Thus I have given you fix private and fecret, and fix public windows of the houfe of God, to which God's doves fhould be frequently flying, upon the wings of faith, for a meeting with Chrift.

IV. The fourth thing in the method was to how, that it is a pleafant and furprising fight to fee finners flying to Chrift as a cloud, and as doves to their windows.

Here I would fhow, 1, That it is pleasant: 2dly, That it is furprising.

If, That it is a pleasant fight: It is pleasant to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, and to all the angels and glorified faints; for there is joy in heaven, when a finner on earth takes a flight into Christ by faith. It is pleasant to ali honest minifters who travail in birth till Chrift be formed in finners; and it is pleafant to God's whole family; all his houfe rejoices when the prodigal comes home.

I will tell you fome things that make it a pleasant fight to fee finners fly into Chrift as doves to their windows. 1. It cannot but be pleasant, because it is a fulfilling of God's purpose of grace and love from all eternity. He has loved his own with an everlasting love; he loved them when he saw them in their blood. Now, muft it not be pleasant to fee the election of God obtaining and taking place; to fee his everlasting love breaking out in the drawing of his own with loving-kindness? 2. It must be pleasant, because the flight of finners to Chrift is just the travail of Chrift's foul, If. liii. "He fhall fee of the travail of his foul, and fhall be fatisfied." It is a fatisfaction to Chrift to fee the fruit of his fore travail, when he said, "Now my foul is exceeding forrowful, even unto death;" and what is fo pleasant unto Chrift himself, cannot but be pleafant unto all that love him. 3. It is the day of his efpoufals, the day of Chrift's marriage and coronation, and therefore must be very pleasant to the bride, and the friends of the Bridegroom, Cant. iii. 11. " Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals," &c. 4. Becaufe then the prifoners are releafed, "the captives of the mighty are taken away, and the prey of the terrible is delivered," &c. 5. It is pleafant, becaufe then the head of the ald ferpent gets a new bruife, and his works are deftroyed more and more, " The ftrong man is then bound, and spoiled

of his goods."

2dly, I come to tell you, that the flight of the finner to Chritt is not only pleafant, but furprifing and amafing. And this will appear, if we confider.

1. The ftate and condition that the finner is into before he

fly

fly to Chrift. He is dead in fin, wholly deftitute of any principle of fpiritual life. Now, is it not furprising to fee God fhewing wonders among the dead? to see a dead finner rifing, and taking a flight to Chrift within the vail? The finner is afar off; and is it not surprising to see the man that was " afar off, made nigh by the blood of Jefus ?" The finner is by nature full of enmity against God and his Chrift, yea, enmity itfelf: And is it not furprifing to fee the enmity of the heart broken, and the man brought to a state of peace and reconciliation with God.

2. The flight of the finner to Chrift is furprising, confidering the strong oppofition that arifes against it from within. The ignorance of the mind lies in the way; for we are "alienate from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in us," and it is impoffible, while this ftands in its power and reign, that ever the finner can fly to Chrift, because faith is founded in knowledge, even "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift." The obftinacy and hardness of the heart ftands in the way. The will is inflexible, and will bend to nothing but the almighty power of God; and is it not furprising to fee this iron finew bended and made pliable by the rod of the Mediator's ftrength? &c. The legal bias of the heart oppofes the finner's flight unto Chrift: The man is married to the law as a covenant, and nature can never think of another way of acceptance before God than by doing or working; and is it not furprifing to fee the finner that was wedded to the law, and to his own righteoufnefs, crying, "I through the law am dead to the law, that! I may live unto God," through the righteoufnefs of Chrift; and faying with Paul, "What things were gain to me, these I counted lofs for Chrift; yea, doubtlefs, I count all things but dung, that I may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having mine own righteoufnefs," &c. Again, the guilt that is upon the confcience opposes the finner's flight to Chrift; for we find a guilty Adam flying from the prefence of God; and the natural language of a guilty confcience, when it is awak ned, is, O there is no mercy for me, there is no hope of acceptance. Now, is it not furprifing to fee the finner, that was flying from God under a fenfe of guilt, flying to him through Chrift, and crying, "Pardon mine iniquity, for it is great," &c. Again, the carnality of the affections lie in the way of the finner's flight. The man was flying after vanity, and crying, O, who will fhew me any good?" who will give nc riches, honours, pleafures in a world? This is the na tural run of the affections; they fpend themselves upon things that cannot profit; and is it not furprising to fee the man

turning

turning his back upon all these things? faying with Solomon, "All is vanity," and feeking and "fetting his affections on things that are above, where Chrift is at the right hand of God."

3. The flight of the finner to Chrift is furprising, if we confider how active Satan is to keep the finner under his power. He is called the ftrong man, and he keeps the houfe; he rules in the hearts of the children of difobedience, and leads them about in the chains of their own lufts. Now, is it not furprising to fee Chrift coming in a day of his power, "spoiling the ftrong man of his prey ;" and not only fo, but arming the poor captive of the devil as a foldier under his own banner, to refift that enemy, and put him to flight, and by the field of faith quenching the fiery darts of the enemy?

4. It is furprifing, if we confider the entanglements of an enfnaring world. The devil is called the god of this world, becaufe, ever fince the entry of fin, Satan has got fo much power over the good things and bad things of it, as that they are all his tools for ruining the fouls of finners, and for detaining them in his fervice. Hence is it that we see most part of the world dancing to the devil's pipe, and felling their fouls for profits, for pleafures, for riches, for honours, and the like. Thefe are just the devil's baits, whereby he trains men and women on, until he has brought them to hell, where he is fure he has them falt through eternity. Now, is it not furprising to fee a finner that has been decoyed and deceived all his days with the things of the world, calling them all behind his back, and trampling on them like the woman, Rev. xii. 1. who hath the moon under her feet, &c.

