are heinous and peculiar, they are against light, love, confcience, vows, and a thousand obligations: There is none that knows what a finner I. have been, but God and my own confcience: Will Chrift ever accept of fuch a wretch as me?

of

Anf. Art thou worfe than a devilish Manaffeh, or a perfecuting Paul, whom Chrift pitied and faved? Art thou worse than Mary Magdalene, who was a most notorious vile wretch? Yet feven devils, and an army lufts, could not keep Christ out of her heart. Nay, though thy heart were as foul and black as hell, and thy life did fwarm with the moft abominable fins; yet, Christ is both able and willing to fave thee, if thou come to him. Are you worse than those in that black catalogue? 1 Cor. vi. 9. 10. Read and fee what a black roll is there; and yet the apostle faith to the believing Corinthians, ver. 11. "Such were fome of you, yet ye are washed," &c. The blood of Chrift is a powerful fountain, and is able to wash away the greatest fins that ever were committed, be they ever fo black or bloody: God gave full proof of this, by the firft fin we read of that was cleanfed by this blood after it was fhed, even the murder of the Son of God, Acts ii. 36. 38. This was the most prodigious wickedness that ever the fun faw; (yea, the fun fainted at the fight, as afraid to look on it) for fuppofe a man were able to pull heaven and earth to pieces, deftroy the angels, and murder all mankind, he would not contract fo monftrous a guilt as those did in crucifying the Son of God, whofe perfon was infinitely fuperior to the whole creation: Yet thoufands, that were actors in this black tragedy, were washed by this blood, to give us a convincing experiment of its infinite value and virtue, and that no fin or guilt whatsoever was too strong for it: "The blood of Christ (faith John, 1 John i. 7.) cleanseth us from all fin."

Object." But though Chrift's blood be sufficient, yet I have no right to it."

Anf. Be what you will, you have a full and fufficient warrant from the gofpel call to flee to it. See what hrift injoins his apoftles to do, Mark xvi. 15. VOL. I. 3 M

"Go

into

into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," q. d. "Make offer of my blood to all without diftinction, even to the worst of finners, every creature, be they never fo wicked, yea, though they have finned themselves unto the likeness of beafts and devils; yet, if they be creatures of Adam's race, offer my blood, my mercy, and my merits to them: Invite and prefs them to come unto me, and him that cometh I will in no wife caft out. O finner! accept of the gofpel-offer; and, whatever you have been, you fhall find there is mercy enough in God's bowels to pity you, merit enough in Chrift's blood to purchase a pardon for you, and prevalency enough in his interceffion, to procure and apply it to you.

Object." But I have often flighted the gospel-offer, and trampled on this precious blood: With what confidence can I lay claim to it ?"

Anf. Since Chrift doth not exclude you, you ought not to exclude yourself; but should reckon that you have the greater need to haften to this blood, the more heinous that your fins be? Yea, you have a peculiar ground to plead upon for pardon on that account. See how David pleads it, Pfal. xxv. 11. Pardon mine iniquity, why? for it is great. This would be a ftrange argument with men, pardon my crime, for it is great; but it is a strong argument with God. Lord, it is great, and fo I have the more need of pardon: It is great, and so thou wilt have the greater honour in pardoning me, even as a phyfician hath in curing a defperate difeafe. The finning against Christ's blood, or flighting it, is indeed a very heinous fin; but the more it is fo, you have the more need to haften to this blood, as the only fountain that can wash away the guilt of trampling it, and this, indeed, can do it effectually: Nay, though you had actually fhed this blood, as the Jews did, yet, if you be humbled for it, you are welcome to come to it for mercy. Obferve that commiffion which Chrift gave to his apostles, Luke xxiv. 46. 47. where he orders them to preach repentance and remiffion in his name to all nations, and begin (faith he) at Jerufalem, O, might they say, why at Jerufalem? To be fure it is not our part to be

gin there, where they mocked, and pierced, and crucified thee the Lord of glory Nay, fays he, begin there, for thefe miferable wretches have moft need of my blood to wath them. If any thing could alienate Chrift's heart from finners, the confideration of their crucifying of him, and using him so despitefully, might have done it: Yet, fays he, go make offer of my blood and mercy to these my murderers; accordingly, it was done by Peter, Acts ii. and many of them got this blood applied to them.

Object." But as my fins are grievous in their nature, fo they are vaft in their number: They are even like the fand by the fea-fhore, both weighty and without number."

Anf. Remember the merits of Chrift's blood is infinite, but the number of thy fins is not fo; nay, though they were ten thousand times more than they are, they could not stop the current of this everflowing and overRowing fountain. Though the fands be many and large, yet the fea can overflow them all; fo, though thy fins be very numerous and extenfive, yet the fea of Chrift's blood can cover them all, and hide them from the fight of God, fo as they fhall never again appear, or rife up against you in judgment.

