life." This was the complaint, which our Saviour made of the Jews to whom he speaks. By coming to Him they might have life. He invited them to come to him. The Scriptures, which they professed to believe, directed them to come to him. But alas! they would not. They would neither accept the invitations, nor follow the directions given to them. They refused to come to him, through whom alone they could obtain eternal life; and the plain and necessary conse quence of persisting in this refusal, must be, that they would perish without remedy.

In order to a profitable consideration of this subject, let us advert to two points here set before us.

I. The blessed consequence of coming to Christ. H. The reason, which prevents men from coming to Him.

I. In adverting to the blessed consequence of coming to Christ, let us begin with calling to mind what is meant by this expression. On comparing the several passages in which our Saviour speaks of coming to Him, it seems clear, that by this expression he intends in general to describe our becoming true Christians, his real disciples and followers, believers in Him, and devoted to his service. To come to him is to renounce all other lords and masters, and to take him alone for our Prophet, Priest, and King. It is to trust wholly to the merits of his death and righteousness for our pardon and acceptance with God; to rely solely on his Spirit, to teach and sauctify us; to walk in obedience to his commands; and for his sake to take up our cross daily, to deny. ourselves, and to follow his steps. In a word

fb come to Christ is to believe in him with the heart, and to confess him in the life; to commit our souls, with all our dearest interests, into his care and keeping, as Noah entrusted himself and all he held dear, to the care and keeping of the Ark; and to live the life, which we now live in the flesh, by faith in the Son of God. This is what is meant by coming to Christ. And the blessed consequence of thus coming to him is, that we "have life." All who do not come to Christ, will surely die. They will die in their sins; and so dying they will endure the bitter pains of eternal death. But they who come to Christ, shall live; they shall never be overcome of the second death; they shall live for ever; they shall have everlasting life. Are not such the express declarations of Scripture on this important point? "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." This is the promise that he bath promised us, even eternal life." that hath the Son, bath life."

"He

"He that believeth on"My sheep hear my.

the Son hath everlasting life." voice, and I know them, and they follow mc and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish." ..I am come that they might

have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." "Because Flive, ye shall live also."a Such, in general, is the blessed consequence of coming to Christ. They who now come to him, shall hereafter live with him. He" will raise threm up at the last day." a John xi. 25, 26.-1 John ii. 25-v. 12.—John iii. 36.x. 10, 27, 28-xiv. 19.

"Come ye blessed of my

He will then say to them, Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you :" and he will take them with himself to heaven to see his glory, and to share his happiness' for ever and ever.

But godliness has the promise of the life that now is, as well as that which is to come: and this then is a part of the blessed consequence of coming to Christ. Those who come to Him, even now "have life." They have privileges and consolations peculiar, to themselves; they have hopes and joys, which other people have not, and to which they themselves, before they came to him, were strangers. They have peace and reconciliation with God. Their sins are pardoned; their persons are justified. They may look up to God as to a compassionate and loving Father, and may see his hand directing and controlling all events for their spiritual and everlasting good. They have many precious promises, on which they may confidently rely in every time of need. They are made partakers of the Holy Ghost the Comforter; through whose gracious influences on the soul, they even now at times have a taste and an earnest of the happiness reserved. for them in heaven. They find the blessed work of the spirit in their hearts, subduing their corruptions, weaning their affections from the world, putting into them good desires, and holy resolutions, and making them more meet and fitted for the inheritance of the Saints in light. They are privileged and in general are enabled to live with heaven in their eye; to look at death without fear, and beyond it with hope; and amidst all the troubles and sufferings of this pre

sent life, to endure with patience, and to rejoice in prospect of the glory of God.-Thus, compared with those who are still dead in trespasses and sins, they even now "have life." They here live unto God; and thus living, they know by experience the blessed consequence of having come to Christ. May we not appeal to many witnesses, for the truth of this description? Are there not many, who will testify to the correctness of this representation? Many, who are ready to own that since they came to Christ, they have felt in their hearts, a peace, a comfort, a joy, which they felt not before: ho are sensible that a great, a happy, a blessed change has taken place in their hearts; who by their own experience can tell the meaning of those expressive words, "Whoso findeth me findeth life?" But, why do not all of us find, and know, and feel these things? Why do not all of us, since all are invited, partake of the blessedness, of which we have been speaking? Why do not all of us come to Christ that we may have life? To give an answer to these questions, will necessarily lead us to the second point, to which we proposed to advert.

II. The reason which prevents men from coming to Christ.

Our Saviour has himself assigned the reason in the text. He says to the Jews, who did not receive and welcome him as the Christ; "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."

Christ for life. And why?

They did not come to

Because they were not

able to come? No: But because they were not wil

b Proverbs viii. 35.

ling. Here lies men's real inability to come to Christ. Here is the true reason which prevents them from coming to Him. They have no inclination to come. They have no mind to come. There is another passage of Scripture in which our Lord gives the same view of the case. In that tender lamentation, which he utters over the Jewish nation at the prospect of those heavy calamities, which were coming upon them, observe how he speaks of these calamities, as the consequence of their wilful and obstinate rejection of himself. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them, which are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings; and ye would not !" This was the obstacle, the only obstacle, which had prevented them from coming to Christ, and from being saved by Him; they would not. And with this view the Scriptures uniformly agree. They represent, throughout, a willing mind, as the one grand and indispensable requisite for embracing the Gospel; and thus by consequence imply, that an unwilling mind is the one great cause of our rejecting it. "If ye be willing and obedient, (says the Prophet,) ye shall eat the good of the land." "Let him that is athirst come, (says Christ himself.) and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely." How often do we find true religion represented as a deliberate act of the will, influencing the mind, and leading a man to prefer and select the service of God, as the vol

e Matt. xxiii. 37. d Isaiah, i. 19-Rev. xxii. 17.