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all is embarked, in Chrift, for eternity, and the foul fully refol ved to lean upon him, and to trust to him, now it feels the very initials of eternal rest in itself: It finds an heavy burthen unloaded from its shoulders; it is còme, as it were, into a new world; the cafe is ftrangely altered. The word reft, in this place, notes +, (and is fo rendered by fome) a recreation; it is restored, renewed, and recreated, as it were, by that fweet repose it hath upon Chrift. Believers, know, that faith is the fweeteft recreation you can take. Others feek to divert and lose their troubles, by finful recreations, vain company, and the like; but they little know what the recreation, and fweet restoring reft, that faith gives the foul, is. You find, in Christ, what they feek, in vain, among the creatures. Believing is the highest recreation known in this world. But to prevent mistakes, three Cautions need to be premifed, left we do, in ipfo limine impingere, ftumble at the threshold, and fo lofe our way all along afterward. Caution 1.

You are not to conceive, that all the foul's fears, troubles, and forrows, are presently over, and at an end, as foon as it is come to Christ, by faith. They will have many troubles in the world, after that, it may be, more than ever they had in their lives: "Our flesh (faith Paul) had no reft," 2 Cor. vii. 5. They will be infefted with many temptations, after that; that, it may be, the affaults of fatan may be more violent, upon their fouls, than ever. Horribilia de Deo, terribilia de fide: injections that make the very bones to quake, and the belly to tremble; They will not be freed from fin: that reft remains for the people of God; nor from inward trouble, and grief of foul, about fin; These things are not to be expected presently.

Caution 2.

We may not think all believers do immediately enter into the full, actual fenfe of reft and comfort, but they presently enter into the ftate of reft. "Being juftified by faith, we have peace with God," Rom. v. 1. i. e. we enter into the ftate of peace immediately. "Peace is fown for the righteous, and gladnefs for the upright "in heart," Pfal. cxvii. 11. And he is a rich man, that hath a thousand acres of corn in the ground, as well as he that hath fo much in his barn, or the money in his purfe. They have rest and peace in the feed of it, when they have it not in the fruit ;

+I will give you recreation from wearinefs, troubles, and burdens. Vatab, et Erafm.

Luther, upon his converfion, was fo buffeted by Satan, that neither heat, blood, fenfation, or speech remained.

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they have reft in the promife, when they have it not in poffef fion and he is a rich man that hath good bonds, and bilis, for a great fun of money, if he have not twelvepence in his pocket. All believers have the promise, have reft, and peace, granted them, under God's own hand, in many promifes, which faith brings them under; and we know that the truth and faithfulness of God ftands engaged to make good every line, and word, of the promise, to them. So that though they have not a full, and clear actual fenfe and feeling of reft, they are, nevertheless, by faith, come into the state of rest.

Caution 3.

We may not conceive, that faith itself is the foul's reft, but the means and inftrument of it only. We cannot find rest in any work, or duty of our own, but we may find it in Chrift, whom faith apprehends for justification and falvation.

Having thus regarded the point against misapprehensions, by thefe needful cautions, I fhall next (hew you, how our coming to Chrift, by faith, brings us to reft in him. And here let it be confidered, what thofe things are, that burden, grieve and dif quiet the foul, before its coming to Chrift; and how it is relieved and eafed in all thofe refpects, by its coming to the Lord Jefus: And you thall find,

First, That one principal ground of trouble, is the guilt of fin upon the confcience, of which I fpake in the former point. The curfe of the law lies heavy upon the foul, fo heavy, that nothing is found, in all the world, able to relieve it, under that burden; as you fee in a condemned man, fpread a table in prifon, with the greatest dainties, and fend for the rarest musicians, all will not charm his forrow: but if you can produce an authentic pardon, you eafe him presently. Juft fo it is here; faith plucks the thorn out of the confcience, which fo grieved it, u nites the foul with Christ, and then that ground of trouble is removed for "there is no condemnation to them that are in "Chrift Jefus," Rom. viii. . The fame moment the foul comes to Chrift, it is paffed from death to life, is no more under the law, but grace. If a man's debt be paid by this furety, he need not fear to fhew his face boldly abroad; he may freely meet the ferjeant at the prifon-door.

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Secondly, The foul of a convinced finner is exceedingly bur dened with the uncleannefs and filthinefs, wherwith fin hath defiled and polluted it. Conviction discovers the univerfal pol lution of heart and life, so that a man loaths and abhors himself, by reason thereof: if he do not look into his own corruptions, he cannot be fafe; and if he do, he cannot bear the fight of

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them; he hath no quiet; nothing can give rest, but what gives relief against this evil: And this, only, is done by faith, uniting the foul with Jefus Chrift. For though it be true, that the pollution of fin be not prefently, and perfectly taken away, by coming to Chrift; yet the burden thereof is exceedingly eased: for, upon our believing, there is an heart-purifying principle: planted in the foul, which doth, by degrees, cleanfe that fountain of corruption, and will, at last, perfectly free the foul from it. Acts xv. 9. "Purifying their hearts by faith;" and being once in Christ, he is concerned for the foul, as a member, now, of his own myftical body, to purify and cleanse it, that, at last,` he may present it perfect to the Father, without fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing, Eph. v. 26. The reigning power of it is gone, immediately, upon believing, and the very existence and being of it shall at last be destroyed. O! what reft must this give, under thofe troubles for fin?

