none effectually drawn to Chrift but the elect; and thefe may be called all men, as they are gathered out of all nations, kindreds, and languages, ages, fexes, and qualities. All men, Gentiles as well as Jews: All forts of men, finners of all fizes, greater as well as leffer. Queft. But how doth the lifting up of Christ draw finners effectually to him? Anf. By the merit of his lifted up facrifice he obtained the removal of all hindrances of their coming to him, fuch as, the guilt of their fins, the enmity of their natures, the power of their corruptions, their unbelief, hardness, blindness, and difcouraging fears. And likewife, by it he purchased ail the means requifite for drawing man to him, such as the preaching of the gofpel, fanctified rods, the grace of faith, and, above all, powerful influences of the Holy Spirit. As Chrift was lifted up on the cross, fo he must be alfo lifted up on the pole of the gofpel, for drawing finners to him. Thus the brazen ferpent was lifted up in the wildernefs, for drawing the ftung Ifraelites about it, and it proved moft effectual for that end; fo a crucified Jefus held out, and evidently fet forth in the gospel, as he was lifted up on a bloody crofs, with his pierced hands ftretched out to embrace. loft finners, is furely the most attractive and drawing fight in the world. This wonderful loadftone hath drawn thoufands of hard iron hearts to it at once. A natural loadstone though it draw iron to it, yet it may be drawn away from it again; but a crucified Chrift draws the heart fo powerfully and closely to him, that they can never be feparated again. Never was there fuch a drawing engine in the world as this! A lifted up standard or enfign draws numbers of fcattered foldiers unto it, but it is feen by few; but a crucified Jefus lifted up in the gospel, is an enfign to draw great multitudes in different nations under the banner of his love, Ifa. xi. 10. The first experiment that was made of its virtue in Jerufalem by the apostle Peter, three thousand fouls were drawn to Chrift at once, and after that many nations, that knew him not, did run unto

him. Come then, O finners, admire and experience the power of this lifted up enfign; let your iron hearts be drawn by this loadstone; it hath loft nothing of its virtue to this day. Thousands of hearts in other places do ftill feel its power: We are fometimes refreshed with the welcome news of their being drawn off from the vanities of time, and the love of fin, to glorious Chrift: Why then do not your hearts alfo yield to the power of this bleffed loadstone, Chrift crucified, lifted up in the word and facrament? It hath the fame virtue here as elsewhere, were but the eyes of faith opened to behold it, according to that alluring call, Ifa. xiv. 22.

When Chrift was lifted up on the crofs, his face was turned to the Gentiles, for the Jews, out of malice, (as feveral write,) would have him crucified with his face towards the weft, as reckoning him unworthy to look to the temple and the holy city, that ftood on the caft fide of mount Calvary; but Christ had a loving defign in it to us Gentiles, and to accomplish that word, Pfal. Ixvi. 7. His eyes behold the nations. Behold, O finners, Chrift turned his face to you on the crofs, to draw you unto him; there he bowed his head towards you to draw you; there he opened a cleft in his fide to draw you; there blood and water flowed from his heart to draw you to him! And now he hath fent his word and Spirit to draw you; now he difplays his blood and wounds in the facranient to draw you; now he is cafting his cords of love about your heart to draw you to him; now the devil is holding and Chrift is drawing: Chrift and the devil are now ftruggling for your hearts the eyes of many are on you, the eyes of the glorious Trinity, the eyes of angels, the eyes of minifters and faints are on you, to fee what the iffue of the combat fhall be, which of them fhall gain the prize. Satan indeed is the strong man, but, glory to God, Chrift is ftronger than he. O that he may prevail, the heart is his by right, furrender it to him without delay. He will not enter without your confent; his people must all be made willing in the day of his power. Ch, if the

will were once conquered, the day were Chrift's, and the field were won for ever.

Would you then have Satan's defeat, your biased will overcome, and your fouls favingly brought to Chrift, O look up and cry for a draught of Chrift's power. You have neither ftrength nor will to come to a crucified Chrift, unless he draw you. Ordinances or providences cannot draw you, the word or facraments cannot draw you, judgments or mercies can not do it; yea, neither minifters nor angels can draw your dead and heavy hearts. O then look beyond them all to a lifted up Emmanuel, draw me, Lord, and I will run after thee. The ordinance you have in view can never be a drawing ordinance, if Chrift put not forth his virtue with it; the facrament will be lifelefs, and the adminiftrators lifeless, if Chrift draw you not. The most powerful fermons, the moft alluring calls, will all be loft, if he draw not. You will fit ftill in the Sodom of a natural and a wrathful state, if he draw not you will be eternally damned, if Chrift draw you not to him. You can never overcome the ftrong and fubtle temptations Satan cafts in your way, you can never deny felf, forfake beloved lufts, renounce juftification by works, quit all confidence in your own doings, go naked and empty to Chrift, be content to live wholly upon his righteoufnefs, and receive grace, life, ftrength, and glory, as a free gift from Chrift, without the drawing virtue of a lifted up Saviour. Oh, if you were once acquainted with this drawing power, you might go with comfort to his table, and feed upon his purchase.

