than it went into it. So it is with a poor christian: he makes a fine work of duty, and then he dies in it; but through the manifestations of God's free grace, he does, as it were, eat a hole through all, and he comes out with wings flying away from his duties, not so as to neglect the performance of them, but so as not to rest upon them: flies away from, in regard of resting upon any duty; and only upon this ground, because, says he, God did draw near to me, grace did draw near to me, mercy did draw near to me, before ever I drew near to it: and therefore why should I rest upon any duty? perform it I will, but through grace I will not rest upon it. By way of application: let us I pray consider with ourselves, whether God hath dealt thus by our souls or no; hath the kingdom of heaven approached, and drawn near unto us, before we drew near to it? If not, truly, for aught that I know, we are yet under the law: and all our mournings, and walkings heaven-ward, they are but legal: if God love you indeed, he shews kindness and mercy to you, before you do come to him. It is with God's darlings, as it is with the world's darlings. You have some men take a great deal of pains, rise early, and go to bed late, and yet the world does not smile upon them: these are the world's enemies. Some take pains, and grow rich thereby; these are the world's friends. Others there are again; that before ever they take any pains the Lord is upon them with the world's blessings; these are the world's darlings. So I say, God hath his darlings; and if thou art one of God's darlings, he does cause the kingdom of heaven, grace, and free remission to appear and draw near unto thy soul, even before thou dost draw near to it. Hath God dealt thus by any of you? Oh, contemplate, consider seriously the sweetness of this grace. Beloved, preventing grace is sweet grace. The Lord gave a crown, a kingdom to David; but the best pearl in all the crown, that his eye was most upon, was God's preventing mercy: "Lord," says he, "thou hast prevented me with the goodness of thy blessing." Ps. xxi. 3. As if he had said thus: Lord, thou hast not only given me a kingdom, made me a king over thy people; but when I was a poor shepherd, keeping my father's sheep; thou didst prevent me with thy love. So may a poor soul say, Ah, Lord, thou hast not only given me a kingdom, but thou hast prevented me with thy love. It is a great matter that the great God of heaven and earth should answer our prayers, give us any mercy upon our request: aye, but that the Lord should give us the greatest mercy before we come to it! Pray, good people, mark it a little; ye shall observe, that the greatest mercies that ye have, ye have them, and they are given unto you, before you come for them. There are some great mercies that a christian hath as conversion of his soul, justification, remission of sin; some lesser mercies as comfort, and peace, and outward plenty. As for these lesser mercies, God gives them when we do come for them; but as for the great mercies: remission of sin, justification of our persons, conversion of our souls, God is upon us with these mercies before we come for them: oh, what grace is here; oh, what glorious, rich grace is here! What, shall we not stand and admire at the glory of this free grace of God in Jesus Christ! You will say unto me: But suppose this, that the Lord hath brought the kingdom of heaven near to me, and my family, before I did come to it: for I must confess, that I have tasted, and drunk deeply of God's preventing love: oh, how graciously hath God dealt by our poor family! we were a poor, ignorant family; and the Lord shewed mercy to our family when we little thought of it: to such a child, to such a servant, to such a friend, to mine own soul. Indeed this is true, that the kingdom of heaven hath approached unto me, drawn near unto me, before I drew near to it; oh, what is my duty now that does flow from hence? Let me tell you: First of all; be sooner at heaven-gates with your duties hereafter, than ever you were before. When as a master comes into his servant's chamber in the morning, and takes him abed if the servant have any ingenuousness, the servant says, This my master's coming thus early, is plainly a rebuke to my sloth; and therefore, God willing, I will be up sooner another day. So now, when as the Lord doth thus prevent us with his grace, and is at our bed-side with his grace, when we lie sleeping, and never think of mercy and grace; an ingenuous soul should say thus: What is all this but a plain rebuke to the slothfulness of my duty? Come, up prayer, up duty, oh my soul be up sooner: yea, through the Lord's grace I will be up sooner at heaven-gate in duty, than ever I was before: his preventing grace teaches me thus much, that I am not soon enough at heaven-gate with my duty. Again, hath the Lord prevented any of you with grace, and caused the kingdom of heaven to draw near to you before you draw near to it? Do you do the like: labour in your love to be like unto Christ, to be like to God. We stand upon our terms when we have to deal with men, upon our terms of state. Had Jesus Christ stood upon his terms of state when he came to save sinners, what had become of us? We say, we will forgive such a man for wrong done to us, upon his acknowledgment: oh, but did Christ do so? Did not Christ prevent us? Beloved, ye see how it is with the water, it moves downward; but if the fire get into it; if there be water in a pot upon the fire, and fire get into the water, the fire makes it move upward, it moves according to the nature of the fire then. So now, if the love of Jesus Christ get into our hearts, it will make us move like unto Christ: how does the love of Jesus Christ move? Oh, says Christ, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do," Luke xxxiii. 