depend upon Him, to absolve us from all our sins, to justify us before God, and make up all differences between Him and us; and so to bring us, at last, to live with Him, and His Holy Angels, in Heaven.

25.]

Thus all that would have life, must go unto Christ for it, so as to believe and trust on Him, for all and every thing that can any way contribute towards their having of it; which that we may, we must be sure to walk continually in all the ways that lead towards Him. We must keep our [1 Cor 9. 27.] bodies under, by fasting and abstinence, "that we may run (Heb. 12. with patience the race that is set before us," so as to hold out to the end: we must apply ourselves every day, by prayer to Him, and to the Father in His Name, for all things necessary, both for life and godliness: we must never leave off the assembling of ourselves together, but go as [Heb. 10. oft as possibly we can unto the public congregation of His people meeting together in His Name, where He is always present, ready to receive us. We must hearken diligently to His Holy Word, that we may know what to believe, and likewise have grace to do it: "For faith comes by hearing, Rom.10.17. and hearing by the Word of God." Above all, we must take all opportunities that we can get, of meeting with our Lord at His own Table, to partake of His body and blood, as it is there offered, to strengthen and refresh our souls. For He Himself saith, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son John 6. 53, of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. you. But whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the Last Day."

54.

These are the ways which Christ Himself hath prescribed, whereby to go to Him for life: and therefore, they that would go to Him, must walk not only in some, but all these ways, nor only now and then, but as constantly as ever they can. For it is by the constant exercise of ourselves in these holy duties, that our minds are inclined to God, and our faith confirmed in our blessed Saviour; that faith whereby we go to Him for life. And therefore, we must never leave them off, as long as we live, but still go on, till we "receive [1 Pet. 1.9.] the end of our faith, even the Salvation of our souls," or that eternal life, which all shall have that go to Christ, and none can have, but they who go unto Him.

SERM.

XXXVI.

And yet how few are there in the world will do it! How few among themselves! Christ Himself, who knows the hearts of all men, saith, "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life," où here, 'ye will not.' He lays the fault wholly upon your wills: though ye all desire life, and know that ye may have it, if ye would but come unto Him, yet ye will not. Though He Himself calls you in His Word, by His ministers, yea, and with His own mouth too, saying, "Come to Me," yet ye will not come and all because ye [Jer. 17.9.] will not. So "desperately wicked" are the hearts of men become, so impetuously bent upon their own ruin and destruction. Though the Eternal Son of God hath purchased life for them, with His own death, and calls upon them to come unto Him, yet they will not come; no, not for life itself. But as the people of old, when God called upon them to leave their strange gods, and turn to Him, they answered roundly, "No; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go." So it is at this day. Though the Eternal God our Saviour calls upon you to leave doating upon this transient world, and come to Him, that you may live and be happy for ever; you answer in effect, "No; we have loved the world, and after it we will go." Let Christ Himself call as often as He please, and promise nothing less than life itself to all that come unto Him; it is all one, ye will not come unto Him, that ye might have life.

ch. 2. 25.

This, I confess, is a very melancholy and ungrateful subject. It would make a true Christian's heart bleed, to see how people generally slight their only Saviour, and their own Salvation too; and yet cannot endure to hear of it, but are ready to fly in the face of any that put them in mind of their folly and danger. But however, our blessed Lord and Saviour said it, on purpose that men might take notice of it. Howsoever they take it, we are bound in duty and conscience to repeat and explain it to them; and therefore I shall briefly consider both the truth of this proposition, that men will not come to Christ, that they might have life, and the reasons, such as they are, why they will not.

As for the first, we cannot doubt of the truth of what our Lord here saith, seeing He saith it, who is truth itself. For having His Word for it, we have all the reason that can be

to believe it, though the experience of all mankind should seem to contradict it. But alas! that is so far from contradicting, that it too plainly verifies and confirms it: as might be easily demonstrated from the general practice of mankind, in all ages, since our Saviour's living upon earth to this day. But not to insist upon former ages, we have but too many instances of it in our own. There is scarce a nation upon earth, but what hath heard more or less of Christ, as the Saviour of the world; yet the far greatest part of them still continue Turks or Heathens, and are so far from coming to Him, that they will not so much as profess that holy religion which He hath planted in the world, but rather do all they can to extirpate and destroy it and of those who profess it, the far greatest part only profess it; and that too, not because it is the religion of Christ, but only because it is the religion of the country where they were born and bred, and where they still live. And of those too, who do not only profess it, but seem to do some things that are required in it; there are but few that do all, but content themselves with being of such a party or faction in it; and with the outward performance of some few particular acts, whereby they may seem to be religious. This is the farthest that most of those go, who are called Christians: so true is that which our Lord said, "Many are called, but Matt.22.14. few are chosen." For of all who are thus called, there are but few that will come to Him; so very few, that they can scarce be reckoned any at all, in comparison of the many which are called.

