Answ. Freely. Sinner, dost thou hear? Thou mayest have it freely. "Let him take the water of life freely." "I will give him of the fountain of the water of life freely. And when they had nothing to pay, he freely forgave them both." Luke vii. 42.

Freely, without money, or without price: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price." Isa. lv. 1.

Sinner, art thou thirsty? art thou weary? art thou willing? Come then, and regard not your stuff; for all the good that is in Christ is offered to the coming sinner without money and without price. He has life to give away to such as want it, and that have not a penny to purchase it; and he will give it freely. Oh, what a blessed condition is the coming sinner in!

But, thirdly, This doctrine of coming to Jesus Christ for life, informeth us, that it is to be had no where else. Might it be had any where else, the text, and him that spoke it, would be but little set by; for what great matter is there in, "I will in no wise cast out," if another stood by that would receive them? But here appears the glory of Christ, that none but he can save. And here appears his love, that though none save but he, yet he is not coy in saving; but "him that comes to me," saith he, "I will in no wise cast out."

That none can save but Jesus Christ, is evident from Acts iv. 12. "Neither is there salvation in any other." "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." If life could have been had any where else, it should have been in the law. But it is not in the law; "for by the deeds of the law, no man living shall be justified;" and if not justified, then no life. Therefore life is no where to be had, but in Jesus Christ. Gal. iii.

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Quest. But why would God so order it, that life should be had no where else but in Jesus Christ?

Answ. There is reason for it, and that both with respect to God and us.

With respect to God. Life must be in Jesus Christ.

1. That it might be in a way of justice, as well as mercy. And in a way of justice it could not have been, if it had not been by Christ; because he, and he only, was able to answer the demand of the law, and give for sin what the justice thereof required. All angels had been crushed down to hell for ever, had that curse been laid upon them for our sins, which was laid upon Jesus Christ. But it was laid upon him, and he bare it; and answered the penalty, and redeemed his people from under it, with that satisfaction to divine justice, that God himself doth now proclaim, that "he is faithful and just to forgive us," if by faith we shall venture to Jesus, and trust to what he has done for life. Rom. iii. 24-26; 1 John i. 9.

2. Life must be by Jesus Christ, that God might be adored and magnified, for finding out this way. "This is the Lord's doing," that in all things he might be glorified through Jesus Christ our Lord.

3. It must be by Jesus Christ, that life might be at God's disposal, who hath great pity for the poor, the lowly, the meek, the broken in heart, and for them that others care not for. Psalm xxxviii, 6; cxxxiii. 6; xxv.; li. 17; cxlvii. 3.

4. Life must be in Christ, to cut off boasting from the lips of men. This also is the apostle's reason, in Rom. iii. 20, 27, and in Eph. ii. 8,-10.

Again, Life must be in Jesus Christ with respect to us. 1. That we might have it upon the easiest terms, that is, freely; as a gift, not as wages. Were it in Moses' hand, we should come hardly at it. Were it in the people's hand, we should pay soundly for it.

But thanks be to God it is in

Christ's; laid up in him, and by him to be communicated

to sinners upon easy terms, even for receiving, accepting, and embracing with thanksgiving; as the scriptures plainly declare. I John i. 1–3; Gal. iii. 14; Rom. vi. 23.

2. Life is in Christ for us, that it might not be upon so brittle a foundation, as indeed it would, had it been any where else. The law itself is weak because of us, as to this. But Christ is "a tried stone, a sure foundation," one that will not fail to bear thy burden, and to receive thy soul, coming sinner.

3. Life is in Christ, that it might be sure to all the seed. Alas! the best of us, were life left in our hands, to be sure we should forfeit it, over and over, and over: or, were it in any other hand, we should, by our often backslidings, so offend him, that at last he would shut up his mercy in everlasting displeasure against us. But now it is in Christ; it is with one that can pity, pray for, pardon, yea, multiply pardons; it is with one that can have compassion upon us, when we are out of the way; with one that hath a heart to fetch us again, when we are gone astray; with one that can pardon without upbraiding. Blessed be God that life is in Christ! For now it is sure to all the seed.