34. Christ did not stay for acknowledgment: a poor, and a low thing for a christian; enough for a heathen to say so I will forgive such a man for wrong done to me upon his acknowledgment. Let our love be like unto Christ's, and labour to prevent others with our love, as Jesus Christ hath prevented us. Again, Then let all men wait upon others, with all longsuffering, and patience, for their conversion, and the revelation of truth unto them. Thou art a parent, and desirest thy child may be converted, and hast taken a great deal of pains with him for his conversion, and yet it will not be. Thou art a governor of a family, and wouldest fain have such a servant converted to Christ, and hast taken a great deal of pains, and yet it will not be. A friend you have, and you would fain that he knew such a truth, and much pains you have taken to beat such a truth into him, and he does not take it, and you are ready to be angry: but remember this, the kingdom of heaven draws near to us before we draw near to it: grace must come to thy child's soul first before it does come to Christ, mercy must come to the soul, and the Lord must come and bring truths unto the soul. What is then to be done? Then be not angry with him; wait with all longsuffering, and all patience, and go to God; go to God for thy child; go to God for thy friend; go to God for thy servant, upon this ground, because the kingdom of heaven must come to us first, before we can come to it. But especially, Trust in the Lord for ever. Oh, all you that are the servants of the Lord, upon this ground, trust in the Lord for ever. Does the kingdom of heaven approach, and draw near to us, before we draw near unto it? Then say within your souls, Doubting shall be no more. Some there are, that doubt of their salvation, because of the ignorance that is in them: darkness causes fear: they do not know the merciful disposition of Jesus Christ, and so they doubt of his love. The devil, as he labours to change himself into an angel of light; so he labours to change Christ into an angel of darkness. But beloved, ye have heard of the merciful, sweet disposition of Jesus Christ: he is willing to save sinners, and the greatest sinners; brings near the kingdom of heaven to us, before we draw near to it: oh, wilt thou doubt again; poor christian, wilt thou doubt again? Some there are, that doubt of their salvation, because they are afraid their duties shall not be accepted, prayers shall not be accepted: Oh, if I could but be persuaded, says one, that the Lord would hear my prayer, and accept of my duty, then I should know indeed I should be saved: but I am afraid the Lord doth not hear my prayers, and accept of my duties; and therefore I fear I shall not be saved. Man or woman, wherever thou standest, or art, hear the word of the Lord. Does the Lord cause the kingdom of heaven to approach and draw near to us, before we draw near to it; will the Lord be found of those that seek him not; and will he not be found of you that do seek him? Will the Lord come with his grace, and make an offer of grace and mercy to a sinner, and a great sinner; and will not the Lord receive you, when you do come unto him? Think of this and surely then you will say, Doubting shall be no more. : Some there are that doubt of their salvation, because they cannot pray; their hearts are dead; pray I cannot, and hear I cannot, and read I cannot; perform duty I cannot; and therefore I have cause to fear that I shall never come to heaven. Well, but though you cannot, man, or woman, christian, pray as thou art able, and hear as thou art able, and read as thou art able: the Lord Christ is of this sweet disposition, that he does cause the kingdom of heaven to draw near to us, before we draw near to it: oh, therefore, you that are the servants of the Lord, trust in the Lord for ever; for ever trust in the Lord and let doubting be no more. I conclude all with one word of exhortation, and it is unto those that have not yet submitted unto this kingdom of heaven, this kingdom of grace: is there a truth in this doctrine: That the kingdom of heaven, grace, mercy, and free remission, does approach unto us, before we draw near unto it; and that because, indeed, we are not able to draw near to it, before it draws near unto us? Then all you, that have not yet submitted unto this kingdom of grace, and the offer of grace and mercy in the gospel; whenever any offer shall be made unto you, take heed that ye neglect not so great salvation. You see how it is with the seaman: because the seaman is not able to raise a wind, or turn the wind when it is raised, he lies upon the sea coast ready, waiting upon the wind; and when the wind turn, then he hoists up his sails, for, says he, now the wind is come about, and if I lose this gale, I am likely to lose my voyage: I cannot turn the wind, I cannot make the wind. So I say to you, man or woman, young man or old: hath the Lord brought a gale upon thine heart at any time; a gale of mercy, made a tender of mercy, and free remission to thee? Oh, for the love of God, and of thy own soul, take heed how you lose this opportunity; is the wind come about? The Spirit bloweth where it listeth. Is the wind come about? Up with thy sails, up with thy sails, take heed how you lose this opportunity that now you have. Little do you think, that the kingdom of heaven may be in such a motion as you despise : the kingdom of heaven may be knocking at your door, the door of your heart, by such a hand as you little think of. "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which indeed is the least of all seeds; but it grows to that bigness, that the fowls of the air come and make there their |