cerely of them: and so God gives them "repentance unto Acts 11. 18. life," "and to the acknowledging of the truth." For now 2 Tim. 2. 25. they are uneasy and restless in their minds; they know not what to do with themselves, wishing with all their souls, that their sins could be pardoned, and God reconciled again to them. But how that can be done, they know not of themselves; if they did, they would soon endeavour after it all they can being ready to catch at any thing that they think will give any quiet to their minds, and ease them of the burden that lies upon them. Now being thus prepared and disposed for it, they are further taught of God, that what they so earnestly desire, may be had by Christ, and by Him only; that if they go to Him, He will save them from their sins, and from all the punishments which are due unto them upon their account. And when they are thus taught, and have learned this of God, they cannot but go to Christ; for their own inclinations, excited and assisted by the grace of God, will carry them in course to Him, as naturally as our desires of any thing else carry us to the place where it may be had. Hence it is that Christ calls all such, and none but such, to come unto Him, saying, "Come to Me all Matt.11.28. ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He calls no other, because He knows they will not come; but He calls all who are thus disposed, because they will certainly come to Him, as ever they desire to have any rest or quiet in their souls.

This might be further explained by several instances recorded in the Holy Scriptures. I shall produce only one at present: when St. Peter, upon the day of Pentecost, had preached a short sermon to the Jews, his auditors were so taught of God, working together with His Word, that they were pricked in their hearts; that is, they were touched with a quick sense of their sins, and of the miserable condition they were thereby in: insomuch that they knew not what to do with themselves, but cried out to the Apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Upon which St. Acts 2. 37. Peter taught them from God, that by Jesus Christ they might have remission of their sins; which they no sooner heard, but they received it gladly, and were immediately baptized, and so came to Christ: insomuch that the same

XXIX. Acts 2. 41.

SERM. day "there were added to the number of His Disciples about three thousand souls." Which plainly shews both how the Father gave them unto Christ, and how willingly, how gladly they themselves did thereupon come to Him: and by consequence, how truly our Lord here saith, “All that the Father giveth Me, shall come to Me." Which He had no sooner said, but He presently adds, "And him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." And it is well for us that He added this: for though the Father hath given us, and we accordingly do go to Christ; yet if Christ, after all, should reject us, what would then become of us? We should still be but where we were, in a lost and undone condition. But blessed be His great name, there is no fear of that; for we have it here from Christ's own mouth, that He will not cast us out: He will cast none out, not so much as one of all that come unto Him. Which that He might better assure us of, He alters here His way of speaking: He said before," All that the Father giveth Me, shall come to Me;" but He doth not say, "All that come to Me, I will not cast out." If He had expressed Himself so, we might have been apt to suspect, that though He would not cast out all that come to Him, yet He might cast out some; and we might be in the number of those some, as well as any other which would have been a great discouragement to us, and to all other from coming to Him, in that we could never be certain, but that our labour might be all in vain. Wherefore to prevent that, He speaks here of every particular person, singly or by himself, ròv góμevov, him that cometh to Me,' him, whosoever he be, "I will in no wise cast him out." Whereby we are fully assured, that whatsoever nation a man is of, whatsoever his condition be, whatsoever age he lives in, and howsoever he hath hitherto lived, yet, if he come to Christ, Christ will not cast him out.

"I will," saith He, " in no wise cast him out;" où μǹ izbáλw, with a double negative, to make it the more emphatical: as if He had said, I will not, I will not in any wise cast him out. Whereby He hath given us as full assurance as can be given, that He will cast out no person whatsoever that comes to Him. He will not cast out, that is, He will not reject or refuse any that come to Him, but will admit them into His

