day of effectual calling, caufes them to come down, in order to their having communion with him.-Zaccheus, make hafte, and come down. Chrift, in the day wherein he manifefts himself, fpeaks to his people, as Jofeph did to his brethren, Gen. xlv. 9. God has made me lord of all Egypt, come down unto me, and tarry not." So, fays Chrift, "The Father hath put all things into my hands;" yea, "All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me:" come down unto me, and tarry not; make hafte, and come down in a way of fubjection and fubmiffion to me and my righteousness, renouncing all dependence upon other means. When they would help themfelves, and add fome cubits to their own little ftature, by climbing up to fit on a tree, he calls them to come down and fit in the duft: as the expreffion is, Ifa. xlvii. I.; and to fee that in Chrift only is their help; and that by no means of endeavours of their own can they add one cubit to their fpiritual ftature, nor advance their own fpiritual welfare, but in a way of coming down from all confidence in the flesh. There is no communion with God in Christ, but in a way of believing, or by faith; and what is faith, but a down-coming grace? It is a quitting grip of all boughs and branches of creature-helps, that we are ready to climb up unto, and rest upon; and of taking hold of the man whofe name is the Branch, the tree of life, under whofe fhadow alone we can be fafe. Our fafety lies not in climbing up to any other tree, but in coming down below the shadow and covert of the blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift. Here alone communion with God is to be had; hence, fays the church, Song ii. 3. "I fat down under his fha dow with great delight, and his fruit was fweet to my tafte." The method we propofe for the further opening up this fubject, as the Lard fhall be pleafed to countenance, is the following. I. To fpeak of fome of thefe heights from which people people must come down, that would anfwer the gofpel-call. II. Shew in what refpe&ts they come down. III. Offer fome remarks on the day of effectual cal ling. IV. Affign the reafons why the Lord calls them to come down, and that with hafte. V. Deduce fome inferences for the application. 1. We would fpeak of fome of thefe heights and altitudes, from which all muft come down, that would anfwer the gospel-call. And, 1. The finner muft come down from his high thoughts, and towering imaginations; his high and lofty reasonings that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Christ : for, this is one of the great ends of the gospel, to level thefe heights: "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty, through God, to the pulling down of ftrong holds," 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. Proud reafon in man is fo far out of reafon, that many reafon themselves out of all religion, and set up reafon against faith, mustering up millions of thoughts and imaginations, and carnal objections against believing in God, and against believing alfo in Chrift. 2. The finner must come down from the height of his natural efforts to fave himself, by the ftrength of his own free-will, or natural power and ability for, as by nature we are without ftrength, Rom. v. 6. for any fpiritual work, not being fufficient of ourselves, to think any thing as of ourselves; fo, by ftrength fhail no man prevail: and, "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that fheweth mercy."Hence, 3 Sinners must come down from the height of their own legal endeavours, in going about to establish their own righteoufnefs, Rom. x. 3. This is a tree that all men naturally attempt to afcend, whenever awakened to a thought of heaven and hell: but in vain do men fet their duties against their fin, as if these could take them away; for it is only the Lamb of God, that taketh away the fin of the world, John i. 29. In vain do they H 3 fet fet their works against the wrath of God; that fire will devour them as ftubble: it is Jefus that delivereth from the wrath to come. Yea, in vain do men fet the ftrength of Chrift against the righteoufnefs of Chrift, which they do, when they get ftrength and enlargement from him to pray, and perform this or the other duty, then they make that a ground of their being juftified. From this legal fpirit it is that men confound affiftance with acceptance; and think themselves accepted because affifted; but men may be affifted to do miracles in Chrift's name, and yet never be accepted, Mat. vii. 22. The ground of acceptance is only in the Beloved, Eph. i. 6. From this legal fpirit it is alfo, that men confound the marks of faith with the grounds of faith; and fo think they have no ground of believing, while they want the evidences of faith. 4. Men must come down from the height of their false maxims concerning God, as if he were fuch an one as themselves, and did approve of their fin, Pfalm l. 21. ; falfe maxims concerning Chrift, as if he were a Saviour to fave them in their fin, while they want not to be saved from their fin: falfe maxims concerning themselves, as if they had good hearts toward God, not knowing their hearts to be deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked, Jer. xvii. 9.: false maxims concerning religion, as if they could be religious without being regenerate and born again; whereas Chrift fays, "Verily, verily, I fay unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God," John iii. 3. 