than God defigned, and than loft finners needed him to be that was come into the world for their falvation. They had little or no sense of their fpiritual mifery, as finful, and liable thereby to the wrath of God: fo liable that nothing they could do or fuffer themfelves, could avail to deliver them from this state and danger; and that therefore, for help in this cafe, they were to look for a fufficient and fuitable Saviour, and to defire to fee him. But instead of such a Saviour as this, they expected their Saviour to be a temporal prince, appearing with grandeur and power to fubdue the nations about them, and to fet them up to be the chief among the nations; and then after he had thus exalted them, to reign over them as their king. When therefore he came in a mean and humble manner, for fpiritual, and not worldly ends, their disappointed expectations turned into that contempt and rage against him, which pursued him to his death upon a crofs.

It was foretold concerning him, that he would have no form or comeliness in him, i. e. no such as they looked for; and accordingly the prophet thus goes on, When we shall fee him, there is no beauty that we should defire him: he is defpifed and rejected of men, a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief; and we bid as it were our faces from him: he was defpifed, and we efteemed him not, If. liii. 2, 3. And how exactly was this answered in the Jews conduct and carriage? He came unto his own, and his own received him not: his citizens hated him, and sent a meffage after him, faying, We will not have this man to

reign over us. How raised and earneft foever their expectations and defires of the Meffiah were about the time of Chrift's coming, they were raised from a carnal and mistaken notion of him, which when he did not answer, they loudly cried Crucify him, Crucify him, and defifted not, till they faw it done.

Herod, it is faid, was defirous of a long feafon to fee Jefus, and was glad when he had the opportunity but what was it for? Why for the hope of feeing fome miracle done by him; in which not being humoured, he, and his men of war fet him at nought.

Sinners may ftill be defirous to fee Jefus, for purposes as low as thefe: for example, to gratify their curiofity in beholding his vifage, or hearing his voice, or touching his garment, or having him near to them to fupply their corporal neceffities, heal their difeafes, and better their circumftances in the prefent world: and so, in what they would fee of and from him, their apprehenfions are carnal.

(2.) As to any thing relating to their fouls and another world, their apprehenfions and defires are very confused.

In their faying, We would fee Jefus, their regards do not reach beyond the body and the prefent world; and if we afk them, what they would have? They are at a lofs, having either no meaning, or one they scarce know how without fhame to declare. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can be know them, because they are fpiritually difcerned, 1 Cor. ii.

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14. The gospel holds forth Christ crucified, as the only all-fufficient Saviour: but to the Jews, he is a ftumbling-block, and to the Greeks, foolishness. It is to them that are called, and only to them, that he is the wisdom of God, and the power of God, 1 Cor. i. 24.

The finners, of whom we are speaking, feel not their own wants and burdens; are infenfible of their guilt and vileness, and of their danger from both and hence are as far from difcerning the beauty and worth of Jefus, for which he fhould be defired, as one that is born blind, is from being taken with the most amiable colour, of which he has no notion at all.

You know, when our Lord put the question to his difciples, Whom fay ye that I am? Peter anfwered, Thou art Chrift, the Son of the living God: upon which our Lord replied, Blefjed art thou Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven, Matthew xvi. 17. No man can fay, Jefus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. xii. 3. His office and work, the falvation carried on in his Name, and to be expected from his hand, is fpiritual; and fo are all the mysteries of him; of which the knowledge of a natural man, if he has any, may be faid to be as none

at all.

2. We may confider the defire of this fort as to the act of it, when they fay, We would fee Jefus.

And herein it may have a resemblance to that which the Spirit works in thofe that are effectually called, and brought home to Chrift:

and

and hence, after fome pangs felt, they may be ready to conclude, that they have paffed through the new birth, and are fafe; when all the while they remain in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, and ftrangers to a Saviour, how often foever they may utter the defire, We would fee Felus.

The defire of fuch, when carried fartheft, may have three things faid of it, denoting its defect: for,

(1.) It is partial, and not extending to all that Chrift hath purchased, and is to be to thofe, and do for those whom he is appointed to fave. They may be in a fort willing of his blood to pardon, but not of his Spirit to purify; willing to be faved from wrath by him, but cannot heartily confent to be fubject to him.

(2.) Their defire, at beft, is not predominant. Whatevever inclination they have to Chrift, they have a stronger and more prevalent one to fomething elfe. They would have Chrift and the world, Chrift, and the gratification of self, in this or the other inftance, contrary to his intereft and will and if they cannot have both, they will foon fhew that the latter hath the greatest room in their hearts, for the fake of which, they will break with him, and break off from him.

(3.) It is not of powerful and abiding influence, fhewing itself in vigorous, reftlefs endeavours after a Saviour. They faintly wish and fay, They would have what they own they want, but take little pains to fecure what they feem to long for: and thus the defire of the flothful

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flothful killeth him; for his hands refufe to labour, Prov. xxi. 25.

Such a defire as this may take its rife,

From fomething external. I will fuppofe it may be from the report of others concerning Chrift, raifing a fuperficial esteem of him, from what he is faid to have done and fuffered, obtained, and is ready to give out to finners; though they yet feel not their own particular need of him, or have but low thoughts of the importance of it with reference to themfelves.

(2.) From the common work of the Spirit, as impreffing conviction within them under the word preached, or under fome afflictive providences, or at the apprehenfion of approaching death. They may hence have fome ferious thoughts of the danger of their present state, and from it be filled with uneafinefs and horror; which may make them with, and it may be with great earneftnefs, that they had not fo long made light of Chrift, and that they now had an intereft in him and in their prefent anguish, they may be led to fay, they would give all the world to obtain fuch an interest, and if it shall pleafe God to try them longer, this above all things they would look after, and never be at reft till they had made it fure. But not cherishing such convictions as thefe, or feeking ease in fomething fhort of Chrift, the Spirit is grieved and retires; the pang goes over with that which occafioned it, and the refult is, Many fuch fettle in ftupidity, or in a falfe peace, and fo perish without