Every Conviction of Conscience and Motion of the Spirit a Knock from Christ

BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK:’ Rev. 3: 20.

In the former chapter, we have seen the Redeemer’s posture, a posture of condescending humility — rather the posture of a servant than of the Lord of all: “Behold, I stand at the door.” We now come to consider his action or motion for entrance: I stand” and hiochT This metaphorical action of knocking, signifies nothing else but the motions made by Christ for entrance into the souls of sinners; and afibrds us this fifth doctrine:

That every conviction of conscience and motion on the hearts of sinners is a knock of Christ for entrance into their souls.

This action of knocking is sometimes ascribed to the soul, and is expressive of its desire to come into the gracious presence and communion of God: so l^Iatt. 7:7, “To him that knocketh, it shall be opened;” that is, to him that seeks by importunate prayer, fellowship and communion with the Lord, it shall be granted. But here it is applied to Christ, and is expressive of his importmiate desire to come into union and communion with the souls of sinners. Here I shall show what are the doors of the soul at which Christ knocks; what his knocking at these doors implies; by what instruments he knocks at them; and in what manner he performs this action.

L “What are the doors of the soul at which Christ knocks. You all know that the term Christ here used cannot be literal, but metaphorical. It is a figurative speech; a “door” is introductory to the house, and whatever intro-

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duces into the soul is the door of the soul. In the soul of man there are many powers and faculties that -have this use, to introduce things into the soul. Some are more outward, as we may speak comparatively; and some more inward, as the doors of our houses are. Christ knocks orderly at them all, one after another, for the operations of the Spirit disturb not the order of nature.

1. The first door that opens into the soul is the understanding. Nothing passes into the soul but it first comes through this door of the understanding; nothing can touch the heart or move the affections, but what has first touched the understanding. Hence we read so often in Scripture of the opening of the understanding, that being, as it were, the front door of the soul.

2. Within this is the royal gate of the soul, namely, the will, that noble and imperial power. Many things may pass into the mind or understanding of a man, and yet be able to get no further; the door of the will maybe shut against them. There were many precious truths of God let into the understandings of the heathen by the light of nature, but they could get no further; their hearts and wills were locked and shut up against them. They held the truths of God in unrighteousness, E,om. 1:18; that is, they bound and imprisoned the common notices which the law of nature impressed upon their minds concerning the being and nature of God, and the duties of both tables of the law. These truths could get no

further into their souls: and, which is a sad and dreadful consideration, Christ himself stands between these two doors, in the souls of many persons; he has got into their understandings and consciences, and they are convinced of the necessity of receiving Jesus Christ, but still the door of their will is barred against him, which drew from him the sad complaint, “Ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life.” John 5:40. When this door of the will is once effectually opened, then all the inner doors of the afiectious are quickly set open to receive and welcome him — desire, joy, delight, and all the rest, stand open to him. These are the doors at which the Redeemer knocks.

II. We must consider what is meant by Christ’s knocking at the door, and what that action implies. In the general, knocking is an action significant of the desire of one who is without, to come in; it is a sign appointed to that end. And what is Christ’s knocking, but a signification to the soul of his earnest desire to come into it — a notice given to the soul of Christ’s willingness to possess it for his own habitation? It is as if Christ should say, “Soul, thou art the house that was built by my hand, purchased and redeemed by my blood; I have an unquestionable right to it, and now demand entrance.” More particularly, there are divers great things implied in this gracious’ act of Christ’s knocking at the door of the soul.

1. It implies the special favor and distinguishing grace and goodness of Jesus Christ, that he will stand and knock at our doors when he passes by so great a part of the world, never giving one such knock or call at other men’s doors. It is certainly the most admirable condescension and favor of heaven; and shows a man to be highly favored of God. 0 amazing I that when Christ passes by the souls of thousands and millions, and gives not one effectual knock or call at their doors all the days of their life, he will please to turn aside to thy soul, and wait and knock there for entrance. Here is one of the greatest acts of favor that can be shown to the soul of a sinner. How many souls there are in the world equal in natural dignity to yours, and of sweeter natural tempers, whom yet the Lord Jesus lets alone in the quiet possession of Satan. Luke 11: 21. There is a deep silence and stillness in their consciences, no stirrings nor disturbances by convictions, but, through a dreadful judgment of God, they are left in a deep sleep; and if their consciences at any time begin to disturb them, how soon are they hushed and quieted again by Satan I What the condition of the world was in former ages we know from the Scriptures, where we learn that God in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Acts 14: 16. It is the greatest mercy for the sleepy conscience of a sinner to be roused by convictions, because it is introductory to all other spiritual mercies. This act of grace is little appreciated by the sons and daughters of men: much rather would poor sinners be let alone, than be thus disturbed by troublesome convictions; and when Christ disturbs their rest, how do they startle at the knocks of his word and Spirit. How angry are they that they cannot be let alone to enjoy their quiet sleep in sin till the flames of hell awaken them I Mr. Fenner, that great and eminent instrument of God in this work, tells us in one of his sermons how it fared with a certain man that came to hear him preach. It seems the word had got entrance into his conscience and gave it a terrible alarm, and as he was going home, some that followed him heard him thus blaming and bemoaning himself: *’ 0 what a fool, what a beast was I to come under this sermon to-day! I shall never have peace and quietness any more.” And what is the reason that smooth and general preaching is so much applauded in the world, and close convincing doctrine so much shunned and hated, but this, that sinners are very loath to be disquieted and have their consciences thoroughly awakened? Whatever your apprehensions be, certainly it is an unspeakable mercy for Christ to knock, and disquiet the souls of sinners by his calls.

2. The next thing implied in this action of Christ is, that the first motions towards the recovery and salvation of sinners begin not in themselves, hut in Christ. We never knock at heaven’s door by prayer till Christ has first knocked at our door by his Spirit. Did not Christ move first, there would be no motions after him in our hearts: we move towards him, because he hath first moved upon our souls.

