hand of God? Says God, I have seen his ways,' it will not be better. Shall I destroy him, consume him, make him as Admah and Zeboim? Ah! my bowels are turned in me, my repentings are kindled together: I will heal him.' If he goes on thus, and no outward means will do him good, he must perish; but I will heal him.' He wounded his soul, I also wounded him in the blows I gave him, when I was wroth. Is he not my dear child? Since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore my bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have mercy on him;' Jer. xxxi. 20. He shall have wine and oil, grace and pardon for all his wounds. But alas! he is not able to go one step in God's ways, he is so wonted to his own. Leave that to me, saith God, 'I will lead him;' I will give him strength, guidance, and direction to go in my way. I will lead him, yea and give him comfort' also.

Now if any one cannot in some measure bring his condition within the verge and compass of this promise, it is hard with him indeed. And as I know the necessity of that duty and usefulness of searching our hearts for the fruits of the Spirit in us, whereby we are made meet for communion with God, which are all evidences of our acceptance with God, and pardon of sin thereon; so, I dare say, these are promises that will sufficiently warrant a perplexed soul to close with Christ, as tendered from the love of the Father, even when it can find in itself no other qualifications or conditions, but only such as render it every way unworthy to be accepted. We do not say to a poor, naked, hungry, harbourless man, Go get thee clothes, get thee food, get thee a habitation, and then I will give thee an alms: no, but because thou wantest all these, therefore I will give thee an alms. Because thou art poor, blind, polluted, guilty, sinful, I will give thee mercy, says God.

Yea, but at least a man's sense of his state and condition, with his acknowledgment of it, is needful to precede his closing with the promise. It is so, as to his receiving of it, this oftentimes being the fruit and work of the promise as given itself. But as to the tender of the promise, and Christ in the promise unto us, it is not so. When did God give the great promise of Christ to Adam? was it when he was sorrowing, repenting, qualifying his soul? No, but when he

account whereof I should thus deal with thee; there is nothing in thee, but for what thou deservest to be everlastingly cut off; but quiet thy heart, I will do it 'for my own sake.' I have deeper engagements on my own account for this, than thou canst look into.

Doubtless such a word as this coming in, when God and the soul are at the point of giving over and parting fellowship; when the soul is ready to do so indeed, and hath great cause to think that God will be first therein; then, contrary to all expectation, and above all hopes, must needs constrain it to cry out, as Thomas upon sight of the wounds of Christ, My Lord and my God.' Let the soul that cannot get itself unto any steadfastness in closing with Christ in the promises; that staggers, and is tossed to and fro, between hopes and fears, being filled with a sense of sin and unworthiness, dwell a while upon the consideration of this unexpected surprisal, and give up itself to the power of it.

Isa. lvii. 17, 18. gives me another instance to the same purpose. This seems to be the description of a man totally rejected of God. The most dejected sinner can hardly make a more deplorable description of his condition, though ready enough to speak all the evil of himself, that he can think of. Let us see how things are disposed. There is an iniquity found in him and upon him, that the soul of God abhors. In this evil there is a continuance, until God manifest himself to take notice of it, and to be provoked with it: 'I was wroth,' saith God, and took a course to let him know so; I laid my hand upon him and smote him,' in some outward dispensation, that he could not but take notice that I was wroth. Upon this smiting it may be he begins to seek and pray, but I am not found of him: 'I hid me,' I let him pray, but took no notice of him, but hid myself in wrath. Surely this will do, he will now leave his iniquity and return to me. Nay, saith God, he grows worse than ever, neglecting my smiting, hiding, wrath: 'He goes on frowardly in the ways of his own heart.'

God had appointed in the law, that when a son was rebellious against his parents, and grown incorrigible therein, he should be stoned with stones.' What shall be done then with this person, who is thus incorrigible under the

hand of God? Says God, I have seen his ways,' it will not be better. Shall I destroy him, consume him, make him as Admah and Zeboim? Ah! my bowels are turned in me, my repentings are kindled together: I will heal him.' If he goes on thus, and no outward means will do him good, he must perish; but I will heal him.' He wounded his soul, I also wounded him in the blows I gave him, when I was wroth. Is he not my dear child? Since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore my bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have mercy on him;' Jer. xxxi. 20. He shall have wine and oil, grace and pardon for all his wounds. But alas! he is not able to go one step in God's ways, he is so wonted to his own. Leave that to me, saith God, 'I will lead him;' I will give him strength, guidance, and direction to go in my way. I will lead him, yea and give him comfort' also.

