ons are captivated, the man is bound with invincible reafon and fo he gathers fouls in a way congruous to the rational nature.

2. His gathering power is exerted affectionately and lovingly; Hof. ii. 4. "I will allure her, and bring her to the wildernefs; and there will I fpeak comfortably to her."I will, as it were, BEGUILE ber, and Speak to her HEART, as the Hebrew fignifies: I will perfuade her, that there is more reafon to yield to my intreaties, than to the devil's fophiftry. The Lord fweetly draws up the lock of the heart, and gets in upon the affections; "I have loved thee with an everlafting love, and with lov ing-kindness have I drawn thee," Jer. xxx. 3. As a man puts on his beft robes on his wedding-day; fo Chrift, in the day of efpoufals, when he would gather the eyes of the people to look to him, and their affections to centre on him, he puts on his robes of glory and grace; clothes himfelf with a garment of falvation, with an alluring attire, when he addreffes himfelf unto and courts finners.

3. His gathering power is exerted efficacioufly: he comes with that argument of omnipotence, whereby he commanded light to fhine out of darknefs; by that fame argument whereby he commanded the dead to arife, does he conquer and captivate the foul; by that fame argument whereby Chrift himself was raised, Eph. i. 19, 20. till there be no power to refift, no ftrength of corruption left to oppofe. The infinite bounty of God, the infinite beauty of Chrift, and the infinite power of the Holy Ghoft, all concur to gain the foul, with infinite ravishing fweetnefs. Almighty love kills the mighty enmity; and how can he be refifted? "Compel them to come in, that my houfe may be filled." Before converfion, the finner is unwilling and he cannot come to Chrift, because he will not; but in converfion, the man is made willing, and fo he cannot refift, because he will not: the will is gained; "Thy people fhall be willing."

4. His gathering power and grace is exerted feasonably; for, he speaks a word in feafon to them, Ifa. 1. 4. "The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned, to fpeak a word in season to him that is weary." A word

of power comes at a particular feafon, at God's fet hour; and people are never gathered till that hour come;

The hour comes, when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear fhall live." O happy hour, fays one, wherein the word and ordinances are impregnated with almighty efficacy? When

the minifler finds himfelf in a better frame than ordinary, he is ready to think that bleffed hour is come: but he may be oft miftaken. However, "The counfel of God ftands fure: the Lord knows who are his;" therefore, we muft preach in faith, and pray in faith, and wait in hope, and water in hope, till the accepted time come, the happy hour; and when it comes, it will be an hour never to be forgotten, a fignal time, on which eternity depends. Befides, it is feafonable with respect to the foul that is gathered; it comes at the nick of time, when it is in the extremity of diftrefs, plunged into the deeps, and deep calling unto deep, and the foul like to fuccumb therein. Hence,

5. This gathering grace is manifefted furprisingly; it is freighted with preventing mercy: herein God anticipates the current of the carnal affections: when the foul is running poft to hell, God ftops his career, as he did that of Paul, Acts ix. Every finner that is converted, is gathered befide his proper natural intention little does the man forfee what is God's defign, in bringing him to fuch a place, to hear such a sermon, to live under fuch a miniftry; even as little as Saul thought of finding a kingdom, when he went out to feek his father's affes. Some have come to hear the word, in a very cuftomary carelefs manner, not knowing where elfe to fpend an hour; when lo, on a fudelen, an arrow of conviction hath been fhot into their confciences, and awakened them to feek God. His gathering grace, both in the beginning and progrefs thereof, is ftill exerted in fuch a manner, as fweetly furprifes the foul; " Or ever I was aware, my foul made me like the chariots of Amminadab," Song vi. 12. When I was expecting that my foul fhould be gathered among the damned, O! grace ftepped in, and gathered me to Shiloh.

6. This

6. This gathering power is exerted fovereignly; there is much fovereignty manifefted, both over the gathering means, and the gathered foul: Over the gathering means, fuch as the word and ordinances: it is not every word that does the bufinefs: how many great fermons, and spiritual difcourfes have you heard, Õ believer, and yet never a word reached your heart, till the Lord fent it with power? Hence the word that kills one, quickens another; the word that is unfavoury to one, is fweet to another; the word that is galling to one, is gaining to another: the word that hardens one, foftens another.-Sovereignty is alfo manifefted over the gathered foul: many hundreds are gathered together at a time, yet, perhaps, but one or two are touched, and reached by the word: the minifter is fpeaking to the heart of thefe, but only to the ears of all the reft. O! is God finding you out by his word, and gathering you? He is fovereign: Shewing mercy on whom he will have mercy, and compaffion on whom he will have compaffion," Rom. ix. 15.