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Christ would ever be unsought and undesired, did he not make the first motion. All our motions are secondary and consequential motions. “I am found of them that sought me not.” Isa. 65: 1. As “we love him because he first loved us,” 1 John, 4: 19, so we seek him because he first sought us. Alas, poor sinners are well satisfied to lie fast asleep in the devil’s arms. When the Spirit of God goes forth with the word of conviction, he finds the souls of men in the same posture which the angels who had surveyed the world reported the whole earth to be in: “Behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.” Zech. 1:11. Every man was settled and satisfied in his own way. What a strange stillness and midnight silence is there among sinners. Not a sigh, not a cry to be heard for sin. So the psalmist represents the case of sinners: “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Psalm 14: 2, 3. There is one thing peculiarly strange in this case: that even those whose earthly pleasures and delights, which brought them into this sleep and security, are taken away from them by the hand of Providence, I mean their estates, health, and children, even they awake not; they have no stirrings after God. 0 what a dead sleep hath sin cast the souls of sinners into. You have a notable scripture to this purpose in Job 35: 9, 10; they are the words of Ehhu concerning those under grievous oppression from the cruel hands of wicked men: “By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry; they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty. But none saith. Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?” that is, comfort and refreshment to the afflicted. Here are men turned out of their estates, thrown into prison, cast on all extremities and miseries, and what do these poor creatures do? Why, they cry by reason of their oppression: 0 my father, my mother, my wife, my child, my estate, my liberty! But none saith. Where is my Grod? 0 my sin, or my misery by reason of sin I “Where is he who giveth songs in the night?” The people of God when they lie musing upon their beds under affliction, have thei;r “songs in the night;” in the midst of the multitude of their troubled thoughts within them, the comforts of God delight their souls. These are their songs in the night, but no such words or thoughts have carnal men. How plain is it, that all the first motions of salvation have their spring and rise in God, and not in us.

3. Christ’s knocking at the door of the heart shows the method of the Spirit in conversion to he in harmony with the nature of marCs soul. Mark Christ’s expression in the text; he does not say, Behold, I come to the door and break it open by violence. Christ makes no forcible entries, whether smners will or not; he will come in by consent of the will, or not at all. “I stand and knock; if any man open the door, I will come in to him.” There is a great difference between a friendly admission by consent, and a forcible entrance: in a forcible entrance, bars of iron are brought to break open the door; but in a friendly admission, one knocks and the other opens. Forcible actions are unsuitable to the nature of the will, whose motions are free and spontaneous; therefore it is said, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” Psalm 110:3. It is true, the power of God is upon the will of man in the day of his conversion, or else it would never open to Christ; but yet that power of God doth not act against the freedom of man’s will; God makes iit willing, taking away the obstinacy and reluctance of the ^^dll by the efficacy of his grace — a sweet and pleasant victory; and so the door of the will still opens freely: “I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.” Hos. 11:4. “I drew them,” there is almighty power; but how did this power draw them? “With cords of a man,” that is, with rational arguments convincing the judgment. Beasts are driven and forced, but men are drawn by reason. It must be confessed that when the day of God’s power is come for bringing home a poor sinner to Christ, the power of God’s Spirit draws him effectually: “Every man that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me,” John 6: 45; yet the soul comes freely by the consent of his will, for this is the method of Christ in drawing souls to him. There is in the day of a sinner’s conversion an offer made for the will, both by Satan and by Christ; Satan bids riches, honors, and pleasures, with ease and quietness to the flesh in the enjoyment of them. Abide where thou art, saith Satan; remain with me, and thou shalt escape all the persecutions, losses, and troubles in which conscience entangles other men; thou shalt draw thy life through peace and pleasure to thy dying day. 0, saith the flesh, this is good; what can be better for me? But then, saith Christ, dost thou not consider that all these enjoyments will quickly be at an end! and what shall become of thee then? Behold, I offer thee the free, full, and final pardon of thy sins; peace and reconciliation with God; treasures in heaven; all these shall be thine, with troubles, reproaches, and persecutions in this world. The understanding and conscience of a sinner being convinced of the vanity of earthly things, and the indispensable necessity of pardon and peace with God — I say, when a convinced judgment hath duly balanced these things, and laid them before the will, and the Spirit of God puts forth his power in the renovation of it, it moves towards Christ freely, and yet cannot, according to its natural order, act otherwise than it doth. And doubtless this is the true meaning of that expression so often mistaken and abused in Luke 14: 23, “Compel them to come in.” What, by forcing men against the light of their consciences? No; to the shame of many Protestants let us hear the explanation of Stella, a popish commentator upon this passage:” Christ compels men

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to come in, by showing to their will such an excelling good as it cannot but embrace;” for the will is naturally carried to the best good. And thus the Spirit works upon the soul harmoniously and agreeably to its nature.

4. Christ’s knocking at the door of the soul implies the immediate access of the Spirit of God to the soid of man. He can come to the very innermost door of the soul at his pleasure, and make what impression upon it he pleases. Instruments used in this work have no such privilege or power. Ministers can but knock at the external door of the senses. “Thine eyes shall see thy teachers.” We can see their persons and hear their voices — we can reason with sirmers, and plead with their souls; but awaken them we cannot, open their hearts we cannot; we can only lodge our message in their ears, and leave it to the Spirit of God to make it efiectual. This is a work belonging to the Spirit of God, incommunicable to angels or men. If an angel from heaven were the preacher, he could not give one effectual stroke to the conscience: much less can man; we have no dominion over your consciences. The keys of the doors of your souls hang not at our girdles, but are in the hands of Christ. He hath the key of David; he openeth, and no man shutteth; and he shutteth, and no man openeth. Rev. 3:7. The conscience and all the faculties of the mind lie naked and open to the stroke of God’s Spirit; he can wound them and heal them, and make what impression he pleases upon them. Learn hence, what need there is both for ministers and people, before they enter upon the solemn ordinances of God, to lift up their hearts by prayer for the blessing and. power of the Spirit upon them. Lord, send forth thy Spirit; pour it forth upon and with thy word. Ah, how many sermons have we preached and you heard, and yet there is no opening. In the next place let us consider,

III. By avhat instruments Christ knocks at the doors; that is, the judgment, conscience, and will of a sinner. And here my work will be to show how the Spirit of God makes use both of the ico7-d and tcorks of God to rouse the consciences and open the hearts of sinners. These are the two hammers or instruments of the Spirit, by which he knocks at the door of the heart.

1. The tvord written (xr preached, but especially preached. To this Christ gives the preference above all other instruments employed about this work; and hence the word is called God’s hammer: “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock m pieces?” Jer. 23: 29. By this hammer Christ knocks at the door of a sinner’s soul, to give warning that he is there. The Spirit of God can open the heart immediately, if he pleases; but he will honor his word in this work. And therefore, when Lydia’s heart was to be opened, Paul the great gospel-preacher must be invited, even by an angel, to come over to Macedonia and assist in that blessed work. Acts 16:9. Lydia was to be converted, her heart must be opened to Christ; the angel could not do it, but calls for the help of the apostle, God’s appointed instrument to carry on that work. So saith God to Paul, “I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God.” Acts 26: 16-18. There are three ways in which the Holy Spirit uses the word as his hammer in loiocking at the door of the soul.

