of, but he, that hath cast off all means tending to salvation and eternal life, and all desires after it. There is also an apostacy from great attainments, both of gifts and graces: when a man's zeal to God's glory cools, when his vigour in holy duties faints, when his relish to spiritual objects vitiates, and he returns to a lukewarm and indifferent temper, and it may be to a sinful and wicked life: though this be very sad and dreadful, yet the man is both pardonable and recoverable: see that most comfortable place, Jer. iii. 22. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. I shall not instance in any other aggravations, which make sin out of measure sinful, and make the sinner out of measure dangerous; since, if the Old Sinner, if the Relapsing, if the Apostatizing Sinner be pardonable and saveable, none then have reason to exclude themselves from the hopes of eternal life. Indeed, the only danger is, lest the wickedness of men abuse this most comfortable doctrine; and turn that into presumption, which is only intended to arm them against despair. Indeed, both Presumption and Despair do tend, in divers manners, to enrage and harden men in sin. The Despairing Person judgeth, "If I must not be saved, if my sins are such as that there is no pardon for them, to what purpose do I then live strictly, and vex, and cross myself, and perplex my life? I will let loose the reins, and enjoy myself; and reap as great a crop as I can of pleasure: and, if I must to hell, I will make the way as delightful as I can." And the argument, on the other side, that encourageth and hardeneth the Presumptuous Sinner, is this: "Christ is able to save to the uttermost the vilest sinners. We hear no sins are beyond his all-sufficiency to save: therefore," say they," what need we trouble ourselves to repent and reform? We will yet awhile indulge ourselves in sin for the efficacy of Christ is as able to save in the last moment of our lives, as after many years' preparations." We see iniquity every where fearfully abounding: and, though we use to say despair kills its thousands, and presumption its ten thousands; yet, if we narrowly consider, possibly it may be found that this kind of despair in men, arising from sloth and carelessness, is as great a source of impiety as pre sumption. Whence else is it, that many, who are convinced, and whose consciences are blackened with the sense of wrath, persist still to add iniquity to iniquity; but because they think that there is no salvation for them, that their doom is fixed, and that their state is determined? and, therefore, since they must pay so dear as eternal damnation, they are resolved to make up their penny worths in their present pleasures of sin: like those in Jer. xviii. 12. And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. I should judge it one of the most conducible means to promote men's endeavours after godliness, if I could but bring them to a serious and settled belief that their salvation is attainable: for, certainly, so good a thing as salvation is, cannot but stir up affections and industry proportionable to our apprehensions of the valuableness of it. Hence, then, to tell men what great sins Christ can pardon, what great sinners he can save, is no encouragement to presumption, but rather to the exercise of holiness: for, since the way to heaven is cleared from impossibilities, it is most unreasonable for men to stick at difficulties. But, if any abuse this doctrine of Christ's all-sufficiency to save the greatest sinners to sloth and the support of their wickedness; promising themselves peace and happiness in the end, though they go on in sin presumptuously, adding iniquity to iniquity; let me only tell them, and it will be enough to damp all their vain hopes, that, though Christ be able to save to the uttermost, yet he is not able to save them in their sins, but only from their sins. That is the First Demonstration of Christ's All-sufficiency to save sinners, in these particulars. He is an All-sufficient Saviour, because he is able to save men from the greatest Number, and from the most heinous sins in their Nature; though they be as many as the sands, and as great as the mountains: he is able, by his sanctifying grace, to remove the Filth of our sins; and, by his justifying grace, to remove their Guilt: and he is able to convert and change the sinner at such an Unlikely Season, when he is hottest and most eager in the prosecution of his lusts he is able to do this by the most contemptible Means: he is able to save the Oldest Sinners; those, that have frequently Relapsed into the same sins, and the greatest and most notorious Backsliders, if they do but at last repent and return to him. ii. Another Demonstration is this: Christ's all-sufficiency to save appears in this, that HE IS ABLE TO BESTOW UPON US ALL SUFFICING MERCY. He is able to instate us in the choicest and richest blessings, that we are able either to receive or imagine; and, therefore, he is able to save to the uttermost. If I should now mention temporal blessings in this account, the instance would sink too low. The world stands but as an empty cypher, and signifies but a great round nothing, when it is reckoned up with blessings which flow in upon us through Christ's all-sufficiency: and, yet, what a big vanity is this world, in the estimation of most men! If they have but a little part of it to bestow; it may be some slavish office, some slight and trivial gift; what a distance do they keep at how are they overwhelmed with suitors and floods of attendance! and, when they see how many stand in need of them, they are apt to think themselves sufficient, and to stand in need of none. Should I say to the ambitious and proud man, Christ is able to make all the princes of the world. crouch and humble themselves unto thee, and lick up the dust of thy feet should I tell a covetous person, that Christ is able to make gold and silver not only as plenteous as stones, as in Solomon's