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the Father. Wherefore he saith, that he that comes to him, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." John iii. 34; Tit. iii. 5, 6; Acts i. 5; John vii. 31-38.

He is indeed a storehouse full of all the graces of the Spirit. "Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." Here is more faith, more love, more sincerity, more humility, more of every grace; and of this, even more of this, he giveth to every lowly, humble, penitent, coming sinner. Wherefore, coming soul, thou comest not to a barren wilderness, when thou comest to Jesus Christ. John i. 16.

5. He is full of compassion: and they feel and find it so that come to him for life. He can bear with thy weakness; he can pity thy ignorance; he can be touched with the feeling of thy infirmities; he can affectionately forgive thy transgressions; he can heal thy backslidings, and love thee freely. His compassions fail not; and he will not break a bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. He can pity them that no eye pities, and be afflicted in all thy afflictions. Matt. xxvi. 41; Heb. v. 2; ii. 17, 18; Matt. ix. 2; Hos. xiv. 4; Ezek. xvi. 5, 6; Isa. lxiii. 9; Psalm lxxviii. 38; lxxxvi. 15; cxi. 4; cxii. 4; Lam. iii. 22.

6. Coming soul, the Jesus that thou art coming to, is full of might and terribleness for thy advantage. He can suppress all thine enemies; he is the prince of the kings of the earth; he can bow all men's designs for thy help; he can break all snares laid for thee in the way; he can lift thee out of all difficulties, wherewith thou mayest be surrounded; he is wise in heart, and mighty in power. Every life under heaven is in his hand; yea, the fallen angels tremble before him and he will save thy life, coming sinner. 1 Cor. i. 24; Rom. viii. 28; Matt. xxviii. 18; Rev. xv.; Psalm xix. 3; xxvii. 5, 6; John ix. 4; xvii. 2; Matt. vii. 29; Luke viii. 24; James ii. 19.

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7. Coming sinner, the Jesus to whom thou art coming is lowly in heart. He despiseth not any. It is not thy out

ward meanness, nor thy inward weakness; it is not because thou art poor, or base, or deformed, or a fool, that he will despise thee; he hath chosen the foolish, the base, and despised things of this world to confound the wise and mighty. He will bow his ear to thy stammering prayers; he will pick out the meaning of thy inexpressible groans; he will respect thy weakest offering, if there be in it but thy heart. Matt. ix. 20, &c.; Luke xiv. 21; Prov. ix. 4-6; Isa. xxxviii. 14, 15; John iv. 27; Mark xii. 33, 34; James v. 11.

Now is not this a blessed Christ, coming sinner? Art thou not like to fare well, when thou hast embraced him, coming sinner? But,

Thou hast yet another advantage by Jesus Christ, thou that art coming to him, for he is not only full but free. He is not sparing of what he has; he is open-hearted, and openhanded. Let me in a few particulars show thee this.

1. This is evident, because he calls thee; he calls upon thee to come unto him: the which he would not do, were he not free to give; yea, he bids thee, when come, ask, seek, knock; and for thy encouragement adds to every command a promise, "Seek, and ye shall find; ask, and ye shall have; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." If the rich man should say thus to the poor, would not he be reckoned a free-hearted man? I say, should he say to the poor, Come to my door, ask at my door, knock at my door, and you shall find and have; would he not be counted liberal? Why, thus doth Jesus Christ. Mind it, coming sinner. Isa. lv. 3; Psalm 1. 15; Matt. vii. 7,

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2. He doth not only bid thee come, but tells thee he will heartily do thee good; yea, he will do it with rejoicing: "I will rejoice over them, to do them good with my whole heart, and with my whole soul." Jer. xxxii. 41.

3. It appears that he is free, because he giveth without twitting. He gives to all men liberally, and upbraideth not. James i. 5. There are some that will not deny to do the

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poor a pleasure, but they will mix their mercies with so many twits, that the persons on whom they bestow their sweetness in it. But Christ

He casteth all thine iniquities

charity, shall find but little doth not do so, coming sinner. behind his back; thy sins and iniquities he will remember no more. Isa. xxxviii 17; Heb. viii. 12.

