heaven, might have gone in easy enough, for in six cubits' breadth there is room; but, poor man, he was not for going in thither unless he might carry in his houses upon his shoulders too; and so the gate was strait. Mark 10:17-23.

Wherefore, he that will enter in at the gate of heaven, of which this gate into the temple was a type, must go in by himself, and not with his bundles of trash on his back; and if he will go in thus, he need not fear but there is room. The righteous nation that keepeth the truth, they shall enter in."

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They that enter in at the gate of the inner court must be clothed in fine linen; how then shall they go into the temple that carry the clogs of the dirt of this world at their heels? Thus saith the Lord, "No stranger uncircumcised in heart, or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary."

The wideness, therefore, of this gate, is for this cause here made mention of, namely, to encourage them that would gladly enter thereat according to the mind of God, and not to flatter them that are not for leaving off all for God.

Wherefore let such as would go in remember that here is room, even a gate to enter at, six cubits wide. We have been all this while but on the outside of the temple, even in the courts of the house of the Lord, to see the beauty and glory that is there. The beauty hereof made men cry out and say, 'How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts; my soul longeth, yea, fainteth for the courts of the Lord;" and to say, "A day in thy courts is better than a thousand."

COMING TO CHRIST.

QUESTION. HOW must I be qualified before I shall dare to believe in Christ?

ANSWER. Come, sensible of thy sins and of the wrath

of God due unto them, for thus thou art bid to come Matt. 11:28.

QUESTION. Did ever any come thus to Christ?

ANSWER. David came thus, Paul and the jailer came thus; also Christ's murderers came thus. Psa. 51:1–3 ; Acts 9:6; 16:30, 31; 2:37.

QUESTION. But doth it not seem most reasonable that we should first mend and be good?

ANSWER. The whole have no need of the physician, but those that are sick; Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

QUESTION. But is it not the best way, if one can, to mend first?

ANSWER. This is just as if a sick man should say, “Is it not best for me to be well before I go to the physician?" or as if a wounded man should say, "When I am cured I will lay on the plaster."

QUESTION. But when a poor creature sees its vileness, it is afraid to come to Christ, is it not?

ANSWER. Yes, but without ground; for he has said, "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not ;" and "to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Isa. 35:4; 66: 2.

QUESTION. What encouragement can be given us thus to come?

ANSWER. The prodigal came thus, and his father received him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him. Thus Christ received the Colossians, and consequently all that are saved. Luke 15; Col. 2:13.

QUESTION. Will you give me one more encouragement? ANSWER. The promises are so worded, that they that are scarlet sinners, crimson sinners, blasphemous sinners, have encouragement to come to him with hopes of life. Isa. 1:18; Mark 3:28; John 6:36; Luke 24: 47; Acts 13:36

TEMPTATIONS OF THE SOUL COMING TO CHRIST.

No sooner doth Satan perceive what God is doing with the soul in a way of grace and mercy, but he endeavoreth what he may, to make the renewing thereof bitter and wearisome work to the sinner. O what mists, what mountains, what clouds, what darkness, what objections, what false apprehensions of God, of Christ, of grace, of the word, and of the soul's condition, doth he now lay before it, and haunt it with! whereby he dejecteth, casteth down, daunteth, distresseth, and almost driveth it quite into despair. Now, by the reason of these things, faith and all the grace that is in the soul is hard put to it to come at the promise, and by the promise, to Christ; as it is said, when the tempest and great danger of shipwreck lay upon the vessel in which Paul was, "They had much work to come by the boat." Acts 27: 16. For Satan's design is, if he cannot keep the soul from Christ, to make his coming to him and closing with him as hard, as difficult and troublesome as he by his devices can. But faith, true justifying faith, is a grace that is not weary by all that Satan can do; but meditateth upon the word, and taketh stomach and courage, fighteth and crieth; and by crying and fighting, by help from heaven, its way is made through all the oppositions that appear so mighty, and draweth up at last to Jesus Christ, into whose bosom it putteth the soul; where, for the time, it sweetly resteth, after its marvellous tossings to and fro.

And besides what hath been said, let me yet illustrate this truth unto you by this familiar similitude.

Suppose a man, a traitor, that by the law should die for his sin, is yet such a one that the king hath exceeding kindness for; may not the king of his clemency pardon this man, yea, order that his pardon should be drawn up and sealed, and so in every sense be made sure, and yet for the present keep all this close enough from the ears or the knowledge of the person therein concerned? Yea, may not, the king after all leave this person, with others under

the same transgression, to sue for and obtain this pardon with great expense and difficulty, with many tears and heartachings, with many fears and dubious cogitations?

Why, this is the case between God and the soul that he saveth: he saveth him, pardoneth him, and secureth him from the curse and death that are due unto sin, but yet doth not tell him so; but he ascends in his great suit unto God for it. Only this difference we must make between God and the potentates of this world: God cannot pardon before the sinner stands before him righteous by the righteousness of Christ; because he has, in judgment, and justice, and righteousness, threatened and concluded that he that lacks righteousness shall die.

TRIALS AND ENCOURAGEMENTS OF THE
AWAKENED.

There are two things in special, when men begin to be awakened, that kill their thoughts of being saved.

1. A sense of sin. 2. The wages due thereto. These kill the heart; for who can bear up under the guilt of sin? "If our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?" How, indeed! it is impossible. So neither can man grapple with the justice of God. Can thy heart endure, or thy hands be strong? they cannot. A wounded spirit, who can bear? Men cannot, angels cannot; wherefore, if now Christ be hid, and the blessing of faith in his blood denied, woe be to them such go after Saul and Judas, one to the sword and the other to the halter, and so miserably end their days. For come to God they dare not; the thoughts of that eternal Majesty strike them through.

But now present such poor dejected sinners with a crucified Christ, and persuade them that the sins under which they shake and tremble were long ago laid upon the back of Christ, and the noise and sense and fear of damning begins to cease, depart, and fly away: dolors and terrors

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Now is peace come, Behold, all things are

fade and vanish, and that soul conceiveth hopes of life; for thus the soul argueth: Is this indeed the truth of God, that Christ was made to be sin to me-was made the curse of God for me? Hath he indeed borne all my sins, and spilt his blood for my redemption? O blessed tidings, O welcome grace! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. now the face of heaven is altered. become new." Now the sinner can abide God's presence, yea, sees unutterable glory and beauty in him; for here he sees justice smile. While Jacob was afraid of Esau, how heavily did he drive, even towards the promised land; but when killing thoughts were turned into kissing, and the fears of the sword's point turned into brotherly embraces, what says he? 'I have seen thy face as though it had been the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me."

So and far better is it with a poor distressed sinner, at the revelation of the grace of God through Jesus Christ. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." O, what work will such a word make upon a wounded conscience, especially when the next words follow: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

Now the soul sees qualifications able to set him quiet in the sight of God-qualifications prepared already. Prepared, I say, already, and that by God through Christ; even such as can perfectly answer the law. What doth the law require? If obedience, here it is; if bloody sacrifice, here it is; if infinite righteousness, here it is. Now then the law condemns no more him that believes before God; for all its demands are answered, all its curses are swallowed up in the death and curse Christ underwent.

OBJECTION. But reason saith, "Since personal sin brought the death, surely personal obedience must bring us life and glory."