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bring the heart back to God himself. He convinceth the sinner, that the creature can neither be his God, to make him happy, nor his Christ, to recover him from his misery, and restore him to God, who is his happiness. God does this, not only by his word, but by providence also. This is the reason why affliction so frequently concurs in the work of conversion. Arguments which speak to the quick, will force a hearing, when the most powerful words are slighted. If a sinner made his credit his god, and God shall cast him into the lowest disgrace; or bring him, who idolized his riches, into a condition wherein they cannot help him; or cause them to take wing, and fly away; what a help is here to this work of conviction! If a man made pleasure his god, whatsoever a roving eye, a curious ear, a greedy appetite, or a lustful heart, could desire, and God should take these from him, or turn them into gall and wormwood, what a help is here to conviction! When God shall cast a man into languishing sickness, and inflict wounds on his heart, and stir up against him his own conscience, and then, as it were, say to him, "Try if your credit, riches, or pleasure, can help you. Can they heal your wounded conscience? can they now support your tottering tabernacle? can they keep your departing soul in your body? or save you from mine everlasting wrath? or redeem your soul from eternal flames? Cry aloud to them, and see now whether these will be to you instead of God and his Christ.” O how this works now with the sinner! Sense acknowledges the truth, and even the flesh is convinced of the creature's vanity, and our very deceiver is undeceived.

§ 9. The people of God are likewise convinced of the absolute necessity, the full sufficiency, and perfect excellency, of Jesus Christ. As a man in famine is convinced of the necessity of food; or a man that had heard or read his sentence of condemnation, of the absolute necessity of pardon; or a man that lies in prison for debt, is convinced of his need of a surety to discharge it. Now the sinner feels an insupport

able burden upon him, and sees there is none but Christ can take it off. He perceives the law proclaims him a rebel, and none but Christ can make his peace. He is as a man pursued by a lion, that must perish, if he finds not a present sanctuary. He is now brought to this dilemma; either he must have Christ to justify him, or be eternally condemned; have Christ to save hin, or burn in hell for ever; have Christ to bring him to God, or be shut out of his presence everlastingly. And no wonder if he cry, as the martyr, "None but Christ, none but Christ." Not gold, but bread, will satisfy the hungry; nor any thing but pardon will comfort the condemned. All things are counted but dung now, that he may win Christ; and what was gain, he counts loss for Christ.(s) As the sinner sees his misery, and the inability of himself and all things to relieve him, so he perceives there is no saving mercy out of Christ. He sees, though the creature cannot, and himself cannot, yet Christ can. Though the fig-leaves of our own unrighteous righteousness are too short to cover our nakedness, yet the righteousness of Christ is large enough. Ours is disproportionate to the justice of the law, but Christ's extends to every tittle. If he intercede, there is no denial; such is the dignity of his person and the value of his merits, that the Father grants all he desires.Before, the sinner knew Christ's excellency, as a blind man knows the light of the sun; but now, as one that beholds its glory.

§ 9. (5) After this deep conviction, the will discovers also its change. As for instance-The sin which the understanding pronounces evil, the will turns from with abhorrence. Not that the sensitive appetite is changed, or any way made to abhor its objest: but when it would prevail against reason, and carry us to sin against God, instead of scripture being the rule, and reason the master, and sense the servant; this disorder and evil the will abhors.-The misery also

(s) Phil. iii. 7, 8.

of this inconstancy in heaven. If perfect love casteth out fear,(h) then perfect joy must needs cast out sorrow, and perfect happiness exclude all the relics of misery. We shall there rest from all the evil of sin and of suffering.

11. Heaven excludes nothing more directly than sin, whether of nature or of conversation. "There shall in no wise enter any that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie."() What need Christ at all to have died, if heaven could have contained imperfect souls? For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.(k) His blood and Spirit have not done all this to leave us after all defiled. What communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?(1) Christian, if thou be once in heaven, thou shalt sin no more. Is not this glad news to thee, who hast prayed, and watched against it so long? I know if it were offered to thy choice, thou wouldest rather choose to be freed from sin, than have all the world. Thou shalt have thy desire. That hard heart, those vile thoughts which accompanied thee to every duty, shall now be left behind for ever. Thy understanding shall never more be troubled with darkness. All dark scriptures shall be made plain; all seeming contradictions reconciled. The poorest Christian is presently there a more perfect divine than any here. O that happy day, when error shall vanish for ever! When our understanding shall be filled with God himself, whose light will leave no darkness in us! His face shall be the scripture, where we shall read the truth. Many a godly man hath here, in his mistaken zeal, been a means to deceive and pervert his brethren; and when he sees his own error, cannot again tell how to undeceive them. But there we shall conspire in one truth, as being one in him who is the truth. We shall also rest from all the sin of our will, affection, and conversation. We shall no more retain this rebelling principle, which is still drawing us from God; no more be oppressed with the power of our corrup(1) Rev. xxi. 27. () 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15.

