an hundred-fold advantage? Mark x. 29. So that none need be frightned at religion, for the losses that attend it, whilst Chrift and heaven are gained by it: they that count religion their lofs, have their portion in this life.

Infer. 5. How fecurely is the faints inheritance fettled upon them, feeing they are in common with Jesus Christ? Christ and his saints are joint-heirs, and the inheritance cannot be alienated, but by his consent; he must lose his interest, if you lose yours. Indeed, Adam's inheritance was by a single title, and moreover, it was in his own hand, and so he might, (as indeed he foon did) divest himself and his posterity of it; but it is not fo betwixt Christ and believers, we are secured in our inheritance by Christ our co-heir, who will never alienate it: and therefore it was truly observed by the father, Foelicior Job in sterquilinio, quam Adamus in paradifo: Job was happier upon the dunghill, than Adam was in paradife. The covenant of grace is certainly the best tenure; as it hath the best mercies, so it gives the fulleft security to enjoy them.

Infer. 6. How rich and full is Jesus Christ, who communicates abundantly to all the faints, and yet hath infinitely still more in himself, than hath ever been received by them all.

Take all the faith of Abraham, all the meekness of Mofes, all the patience of Job, all the wisdom of Solomon, all the zeal of David, all the industry of Paul, and all the tender-heartedness of Jofiah; add to this, all the grace that is poured, (tho' in lesser measure), into all the elect vessels in the world, yet still it is far short of that which remains in Christ; "He is anointed with the " oil of gladness above his fellows:" And in all things he hath, and must ever have the pre-eminence. There are many thousand ftars glittering above your heads, and one star differs from another star in glory, yet there is more light and glory in one fun, than in the many thousand stars. Grace beautifies the children of men exceedingly, but still that is true of Christ, Pfal. xlv. 2. Thou art fairer than the children of men, grace is poured into thy lips." For all grace is secondarily, and derivatively in the faints, but it is primitively and originally in Christ, John v. 16. Grace is imperfect and defective in them, but in him it is in its most absolute perfection and fulness, Col. i. 19. In the faints it is mixed with abundance of corruption, but in Christ it is altogether unmixed, and exclusive of its opposite, Heb. vii. 26. So that as the Heathen faid of moral virtue, I may much more say of Christ, That were he to be seen with mortal eyes, he would compel love and admiration from all men, for " he is altogether "lovely," Cant. v. 16.

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Infer. 7. What delight, and fingular advantage must needs be in the communion of the faints, who have communion with Jesus Chrift in all his graces and benefits.

"That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, *" that ye also may have fellowship with us: And truly our fel" lowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Chrift," 1 John i. 3. O it is sweet to have fellowship with those that have tellowship with God in Jefus Christ. Christ hath communicated to the faints, varieties of graces, in different measures and degrees; and as they all receive from Christ the fountain, Yo it is sweet and most delightful to be improving themselves by spiritual communion one with another: Yea, for that end one is furnished with one grace more eminently than another, that the weak may be affitted by the strong, as a modern divine * well observes. Athanafius was prudent, and active, Bafil of an heavenly, sweet temper, Chryfoftome laborious, without affectation, Ambrose refolved, and grave, Luther couragious, and Calvin acute, and judicious. Thus every one hath his proper gift from Christ, the fountain of gifts and graces, 1 Cor. vii. 7. One hath quickness of parts, another folidity of judg. ment, but not ready and presential; one is zealous, but ungrounded; another well principled, but timerous; one is wary, and prudent; another open and plain; one is trembling, and melting; another chearful and joyous; one must impart his light, another his heat: The eye, the knowing man, cannot Tay to the hand, the active man, I have no need of thee. And O how sweet would it be, if gifts, graces, and experiences were frequently, and humbly imparted! But idle notions, earthIv-mindedness, self-interests, and want of more communion with Christ, have, almost, destroyed the comfort of Chriftian fel. Jowship every where in the world.

Infer. 8. In a word, those only have ground to claim interest in Christ, who do really participate of his graces, and in whom are found the effects and fruits of their union and communion with him.

If you have interest in Christ, you have communion in his graces and benefits; and if you have fuch communion, it will appear in your maintaining daily actual communion with God in duties; whereby will be produced,

First, The increase of your fanctification, by fresh participa. tions from the fountain; as cloth which is often dipt into the fat receives the deeper dye, and livelier tincture; fo will your fouls by affiduous communion with God. It will also be dif cerned,

Secondly, In your deeper humiliation, and spiritual sense of your own vileness: The more any man partakes of God, and is acquainted with him, and assimilated to him, the more base and vile in his own fight he still grows, Job xlii. 5, 6. Ifa. vi. 5.

Thirdly, It will appear in your more vehement longings after the full enjoyment of God in heaven, I Pet. i. 8. and Rom. viii. 23. You that have the first fruits, will groan within yourselves after the full harvest, and fatisfying fruition; you will not be so taken with things below, as to be content with the best lot on earth for your everlasting portion. O! if these communicated drops be so sweet, what is there in Christ the fountain ?

