willingness they cannot be his disciples. This is the real, and the only hindrance. Were they once willing, they would ask, and God would give them all the rest.

Do they not come because these blessings were not intended for them? No man out of hell can possibly know this respecting himself; and very few indeed habitually think it. God's secret purposes and open declarations perfectly coincide; but "secret things belong unto the Lord our God, " and the things which are revealed, to us: (a distinction not sufficiently attended to:) the former are not, and cannot be, the rule of our conduct: but the latter are; and these exclude none, but such as will not come to the gospel-feast.'Esau sold his birth-right for one morsel of meat. Now in fact the Lord did not intend that birth-right for Esau, but for Jacob; but this not being the motive of Esau's conduct, formed no excuse for it. He is condemned in Scripture as profane, a despiser of his birth-right, and an example of one who repented not till it was too late; and he is proposed as a warning to us, not to despise or pervert the mercy of God, lest our doom should be irreversibly determined. Proud contempt of free salvation, idolatrous love of earthly objects, and profane disregard for spiritual blessings, are the real motives of men's rejecting the gospel; and therefore no unknown purpose of God is allowed as an excuse. Tis true, the Elect were of the same disposition, and, had they been left to them. selves, would have made the same choice: thus boasting is "excluded," and God appears glorious in justice in condemning sinners, but more glorious in grace in saving believers.

"No man can come to me," saith our Lord, in the discourse from which our text is taken, " except the Father which hath sent me draw him."-" They shall be all "taught of God; every man, therefore, that hath heard and "hath learned of the Father, cometh to me." We are here informed, how this otherwise insurmountable hindrance is removed. Men are drawn by rational inducements, not forced by external violence; and this drawing is effected by the communication, not of new faculties, but of new dispositions and discoveries, which give a new direction to the judgment, desires, and affections. They are taught of "taught.of "God," and "learn of the Father," who both opens the eyes of their understanding, takes the veil from their heart, and causes his light to shine upon them, and within them. Frequently after long patience with them, and preserving them during their ungodly course of life; in some cases, when they are grown more determined in wickedness than ever, and it might be supposed they were nigh unto destruc* Matt. xxiii, 3, Luke xiv. 18, 2 Heb. xii. 17,

tion; by his Holy Spirit he shows them his glorious majesty and holiness, their relations and obligations to him, and the authority, extent, and reasonableness of his law. Thus he "convinces them of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment;" and lays open the eternal world to their view in all its tremendous importance; till, alarmed at their danger, they tremble at his word, and take warning "to flee from the wrath "to come." Their terror is accompanied by humiliation and penitent remorse, when the Holy Spirit teaches them the odious nature and dreadful tendency of sin, and the vileness of their own conduct and character: and then every kind and degree of reformation, and amendment, prove utterly insufficient to appease their disquieted consciences. While others, after awakenings, take shelter in this refuge of lies, they are taught to exclaim, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all "our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." Thus by despair of atoning for the past, or justifying themselves before a holy God, by such unholy services, they are made cordially willing to accept of gratuitous salvation.

They discover, likewise, that personal holiness is absolutely necessary; and are taught that" the Lord can have no pleasure in iniquity;" and that none can be meet for a holy heaven, and the enjoyment of a holy God, without conformity to his holiness. Thus they are preserved from that fatal refuge of lies, into which the love of sin betrays vast numbers, of perverting the doctrines of grace into a reason for being satisfied in the neglect of holiness. At the same time they are taught of God their own utter inability to obtain this holiness, except from him; and they learn to prize "sanctification by the Spirit," as highly as redemption by the blood of Christ. When such important concerns engross their minds, worldly objects seem diminished, and they learn to despise them, and to count them as nothing in comparison of the salvation of their souls. Thus they become willing to deny themselves, to forsake all, and to follow Christ, bearing their cross whilst others perish in the vain attempt to serve God and Mammon, and to reconcile the interests of time and eternity.

In this manner the hindrances, arising from the pride and carnal passions of the heart, being efficaciously removed, men readily learn under God their Teacher, the grand lesson, without which all others would be useless, and to which all else are subordinate. We must mention one thing before another; but it is not necessary to determine in what order these instructions are communicated, or whether more speedily, or more gradually. But, in his own time and manner, the divine Spirit will teach every elect person the nature,

truth, and glory of the gospel of Christ; and show him, that in the divine Saviour, in his righteousness, sacrifice, intercession, and grace, all he wants, or can desire, is contained : "He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and "shall shew it unto you." I Now the sinner feels an ardent longing for an interest in Christ and all his blessings, and fears nothing so much as being rejected. Now he makes, trembling perhaps, his earnest application. "Behold he prayeth!" As a condemned criminal, a perishing sinner, he comes, he applies, he waits; he persists in waiting and praying; and, giving up every other hope, he says, "Lord, to

whom shall I go? thou hast the words of eternal life." Now he respects every instruction, observes every direction, uses every means, watches against every sin, attends to every duty; yet trusts in nothing but the free mercy of God through the redemption of his Son, whom he desires " to "be made unto him, Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanc"tification, and Redemption." Now he is very apt to suspect that his mode of application is not right; and becomes jealous of himself lest he should be deceived. And, though he longs for relief from the burden of his guilt, yet he fears losing even his distress improperly, and still seeks for more earnestness and deeper humiliation. He will take no denial, yield to no discouragement, and be satisfied with nothing short of all, that Christ died to purchase, and is exalted to bestow, pardon, righteousness, holiness, liberty, victory, and eternal life. Thus all, whom the Father hath given unto Christ, being taught and drawn of God, come unto him, receive him, and walk in him.—But is this our experience, or is it not? It is for substance, though with circumstantial variations, I trust, the experience of all true Christians: and yet I fear many, who are zealous for orthodox doctrines, continue strangers to this method of coming to Christ from day to day, for his complete salvation.2 I proceed, however,

IV. To observe that Christ will most certainly receive all

John xvi. 14, 15.