But fourthly, This doctrine of coming to Jesus Christ for life, informs us of the evil of Unbelief; that wicked thing which is the only or chief hindrance to the coming sinner. Doth the text say, "Come?" Doth it say, "And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out?" Then what an evil is that, that keepeth sinners from coming to Jesus Christ? And that evil is Unbelief: for by faith we come; by unbelief we keep away. Therefore it is that by which a soul is said to depart from God: because it was that which at first caused the world to go off from him, and that also, that keeps them from him to this day. And it doth it the more easily, because it doth it with a wile.

This sin may be called the white devil. For it ofttimes, in its mischievous doing in the soul, shows as if it were an angel

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of light: yea, it acteth like a counsellor of heaven. Therefore, a little to discourse of this evil disease, I observe,

1. It is that sin, above all others, that hath some show of reason in its attempts. For it keeps the soul from Christ, by pretending its present unfitness and unpreparedness: as want of more sense of sin, want of more repentance, want of more humility, want of a more broken heart.

2. It is the sin that most suiteth with the conscience, The conscience of the coming sinner tells him, that he hath nothing good! that he stands inditable for ten thousand. talents; that he is a very ignorant, blind, and hard-hearted sinner, unworthy to be once taken notice of by Jesus Christ: 'and will you (says Unbelief) in such a case as you now are, presume to come to Jesus Christ?'

3. It is the sin that most suiteth with our sense of feeling. The coming sinner feels the workings of sin, of all manner of sin and wretchedness in his flesh: he also feels the wrath and judgment of God due to sin and ofttimes staggers under it. Now,' (says Unbelief) 'you may see you have no grace; for that which works in you is corruption. You may also perceive that God doth not love you, because the sense of his wrath abides upon you. Therefore, how can you bear the face to come to Jesus Christ?'

4. It is that sin above all others that most suiteth the wisdom of our flesh. The wisdom of our flesh thinks it prudence to question a while, to stand back a while, to hearken to both sides a while; and not to be rash, sudden, or unadvised, in too bold a presuming upon Jesus Christ. And this wisdom Unbelief falls in with.

5. It is the sin above all others, that continually is whispering the soul in the ear, with mistrusts of the faithfulness of God, in keeping promise to them that come to Jesus Christ for life. It also suggests mistrusts about Christ's willingness to receive it, and save it. And no sin can do this so artfully as unbelief.

6. It is also that sin which is always at hand to enter an objection against this or that promise, that by the Spirit of God is brought to our heart to comfort us. And if the poor coming sinner is not aware of it, it will by some exaction, slight, trick, or cavil, quickly wrest from him the promise again, and he shall have but little benefit of it.

7. It is that above all other sins, that weakens our prayers, our faith, our love, our diligence, our hope, and expectations. It even taketh the heart away from God in duty.

8. Lastly, This sin, as I have said, even now, appears in the soul with so many sweet pretences to greater safety and security, that it is, as it were, counsel sent from heaven; bidding the soul be wise, wary, considerate, well advised, and to take heed of too rash a venture upon believing. 'Be sure, first, that God loves you; take hold of no promise until you are forced by God unto it; neither be sure of your salvation; doubt it still, though the testimony of the Lord has been often confirmed in you. Live not by faith, but by sense; and when you can neither see nor feel, then fear and mistrust, then doubt and question all.' This is the devilish counsel of Unbelief, which is so covered over with specious pretences, that the wisest Christian can hardly shake off these reasonings.

But to be brief. Let me here give the Christian reader a more particular description of the qualities of Unbelief, by opposing faith unto it, in these particulars.

Faith believeth the word of God, but Unbelief questioneth the certainty of the same. Psalm cvi. 24. Faith believeth the word, because it is true; but Unbelief doubteth thereof, because it is true. 1 Tim. iv. 3; John viii. 45. Faith sees more in a promise of God to help, than in all other things. to hinder; but Unbelief, notwithstanding God's promise, saith, How can these things be? Rom. iv. 19-21; 2 Kings vii. 2; John iii. 11, 12. Faith will make thee sce love in