(1.) He knocks by particular convictions of the tvord on the conscience: this knock by conviction rings and sounds through all the rooms and chambers of the soul; particular and effectual conviction wounds to the very centre of the soul. When the word comes home by the Spirit’s application, like that of Nathan to David, “Thou art the man,” then all the powers of the soul are roused and alarmed; now it pierces as a two-edged sword, Heh. 4:12, and divides the soul and spirit, the superior and inferior faculties of it — lays open the secret guilt and inmost thoughts of a man’s heart, before which the sinner cannot stand. The secrets of his heart are made manifest; and falling down on his face, he must acknowledge that God is in the word of a truth. 1 Cor. 14: 24. 0 these convictions of the word are such a knock at the door of the conscience as will never be forgotten, no, not in heaven to all eternity.

(2.) Christ knocks in the word by its awful threatenings, menacing the soul that opens not with eternal ruin; these are dreadful knocks. 0, sinner, saith Christ, wilt thou not open? Shall all the tenders of my grace made to thee be in vain? Know then, that this thy obstinacy shall be thy damnation. Thus the word denounces ruin, in the name of the great and terrible God, to all impenitent and obstinate unbelievers, John 3:36: “He that belie veth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” 0 dreadful sound- 1 like unto which is that in John 8: 24, “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” As if he had said, *’ Thy mittimus for hell shall be made and signed. “Will you not come to me, that you may have life? Then you shall even die m your sins. 0 it were better for -thee to die any kind of death than to die in thy sins.” These are loud knocks of the word, terrible sounds, yet no more than are needed to startle the drowsy consciences of sinners. And then,

(3.) The Spirit knocks by the gracious invitatio7is of the tvord; and without this, no heart would ever open to Christ. It is not frosts and snow, storms and thunder, but the gentle distilling dews and cherishing sunbeams that make the flowers open in the spring. The terrors of the law may be preparatoiy, but only the grace of the gospel is that which effectually opens the sinner’s heart. The obdurate flint will sooner break when smitten upon the soft pillow, than upon the anvil. Now the gospel abounds with alluring invitations to draw the will and open the heart of a sinner; such as that, Matt. 11: 28, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” What a charming voice is here; he that considers it, may well wonder what heart in the world can resist it. Like unto this is Isaiah 55: 1, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Gome, sinner, come; though thou hast no qualifications nor worthiness, nor righteousness of thy own — though thou art but a heap of sin and vileness, yet come; grace is a gift, not a sale. And such is John 7: 37, “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying. If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.” As if he had said, My grace is not a sealed fountain; it is free and open to the greatest of sinners; if they thirst, they are invited to come and drink. This is that oil of the gospel-grace which makes the key turn so pleasantly and effectually among all the cross-wards of man’s will. Thus you see how the word preached becomes an instrument in the Spirit’s hand to open the door of a sinner’s heart, at which it knocks by its mighty convictions, dreadful threatenings, and gracious invitations.

2. We now come to the second hammer by which the Spirit knocks at the sinner’s heart, and that is the jy’ovidential works of God. These, in subserviency to the word, are of excellent use to awaken sinners and make them open their hearts to Christ. God hath magnified his word above all his name, yet there are some of the providential works of God greatly serviceable in this case; the word sanctifies providences, and providences assist the word and make it work. There are two sorts of providential dispensations which the Lord Jesus makes use of to gain entrance for him into the hearts of men, namely, judgments and mercies.

(1.) Judgments mid afflictions: the word of God many times works not till some stroke of God come to quicken and assist it. Thus did the Lord open the heart of that monster of wickedness, Manasseh; the word could not work alone, but a smart rod quickened its operation. “And the Lord, spake to Manasseh, and to his people; but they would not hearken. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.” 2 Chron. 33: 10-12. Thus the heart of this man relented under the word, assisted by the rod. It is good that God takes such a course with some sinners, else the word would do them no good: and to this purpose is Job 36: 8-10: “If they be bound in fetters and be holden in cords of a“ffliction, then he showeth them their work and their transgressions that they have exceeded. He openeth also their ear to discipline.” This is the rough course which the obstinacy of men’s hearts makes necessary for their recovery; and therefore it is observable, that some words of God have lain dead in sinners’ hearts for years together, and at last have begun to work under some smart rod. Alas, while all things are pleasant and prosperous about us, the word has but little eflect: “I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. The wind shall eat up all thy pastures, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.” Jer. 22: 21, 22. As though he had said. Your eyes are so dazzled with the beautiful flowers, and your ears so charmed with the syren songs of earthly delights, that my word can take no effect upon

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you. Let an east-wind blow, and wither up these flowers; then the word shall Vv’ork, and conscience deeply feel the concerns of eternity. This course God takes with many of you; you sit from Sabbath to Sabbath under the word, and nothing takes efTect on your hearts. Will you not hear the voice of ray word? saith God; go, death, smite that man’s child, I will try what that will do; go, poverty, and blast his estate, and see what that will do; go, sickness, and smite his body, and shake him over the grave’s mouth, I will see what that will do. Thus God sends to sinners, as Absalom sent to Joab — who refused to come near him, till he set fire to his field of corn, and then away comes Joab. 2 Sam. 14: 29-31. And thus the Lord opened the heart of the jailer, by putting him into a fright, a panic fear of death. Acts 16: 27. Thus does the Lord devise means to bring back his banished.

