The Poore Doubting Christian Drawne to Christ

p. 1THE POORE DOVBTING CHRISTIAN drawne unto Christ.

Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, commeth unto mee.

THere are divers lets and impediments which hinder poore p. 2Christians from comming unto Christ, all which I desire to reduce to these following heads.

First, such hinderances as really keepe men from comming to take hold of Christ at all, which are briefly these.

[Lets vvhich hinder mē from comming to Christ.] 1. Blinde carelesnesse, or presumptuous security, whereby men content themselves in their present condition, presuming all is well with them, when there is no such matter.

2. Being convinced of this, they bethinke how to save themselves by their own strength, & thereupon set upon a reformation of life, thinking to make God amends by reforming p. 3some sinnes which they heare themselves reproved of by the Ministers.

3. The sinner being convinced of his utter inability to please God in himselfe, at length gets up a stayre higher, and sees all his performances, & prayers, and duties to be of no power in themselves, but that he must leave all, and cleave onely unto Christ by faith; and this he thinks hee can doe well enough, and so thrusts himselfe upon Christ, thinking all the worke is then done, and no more to bee looked after.

4. If hee sees this failes him too, then he goes yet further, and confesseth he p. 4cannot come to Christ except Christ give him his hand, and helpe him up: therefore now hee will attend upon the ordinances, and labour and bestirre himselfe hard in the use of all good meanes, conceiving thereby to hammer out at last, a faith of his own to make him happie. And here hee rests, hanging as it were upon the outside of the Arke, so long till at last the waves and windes growing fierce and violent, hee is beaten off from his hold, and so sinkes for ever.

Besides these, there are other kinds of hinderances which doe not indeed deprive a man of title and interest p. 5to eternall happinesse, but make the way tedious & uncomfortable, so that he cannot come to Christ so readily, as he desires and longs to doe; the ground whereof, is this, when men out of carnall reason contrive another way to come unto Christ, then ever hee ordained or revealed, when we set up a standard by Gods Standard, and out of our owne imagination make another condition of beleeving then ever Christ required or ordained. Thus wee make barres in the way, and manacle our hands, and fetter our feet, and then we complaine wee cannot goe: thus it is with you p. 6poore Christians, and the fault is your owne. Now amongst many there bee three hinderances which are chiefly to bee observed, [Three main hinderances which keep man from Christ.] by which many gracious hearts are marvellously hindered from comming to, and from receiving that comfort from Christ, which they might, and hee is willing to bestow.

p. 6First, the distressed soule being happily truely humbled, takes notice of the beauty of holinesse, and the Image of God stampt upon the hearts of his children, and of all those precious promises which God hath made to all that are his; now the soule seeing p. 7these, begins thus to reason with himselfe, and saith, Surely if I were so holy and so gracious, then I might have hope to receive the pardon of my sinnes; for were my heart so enlarged to duties, and could my heart bee so carried with power against my corruptions to master them, then there were some hope; but when I have no power against sin, nor any heart to seeke so importunatly for a Christ, how dare I thinke that any mercy belongs to me, having so many wants? thus they dare not come to the promise, and they will not venture upon it, because they have not that inlargement p. 8to duties, and that power against corruption which sometimes the Saints of God have.

But wee must know this doth not hinder, we make it a hinderance, when in truth it is none; for observe it, we must not think to bring enlargement and hope to the promise, but wee must goe to the promise for them; hope must be stirred, and desire quickned, and love and joy kindled by the promise; who made this a condition of the covenant, that a man must have so much enlargement before he come to the promise? our Saviour requires no portion, but meere poverty and p. 9emptinesse: if thou hast nothing he will have thee, provided that thou wilt have him; [Luk. 1.53.] The rich he sends empty away, but the poore is satisfied, and the thirsty refreshed: there is nothing required on our side, but onely to receive him as a husband: [Esay 55.1.] Buy without money, saith the text; you must not thinke to come and buy a husband; the Lord lookes for no power or sufficiency of our selves, no power against corruption, nor enlargement to duties, if you will be content that Christ shall take all from you, and dispose of you, then, take a Saviour and have him.

Quest.

But the poore soule p. 10saith, If I goe thus hudwinked, how shall I know that I doe not presume, and how shall I know that I have a true title to the promise.

p. 10Answ.

I answer, there is no better argument in the world that thou hast an interest in Christ, then this, thy taking of the Lord Christ as a Saviour wholly, and as a husband. Iohn 1.12. As many as received him, to them he gave power to be the sonnes of God, even to them that beleeve on his name. He doth not say, to as many as had such enlargement in duties, and such power against corruptions; but if thou wilt take Christ upon those p. 11termes which hee offers himselfe, there is no better argument under heaven, that thou hast a title to the promise. There is a desperate despaire that often seazeth upon the hearts of distressed sinners.