time; but that he can turn stones into diamonds and dirt into gold, that he can sequester the estates of all men in the world and bestow them upon him; I need say no more unto such; for these men would believe, that Christ, by this, would prove himself an All-sufficient Saviour: this is that little, which they most regard and admire. Indeed Christ can do all this, for he is Lord of the whole World, and of all things in it: they are at his beck, and at his disposals. Yet had he no other, no better treasures to bestow than the whole world, it would not be satisfactory, since the whole world itself is but a poor insufficient thing but Christ will have his all-sufficiency to be seen and glorified, by giving that to his people, which is an all-sufficing good. : Three things, therefore, Christ doth bestow upon them, which indeed are all-sufficient. Christ giveth unto his people, An Interest in an All-sufficient God. An All-satisfactory Inheritance. 1. He gives them an Interest in an All-sufficient God. All-sufficiency is God's most comprehensive attribute; that, which speaks out all the rest in one word. Wisdom, Power, Justice, Mercy, Goodness, Truth, are several perfections of the Divine Nature, that shine gloriously, each of them in its own sphere; but All-sufficiency is as it were the gloss and lustre, that doth redound or result from all these attributes combined together, Other attributes are like several stars, that shine with their proper and distinct light; but All-sufficiency is like a constellation, when all the stars make but one light. Therefore, when God proclaims himself to Abraham to be God Almighty, or God All-sufficient, Gen. xvii. I. it was as much as if he had said, “ I am Wise in heart, Mighty in power, Merciful in disposition, Just in proceedings, Good in promises, Faithful in performances:" for All-sufficiency is the issue and product of all the rest of God's attributes. Oh what a rich portion have they, that have all God's attributes for their own! This All-sufficiency, by Christ, becomes ours: Heb. xi. 16. God is not ashamed to be called our God. What can Christ do more to approve himself to be a Saviour to the uttermost, than giving unto his an infinite boundless good? If the power of God, the wisdom of God, the salvation of God can save them, they are sure to be saved to the uttermost: and hence David so often glories, that God is his portion: Ps. xvi. 5. lxxiii. 26. cxix. 57. And what conclusion doth he draw from all this? Ps. xxiii. 1. The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. "No, Soul: it is impossible for thee to want all things are thine own: God is thine, and all God hath is thine: while others seek to quench their thirst at the broken, leaky cistern; thou mayest lay thyself at the fountain and spring-head of living waters, and there find complete satisfaction. Certainly, unless All-sufficiency may fail, unless God's attributes moulder and drop away from him and leave him a destitute and indigent God, thou canst never be impoverished and without supply." God's wisdom is full of counsel, his power is full of protection, his mercy is full of pardon, his truth and faithfulness is full of security: and those, certainly, must needs be ravenous and unsatiable desires, which such an All-sufficient God as our God is cannot fill and satisfy, 2. Christ also instates the soul in an All-sufficing Portion of Grace. Grace hath a double signification. It may either be taken for Subjective or Objective Grace; or, what is the same, for Relative or Real Grace, Relative Grace is that, whereby a change is made in the relation in which we stand to God. In a state of nature, we stood in a threefold sad and wretched relation to God. We were Strangers to God, Rebels and Enemies, and also Guilty Malefactors; and, as such, were liable to eternal condemnation. But, the grace of God intervening, makes a blessed change in all these relations: of Strangers, we are brought near, and enrolled in the family of heaven; and so are made children of God and heirs of glory, by the grace of adoption of Enemies, we are made friends and intimates; and accepted through the Beloved, through the grace of redemption: of Guilty Malefactors, we are acquitted, and pardoned, and accepted to eternal life, by the free and absolute grace of Justification. Now this Relative Grace is not that, which is wrought in us; but it abides in God, and is only terminated upon us: indeed it is nothing else, but the acting of God's special love and favour towards us; and the word grace, in Scripture, is very seldom taken in any other sense but for Relative Grace, the acting of God's love and favour determined to us. Subjective or Real Grace is that, whereby a change is wrought upon our natures, in our first regeneration; and whereby it is carried on gradually to perfection, in our further sanctification. Universal habits of holiness are infused in our conversion by God; which, in Scripture, are called the New Man and the New Creature: we usually call them the Principle of Grace, and the Working of Grace. Those specifical habits, which are as so many branches of this universal habit, are, as I may so speak, the several limbs and members of the New Man: and are commonly called the Graces of the Spirit, as the grace of faith, love, and hope; and likewise the Spirit's acting of these graces, is called the Acting of Grace. Of these two kinds, the former is properly called Grace: the latter, improperly; because, wherever it is wrought, it denotes the special favour and grace of God towards that soul. Now both Relative and Real Grace have an all-sufficiency in them, and are of an all-sufficing nature. (1) A Christian's portion in Relative Grace is an All-sufficing and Satisfactory Portion. It is so great, that you can desire no more: for this grace admits of no degrees; and he, that hath any of it, hath as much as any can have. Here, therefore, the weakest Christian may have abundance of comfort: others, possibly, may have |