Queft. How fhall I know if I have yet been drawn effectually to a lifted up Jelus.

Ans. Try it by thefe marks: Have you difcovered his matchlefs excellency fo as to draw off your heart from fin, and the perifhing things of the world? Have you felt the cords of his love about your heart and will, conftraining you to yield yourfelf wholly to him? Is your heart drawn out in love and affection to a crucifi

ed Chrift above all things, fo that the defire of your ́s foul is to him and the remembrance of his name? Are you growing ftill liker to him, more holy, more humble, meek, and heavenly minded? Nearnefs will breed likeness. Are you troubled for distance from Chrift, when at any time you are drawn off from him by fin; Satan, or the world's allurements? Are you drawn to duty with a view of enjoying his prefence therein? In the mean time are you drawn off from refting on duties, or putting any attainments in Chrift's room? Then you may conclude your heart is effectually drawn by a lifted up Saviour: and fo may, with holy confi dence and joy, draw near to him in the facramental tryfting place, and hold communion with him there.

ADVICE XIII.

From John i. 36-xix. 5. Behold the Lamb of God.- Behold the

Man.

O communicants, both John and Pilate call you to behold Chrift fuffering and facrificed for you, and which is more, the Spirit of God calls you to this duty alfo. Let each one of you then fay with Mofes, Exod. iii. 3. I will now turn afide, and fee this great fight. A great fight indeed! For though he be called a Lamb, and a man, he is alfo God, God in human nature, fuffering, bleeding, and dying, a great and wonderful fight! All the perfons of the glorious Trinity call you to behold it, Ifa. xlii. -xlv. 22. John i. 29. Draw then as near as poffible, that you may get a good view of it; ftand not at a distance like thofe who followed him from Galilee to the crofs, of whom it is faid, Luke xxiii. 49, They stood afar off beholding thefe things. Do not now ftand afar off, nor take a far off look of a crucified Chrift, but come clofe to him by faith, and take a hear and faving look of him, as he calls you, Ifa. xlv. 21, Look unto me and be faved; I am God, and there is no Saviour befides me. O then turn not your back or thou!

der to him, look not afquint to him, look not by him to other things; but look with a broad, ftraight, and fteady look unto him. The man Chrift Jefus is the Lamb of God, appointed by him to be facrificed, to make atonement for our fins, and to purchase pardon, life, and salvation to us: And looking to him by faith is the great mean of securing and applying the bleffings of his purchase to us. And in a special manner he calls us to look unto him in his fufferings for us. Be hold me, Behold me!

Behold the fuffering man, a man of forrows indeed! And particularly behold him entering upon that fearful fcene in the garden of Gethsemane, when he began to fear, turn forrowful, and very heavy; when he was fore amazed, fell into an agony and bloody fweat, and cried out, My foul is exceeding forrowful, even unto death ! O what was it that made your Saviour fo heavy, but the dead weight of the elect's fins, which the law's hea vy curfes annexed to them? Oh your fouls were exceeding guilty, which made his foul exceeding heavy. Behold and fee your forrowful Redeemer falling into a fearful agony, and, while in it, falling down sometimes on his knees, and fometimes on his face, praying once, praying again, and praying the third time, until he is quite overwhelmed with wrath, and covered with his own blood! Behold the forrowful man" with the great drops of blood ftanding above his garments for your fins, and bedewing the ground. See Jehovah now acting against him, as an inexorable judge, running on him as a giant, and making him the butt of his envenomed arrows! Behold him in this agony making his moan to his difciples, who could make no help to him; for neither they nor the angels in heaven durft touch his load, nor tafte his cup: Yea, he got not fo much as fympathy from his difciples, they fell asleep when he was at the worst, and left him in his agony to struggle and tread out the wine-prefs alone! O be not idle fpectators of your Saviour's agony, but let your fouls be exceedingly affected with Chrift's foul fuffering for your foul's fins.