5. Men must come down from their heights of falfe hopes, that are withering branches; for, "The hope of the hypocrite fhall perish," Job viii. 13. Many hope they will mend afterwards, though they give themselves a latitude for the prefent; they will get grace between and the grave, Thus multitudes ruin themselves.Many prefumptuoufly hope in the mercy of God, as the devil would have Chrift cafting himself down from the pinnacle of the temple; for why, "The angels will hold you up." No, fays Chrift, "Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," Mat. iv. 5, 6, 7. So it is, when Satan, or the fle lh, flesh, fay, Plunge yourselves into fin, mercy will help you out but, the mercy of God fhould lead to repentance, not to rebellion. 6. Men must come down from the height of worldly props and carnal confidence in arms of flesh; "For the Lord hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not profper in them," Jer. ii. 37. These are refuges of lies, as Ifrael found when they were brought to say, "Afhur fhall not fave us, neither will we ride upon horfes, Hof. xiv. 3. As if they had faid, We have formerly trufted that the Affyrain would fave us; that our horfes and cavalry would help us; but we find them all to be vain confidences: Lord, it is in thee the fatherless find mercy; in thee the helpless find relief, and in no worldly props. 7. Thofe that would anfwer the gofpel-call muft come down from the heights of notable attainments, whether in refpect of unfound experiences, natural graces, or gofpel advantages. There are unfound experiences fome have convictions and awakenings, like these of Cain, Saul, and Judas; terrors and tremblings, like thofe of Felix, when Paul preached of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come; fears and forrows, like thefe of Efau; joys and affections moving, like thofe of the ftony ground hearers; partial reformations, like thofe who, through the knowledge of Chrift, efcaped the grofs pollutions of the world. These are all flender branches to truft to and reft upon you must come down from them.-There are natural and common graces alfo, that people must quit the hold of, as well as falfe convictions: fome have a cradle faith, that they had all their days; this is fo far from being of a faving nature, that men may have a temporary faith, like Simon Magus, who yet was in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity, Acts viii. 23. They may fufpect their graces, who were never humbled for their contraries; who have faith, and yet never were convinced of, nor humbled for their unbelief; who have love, but never were convinced of, nor humbled for their enmity; and have know knowledge, but were never humbled for their ignorance. There are gofpel-advantages that many have, and yet abufe; but, in as far as they are abufed, they are rotten branches to hold by. Some abufe a gospel profeflion, contenting themfelves with the form, without the power of godliness; they abuse gospel privileges ; and, in refpect of thefe are exalted to heaven, and yet fhall be brought down to hell. Many abufe gofpel grace, and turn the grace of God into wantonnefs, and to encourage them in their fin. Many abuse gospel-promifes, by making a loofe, carnal application of them; and of the blood of Chrift, and of redemption purchaf ed thereby, without feeking after the effectual application of it to us by his holy Spirit. Many abute gofpel liberty and freedom from the law, as a covenant, by taking liberty thence to fin, as if they were free from the law as a rule of life too. Many also abuse gofpel principles, fuch as this, That without Christ we can do nothing: as true a word as in all the Bible, that without him we can do nothing fpiritually, formally, and acceptably good: however, men may do things materially good; but hence the carnal heart of many infer, Seeing the whole work is Chrifl's, in point of power; therefore they will do nothing, in point of means, but leave all to Chrift; and fo make Christ a lackey to their idlenefs, and a pillow to their floth. Though the ufe of the means hath no cafual influence in obtaining the good promifed; yet there is a neceffary connection of order, between ufing the means and gaining the bleffing: thus, though the Lord promifes many figual bleflings, in abfolutely free promifes, Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 29.; yet, "For all these things he will be enquired of by the houfe of Ifrael," ver. 37. That perfons ought to be in the use of means, and have reafon to expect a blefling in fo doing, is evident from many places in fcripture, particularly, Prov. viii. 32, 33, 34. Mat. vii. 7,8. These are wicked abuses of golpel advantages, by thefe who receive the grace of God in vain. Thefe and the like attainments, experiences, graces and advantages, are vain boughs and branches, from which they must come down. |