and others believe not on him, and therefore are condemned, ver. 18. What is the condemnation? Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil, ver. 19. The law condemns them, because their deeds are evil; the despised gospel condemns them, because they refuse the only remedy. Law-sin is poison to the soul, and kills as such. Unbelief is rejecting the only antidote, and kills as such. Look to one scripture more Luke xix. 27. But those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. It is not usual for kings and princes to have criminals executed in their presence, but command it to be done by mean hands, in some remoter place. But Christ will have his enemies slain before him. To be slain in Christ's presence, is double destruction: 2 Thess. i. 9. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction, (ever a-destroying, never destroyed; the destroyer punisheth eternally, and the destroyed suffer eternally) from the presence of the Lord. The meaning is not only, that a great part of this punishment stands in being deprived for eternity of the gracious presence of Jesus Christ; as in Matth. xxv. 41. The first and saddest word in the last sentence is, Depart from me. Just; for they said to him, Depart from us; for que desire not the knowledge of thy ways, Job xxi. 14. Let all trembling believers and lovers of Christ. persuade themselves, that they shall never hear it pronounced against them. All that make it their business to come to Christ, that make it their daily suit that he would come to them, shall not hear, Depart from me; but, Come to me, ye blessed. Ye often came for a blessing, and got many by coming; now come to receive the blessing of the kingdom. But this word, from the presence of the Lord, saith further, that this destruction flows from Christ's angry and glorious presence; and that it shall also be in his presence; as Rev. xiv. 10. It is in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb, they are tormented for ever.

Thus having opened the first head in the text, That there is a throne of grace erected and revealed, in the gospel, to which men are invited to come; I shall only apply it in two questions, and the Lord apply them to your consciences, and VOL. I.

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make them give a right and true answer. They are two short plain ones. 1. Have you come? 2. Will ye come?

Quest. 1. Have you come to the throne of grace? Do you know and are sure that you have come? as Peter said, John vi. 68, 69. The apostle speaks of such comers, Hebrews xii. 24. But ye are come to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. You are all hearers of the throne of grace; many are talkers of it, and some disputers and contenders about this throne: but are you comers to it? is your heart on it, your business at it, and your daily exercise about it? You are in the outward court; doth that satisfy you? Alas! many poor souls die and perish there. To help to some conviction how it is with you as to this, I would ask,

1. Have you come to the throne of grace? Then you have seen the King. He is a poor sorry courtier, that goes to court every day, and never seeth the King's face; as Absalom, 2 Sam. xiv. 24, 28. Alas! many live in Jerusalem all their days, and never see the King that dwells in Zion. When Paul was brought to the throne of grace, Christ was revealed in him and to him, Gal. i. 15, 16. When men are brought and come to the throne of grace, they receive the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 6. There is a seeing of him, joined with believing on him, John vi. 40. All that see Jesus Christ, must have eyes from him to see him with; the Spirit of visdom and revelation, in the knowledge of him, that enlightens the eyes of men's understandings, Eph. i. 17, 18. His eye-salve can only make blind sinners to see, Rev. iii. 18. Are men in doubt whether they have seen Christ or not? Whence doth it proceed? Is Christ so mean, and dark, and ordinary an object, that men may see him, and not know that they see him? A man may doubt whether his eyes take up a dim

cloudy star in a dark night: but the sun doth not shine, or the man is blind, if he lift up his face, and doubt whether he 'see the sun at noon-day. There is a manifestation of Christ promised, John xiv. 21, 23. which, when made by him, and perceived by his people, removeth all doubtings; so that the

soul must say, as Isa. xxv. 9. This is our God, this is the Lord. But this measure is not ordinary, nor constantly to be expected. Is there any like unto Jesus Christ? Are any of his companions, as they are called, Song i. 7. so like to him, that a believer cannot discern the difference? Never did a man see Jesus Christ by the eye of faith, but he is, by that sight of him, persuaded that there is none to be compared with him. No man is converted, and made a believer, but by a revelation of Jesus Christ. A man may be awakened with a view of God's glory; he may be alarmed by a sight of sin and hell; and may be roused out of his sleep of security, by the thunders of Sinai: but he is never converted, and made a Christian, but by a revelation of Jesus Christ, as glorious in his robes of salvation. Whence then is it that all believers on him do not own his manifesting himself to them, and their seeing of him? It is in part from the weakness of their sight, the greatness of the glory of him they see, and their strong desire to see him better. But for such as have spent their days about the throne of grace, and yet never saw Jesus Christ, and the glory of God in his face as a Saviour, so as to disgrace all things in comparison with him, so as to raise desires after more of him, and so as to fill their 'hearts with love, wonder, and praise; such have been at the court, but have not seen the King on his throne.

