despair; but the Lord timely opens his eyes, as he did Hagar's to fee the well, when the child was laidby for dead. And he fees,

1. Full fafety for him there, if he could get in among them, Luke xv. 17. The foul gets a view of Christ in the tranfcendent glory of his perfon and offices; fees him an able and fufficient Saviour, Heb. vii. 25. having a fulness of merit, for procuring him the pardon of his greatest and most numerous fins; and of Spirit, for fanctifying him, and fubduing the ftrongeft lufts.

2. Free access for him to get in among them, Jer. iii. 22. He beholds the gates of the city of refuge caft open to receive him, and hears the voice of the Lord crying to him to turn in thither, Zech. ix. 12. believes Chrift to be not only an able, but a willing Saviour, willing to receive him; otherwife he would

never come away.

He

This fight is given by the Spirit, demonstrating the word of the gofpel to the foul, I Cor. ii. 4, 5. He fhews it convincingly to be the infallible word of the eternal God, and his word to the finner in particular. He brightens the glafs of the gofpel, fo that in it they clearly fee the glory of the Lord Chrift, which they never faw before. And here they discover in him,

(1.) A reft to their confciences, not to be got in the fiery region of the law, Heb. ix. 14. "How much more fhall the blood of Chrift, who through the eter nal Spirit, offered himfelf without fpot to God, purge your confciences from dead works to ferve the living God?" The confcience ftung with guilt, cannot be quieted with an imperfet righteoufnefs, that comes not up to the laws demands of perfect obedience and fatisfaction; but the gospel reveals Chrift's righteoufnefs, Rom. 1 17. a broad cover, that falye which applied makes a fick confcience hale, Ifa. xxxiii. ult.

(2.) A rest to their hearts, not to be got in the barren region of the creation, Pfal. lxxiii. 25. "Whom

G.3

have

have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee." The foul being a spiritual fubftance immortal, can never rest fully in the enjoyment of temporal things; they are neither fufficient for it, nor certain. But in Chrift there is a fulness, and that inexhaustible; and fo the man fees him as commenfurable to the defires of the foul.

THIRDLY, The finner's coming to be willing to come out from among the world, and to come in to Chrift and his company, Pfal. cx. 3. "Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power." Sinners naturally are unwilling to come away out of the world lying in wickednefs, and to come to Chrift; it is as much against the grain with them, as for the fishes to come out of the water to dry land. They like their mafter, their work, and their company there; they would never leave them, if they could but fee how to put up with them. They have a heart averfion and enmity to Chrift, and his company, his way, and his law. But the Spirit makes them willing, renewing their will, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. And they become,

from

1. Rationally and deliberately willing to come out among them, the foul being moved thereto with the greatest reafon. A drawing there is in the cafe, but no force, only strong perfuafion, Gen. ix. 27. It is no blind impulfe brings men to Chrift; it is no rash and inconfiderate adventure, but the coft is counted ere this building is begun. Where it is otherwise, men foon fhew that they are ftill among them, for all the bustle they feemed to make to be away.

2. They are abfolutely willing, content on any terms, as Paul was, Acts ix. 6. "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Many could be willing on fuch and fuch terms, if they could get leave to pick and chufe, if it were that fuch a particular luft only might be spared, if as to fuch a duty they might be excufed; but they that are willing indeed are abfolutely willing, willing at any rate.

3. They

3. They are willing for the prefent, nothing else anfwers the gospel-call, Heb. iv. 7. To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Felix was willing, but for an after time, not for the prefent; so many young finners are willing to come out from among the world lying in wickedness, if once they were paft their youth, and come of age; and the anged, if they were come to a death-bed. But the coming finner is willing to come out from among them this moment.

4. Lastly, They are peremptorily willing: it is not a thing only they are willing to do, but they are peremptory they will do it. They are not only content to leave them, but they may not, dare not, will not ftay longer with them, coft what it will. They are willing, as the flayer, to be in the city of refuge; for, by their conviction and faving illumination, they fee there is fafety there, and no where else.