7. This gathering grace is exerted particularly; for, He calls bis fheep by name, John x. 3.; and leads them out as by the law, the finner is convinced particularly, Thou art the man, the finful man, the guilty man: fo by the gospel, he is called particularly; "I have called thee by name," Ifa. xliii. 1. and xlv. 4. What is offered indefinitely and generally to all, is carried home particularly to the foul: it comes to be as particular, as if God were fpeaking to none other in all the congregation. Chrift came to fave finners, and to feek loft fouls, and particularly, I am come, for you, man; you, woman;

Rife, for the Mafter calls you." O, fays the foul, it is me that God is fpeaking to; there is good news for

me!

8. This gathering power is exerted fuccefsfully; the Lord comes to gather, and the people are gathered; he draws, and they run, and run in to the ark; " The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it, and are fafe:" the foul runs, not only to it, but into it, fo as to be found in Chrift. People may be gather. ed to Christ, in a manner, and yet not gathered fuccefs

fully

of

fully, unlefs gathered in to him as in the days Noah, when the deluge of water came upon the world, many might gather to the ark, and hing about the fides of it, and climb up on it for fhelter; but the waves at laft washed them away; none came to it with fuccefs, nor were faved, but fuch as got into the ark; fo, unless you get in to Chrift, be united to him, and implanted in him, as a branch to the flock, fo as to derive life from him, and grow up in him; if you be not thus found in him, you cannot be faved by him, though in feveral refpects you may lean upon him, and take hold of him. They gather to him with fuccefs, that get in to him. in to him. O happy they, that are gathered to him, fo as to win him! Phil. iii. 8. He that wins, fucceeds; and much winning, much fuccefs; and they may laugh that win; for they win all, who win Christ: they win his perfon, for their Hufband; they win his purchase, for their jointure; his covenant, for their charter; his Spirit, for their counsellor; his righte oufnels for their robe; his grace, for their ornament; his glory, for their crown; and all his fulness, for their fupply they may live upon their winning for

ever.

9. This gathering power is exerted irreversibly, yet gradually when God gathers finners to Chrift, he gathers them irreverfibly; "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance:" He never leaves drawing of them, and gathering them to him, till he hath gathered them all round about his throne in glory his gathering grace works a lafting impreffion, and abiding effect on them; the feed of God remains in them. Many hundred fermons you have heard, and all these excellent truths evanifh, and flip off from your memory, as water falling on a rock: but, O favs the believer, though I forget much, yet I think I will never forget fuch a word, that came to my foul with a glance of glorious majefty in it, and filled all the powers of my foul with a divine feraphic enlargement: "I will never forget thy precepts; for by them thou haft quickened me." Chrift having begun to gather, goes on with the foul conftantly, till the bufinefs be done and ended;

"For

"For he waits to be gracious," Ifa. xxx. 18. Ee will not take a refutal, nor defift for an ill anfwer; and whatever interruption may be after laying the foundation, yet he carries on the good work: it is not altogether ftopt, as it is with others, that may be under fome common operations of the Spirit, the Lord may leave them, and never return, but here he renews his vifits, and gradually advances his gathering work; "For his going forth is prepared as the morning," Hofea vi. 3.; and he comes to them as the rain, as the latter and former rain upon the earth, which makes the fruits of the ground gradually to fpring up. A fudden work is feldom a found work,' fays one. However his ordinary way of gathering is by various degrees; he gives them now a pull, and then a pull; bere a little, and there a little.

10. This gathering power is exerted remarkably : Hence the foul can fay," Once I was blind, now I fee." Though the kingdom of heaven comes not with cutward obfervation; yet either in the beginning, or progrefs, or both, it is remarkable, difcernible, and fenfibly felt, by the foul that is wrought upon and gathered: he hears the voice of the great Shepherd, he fees his glory, he feels his power. Sometimes it is remarkable, in the very beginning; like a man born blind, and come to age, and getting his eyes fuddenly opened, he cannot know the time in others it is not fo remarkable, till the progrefs thereof make it fo; like rain dropping from a houfe-top on a flint-ftone, that by conftant dropping makes a hollow in the ftone; when it begins to make the hollow at firft, is hard to tell, but that it is made, is remarkably evident: even fo here, by the conflant dropping of the rain of the Spirit's influences, from time to time, there is an hollow made in the heart; the man is gradually emptied of fin, and felf-righteoufnefs; and nothing can fill that hollow, but a God in Chrift: when it began at firft, he cannot tell; but now it is remarkable, if grace be in any mea. fure exercised.----Thus you see the qualities of God's gathering people, yet after all, we are not capable to