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opens finally and everlastingly to him; the heart once opened to Chrift, must stand open for ever to him, never to shut out Chrift any more. And here is a very obfervable difference betwixt a man that comes to Chrift, in a fudden fright of conscience, and parts with him again when that fright is over; and a man that receiveth Chrift not to fojourn, but to dwell in his heart by faith, Ephef. iii. 17. When Chrift comes into the heart, he faith, here will I dwell for ever; and Lord, faith the foul, fo I receive thee; this is the day of union, O let me never know a day of feparation; let it never be in the power of life or death, angels, principalities, or powers, things prefent or to come, to make a feparation betwixt thee and me. Soul, faith Christ, thou shalt be mine whilft I am in heaven; and Lord, faith the foul, I will be thine whilst I am on earth. I will never leave thee nor forfake thee, faith Chrift: O my Lord, faith the foul, hold me faft in thy hand, that I may never leave nor forfake thee; my estate, liberty, and life, may, and must go; but it is in the fixed purpose of my heart never, never to let thee go. The efpoufals betwixt Chrift and the foul are for ever, Hof. ii. 19. "I will betroth thee unto me for 66 ever, yea, for ever." And here lies another great difference betwixt the hypocrite that takes Chrift with a politic referve, that will venture with Christ at fea no farther than he can fee the fhore; and the upright heart that embarks itself with Christ without referves, come what will; that faith to him, as Ittai to David, when perfuaded to go back in a time of danger; nay, faith he, where my Lord Jefus Chrift is, whether it be in liberty or in prifon, in life or in death, there alfo will I be. Flesh may perfuade to a retreat; nay, faith the foul, I cannot retreat; but wherever the truths of Chrift, the interest and glory of Chrift are, there also muft I be; for upon these terms I first received him, and opened the door of my heart to him. These things are no furprizes to me, Chrift and I have debated them long ago; he dealt fairly with me, and I must deal faithfully with him,

Now, brethren, view over thefe fix trials: Have your eyes been opened to fee fin in its vilenefs, Chrift in his beauty and neceffity? Have your hearts been pricked and wounded with compunction and forrow for fin? Are the loves and delights of fin gone out of your fouls? Have you no exceptions either to the cross or yoke of Chrift? Have you given up all your own righteousness, whether grofs or refined, for dung and drofs, and received Chrift for ever? Then thy heart is favingly opened to him.

Fourth Ufe.

The last use that closeth this point, will be confolation to all those whofe hearts the Lord hath thus opened to receive Christ at his knocks and calls of the gospel.

Hath God indeed opened any of your hearts, and made you fincerely willing to receive Chrift? then there are ten fweet confolations, like fo many boxes of precious ointment to be pour. ed forth, in the clofe of this difcourfe, upon every fuch foul. And the

First Confolation fhall be this: The opening of any man's heart to receive Chrift, is a clear folid Scripture-evidence of the Lord's eternal love to, and fetting apart that man for himfelf from all eternity. I do not fay, that every man, whose heart is opened by faith, is thereupon immediately affured and fatisfied that God hath chofen him to falvation: But whether he apprehended it or no, the thing in itself is certain and real : Confult Theff. i. 4, 5. "Knowing, brethren beloved, your "election of God; for our gospel came not to you in word "only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghoft," &c. Their election of God was the thing to be proved; but alas, might they fay, who can know that but God alone? It is among the divine fecrets; yes, faith the apoftle, we know it, and by this we know it; for our gospel came not unto you in an empty found, but in mighty efficacy, effectually opening your hearts to believe. A more clear and certain evidence of your elec tion cannot be given in this world. Look again into Rom. viii. 30." Mreover, whom he did predeftinate, them he also called; "and whom he called, them he alfo juftified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

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There are two great and ravishing truths cleared in this Scripture; the one is this, that the whole number of the called, upon earth, is taken out of fuch as were predeftinated to life before the world was. The other is this, that as the whole number of the glorified faints in heaven, is made up of fouls called and juftified upon earth; fo the called foul, that is, the foul that favingly opens to Chrift by faith, may from that work of the Spirit upon him, folidly reafon backward to God's electing love before all time; and forward to his glorification with God, when time fhall be no more.

O how strong is the confolation flowing out of this glorious work of the Spirit upon our hearts! that is one thing..

II. Confolation. The opening of the heart to receive Christ, is the peculiar effect of the divine and almighty power of God; the arm of an angel is too weak to break thofe ftrong bars be

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fore-mentioned. Therefore the exceeding greatness of his power, is applied unto this work of believing, Eph. i. 19. "And what "is the exceeding greatnefs of his power to us-ward who be"lieve, according to the working of his mighty power which "he wrought in Chrift when he raised him from the dead." Here is power, the power of God, the greatness of his power, the exceeding greatnefs of his power, the very fame power which wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead; and all this no more than needs to make the heart of man open by faith to receive Chrift; the only key that fits the cross wards of man's will, and effectually opens his heart, is in the hand of Christ, Rev. iii. 7. " He hath the key of David, he openeth and 66 no man fhutteth."