(2.) As God makes use of the hammer of judgments, so he makes, use of mercies to make way for Christ into the hearts of men. Every mercy is a call, a knock of God: and truly if there were any ingenuousness left unextinguished in the heart, one would think mercy would prevail more than all judgments, Knowest thou not that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Rom. 2:4. Or in other words, Dost thou not see the hand of mercy stretched out to lead thee into a corner, there to mourn over thy sins committed against so gracious and merciful a God? By every mercy you receive, Christ doth, as it were, sue you to open your hearts to him; they are so many gifts sent from heaven to make way for Christ into your hearts. It would be an endless task to enumerate all the mercies bestowed to this end upon the unregenerate: but surely this is the errand of them all; and the Lord takes it ill when his end is not answered in them: hence is that complaint, Jer. 5: 24; “Neither say they in their heart. Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season.” Some of you have been marvellously preserved in times of common contagion and death, when thousands have fallen at your right hand and left: then have you been preserved or recovered, according to Exod. 15: 26, “I will put none of these diseases upon thee, for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” I ani Jehovah Rophe, the Lord the physician: many of you have been at the grave’s mouth in diseases, others upon the deep; yet the hand of mercy pulled you back, and suffered you not to drop into the grave and hell in the same moment. 0 what a knock was here given by the hand of mercy at thy hard heart. Certainly, if men would but observe, they might see a marvellous working and moulding of things by the hand of providence, for the production of thousands of mercies for them: and if mercy would do the work and win you over to Christ, many rods had been spared which your obstinacy has made necessary. 0 ungrateful sinners, doth your Redeemer thus woo you by so many gifts of mercy, and yet will you shut him out? “Do ye thus requite the Lord, 0 foolish people and unwise?” For which of all his benefits do your ungrateful souls shut the doors upon him?

You have seen what Christ’s knocking at the soul of a sinner implies, and by what instruments it is performed.

IV. We will now consider the manner in which this action IS PERFORMED in the ten following particulars, wherein much of the mystery of conversion will be opened; the Lord grant that your experience may answer to them. We cannot indeed exactly describe and mark all the footsteps of the Spirit, in this work upon the souls of men; yet these things seem eminently observable.

1. The knocks of Christ at the sinner’s heart are silent and secret to all persons in the world, except the soul itself at whose door he knocks. Here are many hundreds this day under the word: if the Lord shall this day knock by conviction at any man’s heart, none will hear that knock, but that man only; for it is a knock without sound or noise to any but the particular soul concerned in it. It was foretold of our Redeemer, and of this very act of his, “He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.” Isa. 42: 2. The kingdom of God cometh not into the souls of men with public observation. Luke 17:20. “What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?” 1 Cor. 2:11, None knows what convictions another man’s conscience feels, until he himself shall discover them; you hear the same sound of the gospel, but you hear not the inward strokes it gives to another man’s conscience. Christ’s approaches to the soul make no noise; little do we know what the Spirit of Christ whispers in the ear of him who sits next to us. It is said of the inward comforts of the Spirit, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna.” Rev. 2:17. This is true also of inward terrors and troubles. Christ’s knocks by conviction are but a secret whisper of his Spirit in the ear of a sinner, saying, “Thou art the man;” this is thy case. This is the first thmg in the manner of Christ’s knocking, it is a silent knock without public sound.

2. These silent, inward knocks of the Spirit of Christ greatly differ as to the terror or mildness of them in different persons. Some hear them with terror and astonishment, others in a milder and more gentle manner. When the Lord knocked at the jailer’s conscience, it was a terrible stroke; he called for a light, and sprang ui like a man distracted; and trembling and astonished, fell down at the apostles’ feet, crying, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16: 29, 30. Here was a terrible knock indeed, which almost affrighted his soul out of his body: it is as if he had said, Tell me, in God’s name, and tell me quickly, whether there is any way of salvation, and where it lies; for I am a lost man, an undone soul. But when the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, there were no such terrors. He spoke to her 122 CHUIST KNOCKOa AT THE DOOR.

in a more mild and gentle voice, as you see, Acts 16: 14. The Spirit of God varies his method according to the temper of the soul he works on. Knotty pieces need greater wedges and harder blows to rive them asunder. As God directs his ministers to make a difference, to deal tenderly and compassionately with some, but others to “save with fear,” Jude 22, so he himself observes like different methods.

3. Some knocks of Christ are successful, and obtain the desired effect. He knocks, and the soul opens. But others are tmsuccessful; he knocks once and again by convictions, which may cause the conscience to startle a little, but there is no opening to Christ by faith. 0 friends, this is a dreadful word to consider: “I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded.” Prov. 1: 24. There is a call without an answer, a knock and no opening; and these things are very common, especially among the unconverted who live under a lively, rousing gospel-ministry. Of this Christ complains. Matt. 16: 17: “Whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying. We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.” Neither the delightful melody of gospel-grace, nor the mournful and dreadful threats of perdition to unbelievers, avail to open your hearts to embrace me; no voices from mount Gerizim or mount Ebal will prevail with you. How many witnesses to this truth have we seen I God forbid it should be thus with you. There are some souls who hear and open, even every one who hath heard and learned of the Father. John 6: 45. When the Spirit of God puts forth his power with the word, then, and not till then, it becomes successful.

4. Sometimes Christ knocks with a succession of convictions, a quick repetition of his calls. Some men have had thousands of convictions in a few years; for in this case the Lord saith, as in Exod. 4:8, “If they will not hearkenJI^ the voice of the first sign,” yet they may “believe the voice of the latter sign.” And yet sometimes neither the former nor the latter avail any thing. “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not I” Matt. 23: 37. “How often I” intimating the many calls Christ gave Jerusalem to come unto him, yet all in vain. Obstinate sinners, Christ has been knocking and calling at some of your consciences from your very childhood; thousands of convictions have been tried upon some of you, and yet to this day your souls are shut fast against him. The Lord hath waited from year to year for your answer, by this signifying how loath he is to part with you: at such a time thou wast upon a sick-bed, nigh unto death; at such a time under such a sermon, and then Christ knocked at thy soul: if all this is in vain, as many convictions as you have stifled, so many fagots you carry with you to hell, to increase your flames and torments. Yet commonly those quick repetitions and redoublings of the strokes of convictions end well; and it is a good sign when one conviction revives another, and the Lord keeps the soul still waiting. But 0, take heed and try not his patience too long, lest the next stroke be more dreadful than all the former — not to open your hearts, but smite dead your hopes of heaven.

5. Sometimes Christ knocks intermittingly, knocking and stopping, and that at a considerable distance of time; a conviction this day, and, it may be, not another for many months. There are some aged sinners that have not had more than one or two remarkable awakenings of conscience in fifty or sixty years, and then no more. Do not think that the Spirit will always strive with men. Gen. 6:3. There is a time when Gl-od says to the word. Convict the conscience of that man or woman no more, but henceforth be thou not to open but to shut him up. Isa. 6:10. Reader, bethink thyself, how long is it since thy conscience was roused and awakened? 0, saith one, seven or eight years ago I heard such a sermon, which tore my conscience to pieces; I fell under such a providence, which roused and awakened all my fears; but since that time, all has been still and quiet. May the Lord give you a second awakening, lest you awake with the flames of God’s wrath about you. I observe it is usual, when God works upon any very early in life, he knocks thus intermittingly: now the conscience is active, and full of trouble, then the vanities of youth extinguish these convictions again; but the Lord follows his design, and at last the conviction settles and ends in conversion.

