in professors; or by the rage of persecution, wearing out the saints of the Most High, Dan. vii. 25. But yet we have good grounds from the word of God to believe and hope, that the gospel may be secured to a generation ordinarily, if they be careful to get the blessing thereof, and to walk worthy of it. If the grace of God itself be prized, the means of grace will be continued.

2. The Lord witnesseth his displeasure against slighters of his grace, by fearful outward judgments. So fared it with Jerusalem, according to our Lord's prediction, Luke xix. 42, 43, 44. It hath been a remark of wise observers of the providence of God towards nations since the reformation from Popery, That in those places where the greatest light of the gospel hath shined, there the greatest judgments have been inflicted; as in Germany, France, and amongst ourselves in Britain.

3. The Lord visits for this sin with spiritual judgments, the most wrathful dispensations of God on this side hell; as hardness of heart, blindness of mind, searedness of conscience, vileness of affections; judgments which they that are under, never feel, nor complain of, nor will be convinced of, though they are sometimes visible to others. If the Lord inflict them on the Heathen for their abuse of the dim light of nature, Rom. i. 21, 24, 26, 28. how much greater are such that are sent for the abuse of the light of the gospel? That dreadful commission given to the most eminent prophet, Isa. vi. 9, 10. is often applied and fulfilled in the New Testament: Matth. xiii. 14. and John xii. 39, 40. Therefore they could not believe, (their sin was, ver. 37. they believed not on him; here is their plague, they could not believe), because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts; that they should not see quith their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should heal them. Paul applies it to some of his unbelieving hearers, with a strange preface, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esains, to our fathers, saying, Acts xxviii. 25, 26. The interest and influence of God in such spiritual judgments, is a great depth. They are always just, and always deep; and dreadful are their effects. They on whom they fall, feel nothing, see

nothing, fear nothing. So that truly we may say, as Psalm lxviii. 35. O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places. But such as have a heart to the grace of God, and would fain be blessed thereby, need not fear those judgments, and shall never feel them.

4. Lastly, The wrath of God against such as come not to the throne of grace, is engraven in the singular vengeance of eternal ruin. There is something singular in their hell. The law sends all unpardoned sinners to a law-hell: the Lord sends despisers of saving grace to a special hell, Heb. ii. S. and x. 29. a much sorer punishment. No quarters in hell are tolerable yet our Lord saith, Matth. xi. 22, 24. That it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah, than for the cities where he preached, and wrought mighty works. We should be thankful for this fair warning. I am afraid that there are very few that do truly believe this, That the condition of a sinner under the gospel, that is of a blameless conversation, and makes a fair profession; only he is an unbeliever in Jesus Christ, and one that hath no business at the throne of grace, he hath no other fault but that, (and he needs no more to ruin him); that this man's case is worse now, and will be worse at the last day, than that of the inhabitants of Sodom, on whom the Lord rained down hell from heaven. Many of our gay professors, and civil moral men, would think themselves highly affronted and undervalued, to be put in the balance with filthy Sodomites. If it were possible that thou had no fault but only unbelief, thy sin is greater, thy judgment will be more dreadful, thy state worse for eternity, than that of the vilest of the nations to whom the throne of grace was never revealed; John xv. 22. If I had not come, and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. And to the same purpose our Lord spake to them, ver. 24. They were sinners before; but the contempt of that dispensation of grace that Christ brought to them, rendered them singular transgressors. So John iii. 17. God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Are then all saved, and none condemned? No: Of the world that hear of God's Son, some believe on him, and they are not condemned, but saved;

and others believe not on him, and therefore are condemned, ver. 18. What is the condemnation? Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil, ver. 19. The law condemns them, because their deeds are evil; the despised gospel condemns them, because they refuse the only remedy. Law-sin is poison to the soul, and kills as such. Unbelief is rejecting the only antidote, and kills as such. Look to one scripture more: Luke xix. 27. But those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. It is not usual for kings and princes to have criminals executed in their presence, but command it to be done by mean hands, in some remoter place. But Christ will have his enemies slain before him. To be slain in Christ's presence, is double destruction: 2 Thess. i. 9. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction, (ever a-destroying, never destroyed; the destroyer punisheth eternally, and the destroyed suffer eternally) from the presence of the Lord. The meaning is not only, that a great part of this punishment stands in being deprived for eternity of the gracious presence of Jesus Christ ; as in Matth. xxv. 41. The first and saddest word in the last sentence is, Depart from me. Just; for they said to him, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways, Job xxi. 14. Let all trembling believers and lovers of Christ persuade themselves, that they shall never hear it pronounced against them. All that make it their business to come to Christ, that make it their daily suit that he would come to them, shall not hear, Depart from me; but, Come to me, ye blessed. Ye often came for a blessing, and got many by coming; now come to receive the blessing of the kingdom. But this word, from the presence of the Lord, saith further, that thie destruction flows from Christ's angry and glorious presence; and that it shall also be in his presence; as Rev. xiv. 10. It is in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb, they are tormented for ever.

