The first is this, That the kingdom of heaven, of grace, mercy, and of free remission, does approach unto us before we do come unto it.

And secondly, that the appropinquation, or drawing near of the kingdom of heaven is the highest, and greatest argument and motive in the world unto true repentance.

The kingdom of heaven, I say, the kingdom of grace, mercy, and free remission of sin, does approach to us, before we draw near to it; repent, turn ye, for the kingdom of heaven hath approached, or it hath come near to you, and therefore do you come to it.

Thus it lies in the words: and thus you will find it all along.

Thus God hath promised; thus Christ hath parabled; thus God fulfilled.

Thus God hath promised. Thou shalt hear a voice behind thee what voice is that, but the voice of mercy, and the voice of grace, and of free remission?

"Thou shalt hear a voice behind thee:" when thou art going away from God, and when thou hast thy back upon God, thou shalt hear a voice of mercy behind thee; it shall follow after thee before thou dost come to it.

And thus you have a clear parable for it, which you may read, fully speaking this truth in Luke xiv. 16-18, and so on, "A certain man made a great supper, and bad many; and sent his servant at supper time, to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuses: so that the servant came (verse 21) and shewed his Lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind." Mark, here are invitations of mercy sent out to those that never thought of it. "And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded and yet there is room. And the Lord said unto the servant, (verse 23) Go out into the highways, and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." See I pray, how the kingdom of grace, and mercy, and free-remission is brought near unto a people, before ever they did make after it.

And this, I say, you shall find fulfilled. So God hath

dealt by the world. So by particular kingdoms and nations in the world. So by particular towns and countries in a kingdom. So by particular families in a town. And so by particular persons in a family.

Thus God hath dealt with the world, he hath brought near the kingdom of grace, and mercy, and free-remission to the world, before ever the world did make after it. When the whole world had sinned in the fall, and lay in wickedness, and never thought of returning unto God; "God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten Son to them," John iii. 16. When Adam did not think of Christ, nor the world in him; the Lord gives out a promise, "The seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head," Gen. iii. 15. Thus mercy, and grace made its approach towards the world, before ever the world did seek after it.

So in regard of a nation, in regard of a kingdom in the world: "Go (says our Lord and Saviour Christ unto his disciples) and teach all nations." The nations did not come to Christ and say, Lord, the Jews have refused the gospel, and therefore we beseech thee that the gospel may be preached unto us, and we will receive it: no, but before ever they sent any such message to have the gospel come down to them, the gospel is sent to them, " Go (says our Saviour) go preach to all nations." But Lord they might say, Suppose that in those nations we meet with such a man as Herod, such a man as Pilate; shall we preach the gospel and free remissions of sins then to such a one? Go, says Christ, I make no exceptions; go, and preach to all nations. But suppose that a Judas come in when we are preaching the gospel. Says Christ, I make no exceptions, if a Judas will come and submit, go preach to all, go preach the gospel, go preach to all nations.

And was it not thus with the nation of the Jews, as ye read in Ezek. xvi., when they were first taken into God's love? "None eye pitied thee (verse 5.) to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion on thee." Verse 6., "When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live: yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live." And so it will be with this people, the Jews, again, when they shall be converted in the latter days of the world: the Lord speaks

so concerning them by the prophet Isaiah: "I was found of those that sought me not," Isa. lxv. 1. And in Isa. lxvi. 7., it is said concerning the Jews that are yet to be called, and the preventing love of God towards them: "Before she travailed, she brought forth: before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child."

Thus it is also with particular towns in a kingdom or in a nation: the kingdom of grace, of heaven is brought near to them before they do seek it. The apostles went and preached unto several towns; Iconium, and Derbe, and Lystra, before those towns did call for the gospel. And if you look into Matt. iv., you find that our Saviour Christ came and dwelt in Capernaum, verse 13.," which is upon the sea-coast, in the borders of Zebulon, and the land of Naphtali: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zebulon, and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people which sat in darkness, saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up." While they were sitting still in their sins, and in the very shadow of death, Christ goes among them, and causes a glorious light to shine upon them: they did not go out to the light, but the light did come out to them first.

So it is also in regard of a particular family in a town. It is said concerning the jailor's family, that they were all baptized, they all believed; but how, did the jailor's family come and seek after the kingdom of heaven before the kingdom of heaven was brought unto them? No; the apostles were brought into prison, God works a miracle, the kingdom of heaven, grace, and free remission, is brought to the prison, and is brought to the jailor's family, before ever the jailor did stir after it.