6. Christ sometwies knocks with both hands at once, with the word and the rod together; the latter in subserviency to the former; and if ever the soul is likely to open, it will open then, when ordinances and afflictions work together. The word smites the conscience with conviction, and at or about the same time Providence smites the outward man with some affliction, to make the word effectual; or, under some smart affliction, a suitable word is seasonably directed to the conscience; and thus the one assists the other, and both together produce the desired effect. Thus the Lord wrought upon the Thessalonians: “And ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction.” 1 Thess. 1:6. A child dies, an estate is lost, or sickness seizes you at the time when conscience is prepared by a conviction from the word, or afflictions have prepared it for the word. The rod upon the back helps the word to work upon the heart; and if both these working in fellowship will not do the work, there is little hope that any thing will do it.

7. Every knock of Christ disturbs the sinfid rest of the soul; it rouses guilt in the conscience, and puts the inner man into great distress and trouble. Before Christ comes and knocks at the door of the heart, all is still and quiet within: the soul is in a quiet sleep of sinful security, no fears or troubles molest its rest. “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted.” Luke 11: 21, 22. The armor which Satan puts into the hands of sinners, to defend themselves against the convictive strokes of the word, are the general mercy of God, the outward duties of religion, partial reformations, etc. But when Christ comes by effectual conviction, he disarms the sinner of all these pleas, and then the soul sees what broken reeds it has leaned upon. “When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died,” Rom. 7:9; all my vain hopes expired. No artifice of Satan can any longer quiet the sinner’s conscience; he sees himself in a miserable condition, and meditates an escape; farewell now to sound and quiet sleep: no peace till out of danger.

8. Every effectual knock of Christ gives an alarm to hell, and puts Satan to all his shifts and arts to secure the possession of the convinced sinner. The devil is a jealous spirit, and when his interest is in danger he bestirs himself to purpose; the time of conviction is an hour of temptation. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph. 6: 12. The strife between Satan and the soul is now for nothing less than the prize of eternal life; it is now for all or none, for life or death, for heaven or hell. The powers of hell are now all in arms to destroy convictions, and secure the possession of the soul against Christ; as when a grenade falls into a garrison, the first care of the defendant is to stifle it before it break. While Christ is speaking by his Spirit in one ear, the devil is whispering in the other; and the things he whispers to quench convictions are usually such as these: There is time enough yet, why such haste? Enjoy thy pleasures a Uttle longer, thou may est come to

Christ and “be saved at last. If that will not do, then he changes his voice: To what purpose wilt thou go to Christ? It is noAV too late, the time of grace is over; hadst thou come to him in thy youth, and oheyed his first call, you had been saved; but now it is to no purpose. If this will not quiet the soul, then he says, Thy sins are too great to he pardoned; there is no hope for such a prodigious sinner as thou art. If the Lord help the soul to overcome this by discovering to it the riches of mercy, pardoning the greatest of sinners, then he represents the multitudes who are in the same case with the convinced sinner: Come, fear not; if it go ill with thee, it will be as bad for millions of others; if thou go to hell, thousands will go with thee. But if the soul be unwilling to be lost, even with so many others, then he bids it look upon the train of troubles and afflictions that come along with Christ, and will certainly follow him, if the door be open to let him in: If Christ come in, reproaches, losses, and sufferings will come in with him; troops of miseries follow him: he himself has told thee so; and art thou mad to ruin all thy comforts in the world, and plunge thyself into a sea of trouble for what thine eyes never saw? But if the soul reply, These are more tolerable than damnation; better that my flesh suffer for a time, than my soul be cast away for ever; then he represents the insuperable difficulties of religion: What a hard thing it is to be saved; how many painful duties and acts of mortification the soul must pass through. Thus you see what an alarm conviction gives to the powers of hell.

9. Every effectual knock of Christ is continued; new convictions revive former ones, and the Lord never ceases to knock tiU the door is opened. If one sermon will not do, another shall; if one wound be healed by the art of Satan, a fresh wound shall be made; if a former conviction vanish, the next shall be sealed upon the soul: and when the Spirit of the Lord sealeth a conviction upon the conscience, raze it out who can. And here is the difference between special and common convictions: common convictions come and go; they put the soul in a fright for a day or a month, and then trouble it no more for ever; but special convictions will be continued, one thing following another, for Christ is m pursuit of the soul, and will pursue it, till at last he overtake it.

10. All the knocks of Christ cease %ohen the sinner’s. y of grace is ended. This is a dreadful consideration — when the time of mercy is over, no more strivings of the Spirit. Christ says to the drowsy sinner, as to the drowsy disciples in the garden, “Sleep on now, and take your rest.” Matt. 26: 45. I called thee m such a sermon, but thou heardest not; by such a providence, but thou obeyedst not: sleep on now, and take thy rest. “My people would not hearken to my voice, and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up to their ovii hearts’ lust, and they walked in their own counsels.” Psa. 81: 11, 12. I have done with them, the treaty is ended; I wdll make no more essays towards their conversion and salvation. “So I gave them up.” Methinks it sounds as much as this: Take them, sin — take them, Satan, I will have no more to do with them. “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.” Hosea 4: 17. His heart is glued fast to sin, he is enamoured with other lovers, let him alone. 0 beloved, it is a dreadful thing for God to say. Let this man alone in his formality, and that man in his carnal security. Let not this be misapphed by trembling souls under conviction. I know the fear of this judgment is upon their hearts; nothing makes them tremble more than lest the day of grace be ended with them. But there is no ground for this fear, while the Spirit continues convincing and the soul trembling lest his convictions should prove ineffectual. Thus much of the nature, instruments, and manner of Christ’s knocking at the door of a sinner’s heart. Our way is now opened to an application of this point, which I will present in several particulars.