Thus having opened the first head in the text, That there is a throne of grace erected and revealed, in the gospel, to which men are invited to come; I shall only apply it in two questions, and the Lord apply them to your consciences, and VOL. I.

E

make them give a right and true answer. They are two short plain ones. 1. Have you come? 2. Will ye come?

Quest. 1. Have you come to the throne of grace? Do you know and are sure that you have come? as Peter said, John vi. 68, 69. The apostle speaks of such comers, Hebrews xii. 24. But ye are come to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. You are all hearers of the throne of grace; many are talkers of it, and some disputers and contenders about this throne: but are you comers to it? is your heart on it, your business at it, and your daily exercise about it? You are in the outward court; doth that satisfy you? Alas! many poor souls die and perish there. help to some conviction how it is with you as to this, I would ask,

To

1. Have you come to the throne of grace? Then you have seen the King. He is a poor sorry courtier, that goes to court every day, and never seeth the King's face; as Absa lom, 2 Sam. xiv. 24, 28. Alas! many live in Jerusalem all their days, and never see the King that dwells in Zion. When Paul was brought to the throne of grace, Christ was revealed in him and to him, Gal. i. 15, 16. When men are brought and come to the throne of grace, they receive the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 6. There is a seeing of him, joined with believing on him, John vi. 40. All that see Jesus Christ, must have eyes from him to see him with; the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of him, that enlightens the eyes of men's understandings, Eph. i. 17, 18. His eye-salve can only make blind sinners to see, Rev. iii. 18. Are men in doubt whether they have seen Christ or not? Whence doth it proceed? Is Christ so mean, and dark, and ordinary an object, that men may see him, and not know that they see him? A man may doubt whether his eyes take up a dim cloudy star in a dark night: but the sun doth not shine, or the man is blind, if he lift up his face, and doubt whether he see the sun at noon-day. There is a manifestation of Christ promised, John xiv. 21, 23. which, when made by him, and perceived by his people, removeth all doubtings; so that the

soul must say, as Isa. xxv. 9. This is our God, this is the Lord. But this measure is not ordinary, nor constantly to be expected. Is there any like unto Jesus Christ? Are any of his companions, as they are called, Song i. 7. so like to him, that a believer cannot discern the difference? Never did a man see Jesus Christ by the eye of faith, but he is, by that sight of him, persuaded that there is none to be compared with him. No man is converted, and made a believer, but by a revelation of Jesus Christ. A man may be awakened with a view of God's glory; he may be alarmed by a sight of sin and hell; and may be roused out of his sleep of security, by the thunders of Sinai: but he is never converted, and made a Christian, but by a revelation of Jesus Christ, as glorious in his robes of salvation. Whence then is it that all believers on him do not own his manifesting himself to them, and their seeing of him? It is in part from the weakness of their sight, the greatness of the glory of him they see, and their strong desire to see him better. But for such as have spent their days about the throne of grace, and yet never saw Jesus Christ, and the glory of God in his face as a Saviour, so as to disgrace all things in comparison with him, so as to raise desires after more of him, and so as to fill their hearts with love, wonder, and praise; such have been at the court, but have not seen the King on his throne.

2. Are you come to the throne of grace? What made you come? what errand did you come upon? No man comes without an errand. We need not make and seek one; we have enow at hand, if we would but use them. What wants felt you at home? and what of his fulness was taking with you? Can you say, I have a naked filthy soul, and I am ashamed to look on it; but how well would the robe of his righteousness fit and adorn it? I am empty of all good, and he is full of all grace, on purpose to fill perishing souls, and I come for a share thereof. The blessing of many ready to perish hath come upon him; and I came for his rich salvation, and would leave my poor, but eternal blessing on him. They that have no particular pressing business about their soul's salvation, may talk of the throne of grace, but do not indeed come to it.