Thirdly, It was an intolerable burden to the foul, to be under the continual fears, alarms, and frights of death, and damnation; its life hath been a life of bondage, upon this account, ever fince the Lord opened his eyes to fee his condition. Poor fouls lie down with tremblings, for fear what a night may bring forth. It is a fad life, indeed, to live in continual bondage to fuch fears; but faith fweetly relieves the trembling confcience, by removing the guilt which breeds its fears. The fting of death is fin. When guilt is removed, fears vanish. "Smite, "Lord, fmite, faid Luther, for my fins are forgiven *." Now, if fickness come, it is another thing than it was wont to be. Ifa. xxxiii. 24. "The inhabitant fhall not fay, I am fick, the "people that dwell therein fhall be forgiven their iniquities." A man fcarce feels his fickness, in comparison to what he did, whilft he was without Chrift and hope of pardon.

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Fourthly, A convinced finner, out of Chrift, fees every thing against him; nothing yields any comfort, yea, every thing increases and aggravates his burden, when he looks to things paft, prefent, or to come. If he reflects upon things paft, his foul is filled with anguish, to remember the fins committed, and the feafons neglected, and the precious mercies that have been abufed if he looks upon things prefent, the cafe is doleful and miferable; nothing but trouble and danger, Christless and comfortless; and if he looks forward, to things to come, that gives him a deeper cut, to the heart, than any thing elfe; for though

Feri, Domine, feri, nam a peccatis meis abfolutus fum. Luth.
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it be fad and miferable, for the prefent, yet he fears it will be much worse hereafter; all thefe are but the beginning of for rows. And thus the poor, awakened finner, becomes a Magor Miffabib; fear round about.

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But, upon his coming to Chrift, all things are marvellously altered; a quite contrary face of things appear to him; every thing gives him hope and comfort, which way foever he looks. So fpeaks the apofile, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. "All things are yours, (faith he) whether life or death, or things prefent, or things "to come; all is yours, and ye are Chrift's, and Chrift is God's:" They are ours, i. e. for our advantage, benefit, and comfort. More particularly upon our coming to Christ,

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First, Things paft are ours, they conduce to our advantage and comfort. Now the foul can begin to read the gracious end and defign of God, in all its prefervations and deliverances; whereby it hath been referved for fuch a day as this. O! it melts his heart to confider, his companions in fin and vanity are cut off, and he fpared; and that for a day of fuch mercy, as the day of his espousals with Chrift, is. Now all his paft for rows, and deep troubles of fpirit, which God hath exercised him with, begin to appear the greatest mercies that ever he received; being all neceffary and introductive to this bleffed union with Chrift.

Secondly, Things prefent are ours, though it be not yet with us as we would have it; Chrift is not fure enough, the heart is not pure enough; fin is too ftrong, and grace is too weak; ma ny things are yet out of order; yet can the foul blefs God, for this, with tears of joy and praife, being full of admiration and holy aftonishment, that it is as it is; and that he is where he is, though he be not yet where he would be. O ! it is a bleffed life to live as a poor recumbent, by acts of truft and affiance, though, as yet, it have but little evidence; that it is refolved to truft all with Chrift, though it be not yet certain of the issue. O this is a comfortable station, a fweet condition, to what it was, either when it wallowed in fin, in the days before conviction, or was fwallowed up in fears and troubles for fin, after conviction: now it hath hope, though it want affurance; and hope is sweet, to a foul coming out of fuch deep diftreffes. Now it fees the remedy, and is applying it; whereas, before, the wound feemed defperate. Now all hefitations, and debates, are at an end in the foul; it is no longer unrefolved what to do; all things have been deeply confidered, and, after confideration, iffued into this refolve, or decree of the will. I will go to Chrift; I will venture all, upon his command and call; I will embark my

eternal interefts in that bottom; here I fix, and here I refolve to live and die. O! how much better, is this, than that floating life it lived before, rolling upon the billows of inward fears, and troubles, not able to drop anchor any where, nor knowing where to find an harbour?

Thirdly, Things to come are ours; and this is the best, and fweetest of all: Man is a profpecting creature, his eye is much upon things to come, and it will not fatisfy him, that it is well at prefent, except he have a profpect that it fhall be fo hereaf ter. But now the foul hath committed itself, and all its concernments, to Chrift, for eternity, and this being done, it is greatly relieved against evils to come.

I cannot (faith the believer) think all my troubles over, and that I fhall never meet any more afflictions; it were a fond vanity to dream of that; but I leave all these things where I have left my foul: he that hath fupported me under inward, will carry me through outward troubles, alfo. I cannot think all my temptations, to fin, paft; O! I may yet meet with fore affaults from Satan, yet it is infinitely better to be watching, praying, and striving against fin, than it was when I was obeying it in the lufts of it. God, that hath delivered me from the love of fin, will, I truft, preferve me from ruin by fin. I know, alfo, death is to come; I must feel the pangs and agonies of it: but yet the aspect of death is much more pleasant than it was. I come, Lord Jefus, to thee, who art the death of death, whofe death hath difarmed death of its fting; for I fear not its dart, if I feel not its fting. And thus you fee, briefly, how by faith, believers enter into reft; how Chrift gives reft, even at prefent, to them that come to him, and all this but as a beginning of their everlasting rest.

Infer. 1. Is there rest in Chrift for weary fouls that come unto him? Then, certainly, it is a defign of Satan against the peace and welfare of men's fouls, to difcourage them from coming to Chrift in the way of faith.

He is a restless spirit himself, and would make us fo too; it is an excellent note of † Minutius Felix, "Those defperate and "reflefs fpirits (faith he) have no other pleasure, but in bring"ing us to the fame mifery themselves are in:" He goeth about as a roaring lion, feeking whom he may devour. It frets and grates his proud and envious mind, to fee others find reft, Pp 2

+ Ad folamen calamitatis fuae, nan definunt perditi perdere. Minut. Felix.

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