Inference 1. Into how deei a deep hath sin cast the souls of sinners, that Christ rriust stand so long, and give such loud repeated knocks, before it will awake and open to him! There is the spirit of a deep sleep fallen upon men, like that into which God cast Adam. God speaks once, yea, twice, but man regards it not; it is the hardest thing in the world to rouse and awaken a man out of his carnal security. Look over Satan’s kingdom, and you find a general stillness and quietness among his subjects: there is no trouble for sin, no strivings after salvation, no crying out, “What must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30. Go into the crowds of worldly men and women, and you find them all intent and busy about other matters. How long will you be in their company before you hear one groan for sin, or see one tear fall from their eyes on that account. 0 what a marvellous thing is here! Do not their consciences know the guilt that lies upon them? Are they not aware of a day of reckoning which approaches? Yes, yes, these things are not hid from their consciences. “What art, then, is used to keep them so still and quiet? Why, there are divers means used to still the consciences of sinners, and they do it efTectually. There are four causes and occasions of this wonderful stillness in the souls of sinners.

(1.) Ignorance of the 7iature of regenerating grace — taking that for regeneration which is not such: thus did the Jews confidently affirm God to be their God, yet they did not know him. John 8: 54. How many poor ignorant creatures think there is no need of any other work of regeneration, but what passed upon them in baptism. They were born and baptized Christians, and that is enough, they think, to save them. “We have Abraham to our father,” Matt. 3:9. They thought it sufficient that Abraham’s blood ran in their veins, though there were not a spark of Abraham’s faith kindled in their souls. The Lord forgive the sin of those men who lead souls into such fatal mistakes.

0 if men were but aware of the necessity of a greater and further work to pass on their souls than their baptism, powerless profession, or the similar works which appear in formal hypocrites, heaven and earth would ring with their cries. But ignorance of the nature and necessity of special regenerating grace, like a dose of opium, casts the consciences of many into this deep sleep.

(2.) Freedom from grosser sins and pollutions of the world stills and quiets the consciences of thousands: they have had a sober and fair education; and though there is no grace and regeneration, yet what saints do they seem to themselves, being adorned with sobriety and civility. This stilled the conscience of the Pharisee: “God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” Luke 18:11. Thus, like delicate Agag, they pride themselves in moral and social virtues, wherein many thousands of the heathen were better than themselves; but justice will hew them to pieces, as Agag was, notwithstanding all their moral ornaments and endowments.

(3.) The strict performance of the external duties of religion quiets the consciences of many. They question not but those who do so well shall fare well, and flatter themselves that God will never damn men and women who keep their church and say their prayers as they do. Thus the carnal Jews deluded themselves, crying, “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these.” Jer. 7:4. As malefactors, in some countries, flee to the church from the hand of justice, so do these; but God will pluck them from the horns of the altar, and convince them that the empty name of religion is no security from damnation.

(4.) Many consciences are quieted in a natural, sinful

state, by misinterpretiyig the voice of providence. It may

be that God prospers your earthly affairs, succeeds and

smiles upon your undertakings; and this you conclude must be a token of his love and favor. But alas, this is a great mistake: may the Lord give you better evidences of his love than these; for who prosper more in the world than wicked men? And who are more crossed than the people of God? Read Job 21, and Psalm 73, and compare both with Eccl. 9:1, and you will quickly see the vanity of all hopes built on such a foundation. But by such things as these the god of this world blinds the eyes of multitudes.

2. If every conviction he a knock of Christ, how deeply are we all concerned in the success of convictions. Conviction is an embryo of the new creature: if it come to a perfect new birth, it brings forth salvation to your souls; if it fails, you are finally lost. It is of infinite moment, therefore, to every one, to be tender of these convictions of conscience. It is true, conviction and conversion are two things: there may be conviction without conversion, though there can be no conversion without conviction. The blossoms on the trees in the spring of the year cannot properly be called fruit, but are rather the rudiments of fruit, or something in order to fruit. If they open kindly, and knit or set firmly, perfect fruit follows them; but if a blight or a frosty morning kill them, no fruit is to be expected. Thus it is here. Great care, therefore, ought to be taken about the preservation and success of convictions, both by the soul itself that is under them, and by all others who are concerned about them.

(1.) What care should th,e soul itself have, on whom convictions are wrought. Beware, friends, how you quench them or hinder their operations, lest you hinder, as much as in you lies, the formation of Christ in your souls. The life of your souls is bound up in the life of your convictions. I know it is hard for men to dwell with their own convictions: guilt and wrath are sad subjects for men’s thoughts to dwell upon; but it is far better to dwell with the thoughts of sin and wrath here, than to lie under them in hell for ever. You may be freed from your convictions and your salvation together. Be not too eager after peace — a good trouble is better than a false peaw. And on the other hand, beware that your convictions turn not into discouragements to faith; this will cross the proper intention of them: they are Christ’s knocks for entrance, and were never intended to be bars or stumbling-blocks, but steps in your way to Christ.

(2.) Let all that are concerned about convinced souls, beware tuhat counsels they give and what rules they prescribe, lest they destroy all in the bud.

There are two errors too commonly committed: one in excess, persuading souls under trouble of conscience that there is no commg to Christ for them, unless they are so and so prepared, humbled just to such a degree: this is dangerous counsel; it overheats the troubles of conscience, and keeps the soul from its proper present duty and remedy. I am sure Paul and Silas took no such course with the convinced jailer, Acts 16:31, nor Peter with the three thousand wounded consciences. Acts 2: 38. Nor do I find where God has stated the time and degree of spiritual troubles, so that there must be no approaches to Christ in the way of faith, until they have suffered them so long and to such a height. If they have imbittered sin to the soul, and made it see the necessity of a Saviour, it cannot move too soon after Christ in the way of faith. Let no man set bounds where God sets none.

There is another error committed in defect; when promises and comforts are applied before the nature of faith is known, or one act of reliance put forth towards Christ. These hasty comforts come to nothing; they will not, they cannot stand. It is a dangerous thing to apply gospel-cordials, and pour out the precious ointment of the promises upon them who were never heart-sick for sin — to address to such persons upon every slight trouble, which is but as an early dew, the peculiar consolations of penitent and believing souls. How many such unskilful empirics are there in

132 CHRIST KKOCKINCr AT THE DOOE,.

every place I Such as the prophet Jeremiah complains of: “They have healed the hin:t of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.” Jer. 6: 14. Remember, that the foundation is now laying for eternity, and that this is the time of deep consideration; men must ponder the terms and count the cost, and deliberately accept and close with Christ, before the consolations of the promises can properly be administered to them.