Now if any one cannot in some measure bring his condition within the verge and compass of this promise, it is hard with him indeed. And as I know the necessity of that duty and usefulness of searching our hearts for the fruits of the Spirit in us, whereby we are made meet for communion with God, which are all evidences of our acceptance with God, and pardon of sin thereon; so, I dare say, these are promises that will sufficiently warrant a perplexed soul to close with Christ, as tendered from the love of the Father, even when it can find in itself no other qualifications or conditions, but only such as render it every way unworthy to be accepted. We do not say to a poor, naked, hungry, harbourless man, Go get thee clothes, get thee food, get thee a habitation, and then I will give thee an alms: no, but because thou wantest all these, therefore I will give thee an alms. Because thou art poor, blind, polluted, guilty, sinful, I will give thee mercy, says God.

Yea, but at least a man's sense of his state and condition, with his acknowledgment of it, is needful to precede his closing with the promise. It is so, as to his receiving of it, this oftentimes being the fruit and work of the promise as given itself. But as to the tender of the promise, and Christ in the promise unto us, it is not so. When did God give the great promise of Christ to Adam? was it when he was sorrowing, repenting, qualifying his soul? No, but when he

was flying, hiding, and had no thoughts but of separation from God. God calls him forth; and at once tells him what he had deserved, pronounces the curse, and gives him the blessing. I raised thee up,' saith Christ, 'under the appletree, there thy mother brought thee forth;' Cant. viii. 5. From the very place of sin, Christ raiseth up the soul. So Isa. xlvi. 12. Hearken to me ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness.' Here are two notable qualifications, stout-heartedness and remoteness from righteousness. What saith God to them, ver. 13? He discourses to them of mercy and salvation. And, chap. lv. 1. 'Buy,' saith he, 'wine and milk.' Yea, but I have nothing to buy withal, and these things require a price. Indeed so they do, but take them ' without money, and without price.' But he calls on them only, who are thirsty. True, but it is a thirst of indigency and total want, not a thirst of spiritual desires, for in whomsoever that is, they have already tasted of this wine and milk, and are blessed; Matt. v. Nay, we may go one step farther; Prov. ix. 4, 5. Christ invites them to his bread and wine, who have no heart. This commonly is the last objection that an unbelieving heart makes against itself, it hath no mind to Christ. Indeed he hath no heart for Christ, but yet, saith Christ, thou shalt not thus go off, I will not admit of this excuse; you that have no heart, 'turn in hither.'

Now, I say, this obviating of all objections, by unexpected appearances of love, mercy, and compassion in the promises, is a strong inducement unto steadfastness in believing. When a soul shall find, that God takes for granted that all is true, which it can charge itself withal, that its sin, folly, unbelief, heartlessness, is so, as he apprehends it, and unconceivably worse than he can think; that he takes for granted all the aggravations of his sins that lie so dismally in his eye; his backsliding, frowardness, greatness of sin, impotency, coldness at the present, not answering in affection to the convictions that are upon him; and notwithstanding all this, yet come, let us agree, accept of peace; close with Christ, receive him from my love; surely it cannot but in some measure engage it into a rest and acquiescence in the word of promise.

(2.) The second part of this motive, is taken from the suitableness of the promises to every real distress and cause

of staggering whatever. My meaning is, that whereas we are exercised with great variety of doubts and fears, of pressures and perplexities, God hath tempered his love and mercy in Christ, as prepared in the promises, unto every one of these wants and straits whatever. Had God only declared himself to us, as God almighty, God all-sufficient, he might justly require and expect that we should act faith on him in every condition. But moreover, he hath as it were drawn out his own all-sufficiency in Christ into numberless streams, flowing in upon all our particular wants, distresses, and temptations whatever. When God gave manna in the wilderness, it was to be gathered and ground in mills, or beat in mortars, and fried in pans, before it could be eaten; Numb. xi. 8. But the bread which came from heaven, the manna in the promises, is already ground, beaten, baked, ready for every one's hunger. It is useful, if you have a well about your house, whither you may repair to draw water; but when you have several pipes from a fountain that convey water to every room, for every particular business, you are greatly to blame, if your occasions are not supplied. We have not only a well of salvation to draw water from, but also innumerable streams flowing from that well into every empty vessel.

I shall give one or two instances of this kind.

Isa. xxxii. 2. Here are four pressures and troubles mentioned, whereunto we may be exposed: [1.] The wind; [2.] A tempest; [3.] Dearth; [4.] Weariness. And unto all these is the man in the promise, the Lord Jesus Christ, the king that 'reigns in righteousness,' ver. 1. suited as a supply in them, or against them.

[1.] The first proposed evil is 'the wind;' and in respect hereof Christ is a 'hiding-place.' He that was ready to be cast from the top of a rock with a strong wind, would desire nothing more than a hiding-place, until the strong blast were over. When fierce winds have driven a vessel at sea from all its anchors, so that it hath nothing to keep it from splitting on the next rock whereunto it is driven; a safe harbour, a hiding-place, is the great desire and expectation of the poor creatures that are in it. Our Saviour tells us what this wind is, Matt. vii. 25. The wind that blows upon and casts down false professors to the ground, is the wind