nal damnation. And he alone is able to give them all this, to the fulfilling of their joy to the full, as they also find when they come to him. This is evident,

1. From the plain declaration of those that already are come to him. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access with boldness into this grace, wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Rom. v.

2.

2. It is evident also, in that while they keep their eyes upon him, they never desire to change him for another, or to add to themselves some other thing, together with him, to make up their spiritual joy. "God forbid," said Paul, "that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Phil. iii. 8, 9.

3. It is evident also, by their earnest desires that others might be made partakers of their blessedness. "Brethren," said Paul, "my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel, is, that they might be saved;" that is, in that way that he expected to be saved himself. As he saith also to the Galatians, "Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am, for I am as ye are;" that is, I am a sinner as ye are. Now, I beseech you, seek for life, as I am seeking it; as if he should say, For there is a sufficiency in the Lord Jesus both for me and you.

4. It is evident also, by the triumph that such men make over all their enemies, both bodily and spiritual. "Now, thanks be to God," said Paul, "who causeth us always to triumph in Christ." And "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?" And again, "O death,

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where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. ii. 14; Rom. viii. 35; 1 Cor. xv. 55, 56, 57.

5. It is evident also, because they are made by the glory of that which they have found in him, to suffer and endure what the devil and hell could invent, as a means to separate them from him. Again, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter). Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. viii.

"Shall come to me." O the heart-attracting glory that is in Jesus Christ (when he is discovered) to draw those to him that are given to him of the Father; therefore those that came of old, rendered this as the cause of their coming to him. "And we beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father." John i. 14. And the reason why others come not, but perish in their sins, is for want of a sight of his glory. "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.

There is therefore heart-pulsing glory in Jesus Christ, which when discovered, draws the men to him; wherefore by "shall come to me," Christ may mean, when his glory is discovered, then they must come, then they shall come to

me. Therefore, as the true comers come with weeping and relenting, as being sensible of their own vileness; so again it is said, that "the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion, with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away;" that is, at the sight of the glory of that grace, that shows itself to them now, in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the hopes that they now have, of being with him in the heavenly tabernacles. Therefore it saith again, "With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought; they shall enter into the King's palace." Isa. xxxv. 10; li. 11; Psalm xlv. 15.

There is therefore heart-attracting glory in the Lord Jesus Christ, which when discovered, subjects the heart to the word, and makes us come to him.

It is said of Abraham that when he dwelt in Mesopotamia, the God of glory appeared unto him (Acts vii. 2, 3), saying, "Get thee out of thy country." And what then? Why, away he went from his house and friends, and all the world could not stay him. Now, as the Psalmist says, "Who is the King of glory?" he answers, "The Lord, mighty in battle:" and who was that, but he that spoiled principalities and powers, when he did hang upon the tree, triumphing over them thereon? And who was that but Jesus Christ, even the person speaking in the text? Therefore he saith, Abraham saw his day. "Yea," saith he to the Jews, "your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad." Psalm xxiv; Col. ii. 14, 15; John viii. 56.

Indeed the carnal man says, at least in his heart (Isa. liii. 1-3), "There is no form nor comeliness" in Christ; "and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him;" but this he speaks, as having never seen him. But they that stand in his house, and look upon him through the glass of his word, by the help of his Holy

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Spirit, they will tell you other. things. "But we," say they, "all with open face, beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory." 2 Cor. iii. 18. They see glory in his person, glory in his undertaking, glory in the merit of his blood, and glory in the perfection of his righteousness; yea, heartaffecting, heart-sweetening, and heart-changing glory!

Indeed his glory is veiled, and cannot be seen, but as discovered by the Father. Matt. xi. 27. It is veiled with flesh, with meanness of descent from the flesh, and with that ignominy and shame that attended him in the flesh; but they that can, in God's light, see through these things, they shall see glory in him; yea, such glory as will draw and pull their hearts unto him.

Moses was the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter; and for aught I know, had been king at last, had he conformed. to the present vanities that were there at court. But he could not, he would not do it. Why? What was the matter? Why! he saw more in the worst of Christ (bear with the expression) than he saw in the best of all the treasures of the land of Egypt. "He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he had respect to the recompense of reward." He forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: but what emboldened him to do this? Why, he endured (for he had a sight of the person speaking in the text), "He endured as seeing him who is invisible." But, I say, would a sight of Jesus have thus taken away Moses's heart from a crown, and a kingdom, had he not by that sight seen more in him, than was to be seen in them? Heb. xi.

Therefore, when Christ saith, "Shall come to me," he means, they shall have a discovery of the glory of the grace

that is in him; and the beauty and glory of that is of such virtue, that it constraineth and forceth, with a blessed violence, the hearts of those that are given to him.

Moses, of whom we spake before, was no child when he was thus taken with the beauteous glory of this Lord: he was forty years old, and so consequently was able, being a man of that wisdom and opportunity as he was, to make the best judgment of the things, and of the goodness of them that were before him in the land of Egypt. But he, even he it was, that set that low esteem upon the glory of Egypt, to count it not worth the meddling with, when he had a sight of this Lord Jesus Christ. This wicked world thinks that the fancies of a heaven, and happiness hereafter, may serve well enough to take the heart of such as either have not the world's good things to delight in, or that are fools, and know not how to delight themselves therein. But let them know again, that we have had men of all ranks and qualities, that have been taken with the glory of our Lord Jesus, and have left all to follow him: as Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, and who not, that had either wit or grace, to savor heavenly things? Indeed none can stand off from him, nor any longer hold out against him, to whom he reveals the glory of his grace.