cife separately: fuch as, not only in general, that of adminiftration of the word and facraments, Mat. xxviii. 19.; public preaching, praying, praising, 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, 3. Acts vi. 4. James v. 13. Col. iii. 16.: but also particularly, they have a power declaratory; to declare the whole counfel of God.-A power inftructory; to go and teach all nations.-A power hortatory; to exhort, and to give much exhortation, as it is faid, Acts xx. 2.—A power reprehenfory; to reprove, as John did Herod; and to exhort and rebuke with authority, Tit. ii. 15.A power refutatory; to refute error and herefy, to confute and convince gainfayers, Tit. i. 9. and fhew them their fin.-A power mandatory; to command them in the name of the Lord, to turn from fin to God, through Christ, by faith; for, "This is his command, that we fhould believe in the name of his Son;" and this command they are to give forth in his name.-Again, they have a power minatory; to threaten the unbelieving and impenitent, faying, " He that believeth not, fhall be damned; and, except ye repent, ye fhall all likewife perifh." They have a power minatory; to warn them to flee from the wrath to come. They have a power confolatory; to comfort the broken hearted, and bind up their wounds. They have a power ligatory and folutory; that is, of binding and loofing, according to the threatenings or comforts of the word.-A power defponfatory; that is, as co-workers with Chrift and his Spirit; a power of efpoufing finners to Chrift, "I have efpoufed you to one Hufband," fays the apoftle, 2 Cor. xi. 2.-A power regenatory, and of begetting them by the word, I Cor. iv. 15. "In Chrift Jefus I have begotten you thro' the gospel." There is a power edificatory they have; to edify the body of Chrift, and build them up in the most holy faith. A power adjutory; to help them much, who have believed thro' grace; and to be helpers of their joy.-So much concerning this fpiritual compulfion, and the power and authority imported in it, both for beginning and advancing the good work, and how minifters may be faid to compel. This is the first general head, the minifterial commiffion and authority, Compel them.

II. The

II. The fecond general head propofed was, To fpeak of the end and defign of this compulfion, namely, To come in: Compel them to come in. I fhall here only fhew, what I take to be the import of this coming in, in a few particulars. The general import of coming in, is believing in Chrift, who, fo many times in fcripture, calls finners to come to him, "Come to me all ye that are weary; whosoever will, let him come; him that cometh, I will in no wife caft out." But more particularly, this coming in imports,

1. That finners are without, otherwife they needed not be called to come in. Now, minifiers being called to compel them to come in, is a warranting them to fhew, and to caufe them know, they are without doors. And this is the firft mean to be used for bringing in fouls, to convince them of their eftrangement from God; their curfed ftate while without God, without his image, without his favour, without his fellowship and that, being without a covering from his wrath, they are expofed to eternal death and damnation: that fo they may be compelled to cry out, "What fhall we do to be faved?" What fhall we do to be houfed, and fheltered from the wrath of God.

2. To come in, imports, That the door is open; and to compel them to come in, is to cause them to know, that there is an open door of accefs to God, that the door of faith is open to the Gentiles; the door of faith is opened by the gofpel; the door of mercy is open; the door of life and falvation, "Life and immortality being brought to light by the gofpel;" and that Chrift is the door, John x. 9. The door of the old covenant of works is a fhut door; the door of perfonal righteoufnefs of ours, the door of Pagan morality, the door of natural endeavours, thefe are all fhut doors; "There is no name under heaven, whereby any can be faved, but the name of Jefus:" but this door is open;" I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he fhall be faved, and fhall go in and out and find pasture:" ANY MAN, any perfon whatsoever. Hence,

3. Compel them to come in; it imports, a full warrant to come; and a hearty welcome; and that minifters. VOL. VII.

muft

muft both warrant and welcome them. They are to warrant finners to come in, by the command of their Lord and Master; "This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jefus Chrift," 1 John iii. 23. They are to welcome them by his promife; "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out," John vi. 37.

4. Compel them to come in; it imports, That notwithftanding of the warrant and welcome they have to come in, yet finners will have a ftrong averfion and unwillingnefs to come in; and that therefore the utmost pains must be taken with them to conquer their prejudices, and gain their affections. There must be line upon line, and precept upon precept; call upon call, and one offer upon the back of another, one motive and argument upon the back of another; and all is infufficient to overcome the enmity of finners against a Saviour, till power come along with the means; yet thefe are still to be ufed in dependence upon his bleffing, not knowing when, or in what mean, a profperous gale may blow.

