Chap. 3.sea+ j!..oo!iing unto 'Jjcfus. Book IV. 187 SECT. III. Of Chrift'; rcceptioll of ji11nm. " FOr ChriO:s r~aption of !inners; I cannot limit this only to one·year of Chrill:s • · Minill:ry, but I l'nall only mention_ it this ye~r. Now ~his will appear, I. In the Doctrine of Chrill:. 2, In the PraCl1fe of Chrtfl.. · . 1 • In his Dochine, Chrifl !ayes tt down exprelly, Come llnto me 11il ye thAt labour and Matth. u.>S• are heavy laden, and !willgive you rejl. It is no mote but come, and Wtlcome. The Gofpel fhuts none out of Heaven, but rhofe that by unbelief lock the door ~gain!l: their own fouls. Again, All th.<tthe Fatherg;veth me jha/1 co~e ltnto me, and hm< that cometh John 6 •37• ,. 1110 me I will in no wifc cajl out; here IS latd down the full mtent and purpofe of God and Chrifl: to pardon and receive finners; the Father is willing. and the Son is willing. , 1 . The Father is willing, Thu u the Father; will which bath fent me, that of all which John6. 39• be httthgiven m•, I Jho~tld loft none ; the Father is is engaged, in thatfirfr he feilt Chri!l: · 00 that errand, to receive !inners. Secondly, in that he gave unto Chrifl: all that he would have to be faved by Chri!t, with a charge to lvfe none. Sinners were given to Chri!t byhis Father as fo many_ Jewels to look to, and to fave. 2. The ~o~ is willi?g, for he that cometh unto me ( fatth Chrtfl:) I wdl m no wife caft out. Chnfl1s fo wtlhng to receive !inners, as that he fets all his dores open, he k§cps open hou{e, and he cafts out none that will but come in; and why fo I For I came down from he.wen not to do mine John 6. 38. own will, but the will of him that fentme. 1. I came down from heaven, it was a great journey from heaven to eartn, and this great jcurney I undertook for no other purpofe but to fave !inners. Great actions ( as one fayes well) mull: needs have great ends, now this was the greatei1: thing that ever was done, that the Son of God fhould come down from heaven ; and what was the end, but the reception and falvation of finners? For the Son of man i; come to feek_, and to fave that which w.u loft: had not Chrifl: come Luker 9 • 10 ; down, !inners could not have gone up IntO heaven, and therefore that they might ak:end, he defcends. z. I come d01vn from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that fent me; his ~ather had fent him on purpofe to receive, and to faye finners ; and to this purpofe, he ts called the Apoftle •f ou~ profef!ion, -- w~o wa.,faithfu/1 to him Hej. u; that appomted h•m, M alfo Mofe; w.u fa.thful"' all htJ houfe: H1s Father could not fend 3 · him on any errand, but he was fure to do i~; his Fathers miffion was a ll:rong demon– ftration, that Chri!l: was willing to receive thofe !inners that would but come ro him. Again, Jefu; flood and crye.d, faying, if any man thirft, let him come unto me and John 1 31 ·drink_: rhe very pith, heart, and marrowof the Gofpe! is contained in thefe words: rhe • • occafion of them was thus :on thatla!t day of the Fea!tof Tabernacles, the Jews were wont wi\11 great folemnity ro draw water out of the fountain of Siloam, at the foor of Mo.unrSion, and to bring it ro the Altar, finging out of Ifaiah, With joy jhallye draw H•.u.3; water out of the wells offalvation; now Chri!l: takes them at this cullom, and recals . them from earthly ro heavenly waters, alludmg to that of Ifaiah, Ho every onethae !la. H• t, l• thjrfteth, come ye tfl the waters.-- Incliney~ur eArJ, and come unto me, and your fotJ/s , , Jl:aNlive. The Father faith cowe, the Son faith come, the Spirit fuith come, ·yea, the Rev. "·'7• ~pmtandtheBride fayco;ne, andlethimthat htareth fay come, andlethimthatu athirft co'?'e, and whofoever will, let himdrink_ of the water of life freely. All the time of Chrifls M1mll:ry we fe.e hi,n tyring himfelf in going about from place to place, upon no orber etrand than thts, to cry at the markets, Ho every onethat thirfteth, come ye to the WAter;! if any finnen IO'IIe!ife, if any willgo to heaven, let them come to me, avd I will jhew tht~t~ the wa~tom,>: Father; bofom, andendearthem to my Fathenheart. Agam, htrher rend all thofe Arguments of God and Chrifl, to draw fouls to themfelves. Thus God draws r. From his equity, Hear now 0 houfe of lfrael, is not my Ezck. ,s. •f• WaJ equal? or are not your wayes u~equal? q. d. I appeal to you,r very confciences, is thiS ~qual, that finners fhould go on in fin, and trefpafs again!t him that is fo willing to recetve and fave poor !inners? 2. From our ruine, in cafe we go 9n in fin, Caft aw11y Ezek. 18. 31' from you allyour tranJireJ!ion;, whereby ye have tran[grejfed, and mak§ yo11" new hedft, and a new (pmt, for why will ye dye, 0 houfe of Ifrael? · 3. From his own dillike and dtfpleafure at our rtllne, Iflave no plca[Hre in the death qf him thatdyeth, faith the LordVet. P• Gud, ,.
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