As the godly consideration of predestination and our election in 'Christ is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh, and their earthly members, ' and drawing up their minds to high and heavenly things; as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal sal'vation, to be enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently 'kindle their love towards God: so for curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the sentence of God's predestination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the devil doth thrust them, either into desperation, or into ⚫ wretchedness of unclean living, no less perilous than desperation,' (17th Article.)

who come unto him. This is here most emphatically declared: "him, that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out ;" and the double negation in the original is still more expressive. Had the vilest sinner, who ever trembled, under the desponding apprehensions of having sinned beyond all reach of mercy, been allowed to draw up a clause for his own encouragement in coming to the Saviour, he could scarcely have worded it more favourably. Imagine the basest character, which ever disgraced humanity, and scourged the world; one grown hoary in multiplied robberies, murders, adulteries, rapes, and unnatural lusts; and breathing out perjuries and blasphemies, as if ambitious of pre-eminence in profaneness: if even this man truly come to Christ, "he will in no wise cast him "out." Suppose the most consummate villainy, to the very verge of life, carried on under the broad vizor of designed hypocrisy; or some wretch, emboldened in sin by the very gospel itself, who had given such scandal, that thousands in hell should curse him as the occasion of their perdition; or some vile apostate, some Judas, who had betrayed and sold his Lord. If even such persons really come to Christ, in the manner that hath been described, he will, he can " in no wise "cast any of them out." He cannot; not from a natural, but a moral inability: he cannot deny himself: he cannot alter the word that is gone out of his lips. I determine not whether they ever do actually come, or whether it is much to be expected that they should: for "there is a sin unto “death," and "it is impossible to renew some unto repent66 ance." But did they come, even at the last hour, they should" in no wise be cast out; for there is nothing in the constitution of the gospel to exclude them from mercy. Should there then be one present who is ready to despair, and trembles to approach the mercy-seat, because he expects and dreads a repulse; let him make the trial, and plead the promise, and wait the Lord's time in his way; and he shall find, that neither aggravated guilt, nor strong corruptions, nor inveterate evil habits, can exclude him from this full and free salvation.

No man has the least occasion in such circumstances to enquire previously whether he be elected, which he cannot possibly know in this stage of his experience. He needs only to ask himself, am I sincerely willing to be saved from sin, and all its consequences, in the humbling, self-denying, method of the gospel? Do I believe that Jesus, and he alone, is able thus to save me? do I apply to him and trust in him for these things; and am I so willing as to observe his directions, and use the means which he hath appointed for that end? Every approach to a temper and conduct, so opposite to cor

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rupt nature, must be from some kind or degree of influence of the Holy Spirit; and whatever looks like it should be in a measure encouraged. But as many promising appearances are blighted, and the Scripture speaks of such as "had been partakers of the Holy Ghost, and had tasted the good word "of God, and the powers of the world to come, who yet fell away: we are constrained to add, that not every operation of this kind is that good work, which distinguishes the chosen people of God.-Nay, probably few perish, where the word of God is fully preached, without many awakenings, many fears, many desires, yea, and many feeble endeavours, which are all subdued and extinguished through the love of sin. "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say "unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Yet as far as there is any tendency to good in these things, they are to be ascribed to a good cause: and not only "hat"ing the light," and acting in defiance of their own consciences, but also "resisting the Holy Ghost," will at the day of judgment be found among the aggravations of sin, in many that perish.

Nor are they who are saved free from the same guilt: but in them grace proves victorious; and, though resisted, by invincible efficacy, it gains the ascendancy. This distinguishing work of God will in time shew itself, and make it evident that the man was drawn and taught of God in coming to Christ. Hence, when all are invited, none will come but they who are willing: none are willing, but such as are made willing by God: he makes none willing but the elect: he would have all encouraged, who are willing: he will have all sinners left without excuse: no one can know his election, but by his vocation; nor his vocation, until he hath actually come to Christ: and there is no way to answer these ends, but by free and urgent invitations, connected with warnings, instructions, exhortations, and expostulations. If this style of address be not adopted, you 66 quench the smok"ing flax, and break the bruised reed: " for the trembling penitent will be apt to say, If any poor sinner may not come, how can I know that I may? For I know not that I am elected: But if every one is invited, then I may come, and now I am heartily willing, and this gives me encouragement.'

Many are zealous for the system, who do not understand the arguments by which it is maintained: But he that does, will allow that this question is the very knot of the whole controversy; Who makes a man willing to be saved in the me

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