5. Compel them to come in; it imports fomething they are to come in to, which minifters are to inculcate upon them; namely, that they are to come in to himself, who is the door by which, and the houfe to which they are to come in. Chrift is called, "An houfe of defence," Pfal. xxxi. z. Sinners are to be taught, that they muft come in to his arms, which are ftretched out, even to a difobedient and gainfaying people, Rom. x. 31. That they must come in to his heart and bowels, which yearn toward them, as they did toward Ephraim; "My bowels are troubled for him; I will furely have mercy upon him, faith the Lord," Jer. xxxi. 20. That they must come in to his blood and righteoufnefs, and come in to his grace and fulness.

6. Compel them to come in, imports fomething they are to come in for, as well as what they are to come in to: and fo they are to be taught the errand, as well as the object of faith. Chrift is the object, and falvation is the firft errand of faith. It is a receiving and refting upon Chrift alone for falvation: they are to come in for a feaft at his table; and furely falvation is a good feast for a loft foul. They that are aliens, and without, are

to

to come in for acquaintance with God in Chrift; for "This is life eternal, to know God and Jefus Christ whom he hath fent." They that are poor are to come in for riches, even durable riches and righteousness. They that are maimed are to come in for the supply of all their de fects, that, Out of his fulness, they may receive grace for grace. They that are halt are to come in for healing and itrength, that his grace may be fufficient for them, and his ftrength may be made perfect in their weakness: Then fhall the lame man leap as an bart. as an bart. They that are blind are to come in for light and fight; for, Then the eyes of the blind fhall be opened. They that are firaggling in the high ways and hedges are to come in for reft and fatisfaction in him, which they are in vain feeking among their lufts, and in the broad ways that lead to death and hell.

In a word, finners are to be compelled to come in for life and happinefs; for pardon of fin, for peace and reconciliation with God, and for all the privileges of the fons of God; to come and hear, that their fouls may live; to come and fee the falvation of God; to come and handle the word of life; to come and tafte that. the Lord is gracious; to come and fmell the fweet favour of the Rofe of Sharon, that perfumes heaven and earth, and puts away the ftinking favour of fin and corruption. And, in fhort, they must be taught, that they may come in, and that they must come in, and fhare with him in his grace here, and glory hereafter. Compel

them to come in.

7. It imports, That he is before them, ready to help them in, and to take them in. It is not, compel them to go in, but to come in. We are not to require them to go where he is not, but to come in where he is, and where they fhall have his prefence, aid, and affistance. Chrift's invitations to finners by the gofpel are not go, but come; come to me, and come with me; "Come to me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden; Come with me from Lebanon;" importing the ftrongest encouragement, and anticipating all objections drawn from weakness and inability, faying, I cannot come why? there is no fear you come. If I were commanding you to go without me, you might be afraid; but when I defire you to

if

come to me, and come with me, and come in, you may be fure I am at the door of the houfe, ready to take your hand, and help you in: Hence it is faid, Heb. vii. 35. "He is able to fave to the uttermoft, all that come to God by him:" by bim; that is, not only by him as the way, but alfo by him as the leader, to take your hand, Compel them to come in.

8. It imports, That he would be joined to them, and would have them joined to him; and that it is the most intimate union to him, and communion with him, he would have them brought into. Compel them to come in; it is not only to him by an out-fide profeffion, but to come into him by faith. Though the people of the old world had come to the ark, and taken hold of the outfide of it, they would have been washed away with the waters of the deluge; none were fafe but thefe that came in. Our fafety lies in coming in: and minifters must not reft till they get finners brought in, fo as to be joined to the Lord Jefus, and married to him. We are to compel them, faying, "All things are ready, come to the marriage," Mat.xxiv. 4. and thereupon to the marriagefupper; "Bleffed are they that are called to the marriage. fupper of the Lamb," Rev. xix. 9. Minifters are warranted to court a bride for their Master, and to compel finners, by all means, to come in to him, and join hands with him, and join hearts with him.-So much for the import of this phrafe, Compel them to come in.

III. The third general head propofed was, To fpeak of the reafon here given for this work, viz. That my boufe may be filled. This metaphorical expreffion, in a fuitableness to the parable, fuppofes that Chrift hath a houfe, and that his houfe muft be filled. I might here confider, 1. What is his house? 2. What is the import of filling his houfe? 3. How full his houfe should be. 4. Why his houfe muft be filled.

1ft, What is his houfe? By his houfe we may understand his church and people, whether the church visible or invifible. In feveral refpects they are called his houfe where he dwells and refides; fymbolically, by the external fymbols of his prefence in the church vifible, Pfal. cxxxii.