3. What a blessing is a rousing, faithful ministry among a people. By such a ministry Christ knocks powerfully: this is one of the greatest blessings God can bestow upon a people, when he sends among them powerful and judicious preachers of the gospel, under whose ministry their consciences cannot sleep quietly. These are the instruments by which Christ knocks at men’s hearts; and as for those that sew pillows for drowsy sinners to sleep quietly upon, the Lord owns them not as his. “Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity.” Lam. 2: 14.

It is true that those ministers that give men no rest and quietness in their sins, must expect but little rest and quietness themselves. What is it for ministers to preach home to the consciences of others, but to pull down the rage of the world upon their own heads? But certainly you will have cause to bless God to eternity, for casting your lot under such a ministry; and the Lord accounts such a mercy sufficient to recompense any outward affliction that lies upon you. You fare richly under such doctrine, though the Lord should feed you with the bread of affliction, and give you the waters of adversity to drink; this makes amends for all. Thine eyes shall behold thy teachers, and they shall be driven no more into corners. Isa. 30: 20. 0 blessed be God that England’s corners are this day emptied, that its pulpits may be filled with laborious, faithful ministers. 0 that the knocks of Christ may be heard in all the cities, towns, and villages of this nation. The kingdom of God is come nigh unto us; this mercy is invaluable: pray that the Lord may continue it, and make all your ministers and means, whether public or private, successful.

4. Let all men beware of whatever may deafest their ears and drown the sound of Christ’s knocks and calls in the gospel. “What pernicious enemies to the souls of men are those persons who turn away men’s ears from attending to the knocks and calls of Christ in his word. Such are, 1. Profane, wicked men, who, like Elymas the sorcerer, make it their business by wicked insinuations and jeers to turn away men’s ears from the gospel. “0 full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” Acts 13: 10. All opposition to godliness has a spice of devilishness, and no child more resembles his father than a scoffing enemy resembles his father the devil. But blessed be God for the good providence which, in a great measure, has stopped the mouths both of the father and his children. 2. Take heed of carnal and ungodly relations, who discourage and threaten their servants, and all who depend on them, from attending upon the means, or givmg way to the convictions which God has awakened in their hearts. Cruel parents, who had rather see their children turned into their graves, than turning to the ways of serious godliness I 0 that any should dare to quench the beginnings of spiritual life in those to whom they were instruments to convey natural life. 3. Take heed of the world, its distracting cares and pleasures; what a din and noise do these things make in the ears of men. “The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” Mark 4: 1 9. Tell not them of getting C hrist, they must study how to get bread. These are some of the distracting and diverting sounds which drown the voice of

Christ’s knocks and calls in the gospel. As you value your souls, beware of them.

Christ is now come near us in the gospel. Behold, he stands at the door and knocks: and I this day demand your answer — in his name I do solemnly demand it; what shall I return to him who sent me? What sayest thou, sinner? Wilt thou open to Christ, or wilt thou shut him out, and with him thy own pardon, peace, and salvation? Once more, let me try the force of a few more arguments upon your hearts, and refute your vain pleas to the contrary. Methinks no heart should be able to resist such motives and ratiqnal persuasions as these following will be found to be.

Motive 1. You are in extreme need of Christ; you want him more than bread or breath. Many things are convenient for your bodies, but Christ is the “one thing needful” for your souls. Luke 10: 42. Necessity is an engine that will open any thing that can be opened: necessity will make all fly before it. Now there is a plain, present, absolute necessity lying on every one of you to open your heart to Christ, and that without delay. Necessity goes before the face of Christ, to open the way for him into the heart. Thou must have him, or be lost for ever. Christ and faith are not the may-be, but the must-be, to the happiness of thy soul. A man may be poor, and happy; reproached, and blessed; but he cannot be Christless and safe, nor Christless and comfortable. You must have Christ, or you cannot have life, John 3: 36; you must have Christ, or you can have no hope, Col. 1: 27. Christ and life, Christ and hope, go together: no Christ, no life; no Christ, no hope. Sinner, thou must have Christ, or thou canst have no pardon; for Christ and pardon are undivided. Eph. 1:7. In a word, you must have Christ, or you can have no salvation. Acts 4 :12. Well, then, if thou canst have no life nor hope, no pardon nor salvation, without Christ, then a plain necessity goes before Christ to open his way into thy heart: methinks thou shouldst now say, Then will I open to Christ, whatever the terms are. Come sufferings, losses, reproaches, yea, death itself, all is one; Christ I must have, and Christ I will have: necessity is laid upon me, and my heart is opened to Christ by it. Woe to me for ever, if I miss of Christ.

Motive 2. The Lord Jesus is this day come nigh to your souls. I may say to you as Christ did to the Jews, “The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” Luke 10:9. The Lord grant he be not as nigh to some of you as ever he shall be; for he must come nearer, or else you are lost for ever. It is not Christ among you in the means of grace, but Christ Mdthin you by the work of grace, which must be unto you “the hope of glory.” Col. 1: 27. He is not only among you in external means, but he is come into your understandings and consciences; yea, some motions of his you feel upon your affections: there wants but a little more to make you eternally happy. 0 what would one effectual touch upon your wills be worth now! The head-work is done; 0 that the heart- work were done too. You are almost saved; but to be almost saved, is to be wholly and eternally lost, if it go no further. It is a sad thing for a man who hath one foot in heaven, to slide from thence into hell; it is sad to be shipwrecked at the harbor’s mouth.

Motive 3. Jesus Christ has an unquestionable right to enter into and ipossess every one of your souls. Satan is but an usurper: Christ is your lawful owner and proprietor; thy soul, sinner, hath not so full a title to thy body, as Christ hath to thy soul. Satan keeps Christ out of his right. Christ knocks at the door of his oM^n house; he built it, and therefore may well claim admission into it: it is his own creature. “By him w-ere all things created that are m heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible;” bodies or souls.

Col. 1: 16. The invisible part, thy soul, is his workmanship — a stately structure of his own raising. He has also a right by redemption; Christ hath bought thy soul, and that at the invaluable price of his own blood. Who then can dispute the right of Christ to enter into his own house? But, alas, he cometh to his own and his own receive him not. John 1:11.

