they never get a true sight of their own sinful nature; and thus their case turns to be like that of a boil, not sufficiently lanced, it is scurfed over a while, but never healed.

2. When the sinner is convinced of his absolute need of Christ, and of all his salvation, John xvi. 8. It is for this end that the Spirit works this work on the elect. Sinners will not come to Christ as long as they can find any other way; and therefore the Spirit hunts the elect out of all their starting holes, that finding no rest for the soles of their feet, they may get into the ark.

Therefore they must be convinced, that they cannot want him; that they are utterly undone, if they get not an inte rest in him. And they must see their need of his sanctifying Spirit, as well as his justifying blood; that they must be saved by him from sin, as well as from wrath. They must see their utter inability to take away their guilt by all their mourning, reformation, &c. and that they can as little mor tify a lust as take away guilt.

Inf. 1. How hopeless is the case of many that have never yet been awakened by the Spirit of conviction! The forerun ners of the effectual call are not yet come unto you.

2. What a madness is it to work against and stave off convictions, or to murder them when they have once entered! These sinners against their own souls, wrestle against their own salvation.

SECONDLY, The work of the Spirit in effectual calling, is an illumination of the soul from Mount Zion. It is the enlightening in the knowledge of Christ, Acts xxvi. 18. It is the finding of the pearl spoken of, Matth. xiii. 45, 46. It is the discovery of the Physician to the soul anxious for spiri tual life and health. And this is a refreshing illumination, like the appearance of the rising sun after a long black and dark night, Hos. vi. 3. And here let us consider the matter, the effect, the means, and the measure, of this illumina tion.

First, The matter of this illumination is twofold.

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1. Christ's ability to save. The man is made to see that Christ is able to save him, and that however desperate his condition be, he can cure him, Heb. vii. 25. He is able also to save them unto the uttermost that come unto God through him.' The eyes that were held before that they could not perceive him, discover now his glorious suitable

ness to their case. They see him in the glory of his person and natures, and his offices; a fulness in him, of merit for their justification, and of Spirit for their sanctification.

2. His willingness to save. The man is made to see that Christ is willing to save him, John vi. 37. Him that cometh to me, (says the Lord Jesus), I will in nowise cast out.' He sees that there is hope in Israel concerning his salvation in particular; that however his sins be many and great, yet he is not excluded from the benefit of the indemnity proclaimed and offered in the gospel. He discovers the saviour stretching out his arms to embrace him, and calling him to partake of the benefits of his purchase.

Secondly, The effect of this illumination is hope. As the wise merchant hoping to be owner of the pearl, sets himself to it, Matth. xiii. 46. The soul then begins to lift up its head, and says, 'Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him?' Joel. ii. 14.; and with Jonah in the whale's belly, 'Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple,' Jonah ii, 4. And this is a blessed anchor of the soul that is yet in the depths, and has not got ashore, and keeps it from despondency.

Thirdly, The means by which it is wrought. That is the glorious gospel in the hand of the Spirit, Acts xxvi. 17, 18, For Christ is the great subject of it, Eph. iii. 8. The law discovers the disease, and the gospel the physician. The one is effected by the thunder of a broken law, and the other by the still small voice of the gospel. And herewith begins the healing of the wounded soul.

Fourthly, The measure of it. The clearer this light be, it is so much the better. The more fully one be persuaded of Christ's ability and willingness to save, the more quick and thorough will his deliverance from all his fears be. But it is more or less, and not of one degree, in all. But so much of it is necessary as may make the soul venture itself on Christ, Mark ix. 24. And even this is very acceptable in the sight of the Lord, as the fruit of his own Spirit, Cant. vi. 10.

SECONDLY, The second work of the Spirit in effectual calling is on the will of the sinner. This faculty of the soul needs also a saving work of the Spirit thereon, being fearfully depraved in the state of nature, Rom. viii. 7. Effectual calling is the Lord's opening of the heart, as Lydia's; as the

call of the gospel is, to open to him, Rev. iii. 20. There is a twofold door opened in effectual calling. (1) The outer door of the understanding. That is opened by the twofold illumination spoken of before. And that door may at least be half-opened, as blown up by a law-storm of conviction, and yet the soul be not effectually called. (2.) The inner door of the will; and when that is opened, the work is done, Christ and the sinner meet. It is the great work. Now, the Spirit's work on the will is,

The renewing of it, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. The Spirit of the Lord takes away the old obstinate will of the sinner, which was an iron sinew in his neck, that would never bow to him; and gives him a new will, renewing him in the Spirit of his mind. Sin gave all the faculties of the soul a wrong set, particularly the will, which was originally bent in conformity to the will of God; but in the state of nature is bent the quite contrary way, Rom. viii. 7. The Spirit of the Lord in effectual calling brings it back in some measure to its pri mitive constitution.

