Chap. 2.sea. 5· 633 Book VI. this enmity againfl God, a~d againfl Chrift done away; and to this purpofe we not one! y appear many and many a time upo.n our knees to God for you, but ( maugre all your oppofilion again{! us) we could be CQnt<nt to come upon_ our knees from God to yoo, to bcfeecb you not to prov~ke your) udge againft your Iouis: what i3 Chri{l, and you at odds? is the difference w1de bet':"IXt your judge and you? I do now.m my Ma– fters name, in the name of God, and m the name of the Lord Jefus Chnft, befeech you to believe; I befcech you in Chrift's name, in ChriSt's ftead, be ye reconciled unto God. Is not this the Apoflles word? Now then we are Embajfa4ors for Chrrff, M 2 Cor 5.20 th•ug;h God did bcfeech yo~< by m, we pray )OU in Chriff's j/ead? Chrifl's Minifl:ers are · · not onely God's Legates, but Chrifl:'s Surrogates; to make this plain to you, when a Prince fends a me!fenger to another Prince, that mef!enger is onely •n Emba!f~dor, the Prince being not bound to carry the me!fage, h1mfelf 111 pcrfon; but now Jefus Chrifl:, he is the Father's Emba!fador, and Chrift is thereby bound to bring the me!fage of peace himfelf, but being nece!faril y imployed elfew!1ere (in the. fame defign of grace ) he confiitutes us his officers; fo that we do not cort)e onely m the name of God but in the place of Cbriflto do that work which is pri~arily his; .Astf" Father bath font me, John ao. 21• <Vtn fo fmd Iyou; and this was the co~mend~non of the Galathians, that theyreceiwdGal+ 1 4· the .Apojfle Paul even"' 'jeji.<J Chriff. Nowwe~gh our defire, we befeech you to believe. we befeech you to iign the Articles of agreemcm betwixt Chrifl: and you; what ? IJ1ali fome bafe incon!iderable Juft !land in fOmpetition witll Jefus Chrift ?· will you not make your peace with your Judge whiles you are in the way, and before he fit in the Throne? behold we give you warning, the zudge u at the door; now believe and .be faved. Oh how fain would we rempt you (as lt were) w1th glory? we tender Chnfl:, and we offer peace, we come in the judge's name to b&ech you to make ready for him, and for Heaven; we bring falvation to your very doors, to your very·ears, and there we are foundinj;, knocking, Will ye go to Heaven, jinners? willyego to He•ven ? Oh believe in him that will judge )'OH, and he willfaveyou. 3· Chri!l by I1is Spirit moves, excites, and provokes you to believe. Sometimes in reading, and fometimes in bear!~g, and fom~times in meditating you may feel him flir; have you felt no gale of the Spmt all thiSW~1le? It" the Spirit that 'onvinceth the world John 16. 8. of fin, efpecially of that great fin of unbehef; and then •f righteoufnefs, which Chrift procureth by going to his Father; obferve here,, it is the work of the Spirit thus to convince, fo that all moral Philofopby, and the wifefi directions of the moll Civil men will leave you in a wildernefs; yea t~n thoufands of Sermons may be preached to you to believe, and yet younever!hall, ull you are over.powred by God's Spirit: it is the Spi.rit that ~n.lighteas, and directs you, as occafioo is, faying, thi• i.; the way, walkjn it. rra. 30 • "· It 1s the Spmt that roufeth, and awakeneth you by etfedual monons, Arife my law, my fair one, ,and come;a.vay. He j/ands at the door and k!zocl(,; be ftretcllCi out his hand Cant. 2 ' 10 ' with Heaven in it, and be cloth fo ~ll the day _long; 4!1 the day Ion~ have. I.ftretched 01tt Rom. Io.2I. my hand; and that you may find h1s yoke eahe, and Ius burthen hght; lt IS the Spirit that draws the yoke With you; and by fecret animations , and fweet infpirations heartens, and inabks you to do the work with ea(e; and in this refpefl: the Saints are faid to be led by the Spirit; even as a mother leads her child that is weak, and enables it to go the better, fo the Spirit leads the Saints (a> it we.re) by the hand and ftrengthens them to believe yet more andmo~e•. I !P~ak now to .saints, if whiles I prefs you to be- Rom. 8. ,4, luve inJefm, you feel the Sp<nt mh1s fimmgs, and Impetuous acts, furely it .concerns you to believe, it concerns you to be obfequious and yielding to the breathingsof God's Spirit, it concerns you to co-operate with the Spirit, and to anfwer his wind-blowing. As you are to take Chrift at his word, fo you are (O take Chri!l's Spirit at bis work: if now he knocks, do you knock with him j if now his fingers make a flirring upon the handles of the bar, let your hems HJake a fl:irring with his fingersalfo; 0 reach in your hearts under the !lirrings of free-grace; obey difpofitions of grace as God bimfelf. if. now you feel ypur beans as hot lron, ir is good ihen to fmite with the hammer; if ~ow youfeel your fpirits docile, fay then with him irt the Gofpel. , I believe, Lord help my unhelief. 1believe, what 1 1believe when ?eflu comes again, he -,yill receive me to himfelf, ~nd that I jh,,ll be~fqr ever with the Lord• ..Amen, .Amen. Zzz
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