ftate. It is an infinite God that is offended, who infifts upon fatisfaction, and one proportionable to the offence: which nothing that meer creatures can do or fuffer can ever amount to. Without blood there is no remiffion; and the blood of bulls and goats is infignificant to make atonement for fin, and mèrit pardon and peace. However,

[3.] The Spirit doth it, by opening the finner's eyes in his deepest distress, to fee that yet there is hope. For God fo loved the world, that be gave bis only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, fhould not perish but have everlasting life: And, in appointing his Son in our nature, to be our Saviour, God the Father hath laid help upon one that is mighty to fave: And this his Son, our Saviour, hath done and suffered, all that he was appointed to do and fuffer, and is accepted of God in it, which is proved by his refurrection from the dead. And as he died as a full propitiation for fin, he ever liveth to make interceffion for finners; and fo is able to fave to the uttermoft all that come unto God by him. Though Chrift, and he alone is the only Saviour, he is an all-fufficient one.

[4] This Spirit abundantly satisfies the finner, that Chrift is willing, as well as able to fave. There is no room nor reafon to doubt of this: as he hath teftified his love at the dearest rate, by laying down his life, and as he, in the most moving and endearing manner, invites loft finners to come to him: declaring, That him that cometh to him, he will in no wife caft out, John vi. 37.

From

From hence the drooping foul begins to revive, and admit a supporting hope, that how guilty foever he is, the blood of Jefus can cleanfe him from all his fins; that how unworthy foever he is in himself, yet through him he may be made acceptable: How indigent foever he is in himfelf, yet through and from him he may be fupplied: How weak foever, the grace given through and from him, will be fufficient for him : In a word, how far gone foever by himself, as alone, yet in and by him he may be recovered, healed and faved.

Such grounds of hopes do at the fame time, raife, encourage and feed defire to fee Fefus; and this fight is followed with endeavours after him, such as will reft in nothing but a vital union to him.

For this they long; after this they pant and pray, with groanings too big for words to exprefs, and which cannot be well understood by any, but those in whofe breafts fuch a defire has been kindled. Having difcovered the pearl of price, they can have no peace in themselves, till they have made it their own. Now, after this, it is Chrift that is fought in every place, and from ordinance to ordinance. They no longer attend these merely to fatisfy an awakened and terrified confcience, or from fecular views; but to get acquaintance with Chrift, and to fecure a full intereft in him: and whatever is offered them fhort of this, it is all rejected. And this will be their language, expreffive of their inward fenfe, We would fee Jefus, and be found in him, not having on our own righteoufnefs, &c. No hungry

hungry man hath a keener appetite for food, nor thirsty man a more vehement defire of drink, nor covetous man a greater defire of money, nor ambitious man of honour, than fuch as these have for Jefus Chrift and an intereft in him.

For this they give up every fin, renounce the dearest luft, and are prepared to do so as to all the offers the world can make to them instead of a Saviour, looking upon him as infinitely better. Nothing is fo dear to them, as to stand in competition with him, in whom their life and hope are bound up; without whom nothing can fave them from being miferable, and in whom they cannot but expect to be happy for time and eternity.

These are the grounds from whence, under the influence of the Spirit, arises their defire of seeing Jefus, who are entering into the number of his living members.

3. There is yet a third fort, and among whom, I defire to leave you, viz. Such as have a special intereft in Jefus the only and all-fufficient Saviour, and yet ftill continue to defire to see him: We would fee Jesus.

And here, what I have to do, is to tell you,

(1.) What their defire is carried out after : And then,

(2.) To fhew you fome of the grounds of it.

(1.) To fhew you what their defire is carried out after in saying, We would fee Jefus.

You

You may be fure, It is not to fee him any more in an humbled ftate, to repeat his obedience and fufferings, as if he had not fulfilled all righteoufnefs. He hath once fuffered for fin, and that is enough; as by once offering up of himself, he hath for ever perfected them that are fanctified, and obtained eternal redemption for us.

In this there is a difference between believers before Chrift's coming, and thofe fince. The former might fay, We would fee Jefus, and often did; and one thing that filled their defires was, that he might appear, and accomplish the great work of their and our redemption. For this end, our Lord declares, Abraham rejoiced to fee his Day, and he faw it, and was glad, John viii. 56. He faw it but afar off, and died with the reft of the Old Testament worthies, in the faith that God would perform the mercy promised to the fathers: Which with fubmiffion to the will of God, they were all of them defirous to fee, as foon as he pleafed. And with reference to this among other things, our Lord lets his apoftles know their privilege, who actually faw him. Mat. xiii. 16, 17. But bleed are your eyes, for they fee; and your ears, for they hear. For verily I fay unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have defired to fee those things which ye fee, and have not feen them and to hear these things which ye bear, and have not heard them.

,

We read of fuch as looked for redemption in Jerufalem, Luke ii. 38. and waited for the confolation of Ifrael, by the coming of Christ in the flesh: And to Simeon, as one of that numVOL II.

ber,

ber, it was revealed by the Holy Ghost, that he fhould not fee death, before he had feen the Lord's Chrift. And accordingly he came by the Spirit into the temple, at the time when the child was brought thither; and taking him up in his arms he brake forth into a rapture, faying, Lord, now lettest thou thy fervant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine eyes have Jeen thy falvation: &c.

And during Chrift's abode upon earth, fuch an ocular fight of him may well be fuppofed to be the defire of them that believed on him. And it was of special moment to the Apoftles when preaching him to others, that they might be able to fay in the most litteral sense, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have feen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life, declare we unto you, 1 John i. 1---3.

It is faid to be one of the three things that St. Auftin wifhed to have feen, Chrift in the flesh. But faith the Apoftle, Yea, though we have known Chrift after the flesh, yet now, henceforth know we bim (fo) no more, 2. Cor. v. 16.

Multitudes faw Chrift with their bodily eyes, that had no intereft in him, and fo died in fin : And his real difciples that lived in the days of his flefh, became intitled to the falvation which he came to purchase, not as beholding him dwelling among them, but as believing on him: And therefore to this it is, that bleffedness is annexed by Chrift himself, John xx. 29. Bleffed are they that have not feen, and yet have believed.