lufts. He ftands without, whilft his enemies are let in and allowed to poffefs the best feats! He ftands at the door, while Satan is let in, and gets the eafy chair! Owonderful patience! That Chrift after fo many affronts and repulfes, and after feeing enemies preferred before him, fhould continue to ftand at your door and knock! But, O finner, do not try his patience too much, not provoke him too long; for, obferve the text, he now ftands, he is on his feet ready to go away; the knock will be given that will prove the laft, and thou knoweft not but the prefent knock may be it, do not then de lay to open one moment longer.

4. Confider Chrift's earnest desire to be let into your heart. He not only stands at the door, but he knocks; yea, knocks loud and knocks often, to convince you of his earneftnefs. Many a loud knock doth he give, by his calls and invitations in his word, Come unto me, open unto me, look unto me. Many a knock gives hé by his promises to you, I will come in, I will fup with you, I will eafe you, heal you, enlighten you, manifeft myfelf to you, &c. Many a knock gives he by his threatenings of wrath and vengeance against those who shut their doors against him. Many a knock gives he by your own confcience, and by his own Spirit, raifing convictions, inclinations, defires and purposes within your heart, to bring you to a Saviour. And many a rap and knock doth he give at your door on facrament occafions. Then it is he knocks aloud with his nailed hands and pierced feet, and ftands at your door with his wounds open, his blood ftreaming, and his garments dyed with blood: And all this to fhew his earneftnefs to be let into your heart. Open then to Chrift, O finner, while he is knocking; be affured he will not knock always; this may poffibly be the laft day of the Spirit's knocks and ftrivings with thee: fo that if you refufe to open at this prefent knock, God may strike you dead and fenfelefs all your life, clap a feal on the door that it fhall never open; you may hear ministers knock after this, but never hear God's Spirit knock

again; and, Wo unto yon, if he depart from you. Remember, Ο man, for as many knocks as God gives at your door, he keeps an exact account of them all, and will reckon them up all at the judgment feat. And can you think he will open heaven to you then, who will not open your heart to him now! No, no; his ear will be as deaf to you hereafter, as yours is to him now. and believe that terrible word, Prov. i. 24, &c.

ADVICE III.

Read

From Rev. iii. 20. If any man bear my voice, and open the door, I will some" in and sup with him.

GREAT and precious are the promifes which Chrift makes to them who hearken to his voice in the gospel offers, and open their hearts to receive him, as offered to them in all his offices; I will come in, and bring all the benefits of my purchase with me to entartain and feaft that foul, even pardon, peace, light, life, grace, and glory.

1. Obferve, the duty called for, is to hear Chrift's voice, and open the door to him, that is, to accept and embrace his free gofpel offers, and heartily to acquiefce in the gofpel method of a finner's reconciliation and juftification through the righteoufnefs of our glorious EMMANUEL, and willingly receive and fubmit to him as our prophet, prieft, and king. What is the preaching of the gospel, but Chrift's charming voice calling loft finners home to himself? What is it, but Christ's following them with invitations and intreaties to come to him and live? This is Chrift's voice which he would have finners to hear, come and live; though they generally refufe to do it! Oh, what condemned malefactor would refufe to hear the voice of his fovereign offering him his life, as condemned finners do? John v. 40. Ye will not come to me that ye might have life. Yet behold, after many refufals, he follows his offers with

arguments, ftrong arguments to prevail with finners, and after the greatest obftinacy he is loth to break off his treaty with them, Hof. xi. 8. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? Why will ye die? What reafon can you give for refufing life, or for chusing death?

2. Obferve, who it is that Chrift calls to hear his voice, and open their doors to him; it is not this or that man only, or any particular fort of men; it is any man, every one that fits under the gospel. If any man will hear my voice, and open the door, faith Chrift, I will come in. If any will open, be he old man or young man, I will come in. If the greatest finner, the most crimsoncoloured finner will open, I will come in. Any man ; if the fwearer will open, if the fabbath-breaker, if the murderer, if the drunkard, if the unclean, if the thief, if the cheat, if the liar, if the mocker, if the prayerlefs man, if the man that hates God and godliness will open to me, I will come in and fup with him. O what encouragement doth this word, If any man, givė to every finner to fly to Chrift! If any man, whoever he be, whatever he hath done, if he will welcome me, receive me in the gefpel-offers, I will come in to him.