2. Are you come to the throne of grace? What made you come? what errand did you come upon? No man comes without an errand. We need not make and seek one; we have enow at hand, if we would but use them. What wants felt you at home? and what of his fulness was taking with you? Can you say, I have a naked filthy soul, and I am ashamed to look on it; but how well would the robe of his righteousness fit and adorn it? I am empty of all good, and he is full of all grace, on purpose to fill perishing souls, and I come for a share thereof. The blessing of many ready to perish hath come upon him; and I came for his rich salvation, and would leave my poor, but eternal blessing on him. They that have no particular pressing business about their soul's salvation, may talk of the throne of grace, but do not indeed come to it.

3. What got ye? If you come indeed you receive, if you receive not, you come not. Say not, you have received nothing, because you have not got all you would have. It is necessary, that such as come, get somewhat; but it is not fit that they should receive all that they want. A life of faith must be lived, and dependence and begging still kept on foot. But somewhat is still given and got, though the gift be not always seen and owned. But tell me, Christians indeed, have you not sometimes got that at the throne

of grace, that ye would not take a world for? Did you ever

apply to this throne in earnest, and found it in vain? Have you not sometimes got a glance of Christ through the lattice, Song ii. 9. that hath made you forget your poverty, and remember your misery no more? Know ye not what it is to have a smile of his countenance, and a token that you have found favour in his eyes? Have you not got at this throne, a word of promise, that hath fed and feasted thy faith? Jer. xv. 16. Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. Have you not sometimes got the door of faith opened, and the eye of faith sharpened, that ye could see within the vail, and behold the good land, and the blessed Lord of it, and thy happy interest in both? Let not this throne be disparaged, both by the true emptiness of hypocrites that are about it, rather than at it, and by the peevishness of real believers. There are no poor courtiers at this court; they are all rich, Rev. ii. 9. They are only poor in spirit; but not so poor as they think; for a kingdom is theirs, that is better than all kingdoms under heaven, Matth. v. 3. The world count believers poor, because they see they often have not outward riches; and they are blind, and cannot see their spiritual riches in possession and reversion. The believer thinks himself poor, because he seeth not all he hath in possession, I Cor. iii. 21, 22, 28.; and because he would so fain have all he hath a right to, Phil. iii. 12, 13, 14. and the hope of; or because his charters are hid, or his eyes are dim, that he Cannot read them.

Quest. 2. Will ye come? All is ready; come to this throne,

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Matth. xxii. 4. If ye have never come, begin just now; if ye have come often, come oftener, and come better, come nearer and closer still. Is there any thing wanting in you? Come; for all supply is here. Are you guilty? Come for pardon. Many drawn pardons are at this court, drawn up sweetly by free grace, sealed with the blood of Jesus. Come to this throne, and add your seal of faith to one for yourself; and it shall be a charter for glory to you, lying warm at your heart, as long as you live, and will be your passport at death. But because the following words of the apostle in this verse contain arguments for coming, I say the less now.

So much for the first head of doctrine in the text.

HEAD II. The second head is, How we should come to this throne of grace? Come boldly, saith the Holy Ghost, by Paul's

pen.

The point I would speak to from it, is this:

DOCT. That there is a boldness in men's approaching to the throne of grace, that is allowed and commanded.

For the apostle doth not only mention it as a privilege allowed, but as a duty or frame enjoined and commanded. So that he that comes not with this boldness, not only sits down short of his allowance, but sins in disobeying a plain command. The privilege is spoke of in Eph. iii. 12. In whom (our Lord Jesus Christ, as ver. 11.) we have boldness and access with confidence, by the faith of him. In Heb. x. 19, 22. both the pri vilege is asserted, and the improvement of it commanded, in drawing near with full assurance of faith, and that to the ho

liest of all.

On this point I would shew,

I. What this boldness is that is allowed in approaching to the throne of grace.

II. What are the grounds of this boldness.

I. What is the boldness allowed in coming to the throne of grace? There is a boldness that is not allowed, and that I would warn you of.