In a word, is it not furprising to fee the dry bones getting life, and flesh, and ftrength? to fee the Ethiopian washed and made whiter than fnow? the feed of the ferpent that licked the duft taking a flight from earth to heaven?

V. The fifth and laft thing in the method, was the Appli

cation.

Ufe firft fhall be of inference, in thefe following particulars. Ift, From what has been faid, we may fee the usefulness of gospel ordinances, when difpenfed in their purity and power. Why, they are just the windows of wifdom's houfe, by which the foul enters into te prefence of God, and enjoys fellowship and communion with him. David, upon this account, efteemed gofpel ordinances under the Old Teftament, and longed for them, Pfal. lxxxiv. 1. "How amiable are thy tabernacles," &c. Ver. 10. "A day in thy courts is better than a thousand," &c.

adly,

2dly, See hence whence it is that the faints, who have "tatted that the Lord is gracious," do frequent the ordinances of God's appointment. Why, they are God's doves, as they are frequently called in the book of the Song; and is it ftrange to fee doves flocking to their windows? Indeed, the world think it ftrange to fee fome travelling far to a facrament, and are ready to fneer at them as fools for their pains ; but let a blind world do their uttermoft, God's doves will not be fcared from the windows of his house.

3dly, See hence the attractive virtue that is in Chrift. Why, when he lets out his grace, and love, and glory, he garrs [makes] finners come flying like a cloud, and like flocks of doves after him, to the windows of his houfe. "If I be lifted up (fays Chrift), I will draw all men unto me." O, fweet and victorious is his way of drawing! He draws with the cords of a man, and the bands of love. No wonder, when all is confidered, though the gathering of the people be unto the bleffed Shiloh.

4thly, See hence what is the great work of faithful minifters of the gospel. Why, it is just to open the windows of gofpel ordinances, and to invite the fimple doves, expofed to the fowls of the air, and ravenous birds, to turn in hither to Chrift, who is a hiding place, &c.

5thly, See the folly of finners, yea, of the generality of gofpel hearers, who come flying about the windows of gofpel ordinances, and yet do not fly in at the windows to Chrift himself, by a real faith clofing with him. O, how many come to hear the gofpel of Chrift, who do not close with Chrift! and how many come to a communion table, who do not feed upon Chrift himself! O, the folly of fuch is great, when falvation is near unto them, and they so near to falvation, and yet come fhort of it through unbelief, &c.

6thly, See the madness and wickedness of some in our day, who fcare God's doves from his windows, and who make 'the ordinances of God to be abhorred. Some do this by offering the doves unwhole fome food of error or heathenish morality, or truth unfkilfully prepared. Some fcare the doves by their immoralities, and untender walk, like the fons of Eli, &c.; and judicatories, at this day, are fearing and fcattering the Lord's doves from their windows, by violent intrufions, whereby they fhut both doors and windows of the fanctuary, and then exclaim against the poor doves, that they do not haunt their ufual windows. God fees well how his doves, his little ones, are guided at this day; and he knows how to provide his doves, and reckon with those that scatter and fright them. He will, in his own time and way, take these foxes and vultures, which men and judicatories are letting flip through

their fingers. The day of vengeance is in his heart, and the year of his redeemed is a-coming, If. lxiii. 4.

7thly, See the ufe both of law and gofpel, and how they ftand in a fweet fubferviency unto the falvation of a foul. Why, by the noife, and thunders, and terrors of the law, God's doves are wakened, and fet to the flight from the wrath to come; and this being done, the gospel opens the windows, and cafts open the door of accefs to Chrift, crying, "Turn ye to your strong holds, ye prifoners of hope," Zech. ix. 12.: So that Chrift being difcovered in the gospel, the law becomes a fchoolmaster to bring finners unto Chrift, that they may "be justified by faith," Gal. iii. 24. "from all things from which they could not be juftified by the law of Mofes," Acts xiii. 39. This much by way of inference.

Ufe fecond may be of Trial.

Have you fled to Chrift as doves to their windows? Many fly to Chrift in a way of profeflion, but, if ever thy foul really took a flight to him upon the wings of faith and love, you may know it by these or the like things.

If, Did ever a thunder-clap from Mount Sinai ftartle you, and raise you out of your natural fecurity, and put you in a confternation, like a heap of doves at the fight of a gun? So that you was wild, and knew not what to do, or whether to fly for help, like thefe converts, Acts ii. 37. and the jailor, Acts xvi. 27. and Paul at his convertion, &c.

2dly, When, like Noah's dove, you was wandering up and down in your thoughts for a place of reft, got you a difcovery of the Ark Chrift, and came hovering about the Ark? Our great Noah opened the windows of the Ark, and took thee in with himfelf, and became a hiding place unto thee, &c.

3dly, If this be the cafe at thy entry at the window of the Ark, thou hast been made to fing, Pfal. cxvi. 7. "Return unto thy rest, O my foul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee;" or that, Pfal. cii. 4. "He redeemeth my life from deftruction, he crowneth me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. Blefs the Lord, O my foul; and all that is within me, blefs his holy name," &c.

4thly, If fo, when you took your flight to Chrift, you left all idols behind you, crying with Ephraim, "What have I to do any more with idols?" Thefe things you counted gain will be lofs in your view. As for fins, even your dearest fins, your right hands and right eyes, you will be careful to cut them off, and pull them out, &c. As for the world you was taken up with, you will cry, Away with it; it is a mere mass of vanity, all vanity and vexation, &c. As for the law, you will be dead to it as a husband. "I through the law am dead

το