4. That Christ is free, is manifest by the complaints that he makes against them that will not come to him for mercy. I say, he complains, saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not?" Matt. xxiii. 37. I say, he speaks it by way of complaint. He saith also in another place, "But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob." Isa. xliii. 22. Coming sinner, see here the willingness of Christ to save; see here how free he is to communicate life, and all good things to such as thou art. He complains, if thou comest not; he is displeased, if thou callest not upon him.

Hark, coming sinner, once again; when Jerusalem would not come to him for safeguard, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, “If thou hadst known even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." Luke xix. 42.

5. Lastly, He is open and free-hearted to do thee good, as is seen by the joy and rejoicing that he manifesteth at the coming home of poor prodigals. He receives the lost sheep with rejoicing; the lost groat with rejoicing; yea, when the prodigal came home, what joy and mirth, what music and dancing, was in his father's house. Luke xv.

Coming sinner, I will add other encouragements for thy help.

1. God hath prepared a mercy-seat, a throne of grace to sit on, that thou mayest come thither to him, and that he may from thence hear thee, and receive thee. "I will commune with thee," saith he, "from above the mercy-seat.”

Exod. xxv. 22. As if he should say, 'Sinner, when thou comest to me, thou shalt find me upon the mercy-seat, where also I am always found of the undone, coming sinner. Thither I bring my pardon: there I hear and receive their petitions, and accept them to my favor.'

2. God hath also prepared a golden altar for thee to offer thy prayers and tears upon. A golden altar! It is called a "golden altar," to show what worth it is of in God's account; for this golden altar is Jesus Christ; this altar sanctifies thy gift, and makes thy sacrifice acceptable. This altar then makes thy groans, golden groans; thy tears, golden tears; and thy prayers, golden prayers, in the eye of that God thou comest to, coming sinner. Rev. viii.; Matt. xxiii. 19; Heb. x. 10; 1 Pet. ii. 5.

3. God hath strewed all the way (from the gate of hell, where thou wast, to the gate of heaven, whither thou art going) with flowers out of his own garden. Behold how the promises, invitations, calls, and encouragements, like lilies, lie round about thee! Take heed that thou dost not tread them under foot, sinner. With promises did I say? Yea, he hath mixed all those with his own name, his Son's name; also with the name of mercy, goodness, compassion, love, pity, grace, forgiveness, pardon, and what not, that he may encourage the coming sinner.

4. He hath also for thy encouragement laid up the names, and set forth the sins of those that have been saved. In his book they are fairly written, that thou through patience and comfort of the scriptures mightst have hope.

In this book is recorded Noah's name and sin; and how God had mercy upon him.

In this record is fairly written the name of Lot, and the nature of his sin; and how the Lord had mercy upon him.

In this record thou hast also, fairly written, the names of Moses, Aaron, Gideon, Samson, David, Solomon, Peter,

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Paul, with the nature of their sin, and how God had mercy upon them; and all to encourage thee, coming sinner.

I will add yet another encouragement for the man that is coming to Jesus Christ. Art thou coming? Art thou coming indeed? Why,

Thou art

This thy coming is by virtue of God's call. called. Calling goes before coming: coming is not of works, but of him that calleth. He went up into a mountain, and called to him whom he would, and they came to him. Mark iii. 13.

Art thou coming? This is also by the virtue of illumination. God has made thee see, and therefore thou art coming. So long as thou wast darkness, thou lovedst darkness, and couldst not abide to come, because thy deeds were evil. But being now illuminated and made to see what and where thou art, and also what and where thy Saviour is, now thou art coming to Jesus Christ. "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee," saith Christ, "but my Father which is in heaven." Matt. xvi. 17.

Art thou coming? This is because God has inclined thine heart to come. God hath called thee, illuminated thee and inclined thy heart to come; and therefore thou comest to Jesus Christ. It is God that worketh in thee to "will," to come to Jesus Christ. Coming sinner, bless God for that he hath given thee a "will" to come to Jesus Christ. It is a sign that thou belongest to Jesus Christ, because God has made thee willing to come to him. Psalm cx. 3. Bless God for slaying the enmity of thy mind. Had he not done it, thou wouldst as yet have hated thine own salvation.

Art thou coming to Christ Jesus? It is God that giveth thee power; power to pursue thy will in matters of thy salvation, is the gift of God. you both to will and to do."

"It is God

that worketh in

Phil. ii. 13.

Not that God

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