Motive 4. Open the door to Christ, for a train of blessings and mercies come in with him — a troop of privileges follow him. In the same day and hour that Christ comes into thine heart by a full and deliberate choice, a pardon comes with him of all the sins that ever thou hast committed, in thought, word, or action. Will such a pardon be welcome to thy soul? Then let Christ be welcome, for where Christ comes, pardon comes. Eph. 1: 7. If you open to Christ, you open to peace, and who would shut the door of his soul against peace? If peace be welcome, let Christ be welcome; for peace follows faith in Christ. Rom. 5:1. Where Christ comes, liberty comes. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8: 36. Are you in love with bonds and fetters? Satan’s laws are written in blood. Christ’s yoke is easy, and his commands not grievous. If you love liberty, love Christ. In a word, where Christ comes, salvation comes; for he is “the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him.” Heb. 5: 9. If therefore you love pardon, peace, liberty, and salvation, shut not the door against Christ; for all these follow him wherever he goes.

Motive 5. Christ this day solemnly de7nands entrance into thy soid; he begs thee to open to him, 2 Cor. 5: 20; he commands thee to open unto him, 1 John 3: 23; he denounces eternal ruin to those who refuse him entrance. Now consider well — here is entrance demanded under pain of the eternal wrath of God: this demand is recorded in heaven; at your own peril be it, if you shut the door against him. Only this will I say in my Redeemer’s behalf; if you refuse, bear witness heaven and earth this day that Christ solemnly demanded entrance into thy soul, and was refused; bear witness that the door was shut against the only Redeemer, who intreated, commanded, and threatened eternal damnation to the rejecters of him. Oh, methinks that scripture, Prov. 1: 24-31, should strike terror into the very centre of the soul that refuses the offers of Christ I

Motive 6. And so I have done my master’s errand: if you 7101V refuse the knock of Christ at your hearts, he may n&oer knock more; and where are you then? There is a knock which will be the last knock, a call which will be his last call; and after that no more knocks or calls, but an eternal silence as to any overture of mercy.

Objection 1. But if I do open to Christ, he will never come in to such a filthy, polluted, sinful soul as mine is.

Answer. Who saith so? Who dare affirm so impudent a falsehood in the very face of the text, “If any man open to me, I will come in to him?”

Objection 2. If I open to Christ, I must bid farewell to rest in this world; reproaches, sufferings, and losses follow him.

Answer. If Christ, pardon, and salvation are, in thy estimation, not worth the enduring and suffering these small things, sure thou valuest Christ and thy soul at a low rate. 0 who can sufficiently bewail the ignorance and folly of unbelievers, who vdll sell their souls and hopes of heaven for such trifles! And if Christ and thy soul must part on these terms, then hear me, sinner, and let it sink into thine heart:

Thy damnation %mll he just; for thou hadst thine own choice, and hast deliberately preferred the insignificant trifles of this world before Christ and salvation. It was plainly told thee what the issue of thy rejecting Christ would be; and yet, after sufficient warning, thou hast ventured upon it. Whatever other simiers will plead, I know not, but as for thee, thou must be speechless. Matt. 22: 12. If thou die Christless, thou must appear at his bar speechless; and the day of judgment will be the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. K-om. 2: 5.

It icill also be unavoidable for there is no other way to salvation but this. Acts 4:12. No Christ, no heaven; no faith, no Christ. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” Heb. 2:3. Mercy itself cannot save thee out of Christ, for all the saving mercy of God is dispensed to men through him. Jude 21. It is to no purpose to cry for mercy, when Christ, in whom all the mercies of God are dispensed to men, is rejected by thee.

This doctrine winds up in consolation to all such as, hearing the Imocks of Christ, have opened or are now resolved to open their hearts to him; and that nothing, henceforth, may keep Christ and their souls asunder, to such I shall address the following grounds of comfort.

1. An opening heart to Christ is a work wholly and altogether supernatural; a special work of the Spirit of God, never found upon any but an elect soul. There are common gifts of the Spirit, such as knowledge, vanishing convictions, etc., but the opening of the heart by faith is the special, saving, and peculiar work of the Spirit. “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom He hath sent.” John 6: 29. Yea, the almighty power of God, the exceeding greatness of his power, is exerted in the work of faith. Eph. 1: 19. It rises not out of nature, as common gifts do; but of this it is expressly said, “Not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Eph. 2:8, “Where this work is effectually wrought, we may reason as solidly as comfortably from it, both backward to the electing love of God, and forward to our eternal glorification with him. Rom. 8: 30.

2. The opening of thy heart to Christ by saving faith, gives thee an interest in Christ the very same hour. The relation is then constituted, the conjugal bond is fastened between him and thy soul. “As many as received him, to them gave he power,” right or privilege, “to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12. You neither need nor may expect an extraordinary messenger or voioe’JTrom heaven, to tell you that Christ is yours and you are his; you have a better foundation in this word and work of faith. For my part, if God will give me the clear and satisfying experience of this work upon my heart, I would never desire more satisfaction on this side heaven. I know not but the devil may counterfeit an extraordinary voice, and cheat the soul by a lying oracle; but if I really feel my heart and will sincerely opening to Christ upon gospel terms, I am sure there is no deceit in that.

3. The opening of thy heart to Christ by faith is a good assurance that heaven shall be ope7ied to thy soul hereafter. Heaven is shut against none but those who shut their hearts against Christ by unbelief Will you bar Christ out of your souls by ignorance and unbelief, and then cry, Lord, open to us? God will open to none but them that open to Christ. Eternity itself shall but suffice to bless God for this opening act of faith. “He that believeth shall be saved.” Mark 16: 16.

4. The opening of thy soul to Christ by faith makes it Christ’s habitation for ever: in that hour out go sin and Satan, and in come Christ and grace. “If any man open unto me, I wall come in to him,” saith the text. Of such a soul Christ saith, as it was said of the temple, “The Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it.” Psa. 132: 13, 14. The soul now becomes a hallowed temple to the Lord; as he hath said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their G^d, and they shall be my people.” 2 Cor. 6:16. 0 what a heaven on earth is here I Christ dwelling in the soul is the glory of the soul, as God’s dwelling in the temple was the glory of the temple.

5. In a word, the opening of the heart to Christ is the work which answers the great design of the gospel. Wherefore has God set up ordinances and ministers, yea, wherefore is the Spirit sent forth, but to open the hearts of sinners to Christ by faith? “When this is done, the main intention of the gospel is attained; the union is effected between Christ and the soul; it is now put out of hazard. The whole work of the gospel after that, is but to build up, confirm, and comfort the soul, ripen its implanted graces, and make it meet for glory.