(h) 1 John iv. 18.
(k)1 John iii. 8.

tions, nor vexed with their presence: no pride, passion, slothfulness, insensibility, shall enter with us; no strangeness to God, and the things of God; no coldness of affections, nor imperfection in our love; no uneven walking, nor grieving of the Spirit; no scandalous action, nor unholy conversation: we shall rest from all these for ever. Then shall our will correspond to the divine will, as face answers face in a glass, and from which, as our law and rule, we shall never swerve. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.(m)

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§ 12. Our sufferings were but the consequences of our sinning, and in heaven they both shall cease together. We shall rest from all our doubts of God's love. It shall no more be said, that, "Doubts are like the thistle, a bad weed, but growing in good ground."(n) They shall now be weeded out, and trouble the gracious soul no more. We shall hear that kind of language no more: "What shall I do to know my state? How shall I know that God is my Father? that my heart is upright? that my conversation is true? that my faith is sincere? I am afraid my sins are unpardoned; that all I do is hypocrisy; that God will reject me; that he does not hear my prayers." All this is there turned into praise. We shall rest from all sense of God's displeasure. Hell shall not be mixed with heaven. At times the gracious soul remembered God, and was troubled; complained, and was overwhelmed, and refused to be comforted; divine wrath lay hard upon him, and God afflicted him with all his waves.(0) But that blessed day shall convince us, that though God" hid his face from us for a moment, yet with everlasting kindness will he have mercy on us."(p) We shall rest from all the temptations of Satan. What a grief is it to a Christian, though he yield not to the temptation, yet to be solicited to deny his Lord! What a torment to have such horrid motions made to his soul! such blasphemous ideas presented to his imagination! sometimes cruel (m) Heb. iv. 10. Gen. ii. 2. (n) Dr. Preston. (9) Psalm lxxvii. 2, 3. lxxxviii. 7. (p) Isa. liv. 8.

thoughts of God, undervaluing thoughts of Christ, unbelieving thoughts of scripture, or injurious thoughts of Providence! to be tempted sometimes to turn to present things, to play with the baits of sin, and venture on the delights of flesh, and sometimes to atheism itself! especially when we know the treachery of our own hearts, ready, as tinder, to take fire as soon as one of these sparks shall fall upon them! Satan hath power here to tempt us in the wilderness, but he entereth not the holy city? He may set us on a pinnacle of the temple in the earthly Jerusalem, but the New Jerusalem he may not approach. He may take us up into un exceeding high mountain, but the mount Sion he cannot ascend; and if he could, all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,(g) would be a despis ed bait to a soul possessed of the kingdom of our Lord. No, it is in vain for Satan to offer a temptation more. All our temptations from the world and the flesh shall also cease. O the hourly dangers that we here walk in! Every sense, and member, is a spare; every creature, every mercy, and every duty, is a snare to us. We can scarce open our eyes, but we are in danger of envying those above us, or despising those below us; of coveting the honours and riches of some, or beholding the rags and beggary of others with pride and unmercifulness. If we see beauty, it is a bait to lust; if deformity, to loathing and disdain. How soon do slanderous reports, vain jests, wanton speeches, creep into the heart! How constant and strong a watch does our appetite require!-Have we comeliness and beauty? what fuel for pride! Are we deformed? what an occasion of repining? Have we strength of reason, and gifts of learning? O how prone to be puft up, hunt after applause, and despise our brethren! Are we unlearned? how apt then to despise what we have not! Are we in places of authority? how strong is the temptation to abuse our trust, make our will our law, and cut out all the enjoyments of others by the rules and model of our own interest and policy! Are we (q) Matt. iv. 1-5—8.

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