"And

love hold out in this work; he failed and grew passionate, even to provoking his God to anger under this work. Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?" But what was the affliction? Why, the Lord had said unto him, "Carry this people in thy bosom, as a nursing father bearing his sucking child, unto the land that he sware unto their fathers." And how then? "Not I," said Moses, "I am not able to bear all this people, because it is too heavy for me: if thou deal thus with me, kill me I pray thee, out of hand, and let me not see my wretchedness." Num. xi. 11–15. God gave them to Moses, that he might carry them in his bosom, that he might show gentleness and patience towards them, under all the provocations wherewith they would provoke him from that time till he had brought them to their land; but he failed in the work; he could not exercise it, because he had not that sufficiency of patience towards them. But now it is said of Christ, the person speaking in the text, that "he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead them that are with young" (Isa. xl. 10, 11); intimating, that this was one of the qualifications that God looked for, and knew was in him, when he gave his elect to him to save them.

4. The Father's giving them to him to save them, declares that he hath a sufficiency of wisdom to wage with all those difficulties that would attend him in his bringing of his sons and daughters unto glory. 1 Cor. i. 30. He hath made him to us to be wisdom; yea, he is called wisdom itself. And God saith moreover, that he shall "deal prudently." Isa. lii. 13. And, indeed, he that shall take upon him to be the Saviour of the people, had need be wise, because their adversaries are subtile above any. Here they are to encounter with the serpent, who for his subtilty outwitted our father and mother, when their wisdom was at the highest. Gen. iii. But if we talk of wisdom, our Jesus is

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wise, wiser than Solomon, wiser than all men, wiser than all angels; he is even the wisdom of God. Christ is the wisdom of God. 1 Cor. i. 30. And hence it is that he turneth sin, temptations, persecutions, falls, and all things, for good unto his people. Rom. viii.

Now, these things thus concluded on, do show us also the great and wonderful love of the Father, in that he should choose out one every way so well prepared for the work of man's salvation.

Herein indeed perceive we the love of God. Hiram gathered, that God loved Israel, because he had given them such a king as Solomon. 2 Chron. ii. 11. But how much more may we behold the love that God hath bestowed upon us, in that he hath given us to his Son, and also given his Son for us.

CHAPTER II.

COMING TO CHRIST EXPLAINED.

"ALL that the Father giveth me shall come." In these last words there is closely inserted an answer unto the Father's end in giving his elect to Jesus Christ. The Father's end was, that they might come to him, and be saved by him; and that, says the Son, shall be done; neither sin nor Satan, neither flesh nor world, neither wisdom nor folly, shall hinder their coming to me. "They shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."

Here therefore, the Lord Jesus positively determineth to put forth such a sufficiency of all grace, as shall effectually perform this promise. "They shall come;" that is, he will cause them to come, by infusing an effectual blessing into all the means that shall be used to that end. As was said to the evil spirit that was sent to persuade Ahab to go and fall at Ramoth-Gilead; "Go; thou shalt persuade him and prevail also go forth, and do so" (1 Kings xxii. 22); so will Jesus Christ say to the means that shall be used for bringing those to him that the Father hath given him. I say, he will bless his word effectually to this very end; it shall persuade them, and shall prevail also. Else, as I said, the Father's end would be frustrated; for the Father's will is, that of all that he hath given him, he should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day; in order next unto himself; Christ the first-fruits, afterwards those that are his at his coming. 1 Cor. xv. But this cannot be done, if there should fail to be a work of grace effectually wrought, though but in any one of them. But this shall not fail to

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be wrought in them, even in all the Father hath given him to save. "All that the Father giveth me, shall come

to me."

But to speak more distinctly to the words, "They shall come," two things I would show you from these words: I. What it is to come to Christ. II. What force there is in this promise, to make them come to him.

I. I would show you what it is to come to Christ. This word, come, must be understood spiritually, not carnally; for many came to him carnally, or bodily, that had no saving advantage by him. Multitudes did thus come unto him in the days of his flesh, yea, innumerable companies. There is also at this day a formal customary coming to his ordinances, and way of worship, which availeth nothing; but with them I shall not now meddle; for they are not intended in the text. The coming then, intended in the text, is to be understood of the coming of the mind to him, even the moving of the heart towards him; I say the moving of the heart towards him, from a sound sense of the absolute want that a man hath of him for his justification and salvation.

This description of coming to Christ divideth itself into two heads. 1. That coming to Christ is a moving of the mind towards him. 2. That it is a moving of the mind towards him, from a sound sense of the absolute want that a man hath of him for his justification and salvation.

To speak to the first, that it is a moving of the mind towards him. This is evident, because coming hither or thither, if it be voluntary, is by an act of the mind or will; so coming to Christ is through the inclining of the will. "Thy people shall be willing." Psalm cx. 3. This willingness of heart is it which sets the mind a moving towards him. The church expresseth this moving of her mind towards Christ, by the moving of her affections. "My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him." Song v. 4 "My bowels;"

the passions of my mind and affections; which passions of the affections are expressed by the yearning of the bowels. Gen. xliii. 30; 1 Kings iii. 26; Isa. xvi. 11.

This then is the coming to Christ, even a moving towards him with the mind. "And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth whithersoever the water shall come, shall live." The water in this text is the grace of God in the doctrine of it. The living things are the children of men, to whom the grace of God, by the gospel, is preached. Now, saith he, "every living thing which moveth whithersoever the water shall come, shall live." And see how this word, "moveth," is expounded by Christ himself, in the book of the Revelations. "The Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will (that is, is willing), "let him take the water of life freely." Rev. xxii. 17.

So that to move in thy mind and will after Christ, is to be coming to him. There are many poor souls that are coming to Christ, that yet cannot tell how to believe it, because they think that coming to him is some strange and wonderful thing; and indeed so it is. But I mean, they overlook the inclination of their will, the moving of their mind, and the sounding of their bowels after him; and count these no part of this strange and wonderful thing; when indeed it is a work of the greatest wonder in this world, to see a man feeling thus who was sometime dead in sin, possessed of the devil, an enemy of Christ and to all things spiritually good. I say, to see this man moving with his mind after the Lord Jesus Christ, is one of the highest wonders in the world,

Secondly, It is a moving of the mind towards him, from a sound sense of the absolute want that a man hath of him for his justification and salvation. Indeed, without this sense of a lost condition without him, there will be no mov