ally quiet the confcience of an awakened fin

ner.

We have fufficiently explained the words already; that which I fhall now insist upon at fome length from them, is expressed in the following doctrine.

An awakened finner, betaking himself to, or believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, shall be saved.

I think there is no need of any proof of the do&trine, it lies fo plain in the words, and is fo frequently afferted in the fcripture, that one shall fcarce look into the book of God, but he fhall find fome one proof or other of this truth. In the prosecution of this doctrine we shall, if the Lord will, follow this method.

(I.) We fhall tell you who this convinced finner is, of whom we fpeak in the doctrine.

(II.) We fhall offer you fome account of the Lord Jefus, in whom he is to believe.

(III.) We shall shortly explain several scripture expreffions which point out this duty, that from them we may understand fomething of its nature, and then,

(IV.) We fhall hold forth the nature of this faith in a few particulars which may receive light from the former general head.

(V.) We fhall enquire what that falvation is which they fhall have who believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift.

(VI.) We shall offer fome evidences of the truth of the doctrine, and then apply the whole, if the Lord allow time, and opportunity, and ftrength.

I. We begin with the first of thefe, which is to fhew who this convinced finner is, that thall ob. tain falvation on his believing in the Lord Jefus

Chrift. I fhall offer you his character in the few following particulars, in as far as we think it needful for our prefent defign: for that it is in fome measure requifite, is plain, fince none can be faved but fuch as believe, and none can believe but convinced and awakened finners. Take then the character of fuch an one, thus.

1. He is an ungodly man. It is only fuch as are ungodly who are faved by believing in Jefus. To him that worketh not, but believeth on him who juftifieth the ungodly, is his faith counted for righteousness, Rom. iv. 5. Perfons who are not ungodly, have no need of Jefus; and perfons who fee not themselves to be fuch, will never look after him.

2. He is one that fees himself, upon this account, obnoxious to the judgment of God, even that righteous judicial fentence, that be who committeth fin, is worthy of death. He fees himself lying open to the curfe of the law, to the death it threatens against finners. When the law fays, the foul that fins fhall die, the finner hears his own doom in that fentence, because he fees his name in the sentence. The fentence is against the foul that fins, and this he knows to be his very name.

3. He is a felf-condemned man. He not only hears God paffing fentence againft him, but he paffeth fentence against himself. Thus it is with every convinced finner; he is as fevere to himself, as God or the law of God can be: whatever these charge him with, all that he takes with, whatever they determine to be done against him, he writes down under it, Juft; the Lord is righteous, for I have offended.

4. He is one that has his mouth stopped, as the apostle speaks, Rom. iii. 19. He has finned, and

he

he is fenfible that there is no hiding of it. He is guilty, and there is no excufe. He is every way Shut up under fin, as the word properly fignifies, Gal. iii. 22. The fcripture hath concluded all under fin; that is, according to the force of the word, the fcripture hath every way fhut up or fhut in all under fin, that the promise by faith of Jefus Chrift might be given to them that believe. In one word, he is a criminal, that has got fuch a fight of his crime, that he dare neither deny it, nor endeavour to hide it, nor extenuate it, but fubfcribes to the truth of all that the law of God and his own confcience charge him with. And as for the fentence past against him, he subscribes it juft: he knows that he cannot flee from it, nor is able to undergo it. He is an enemy to God, brought to fuch a ftrait, that he is able neither to fight nor to flee. And when he looks to himself, and all those things he once laid fome weight upon, he fees no profpect of relief. Such an one is the convinced finner we fpeak of; and fuch of you as never were brought to this pafs, never did believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift. This being once cleared, proceed

we now,

II. To give fome account of the Lord Jefus Chrift, on whom he is called to believe. Here ye are not to expect a full account of Chrift, this none can give; nor fhall I at large infift on what may be known of him, but only glance at a few things, which fuit the cafe of the convinced finner, of whom we have just now been fpeaking! and this we shall do in a few particulars.

1. The Lord Jefus Chrift, on whom we are bid believe, is Immanuel, God with us, God in our nature, God-man in one perfon. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with

P 2

God,

God, and the Word was God. And the Word that in the beginning was with God, and was God, in the fulness of time was made flesh, and dwelt among men upon earth, who did behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. This the apostle John doth evince at great length; this he exprefly teaches, in the first chapter of his gofpel, and the first fourteen or fifteen verfes of it. Now, this difcovery of Chrift is extremely encouraging to a finner who is under the deep conviction of fin, as was the jaylor in the text. If ye tell fuch an one, when he cries out with him, what must I do to be faved? Go, believe on God; it would give him no relief; for all his fears are from God; it is deftruction from God that is his terror. He fees the holiness, the truth, the wisdom and juftice of God, all breathing out threatenings against him. Holinefs cannot look upon an impure finner. The truth of God has become furety for his destruction: the juftice of God pleads it reafonable that the finner should be punished; and thereby evil taken away, God's honour and the honour of his law repaired; and wifdom is fo deeply interested in every one of these claims, that it feems to join with them. Hence it is that the finner is horridly afraid of God. So far would he be from looking toward him, that like Adam, he would flee from! him, and endeavour to hide himself. What, would fuch a poor trembling finner reply unto any who fhould bid him believe in God, fhall I believe on him who threatens me with destruction, on him, all whofe attributes conspire, and that most justly, my everlasting deftruction? He has told me already what I am to expect at his hand, even fure and inevitable death, in the day thou

eat-,

eatest thou shalt furely die: this God is a confuming fire, and I am as stubble before him. On the other hand, tell fuch a convinced finnner of a man, a mere man, and bid him look to him for relief; this at firft blush appears utterly - vain. What! are not all men involved in the fame calamity with me? are they not unable to fave themfelves? What! is man able to fuftain the weight of that heavy stroke of wrath, which enraged om, nipotency is ready to lay on? Thus it appears that neither mere God, nor mere man, is fuited to give relief to the finner of whom we fpeak; but God and man united in one, appears exceedingly fuited to give him relief. There are three things which an awakened finner will fee, at the first "view, in the perfon of Chrift. (1.) He will fee him to be one that may be approached by him. When one is made fenfible of his own finfulness, fo far will he be from defiring a fight of God, that he will rather faint at the thoughts of it, fince he dreads he cannot fee him and live. Nay, fuch is the weakness of man fince the fall, that the fight even of a created angel has made fome of the most eminent faints exceedingly afraid, as we have instances more than one in the fcripture. there is not that dread in the fight of one that is clothed, with flesh, that appears in the likeness even of finful flesh, Rom. viii. 3. as to deter from approaching to him. Nay, on the contrary, will not every one in this cafe readily draw near, in expectation of relief from fuch an one, knowing him to be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh? This is one of the excellencies in Chrift's perfon that ravishes the heart of a finner that is looking out for relief. (2.) The person of Chrift, thus confifting of the divine and human nature united

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