Object." But my fins are not only grievous in their nature, and vast in their number; but they are of very long continuance: I am an old rotten finner, long have I lien in the grave of fin: Surely Chrift will never accept of me.”

Anf. Your fins may be old, yet they are not fo old as Chrift's mercies, which are from everlasting. It is not the first old diftemper that Chrift hath cured; he raised Lazarus with a word, that had lien four days in the grave; he stopt a bloody iffue with the hem of his garment, that had run twelve years; he loofed a poor woman, that fatan had bound eighteen years; he cured an impotent man, that had an infirmity thirty-eight years: And, can he not as eafily cure all your diftempers? He received thofe that came in at the eleventh 3 M 2

hour,

hour, yea, faved fome at the laft hour, particularly the thief on the crofs, whom the devil thought he was fure of, having drawn him the length of the mouth of hell, just ready to caft him in; yet, even then, upon his looking to Chrift, did the arms of mercy catch hold of him.

What more canft thou object, O finner? Hath not Christ provided anfwers to all thou canst fay, either against thyself or him? Hath he not given unanfwerable demonflration of his ability, fulness, fitness, and willingness to be thy Saviour? Hath he not given full proof of his earnest defire to fave thee, by the many methods he takes to prevail with finners to accept of him? Will not all the pains he hath hitherto taken, prevail with thy obftinate heart? What more would you have Chrift to do with unwilling finners? There is yet one step further he makes, and that is a very low one: He even, as it were, turns a humble fupplicant to thee, and upon his bare knees befeeches thee to be reconciled to him. Read 2 Cor. v. 20. "We are am baffadors for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us; we pray you in Chrift's ftead, be ye reconciled to God." O wonderful condefcenfion! Behold divine mercy kneeling down to a finner in the humbleft pofture, with wringed hands and watry cheeks, importuning the finner to receive his Saviour, accept of pardon, fave his foul, and be reconciled to God in Chrift. Be aftonished, O heavens! Shall the Sovereign Creator turn fupplicant to the vile traitor, and follow him with intreaties! And, O finner! Will thy ftubborn heart be able to refufe peace, or flight the bleffed peace-maker Jefus Chrift, after all pains? If all his arguments prevail nothing, yet one would think that the humble intreaties of the great God would certainly do it. How can you refift these?

Object." I have no ftrength to come to Chrift, I can. not believe of myself, I have a dead bound up heart, and I cannot help it."

Anf. 1. Canft thou fay in good earnest, that thou art willing and defirous to embrace a Saviour, if thou waft

able!

able! Alas! it is here that it fticks; whatever you pretend, you are not truly willing. It is our unwillingnefs that ruins us: It is not fo much for want of power (though indeed we want it) as want of will, that finners want Chrift: Were you once willing, ftrength would not be wanting. O to get the will conquered, and made to furrender to Chrift! Then the day were won: O for one pull more from the Omnipotent Grace, to make you "a willing people in the day of his power!

2. Labour for a deep fenfe of thy own impotency; take your dead heart and lay it before God, and lye groaning in Chrift's way, and plead for pity. It is true, God is not bound, in ftrict juftice, to hear an unbeliever's prayer; but, if you be earnest with him, you may expect he will do it out of his great goodness and mercy. "He hears the ravens when they cry:" O, then, cry to him to your utmost ability, in a deep fenfe of want; be as earnest seeking faith as your daily bread; cry as fervently for the life of your fouls, as ye would do for the life of your bodies, if ready to be executed : If ye would do fo, God would not deny you. More particularly, plead those things:

(1.) Take your bible, and kneel down, and caft up that gracious free promise, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 27. Read it, and plead it; put thy finger to it, and put the maker of it to his word; lay thy dead heart before it, and look up and cry, " Lord, make good this word to me, is it not a free promife?" There is no condition required of me for getting it fulfilled, but to enquire at thee for doing it, verfe 37. Now, Lord, I am come to enquire and request thee to do it.

(2.) Humbly plead thy own impotency, and the infufficiency of all others to help thee in this ftate. This was the impotent man's plea with Chrift at the pool of Bethesda, John v. 6. 7. It had good fuccefs with him, and fo may it have with you. Say, Lord, I have lain many years with this dead plagued heart befide the open fountain of thy blood, that has faved many in my con'dition: I am impotent, and unable to move to it of myfelf, and have none to put me in: I have tried others, but I find it altogether in vain : Ordinances cannot do it, facraments