And so ye know it was with the family of Zaccheus. "Zaccheus, (says our Saviour,) this day is salvation come to thine house." Pray consider it a little did Zaccheus' house go to seek for salvation; or rather did not salvation come and seek for Zaccheus' house? Indeed Zaccheus out of a curiosity ran and got up into a tree that he might see the outside of Jesus Christ; but our Lord and Saviour Christ calls him down, "Zaccheus, (says he,) I must dine with thee:" invites himself, he carries salvation unto his family.

Thus God deals by families: he deals thus by the world, he deals thus by nations, he deals thus by towns, he deals thus by families.

And he deals thus by particular persons also. Was it not thus with Matthew the publican? He sat, ye know, in his custom-house, and Christ came and found him out there; he did not first go and seek after Christ, but Christ came first unto him, and found him out in his trade, and said unto him, "Follow me." And was it not thus with Paul? Says Paul, "I was a blasphemer and a persecutor, but I obtained mercy," 1 Tim. i. 13. I was breathing out threatenings against the saints, and against the disciples of Jesus Christ: but as I was breathing out threatenings against them, the Holy Ghost breathed upon my heart, and met me in the way, and unhorsed me, and shewed me mercy. The kingdom of heaven did approach unto Paul, before ever Paul sought after it.

And as it is with a particular person in regard of his first conversion and first repentance, so in regard of his after repentance. Peter sins, and before ever Peter repents, Christ looks back upon him; that is the first, then Peter wept bitterly. Jonah sinned and sinned greatly in running away from God; before ever Jonah could find in his heart for to seek unto God, God works a miracle, provides a chamber of preservation even in the belly of destruction, in the whale's belly, for him. God brought near his pardoning mercy and grace to him, before ever Jonah came near to it.

And as it is in regard of a man's first, second, and after repentance, so it is also in regard of a man's comfort and consolation. "O Lord," says David, "make me to receive joy and comfort, that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoice," Ps. li. 8. "My soul refuseth comfort," says he, Ps. lxxvii. 2. As if he should say thus: Lord, I have been a great surgeon at other men's hearts, and I have been able to set their bones that have been out of joint, but now mine own bones are broken; I have fallen greatly, and now my own bones are broken; I cannot set my own bones; my soul refuseth comfort, and the promise is to my heart like a bank of ice, that my heart slips off: and Lord, if thou dost not uphold my heart with a promise, I shall never have comfort; make me to see comfort, O Lord.

Thus you see, wherever you look in the Scripture, it is full

of the truth that is here before us, namely, that the kingdom of heaven, grace, mercy, and free remission, does approach unto us before we draw near to it.

Evidences of it :

One is taken from our own condition.

Naturally we are

lost sheep so we are called by Christ. Man, in his natural state, is compared unto the lost son, the lost groat, and the lost sheep. Now you know when a sheep is lost, it does not lie where it is lost: if you lose your purse, or if you lose a ring, it will lie where it is lost, unless it be taken up but now, if a sheep be lost, the sheep wanders up and down, and doth not lie where it was lost, but wanders up and down over one mountain to another, through one thicket to another, through one dirty place to another; and of all creatures, the lost sheep does not seek the way home again. A dog lost will seek the way home again; a cat and such like creatures lost, will seek the way home again: but a sheep lost, does not seek the way home again. Now we are all lost sheep, wandering up and down. One, he wanders over the mountain of pride; another through the thicket of the world; another through some unclean slough; but all wandering, and no man able to find his home, until he be first found. Therefore says our Saviour Christ, "I came to seek and to save those that are lost," Luke xix. 10. He does not say barely, I came to seek those that are lost; but, "I came to seek and to save those that are lost." And truly we must be sought all along. Says David in Ps. cxix. 176," Lord, I have gone astray like a lost sheep, oh, seek thy servant." We have need of con

tinual seeking, as long as there is continual wandering; we have need of such a Shepherd as may seek us out. But first of all the kingdom of heaven does seek us out, before we do seek it when we are found, then we seek, but we never seek until we are first found.

:

Another evidence I take from Christ's willingness for to save sinners. There is an infinite willingness in our dear Saviour for to save poor sinners. He came from heaven for that end and purpose. If a man come a thousand miles upon a business, will ye not think he is willing to do it? Jesus Christ came from heaven for this business, for to save sinners; is he not then willing to do it? I may say that Jesus Christ is more willing to save sinners, than sinners are to be saved