi. 4. And this is the progress that the Lord Christ makes with the souls of men. 1. He discovereth himself their state and condition, what is good or evil in them. 2. He discovereth this unto themselves, or convinceth them of their sins and dangers, which surpriseth them with fears, and sometimes with amazements. 3. He judgeth them by his word, and condemns them by it in their own consciences. This makes them give over their old security and confidences, and betake themselves unto new hopes, that yet things may be better with them. 4. He destroys these hopes also, and shews them how vain they are. And hereon, they either betake themselves wholly to their sins, so to free themselves from their convictions and fears; or sincerely give up themselves unto him for relief. To this purpose, again, it is added, that this word of God is a "discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart;" that is, one that so discerns' them as to put a difference between them, and to pass judgment upon them.

Obs. V. The Lord Christ discerneth all inward and spiritual things, in order to his present and future judgment of those things, and the persons in whom they are, on their account.— Our discerning, our judging are things distinct and separate. Discerning every thing weakly, imperfectly, and by parts or pieces, we cannot judge speedily, if we intend at all to judge wisely. For we must judge after the sight of our eyes, and reprove after the hearing of our ears; that is, according as we can take in by weak means, an understanding of what we are to make a judgment on. With the WORD, or Son of God it is not so. For he, at once discerning all things perfectly and absolutely in all their causes, circumstances, tendencies and ends, in the same instant he approveth or condemneth them. The end of his knowledge of them, is comprised in his knowledge itself. Hence to know, in the Scripture, when ascribed to God, doth sometimes signify to approve, accept and justify; sometimes to refuse, reject and condemn. Wherefore Christ's judging of the thoughts and intents of men's hearts, is inseparable from his discerning of them and the end why he fixeth his eye on them. For this cause is he said to be "of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord," so as not to judge after "the sight of his eyes, nor approve after the hearing of his ears," that is, according to the outward appearance and representation of things, or the profession that men make, which is seen and heard but he judgeth with righteousness, and reproves

In

with equity, according to the true nature of things which liett hidden from the eyes of men, Isa. xi. 3, 4. He knows to judge, and he judgeth in and by his knowledge; and the most secret things are the especial objects of his knowledge and judgment. Let no men please themselves in their secret reserves. There is not a thought in their hearts, though but transient, never arising to the consistency of a purpose, not a pleasing or seeming desirable imagination in their minds, but it lies continually under the eye of Christ, and at the same instant that very judgment is by him passed on them, which shall be given out concerning them at the last day. Oh that we could always consider with what awe and reverence, with what care and diligence, we ought continually to walk before this holy all-seeing One. the description that is given of him when he came to deal with his churches, to judge them with righteousness and reprove them with equity, not according to the sight of his eyes or the hearing of his ears, that is, the outward profession that they made; it is said that his " eyes were as a flame of fire," Rev. i. 14. answerable to that of Job to God, "Hast thou eyes of flesh, or seest thou as a man seeth ?" Job x. 4. He doth not look on things through such weak and failing mediums, as poor frail creatures do; but sees all things clearly and perfectly according as they are in themselves, by the light of his own eyes, which are as a flame of fire. And when he comes actually to deal with his churches, he prefaceth it with this," I know thy works," which leads the way; and his judgment on them, on the account of those works, immediately followeth after, Rev. ii. iii. And it may be observed, that the judgment that he made concerning them, was not only wholly independent on their outward profession, and oft-times quite contrary to it; but also that he judged otherwise of them, yea contrary to that which in the secret of their hearts, they judged of themselves. See chap. iii. 17. So when Judas was in the height of his profession, he judged him a devil, John vi. 70, 71. And when Peter was in the worst of his defection, he judged him a saint, as having prayed for him, that his faith might not fail. So doth he know, that he may judge, and so doth he judge together with his knowledge. And this easily and perfectly, for " all things are naked and opened before him ;" so that

Obs. VI. It is no trouble or labour to the Word of God to discern all creatures, and all that is of them, and in them, seeing there is nothing but is evidently apparent, open and naked under his all-seeing eye.-It would be necessary here to open the nature of the knowledge, or omniscience of God, but that I have done it at large in another treatise, whereunto I refer the reader. Now after the consideration of all the particulars, we may subjoin an observation that naturally arisethi from the