SERM. tion of his Spirit. Whereby they are effecIII. tually perfuaded to accept of that Grace, which they were before convinced was fo needful for their Salvation, and to comply with whatever is neceffary in order hereunto. This now carries on the work a good degree further, and is another confiderable step towards the Sinner's Recovery. The former without this is nothing but a mere Conviction, such as Ezekiel's Hearers, Herod and Felix had, which foon decayed, and came to nothing; which ftruck fome Light into the Underftanding, and made fome Impreffions on the Conscience, but never gained the Will.

There are none, perhaps, if the Question were put to them, Are you willing to be faved by Jefus Chrift; but would readily answer in the Affirmative. But were the Question to be urged more closely; Will you then comply with, and submit to, those things which are abfolutely neceffary to your Intereft in that Salvation? Were they fenfible what it is to be faved (as they who are ferioufly convinced by the word of GOD, as before mentioned, are supposed to be) they muft directly anfwer in the Affirmative ftill. But were the Question to be preffed home ftill more par

ticularly;

ticularly; Will you refolve then, by divine SERM. Grace, immediately to break off that Course of III. Sin you have lived in, whatever Mortification it may coft you? and confcientiously practise thofe Duties of Piety and Virtue you have fo long neglected, whatever Difficulties may dif courage you? will you conftantly oppose your darling Sin, and carefully avoid every Temptation that leads to it? The Reason, the Understanding, and Confcience of the Sinner will still answer, YES. And there may be for a while, not only a ready Purpose, but fome faint Efforts towards this; but as there remains ftill a fecret Reluctance in the Will, and a carnal Bias on the Heart, that by degrees will gain the better of all the dictates of natural Reafon and Confcience, and infenfibly bring back the Soul to it's wonted Indolence, Stupidity and Neglect. So that the most hopeful Profpects, and the fairest Beginnings of Goodness, may be loft, and like the Morning Cloud or early Dew foon pafs away; and all for want of the Will being gained over, and thoroughly wrought upon, by divine Grace, which is freely offered to Sinners by the occafional Operations and Influences of the holy Spirit upon their Minds:

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which

III.

SERM. which if not rejected, but fincerely improved, will effectually correct this obliquity of the Will, and difpofe it heartily and constantly to comply with every thing neceffary to Salvation.

Laftly, The Sinner being thus made heartily willing to accept of the Grace of Chrift, as neceffary to his Recovery, Chrift then completes it by actually beflowing that Grace upon him which enables him to do what before he was fo fincerely willing to do, in order to his Salvation. Whereby he finds most of the Difficulties that before threatened him, to vanish, and the reft to be much lefs than he apprehended.

And as this divine. Grace which renews, fanctifies, quickens and confirms the Soul, is that to which the Recovery and Salvation of it from Sin and Death is fupremely owing, and as this is the Gift of GOD, freely offered to all that will accept it; hence it is that our Salvation in Scripture is fo often attributed to it. Eph. ii. 8. By Grace are ye faved. I can do all things, faith the Apostle, through Chrift which firengtheneth me, Phil. iv. 13. By the Grace of GOD I am what I am, 1 Cor xv. 10.

Now

III,

Now this Grace, as it is freely offered to SERM. all, fo it may be refifted by fome. And actually is by thofe who reject the Counsel of GOD against themselves, and judge themselves unworthy of eternal Life; who perfift impenitently in their Sins, and refuse to comply with the faving methods of the Gospel.

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And to this indeed, and to this only, is. the Condemnation of Sinners owing; that they obftinately ftand out against the Admonitions of God's Word and Spirit: and refuse the Grace that is freely offered to fave them. Were it never offered them, they would indeed have fomething to plead at the Bar of Gor in arreft of Judgment, But the Consciousness of their having often rejected it, when it had been fo freely and frequently offered, is that which will render them felf-condemned and fpeechlefs there. Thus you fee how the Salvation of Sinners is owing to the Grace of GoD; but their Condemnation to themselves. When a Patient is raised up from a dangerous Distemper, by taking the proper Medicines administered to him, it is the Physician, not himfelf, to whom the Cure is to be ascribed but if he dies, by obftinately refusing to take

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hiş

SERM. his Remedies, his Death may properly be III. faid to be owing to himself. So a Sinner that is faved by the effectual Grace of Chrift hath no more room to boaft that he faves himself, than a dying Patient hath that is wonderfully recovered by the Skill, Care and Kindness of his Physician. So that all Boasting is excluded even by the Law of Faith, as the Apostle tells us, Rom. iii. 27.

Thus you fee in what manner Chrift acts in quality of the Phyfician of Souls, and how properly that Character belongs to him. It arifes from his Character of a Saviour. For his great Défign in coming into the World, was to fave Sinners. Which he does by convincing them by his Word, perfuading them by his Spirit, and then actually beftowing upon them that Grace which effectually recovers them, and renders them meet to partake of that Salvation which he hath purchased for them. I now proceed,

II. To confider fome of the peculiar and diftinguishing Properties which belong to Chrift under this Character of the Physician of Souls.