This renovation does not change the soul in its substance but in the qualities thereof. It is the endowing of the will with new qualities, removing and breaking the power of the old ones, Eph. iv. 23, 24. planting in it new dispositions and inclinations. These are chiefly two:

1. Flexibleness or pliableness to good, Ezek. xxxvi, 26. 'I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.' The stony heart is inflexible; it will break but not bow. But grace makes it a heart of flesh, that will bow according to the will of God. It pow erfully melts it down, like wax before the fire; and makes it capable of impressions of holiness, Acts ix. 6. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" content to be made holy, to be made clean, to come into the Physician's hand; willing to part with sin. The natural contumacy, wilfulness, and refractoriness, is carried off; the bullock unaccustomed to the yoke is tamed, and is taught to stand and receive it.

2. A proneness and bent of the will to good, Jer. xxxi. 18. The natural aversion is conquered, and the will that bended to the wrong side, by a powerful touch of the hand of the sanctifying Spirit, gets a set the contrary way, and is bowed or inclined to the will of God. This David for, for himself, Psal. cxix. 36. Incline my heart unto thy

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testimonies ;' and the apostle, for the Thessalonians, 2 Epist. iii. 5. The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God." The Holy Ghost working like fire, makes the iron heart first bowable, and then gives it the bow, Psal. cx. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.'

If any ask, how this is done? let them take their answer from Eccl. xi. 5. Thou knowest not the works of God, who maketh all, John iii. 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth.' The works of God in nature are often beyond our reach to account for the way of them, and no wonder his work of grace is so. The effect is felt, the change is visible; but how the Spirit worketh it, who can distinctly trace that? This we are sure of, it is done in a way agreeable to the rational nature; there is no force or compulsion in the case; but he that made the heart, makes it willing, and sweetly, yet powerfully conquers it, Psal. cx. 3.

Thus ye have heard that the work of the Spirit is twofold on the elect soul in effectual calling. It remains that,

Lastly, I shew you the blessed effect and happy issue of this twofold work of the Spirit on the elect soul. It is, that the sinner is persuaded and enabled to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered in the gospel. And thus the call is effectual. Here we may consider,

1. The effectual closing with the call. That is the sinner's embracing of Christ by faith, John i. 12. The call of the gospel comes to poor sinners, saying, as Jer. iii. 22. • Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings; and when it is effectual, the soul echoes back to the call, Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God.' The heart is won to Christ, the sinner is conquered, says Amen to the covenant, and gives its consent to Christ, to take him in the offer of the gospel. It comes out of itself, renounces its own wisdom, and takes Christ for a Prophet, a Priest, and a King, for all, and instead of all. This is the great design of the call; and whatever length one come, he never answers the call, till he come this length. Though people may come the length of mourning for sin, and reformation of life in duties, if they do not embrace Christ in the gospel-offer, they stick in the place of breaking forth.

2. The warrant the sinner has to embrace Christ. That is the gospel-offer, Prov. viii. 4. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of men.' It would be presumption indeed for guilty creatures to embrace Christ, if he were not offered unto them. That is a match which is so high above us, that we could have no hopes of it, unless it were offered to us. But we are bidden to this marriage, Matth. xxii. 4. We are commanded to believe on him, John iii. 23. and that on our highest peril, Mark xvi. 16. 'He that believeth not, shall be damned.' And do what we will, we cannot please God, if we do not that, Heb. xi. 6. For without faith it is impossible to please him:' for that is what the Lord mainly requires of us, John vi. 29. This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.'

4. How the elect soul is effectually determined to it. The Spirit of the Lord persuades him to it, John vi. 45. Every man that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, com eth unto me.' The soul has a bosom-counsellor, that leaves it not till it be won over to give consent to the happy match. The sinner may stand long in suspense, doubting whether to embrace the call or not, and Satan, with the corrupt heart, will muster up all the objections they can against it. But the Spirit of the Lord clears all their objections to the soul, so far as they cannot get them sustained, and presses and urges the sinner unanswerably to comply.

And this the Spirit does by the twofold illumination spoken of before. Upon the one hand, the sinner is pressed with his lost and undone state. He sees that he is undone for ever, if he does not comply. On the other, he is pressed with the sight of Christ's ability and willingness to save, and the prospect of perfect happiness upon his compliance. So that he sees all the reason in the world for answering the call.

This shews that the Spirit acts in the conversion of a soul in a way suitable to the rational nature. What stronger arguments are possible than what are here made use of? and how can they fail to determine when the Spirit of the Lord, by his gracious work, sets them home on the soul? Can there be any thing more powerful to determine the slayer to run, than to see the avenger of blood hard behind him,