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ness which is by faith. But I have dishonored God, stumbled and grieved saints, made the world blaspheme, and, for aught I know, been the cause of the damnation of many.'

These are the things, I say, together with many more of the same kind, that come with him, yea, they will come with him, yea, and will stare him in the face, will tell him of his baseness, and laugh him to scorn, all the way that he is coming to God by Christ (I know what I say); and this makes his coming to God by Christ hard and difficult to him. Besides, he thinks saints will be aware of him, will be shy of him, will be afraid to trust him, yea, will tell his Father of him, and make intercession against him, as Elias did against Israel, or as the men did that were fellow servants with him that took his brother by the throat. Shame covereth his face all the way he comes. He doth not know what to do; the God he is returning to, is the God that he has slighted-the God before whom he has preferred the vilest lust; and he knows God knows it, and has before him his ways. The man that has been a backslider, and is returning to God, can tell strange stories, and yet such as are very true. No man was in the whale's belly, and came out again alive, but backsliding and returning Jonah; consequently no man could tell how he was there, what he felt there, what he saw there, and what workings of heart he had when he was there, so well as he.

III. I come now to the third man, namely, to the sincere and upright believer, that cometh to God by Christ. And although this may in some sense be applicable to the two former, for his coming is not worthy to be counted coming to God, that is not in sincerity and uprightness; yet, by such a one, I now mean one that has been called to the faith, and that has in some good measure of sincerity and uprightness therein abode with God.

This man also comes to God by Christ; but his coming

is to be distinguished, I mean in the main of it, from the coming of the other two.

The other two come for the knowledge of forgiveness, a thing that the upright and faithful Christian for the most part has a comfortable faith of, and that for which he is often helped to give thanks to God. I do not say he doubteth not, or that he has not his evidences sometimes clouded. Nor do I say that the knowledge of his reconciliation to God by Christ Jesus is so high, so firm, so fixed, and steadfast, that it cannot be shaken, or that he needs no more. I will then explain myself. He comes not to God as an unconverted sinner comes; he comes not as a backslider comes when he is returning to God from his backslidings: but he comes as a son, as one of the household of God, and he comes as one that has not, since conviction, wickedly departed from his God.

He then comes to God with that access and godly boldness that is only proper to such as himself, that is, to them that walk with God. Thus every one that shall be saved doth not do; thus every one that shall be saved cannot do: for instance, the two spoken of before.

He comes to God by Christ constantly, by prayer, by medi tation, by every ordinance; for therefore he maketh use of ordinances, because by them, through Christ, he getteth into the presence of God.

He comes to God through Christ earnestly, because he judgeth that God only is that good, that blessedness, that happiness, that is worth looking after; that good, and that blessedness, that alone can fill the soul to the brim; that good, and that happiness, that is worthy of our hearts, and souls, and spirits. Hence David expressed his coming to God, by panting, by thirsting, by tears, saying, "My soul panteth after thee, O God." And again, "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" And again, "I will go to the altar of

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God, unto God my exceeding joy." And hence it was that he so envied the swallow and sparrow, even because they could come to the altar of God, where he had promised to give his presence, when he, (as I think) by the rage of Saul, was forced to abide remote. "My soul longeth," saith he, 66 even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; they will be still praising thee." Then after a few more words he saith, "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a door-keeper (I would choose rather to sit at the threshold) in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness"-and then renders the reason. "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will be withheld from them that walk uprightly."

The presence of God, and the glory and soul-ravishing goodness of that presence, is a thing that the world understands not, nor can they, as such, desire to know what it is. But men of the sort I speak of, understand it.

Good men come to God upon other accounts also: for so it is, that they have many concerns with God.

They come to him for a more clear discovery of themselves to themselves: for they desire to know how frail they are; because the more they know that, the more they are engaged in their souls to take heed to their ways, and to fear lest they should tempt their God to leave them.

They come to God by Christ for the weakening of their lusts and corruptions; for they are a sore, yea, a plague to a truly sanctified soul. Those, to be rid of which, if it might be, a godly man chooseth rather to die than to live. This David did mean, when he cried, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." And

Paul, when he cried out, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

They come to God by Christ, for the renewing and strengthening of their graces. The graces that the godly have received, are, and they feel they are, subject to decay, yea, they cannot live without a continual supply of grace. This is the meaning of those texts. "Let us have grace;" and "Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help, in time of need."

They come to God by Christ, to be helped against temptations, that they may meet withal. They know that every new temptation has a new snare, and a new evil in it: but what snare, and what evil, that at present they know not; but they know their God knows, and can deliver out of temptation when we are in, and keep us out while we are

out.

They come to God by Christ for a blessing upon the means of grace which God has afforded for the succor of the soul, and the building of it up in the faith; knowing that as the means, so a blessing upon it, is from God. And for this they have encouragement, because God has said, "I will abundantly bless her provision, and satisfy her poor with bread."

They come to God by Christ for the forgiveness of daily infirmities, and for continuing their souls in the light of his countenance, notwithstanding. That he also would always accept them and their services, and grant that an answer of peace may be returned from their Father in their bosoms; for this is the life of their souls.

There are a great many such things that the sincere and upright man comes to God for, too many here to mention. But besides what he asks for himself, I must tell you,

This man also comes to God to beseech him for the flourishing of Christ's kingdom; which he knows will never be until Antichrist is dead, and till the Spirit be more plenti

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fully poured upon us from on high. Therefore he also cries. to God for the downfall of the first, and for the pouring out of the other.

He comes to God for hastening the gathering in of his elect; for it is an affliction to him to think that so many of those for whom Christ died should be still in a posture of hostility against him.

He comes to God for a spirit of unity to be poured out among believers; for, "for the divisions of Reuben he has great thoughts of heart.”

He comes to God to pray for magistrates, and that God would make speed to set them all to that work that is so desirable to his church, that is, to "hate the whore of Babylon, to eat her flesh, to make her desolate, and burn her with fire."

He comes to God to beg that he would hasten that great and notable day, the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus; for he knows that Christ will never be exalted as he must be till then; yea, he also knows that God's church will never be as she would, and shall be, till then.

But the main meaning, if I may so call it, of this high text, is this: That they that come to God by him, are those that come by Christ to God, to enjoy him; by faith and spirit here, and by open vision and unspeakable possession of him in the next world. This is the great design of the soul in its coming to God by Jesus Christ; and it comes to him by Jesus Christ, because it dares not come by itself, and because God himself has made him the way, the new and living way.

Here, as I said, the Father meets with that which pleaseth him, and the soul with that which saveth her. Here are righteousness and merit to spare, even righteousness that can justify the ungodly. Here is always, how empty soever we be, a fulness of merit always presented to God by Christ, for my obtaining of that which at any time I want, whether