FOURTHLY, The last step is the finner's joining himfelf to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the fociety oppofite to the world lying in wickedness, Jer. 1. 5. which implies two things.

1. An actual renouncing of the world lying in wickednefs, and all that is therein, Job xxxiv. 32. That which I fee not, teach thou me; if I have done iniquity, I will do no more." He renounces his relation to that fociety, their work, their way and course, refolute to bid an eternal farewel thereto, and to stay no longer among them, come what will. Though a Red fea be before him, he knows not how to get through, he is peremptory not to return to Egypt.

2. A receiving and refting on Christ for all, John i. 12. "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name." They fell all to buy the field; part with all for the one pearl. Chrift is held forth in the gofpel as a full and fatisfying portion, as a reft to the confcience, and a reft to the heart; and faith clofes

clofes the eyes to all others, and takes him as fuch in the word of the gofpel-offer, Pfal. Ixxiii. 25.

Hereby the foul is knit to Chrift, becomes a member of his mystical body, Eph. iii. 17. By this means there is a spiritual marriage betwixt Chrift and the foul entered into; Chrift becomes the believer's; and the believer his, only, wholly, and for ever, Cant. ii. 16. "My beloved is mine, and I am his." So they are one spirit with Christ, 1 Cor. vi. 17.

And thus the finner is effectually out from among them, no more of their number, no more in their state and cafe; he is brought into another oppofite fociety, whofe communion is with the Father and his Son Jefus Chrift. Tho' thereafter he is indeed in the world, yet he is no more of it; and though he is yet out of heaven, he is really of the family there.

III. I proceed to confider the call from the Lord to come out from among them. And,

:. I. The ground in law that it is founded on, is the eternal agreement of the glorious Trinity for man's falvation. The Lord Jefus Chrift having undertaken -to do and die for and instead of an elect world, and his merit being fufficient for the redemption of the whole -world; the Father was fo well pleased with his undertaking and performance, that he made him the ordinance of heaven for falvation to all that would believe; he gave him a kingdom to be raised out of the world lying in wickedness. And thereon the call is founded, Matt. xxii. 4. All things are ready, come unto the marriage.

2. This call was drawn up and recorded in the Bible, by the Holy Spirit, that it might not be only a call by word of mouth that paffeth, but in writing that is permanent, which the called may have occafion to confult when they please, Ifa. lv. 1. “Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea,

come,

come, buy wine and milk without money, and without price." The whole Bible is a declaration of this call, with promises to those that answer it, and threa tenings against them that refuse it. So the truth and reality thereof is fealed by the blood of Chrift, the blood of the testament.

3. It is given in the gospel by Jefus Christ, with the confent of his Father and Spirit. The Father has fent him to call finners to come out from among the world lying in wickedness. The Spirit fays, Come. A whole Trinity invites them to come away, not willing that the captive exiles fhould die in the pit, Ezek. xviii. 23. 4. It is directed to men, fons of men, Prov. viii. 4. Unto you, O men, I call and my voice is to the fons of man.' 99 It is not to fallen angels; they are left to lie ftill in their wickednefs, without remedy, and to reckon for it at last. But it is addreffed to the defcendents of fallen Adam in this world, without exception of great, yea the greatest of finners, Rev. xxii. 17. "Whofoever will, let him take the water of life freely." If.i. 18. "Come now, and let us reafon together, faith the Lord; though your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Though they have continued never so long among them, and be never fo fignalized among them, they are welcome to come away from among them.

5. It was the Son of God in person, that first proclaimed this call, in paradise, Gen. iii. 15. After wards taking on our nature, and appearing in the world in our flesh, he spent the time of his public miniftry in calling finners to come out from among the world lying in wickednefs, Heb. ii. 3. though they were but few that came away upon that his call, Ifa. liii. 1.

6. He continues to call finners thereto, by his meffengers, the minifters of the gofpel, that call them in his name, 2 Cor. v. 20. And this is our work to

call