I need not descend to particulars, most of you who are here present, know it to be true of yourselves: you are often called upon to repent and leave your sins, but ye will not do it: ye are called every day to the house of God, to perform your devotions to Him, but ye will not come: you are called to partake of all the merits of Christ's death, but you will not partake of them: you are "called out of dark- [1 Pet. 2.9.] ness into the marvellous light" of the Gospel, but ye will not walk in it: you are "called to be saints," but ye will not [Rom. 1.7; i Cor. 1. 2.] be so you are called to eternal life, by Jesus Christ, but ye will not come to Him for it. And so you yourselves make

SERM. good this saying of our Saviour, "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life."

XXXVI.

But how comes this about? What may be the reasons, why men will not come to Christ for life? Doubtless there can be none why they should not; yet howsoever, several may be assigned, why they will not do it. In treating upon which, that I may not seem to aim at any particular persons, I shall speak only of men in general, and leave it to every one's conscience, to apply what is said to himself, and to consider which of them is his reason, wherefore he is in the number of those who will not come to Christ, that they might have life.

First therefore, one great reason is, because men generally are so stupid and brutish, that they care not for the life which Christ would give them; and therefore will not come to Him for it for that hath respect to their future state, to their living hereafter in another world; whereas they are only for this present life. They, like brute beasts, look no further than what lies just before them. If they can but live in plenty and reputation among their neighbours; or if they can but live at present, they matter not what will become of them hereafter: and therefore go on, eating, and drinking, and sleeping, and working or playing away their time upon earth, till at length death comes, and carries them to a place they never thought of in all their lives. This God Himself observed in His own people, saying, that they Deut.32.28, were "a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them;" and then adds, "O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end." But that men will not do: they will not consider how to live hereafter; and then it is no wonder that "they will not come to Christ, that they might have life."

29.

And if they cannot, with all their art, keep their consciences always quiet, but they will sometimes be disturbing them with the thoughts of their future state; yet howsoever, they can make a shift to flatter themselves with the hopes, that they shall do well enough, without troubling themselves about going to Christ for help: for they are careful, and sober, and diligent in their callings; they live peaceably with

their neighbours; they pay every one their own; they are not conscious to themselves of any gross sin, nor sensible of any guilt that lies upon them; and therefore cannot see any great necessity of going to another for pardon and Salvation. This is another great reason, why there are so few that do it for Christ calls those only who are weary and heavy Matt.11.28. laden with their sins, to come to Him, none else being qualified or disposed for it. And therefore it is no wonder, that such as these, who are no way concerned about their sins, will not go to Him for life.

And of those who have some sense of their sins, many having a greater opinion of the good works which they imagine themselves to have done, they doubt not but their good works will overbalance their sins, and justify them before God, without being beholden to the righteousness of another for it. This was the case of the Jews, in the Apostles' days, and it is the case of many who are called Christians now, who "being ignorant of God's righteousness, Rom. 10. 3. and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." And therefore will not go to Christ for it, by whom alone it is possible to be had.

But there are others, though I hope not so many, who are not rightly instructed in the knowledge of Christ, or else are poisoned with those heretical opinions which the Devil, by his agents, hath endeavoured to spread among us, denying the Divinity of our blessed Saviour, and the satisfaction which He hath made for the sins of the world; and so overturning, as much as in them lies, the very foundation. of the Christian religion, and all our hopes of Salvation in it. Such people will never go to Christ for life, because they do not think they can have it by Him.

But though all the power of Hell hath been engaged to propagate these damnable Heresies among us, yet God of His infinite mercy hath prevented their taking much root among us; few having been infected with them, nor any who seriously mind their eternal Salvation: but still people generally live in the true faith of Christ, so far, at least, as to believe Him to be the only Saviour of the world, and that eternal life may be had by Him. But yet, notwith