clean under the law were cleansed by the fprinkling of blood.-We are to draw near,

(4.) Having our bodies wafbed with pure water; that is, our outward man also purged; that fo, having clean hands, and a pure heart, we may afcend to the hill of God, and stand in his holy place, Pfal. xxiv. A blameless outward converfation. Sin fo curbed and borne down within, that it do not feandaloufly break out into the life; and this must be done with the pure water of the Spirit of fanctification, not with the muddy water of Christlefs endeavours, as in painted hypocrites. -From this fubject, I would take the following

DOCTRINE, That Chriftians may, and ought to draw near to God.

Let us draw near. This is the voice of the gofpel founding in the ears of the visible church through our Lord Jefus Chrift; and it is founding in our ears more particularly this day, while he gives us the hope of his coming fo near us in the facrament of the fupper next Lord's day.

In this difcourfe, I fhall attend shortly to the following things.

I. SHEW what is implied in this, Let us draw

near.

II. Shew that we may draw near.

III. Shew that we ought to draw near. IV. Add the practical improvement of the fubject.-We are then,

I. To fhew what is implied in this, Let us draw near. There are two things in it.

1. Sin has fet us at a diftance from God: Ifa. lix. 2. "But your iniquities have feparated between you and your God, and your fins have hid

his face from you, that he will not hear."

Sin indeed could not remove us out of the place where God is, for he is every where; but it has fet us out of his favour, out of his friendship, and that is a fad outcaft. In Adam, while he ftood, we lived in the land of light, the light of God's countenance; but he finned, and was banished from the prefence of the Lord, after he had run away from him with us in his loins; and fo we come into the world estranged from God: Pfal. lviii. 3. "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go aftray as foon as they be born, fpeaking lies."

"And

2. Sinners ftand at a distance from God, till they be called, and that powerfully: John, vi. 44. "No man can come unto me, except the Father, who hath fent me, draw him." They keep their ground where their firft father left them. The breach began on our fide, we left our father's houfe, and ran away from it without all just ground, but we never come back again till worthlefs we be fent for and fetched; like the Levite's concubine, Jude, xix. 2. 3.-And here lies the cafe : Infenfible finners will not: John, v. 40. ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life." They are away, and they will not come back. They have no eye upon the privileges of them that are near; they can do well enough without it. They love the devil's common, where they can ramble up and down at their own liber, ty, better than God's inclofure, where they think a man cannot get elbow-room. Hence they are running away farther and farther from him, till, I believe, not a few are so far from him, that they hardly ever hear from him; nor is there one left with them to disturb them in their wandering.

Senfible finners dare not: Luke, v. 8. "When Simon Peter faw it, he fell down at Jefus' feet,

faying,

faying, Depart from me, for I am a finful man, O Lord." They fee his glory and his feat, they admire the happiness of those that stand before him, as the queen of Sheba did the attendants of Solomon, i Kings, x. 8. But they dare not draw near, but ftand afar off, under a deep fense of unworthinefs. Like the Publican, they cannot lift up their eyes to heaven, but fmite upon their breafts, faying, God be merciful to us finners, Luke, xviii. 13. They cannot conceive how fuchvile malefactors can face the Judge, how fuch prodigals can fet their foot again in their Father's house, how fuch filthy, loathfome, beggarly creatures, can prefume to come forward to the throne. If at any time they break forward, it is like offering violence to themselves. They take their life in . their hand, and, like Efther, go in to the king, chap. iv. 16. And then the legs of their confidence tremble, the hands of faith shake, and they are ready to start back: But let us draw near.— This brings us,

II. To fhew, that we may draw near to God. Glad news this to poor fenfible finners! Come in, ye bleffed of the Lord; why do you stand back? you may draw near to God.-For,

I. God is on a throne of grace in Jefus Chrift: 2 Cor. v. 19. "To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trefpaffes unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." God has in Chrift laid afide his red garments, being to purfue the war no longer against those that come to him through Chrift. He wears the white garment of peace, and breathes nothing from hence, but peace, love, and good-will. To look on an abfolute God out of Chrift, is enough to make a devil VOL. II.

X

tremble.

tremble. You are not called to draw near to him as fuch. Indeed fome prefumptuous finners will, like beafts, touch the mountain; but darts of wrath will ftrike through their confciences, and drive them back at length. But you are to draw near to God, as on his throne of grace, in Christ.

2. There is a way to the throne never trode, nor designed to be trode, by any but finners fuch as you, and the like of you. This is no backentry, but the moft glorious way to the throne. Adam had a way to it, but that is blocked up; there is a new and living way confecrated for us, Heb. x. 20. And may we not draw near by it? It lies through the vail of Chrift's flesh, and leads into the holieft, the feat of God! It is a way paved with glory to God, peace on earth, and goodwill to men. It will vail all your weaknesses, wants, and blemishes; yea, it vails the fiery law, wraps it up out of fight; it vails the fword of juftice. The fmiles of a reconciled God fhine through it, to revive and refresh the hearts of the guilty.

Pfal.

3. He is a friend of ours who is fet over the houfe of God: Heb. x. 21. "And having an High-Prieft over the house of God," that is, Jefus Chrift. He was taken out from among us, being "bone of our bone, and flesh of our flefh." lxxxix. 19. "Thou fpakeft in vifion to thy Holy One, and faidft, I have laid help upon one that is mighty, I have exalted one chofen out of the people." He is for us, in things pertaining to God, to employ his power and intereft for us in the court of heaven. He bears the keys of the house, and admits whom he will, gives them what he will, brings as far forward as he will: John, v. 22. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement to the Son." And he is a Priest, a High-Prieft, who will take all our fer

vices, wash away all their pollution, and offer them for us with the much incense of his merits terceffion.-We now proceed,

III. To fhew, that we ought to draw near: Let us draw near.--For,

I. It is the command of God: James, iv. 8. "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.' God commands run-aways to return, and draw near to him. He commands returning finners to come forward, and come near him. He gives them no thanks for standing afar off. Though he can bear with them long, yet he is not pleased when a sense of fin makes poor fenfible finners ftand off from him as affrighted at him. His fatherly bowels yearn toward them: Luke, XV. 20. "And he arose, and came to his father; but when he was yet a great way off, his father faw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kiffed him."

2. If we do not draw near to God, we difhonour his Son, and so dishonour himself, in so far as we fruftrate the great defign of the mystery of Christ: John, v. 23. "That all men fhould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which fent him." Eph. ii. 13. 14. "But now in Chrift Jefus, ye who fometimes were afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Chrift. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle-wall of partition between us.' So far as we stand afar off from God, we difhonour the friendship of God, the blood of the Son of God in its efficacy and virtue, while we dare not truft ourselves in the new and living way, and under the covert of the Redeemer's blood. We now proceed,

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IV.