And thus I have opened the method of grace in bringing home Christ and his benefits to God's elect by union, in order to communion with him.

Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ.

Containing the first general Use of Exhortation, inviting all Men to apply JESUS CHRIST.

MATTH. xi. 28. Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

THE impetration of our redemption by Jesus Chrift, being finished in the first part, and the way and means by which Christ is applied to finners in the foregoing part of this treatise; I am now orderly come to the general use of the whole; which in the first place shall be by way of exhortation, to invite and perfuade all men to come to Chrift; who in all the former fermons, hath been represented in his garments of falvation, red in his apparel, prepared and offered to finners as their all-fufficient and only remedy: And in the following fermons will be represented in his perfumed garments coming out of his ivory palaces, Pfalm xlv. 8. to allure and draw all men unto him.

For a general head to this use, which will be large, I have chosen this fcripture, Come unto me all ye that labour, and "are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

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These words are the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, in which there is a vital, ravishing found: It is your mercy to have such a joyful found in your ears this day. And in them I will confider their dependance, parts, and scope.

As to their dependance, it is manifeft they have an immediate relation to the foregoing verse, wherein Christ opens his com miffion, and declares the fulness of this authority and saving power, and the impossibility of coming to God any other way.

All things are delivered to me of my Father, and no man "knoweth the Son but the Father: Neither knoweth any man "the Father fave the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will. " reveal him," ver. 27.

This 28th verse is brought in proleptically to obviate the dif couragements of any poor, convinced, and humbled soul, who might thus object: Lord, I am fully fatisfied of the fulness of thy saving power, but greatly doubt whether ever I shall have the benefit thereof; for I see so much sin and guilt in myself, so great vileness and utter unworthiness, that I am overweighed, and even fink under the burden of it: My foul is discouraged because of fin. This objection is prevented in the words of my text, "Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy la" den," q. d. Let not the sense of your sin and misery drive you from your only remedy: Be your fins never so many, and the sense and burden of them never so heavy, yet, for all that, Come unto me: You are the perfons whom I invite and call. I came not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance. In the words, three things are especially remarkable.

1. The foul's spiritual distress and burthen: Weary and heavy laden.

2. Its invitation to Christ under that burthen: Come unto me. 3. Its encouragement to that great duty : I will give you reft. First, The foul's spiritual distress and burthen, expressed in two very emphatical words *, οι κοπιωντες και πεφορτισμένοι. "that labour and are heavy laden." The word which we tran

"Ye

* Οι κοπιωντες, i. e. They who labour even to fainting and tiring, for this Greek word το κοπιαν differs by this emphasis from the word πονειν, which signifies only in general to labour. Pifcator on the place, explains it thus, Ye who feel the burden of your fins, and yet do not fink under the weight thereof. Chryfoftome expounds it of those who are burdened with the legal rites and ceremonies; but we understand it in general, of all those who being preffed with the burden of their fins, and the sense of the malignity of their corrupt natures, do strive with all their might to throw off this de pravity, and to obtain righteousness. Musculus on the place.

flate labour, signifies a labouring even to faintness and tiring, to the consumption and waste of the spirits; and the other word fignifies such a pressure by a burthen that is too heavy to be borne, that we do even fink down under it.

There is some difference among expositors about the quality of this burthen. Chryfoftome, and some others after him, expound it of the burthen of the legal rites and ceremonies, which was a heavy burthen indeed, such as neither they, nor their fathers, could bear. Under the task and burthen of these legal observances, they did sweat and toil to obtain a righteousness to justify them before God, and all in vain; and this is a pious sense: But others expound it of the burthen of fin in general; the corruption of nature, and evils of practice, which fouls are convinced have brought them under the curse, and will bring them to hell, and therefore labour, and strive, all that in them lies, by repentance, and reformation, to clear themselves from it: but all in vain, whilst they strive in their own strength. Such are they that are here called to come to Chrift, which is the second thing; namely,

Secondly, The invitation of burthened fouls to Christ: "Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden: Come

unto me," i. e. believe in me, lean and rest your burthened fouls upon me. I am able to ease all your burthens; in me is that righteousness and peace which you seek in vain in all the legal rites and ceremonies; or in your repentance, reformations, and duties; but it will give you no ease, it will be no benefit to you except you come unto me. Faith is often expressed under this notion, see John vi. 37. and John vii. 37. and it is to be further noted, that [all] burthened fouls are invited to come, "All ye that labour." Whatever your fin or guilt have been, whatever your fears or discouragements are, yet come, (i. e.) believe in me.

Thirdly, Here is the encouragement Christ gives to this duty, And I will give you reft : αναπαυσω υμας. *I will refresh you, I will give you rest from your labour, your confciences shall be pacified, your heart at rest and quiet in that pardon, peace, and favour of God, which I will procure for you by my death. But here it must be heedfully noted, that this promife of rest in Christ is not made to men simply, as they are finners, nor yet as they are burthened, and heavy laden sinners, but as they come to Chrift; i. e. as they are believers. For let a man break

* Why dost thou seek that where thou canst not find it ? I am he only that can help thee. Muf. on the place.