3. Obferve, Chrift requires finners to open the door, that he may come in to teach them; however unable they be, this is their duty, they must mint, and use all means to do it, and look up to him for ftrength. He will have the finner's confent, and the foul made will ing to receive him. O then caft open the door, open it wide, receive Chrift wholly, receive him without referve, open before him the two leaved gates, not the wicket, or one leaf only, but both leaves of the door. et Chrift have the full and free confent of the foul, and abundant entrance into it. There are fome refolving to open the door to Chrift, others, perhaps, are beginning to open it: O let them not halt in doing. With fome the door is half open, and there they stop. They are almoft, but not altogether, Chriftians. O almoft Chriftian, why do you halt? Why would you

lofe all the pains you have been at? A little more would caft the door wide open, and make you an altogether Christian. Go then a little further, O finner, to fave your foul. Open to Christ all the powers and faculties of your foul. Open to him fully here, as you would have him to open freely to you hereafter. Oh, what mean you to open to Chrift only by halves? the half open door will be ready to go to again; and, alas ! if fo, it may never open for the future. Let it be your concern then to go a little further than the almoft Christian, and reft not in fair beginnings.

4. Obferve, how great the advantage is of opening the door to Chrift? Why? I will come into the house, faith he, even the friend of finners, the King of Glory will come in, the best guest that ever came in to a poor man's houfe: How honourable, how profitable, how happy and bieffed muft fuch a vifit be! Q. For what end will Chrift come in? A. He will come in to enlighten the house: for the foul is a dark dungeon while Chrift is shut out: He will come in to adorn and enrich the foul with the ornaments and treasures of his grace; he will come in to reign in the foul, and pull down the tyrant that hath long oppreft you: As in the text, he will come in and fup with you, and cause you to fup with him; And becaufe you have no fitting provifion in the houfe, he will bring it with him. And O how rare are Chrift's dainties, his hidden manna, the fruits of the tree of life, the grapes of Canaan, the bread that comes down from heaven! How excellent is the water of life! One drop of it would be an everlafting spring in thy foul, that would keep thee from thirsting after the creature any more.. What a rich feast are the graces of the Spirit quickened to a lively exercife! What bleffed feaft is pardon of fin, peace with justice, peace with the law, and interest in Chrift's purchase, intimations of Chrift's love, gofpel promifes applied, communion with God, views of eternal life, well grounded hopes of immortal glory! &c. O how precious and delicate are thefe gofpel rarities which are

fet before you on the communion table, and freely tendered to every one that opens the door to Chrift! Who would not welcome fuch a guest that brings fuch glorious provision with him? Had poor finners fpiritual appetites fharpened for Chrift's feaft, there would not be fo many shut doors against him.

5. Observe, how folemnly Christ offers thefe golpel bleffings to you, with a Behold I ftand, &c. Chrift takes witneffes upon it, witneffes against the refusers: Behold ye angels, and witness for me how kind and bountifulmy offers are to Adam's rebellious children! Behold, ye minifters, and witness against those who fhut me out. Behold, ye ftones and timber of the houfe, ye elements and communion tables, bear witnefs for me and against them! Behold, ye fellow communicants and hearers, bear witnefs one against another that I knocked, I called, I knocked loud, I knocked long, but ye kept your doors bolted against me. It is a melancholy thought for those who are minifters to entertain, that they will one day be brought in as witneffes against thofe who fhut out their Saviour; but when called, they muft witness against such, though never fo dear to them now, that Chrift called, but they refused; he made kind and large offers, but they regarded them not. O then let every foul fet about fweeping and washing all the rooms, and caft open all the doors, as wide as they can, to the King of Glory, and receive him with accla mation and praife. Take the crown off the head of felf, and put it on the head of Chrift, afcribing all the glory of your falvation to him, and nothing to free-will or your own doings.

ADVICE IV.

From PROV. ix. 5. Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine, t.

CHRIST is the wifdom of God, who hath made rich provifion for entertaining his people, and hath fet it before them in the ordinance of the Lord's fupper, even