flock; He will receive them into the number of those whom He will take care of, that they shall not be lost, or perish, but have everlasting life: that this is what He means by not casting out, appears from the reason, which He Himself here gives, why He will not do it, saying, " And this is the John 6. 39. Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day," that is, to everlasting life; as appears from the following verse, as also from His saying afterwards to His Father, "As Thou hast given Him power over all John 17. 2. flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him." This therefore being the Father's Will, in giving them to Him, that He might give eternal life to them; this must needs be that which He means by His not casting them out, even that He will fulfil His Father's Will in giving them eternal life, that eternal life which consisteth in the perpetual enjoyment of God, and of all things they can desire in Him. To the same purpose is that which He saith a little before my text, " He that cometh to Me, shall ver. 35. never hunger; and He that believeth on Me, shall never thirst,” that is, he shall be brought into so happy a state of life, that he shall actually inherit and enjoy all things, and therefore shall never hunger or thirst any more for His appetite must needs cease, when there is nothing in the world which he hath not; and, by consequence, nothing which he can desire: for no man can desire that which he already hath. And therefore seeing he shall have all things, he must needs be fully satisfied, and as happy as it it possible for a creature to be. This is that life, that eternal life, which our Saviour here promiseth to all that come to Him, as He elsewhere blames those that will not come unto Him for it, saying, " And ye will not come to Me, that ye might John 5. 40. have life." Whereby He likewise gives us to understand,

that it is He only that gives eternal life, and that He gives it to none but those who come to Him; but that all who come to Him shall certainly have it.

Shall have it, did I say? Yea, they have it in a manner

already for Christ Himself saith, "He that believeth on John 6. 47. Me, hath everlasting life." And "whoso eateth My flesh, ver. 54. and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life." He hath not

XXIX.

SERM. only an undoubted right and title to it hereafter, but he hath the seed of it sown already in his heart; which, by degrees, will most certainly grow up to perfection: and 1 John 3. 15. therefore may be truly said "to have eternal life abiding in John 17.3. him," as St. John words it. For "this is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He hath sent." But this Christ gives to those that come to Him, so soon as they come to Him; as appears from His saying preJohn 17.6-9. sently after those words to His Father, "I have manifested Thy Name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me, and they have kept Thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me, are of Thee. For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me. I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine." Which words of our blessed Saviour, seem to be recorded on purpose to shew us, how He gives eternal life to those who are given by the Father, and therefore come to Him. For here we may observe, that He had manifested both the Father and Himself unto them; so that they knew the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He had sent; "which," as He had said before," is eternal life." We may observe also, that He had given them this knowledge, so as that they knew surely or certainly, that He came from God, and believed upon His Word, that God had sent Him; and therefore acted their faith on Him, as sent from God to save them. Again, we may observe, that as they knew and believed, so they received and kept the words which He had given them from the Father, all the words, and by consequence, that their knowledge and faith put them also upon obedience to all that He had taught them. But he who thus knows, believes, and obeys the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent, must needs have eternal 1 John 3. 9. life, as being born of God, and His seed remaineth in Him. Lastly, we may here observe what our Saviour doth to keep those who come to Him always in the true faith and fear of God, that they may live that life which He hath given them:

ver. 6. 8.

He prays, or intercedes with the Father for them, for all of them, and no other. "I pray for them," saith He, "I pray for them," saith He, "I pray John 17. 9. not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me." "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which ver. 20. shall believe on Me through their word." But let us hear what He asketh for them: "Holy Father," saith He, "keep, ver. 11. through Thine own Name, these whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are." "I pray not that ver. 15. Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil." "Sanctify them through ver. 17. Thy truth; Thy Word is truth." "That they all may be ver. 21. one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us." "I in them, and Thou in Me; that ver. 23. they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me." And then He adds, "Father, I will that ver. 24. they also whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me, where I am, that they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me." I have transcribed His own words, because they contain a clear specimen of that intercession which He makes in Heaven, for all that come to Him upon earth. For here we see, that He, by virtue of that sacrifice which He offered for them, doth not only make atonement for their sins, and reconcile them to His Father, " that He may love them as He loves Him," as it is here expressed; but He likewise prays the Father to keep them in His Name, to keep them from the evil, to sanctify and make them holy, that they may be made perfect in one, as He and the Father are; and so may be like to God, partakers of the Divine Nature while they are upon earth, and afterwards live with Him for ever in Heaven. These are great things which He asketh for them and yet He never prayeth in vain; for the Father always hears Him. By this means it is, that He gives eternal life to all that come to Him. He rejects none, but admits them, every one, into an interest in this His most powerful intercession, according as He here promiseth, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."

Neither doth He only promise it (though that would have been enough), but for the greater confirmation of our faith, He gives us the reason why He will cast out none that come

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