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How long have fome of yon fat under able ministers, searching fermons, and rouzing providences? yet all to no purpose, till this almighty power came with the word, and then the work was done." Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power," Pfal. cx. 3. What a glorious power was that which opened Chrift's grave, when he lay in the heart of the earth, with a mighty ftone rolled upon his fepulchre? And how mighty a power is that which breaks afunder all those bars which kept thy foul in the ftate of fin and death? None feel this power, but only thofe whom God intendeth for falvation; and having once wrought this, it is engaged to go through with all the rest, which yet remaineth to be done, to perfect thy fal

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III. Confolation. The opening of thy heart to Chrift, is not only an effect of almighty power, but fuch an effect of it, without which all that Chrift hath done and fuffered had been of no avail to thy falvation; neither the eternal decrees of God, nor the meritorious fufferings of Chrift, are effectual to any man's falvation, until this work of the Spirit be wrought upon his heart. The offering up of Chrift is, in its kind and place, fuffi3 cient to purchase our redemption; but it is the receiving of Chrift by faith that brings home falvation to our fouls; where there be many con-causes to produce one effect, that effect is not produced until the laft caufe have wrought. Thus it is here, the moving cause, viz. the free grace of God, hath wrought; and the meritorious cause, the death of Chrift, hath alfo wrought; but still the heart, even of an elect man, remaineth under guilt and condemnation, until the Spirit, who is the applying cause, have also wrought this bleffed effect we now fpeak of. It is Christ in us, i. e. in union with our fouls, which is, to us, the hope of glory, Col. i. 27. 1 Cor. i. 30. Behold then the last

stroke given in this opening of the heart by faith; herein elect ing love hath brought home Chrift, with all the purchases and benefits of his death, into the actual poffeffion of thy foul. O how tranfporting and ravishing a confideration is this!

IV. Confolation. In this work, the opening of the heart by faith, the great defign and main intention of the gofpel is alfo anfwered and accomplished. You behold in the church a glori ous frame of ordinances fet up by divine institution, ministers appointed to preach fermons, facraments, prayers, finging, variety of ordinances fet up, excellent gifts given to men, as the fruit of Chrift's afcenfion into heaven. Now what was the defign of God in the institution of all these things, but that by them, as inftruments in his hand, our ignorant, dead, unbelieving hearts might be opened to Chrift, in acts of repentance and faith, and built up to a perfect man? Ministers are sent “to open your eyes, turn you from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God," Acts xxvi. 18. They are not fent by Christ into this world to get a living, to drive fo poor a trade as that for themselves, but to bring you to faith, 1 Cor. iii. 5. When God's elect are thus brought in and built up in Chrift, you fhall fee this glorious frame of ordinances taken down; there will be no more preaching nor hearing, the end of all these things being accomplished; 1 Cor. xv. 24. " Then cometh the "end, when he fhall have delivered up the kingdom to God,

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even the Father," &c. Now the confideration of the accomplishment of the great and principal defign of the gospel thus far upon thy heart, is matter of transporting joy. Minifters may, and must die, ordinances may be removed, but this blessed effect of them upon thy foul fhall never die: God will perfect what he hath begun. That is the fourth confolation.

V. Confolation. And then, 5thly, That day wherein thy heart is favingly opened to receive Christ, that very day is falvation come to thy foul. When Zaccheus's heart was opened to Christ, he tells him, Luke xix. y. "This day is falvation come "to thy houfe." Salvation was come into the world before thou wast born; yea, falvation was come to thy doors in the tenders of the gospel before, but it never came into thy foul till the day wherein thy heart opened to Chrift by faith. And is not this matter of fingular confolation? If falvation be not, what is; no wonder that the eunuch went home rejoicing when he had received Christ by faith, Acts viii. 39. that the jaylor rejoiced with all his houfe, Acts xvi. 34. Neither blame, nor wonder at men for rejoicing, for it is the day of their falvation. It is true, their falvation is not finished that day, there may be

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many things yet to be done, and fuffered by them before the completeing of it; but it is begun that day, the foundation is laid in the foul that day, and the top-ftone fhall be fet up with fhouting in due time, crying, grace, grace, unto it.

VI. Confolation. The opening of a finner's heart to Christ makes joy in heaven, a triumph in the city of our God above; Luke xv. 7. "I fay unto you, likewise, that joy shall be in "heaven over one finner that repenteth, more than over ninetynine juft perfons which need no repentance." As when a young prince is born, all the kingdom rejoices, the conduits run with wine, and there is all demonstration of joy and thankfulnefs in every city and town: It is much more fo in heaven, when a foul is born to Chrift under the gospel. It is a fatiffaction to the heart of the Lord Jefus, who now beholds more of the travail of his foul, and to all the angels and faints, that another foul is efpoufed to him.

Beloved, when the gospel is effectually brought home by the Spirit to the heart of a finner, and wounds him for fin, fends him home, crying, O fick, fick of fin, and fick for Chrift; the news thereof is presently in heaven, and fets the whole city of God a rejoicing. Chrift never rejoiced over thee before, thou haft wounded him and grieved him a thousand times, but he never rejoiced in thee till now; and that which gives joy to Christ may well be matter of joy to thee. And that is the fixth confolation.

VII. Confolation. And then, 7thly, That day thy heart is unlocked, unbarred, and favingly opened by faith, that very day an intimate, fpiritual, and everlasting union is made betwixt Christ and thy foul; from that day Chrift is thine, and thou art his. Chrift is a great and glorious perfon, but how great and glorious foever he be, the small and feeble arms of thy faith may furround and embrace him; and thou mayeft say, with the church, "My beloved is mine, and I am his: "For mark what he faith in the text, "If any man open to me, I will come "unto him." That foul fhall be my habitation, there will I dwell for ever. Thus will Chrift dwell in your hearts by faith. What foul feels not itself advanced by this union with the Son of God? Hereby the believer becomes a member of his body, flesh and bones; this is an honour bestowed upon thy foul, above, and beyond all that honour that ever God beftowed upon any angel in heaven; to them Chrift is an head by way of dominion, but to thee by way of vital influence. Angels are as the barons and nobles of his kingdom, but the believer VOL. IV. Mm m

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