Mat.13. 31, 32.

door of your heart, by fuch a hand as you little think of. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of Mustard feed, which indeed is the leaf of all Seeds; but it grows to that bigness, that the Fowls of the air come and make there their Nefts: When you fee a little Mustard feed, you will fay, 'tis impoffible; can ever this Muttard feed grow to that bignefs,that the Fowls of the air fhould there make their Netts? The Kingdom of Heaven is like Chrift Himfelf? Can this be the Meffiah? 'tis the Carpenters fon; can this Carpenters fon be the Meffiah? So the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of Muftard feed; comes with a fmall motion: May be a Child makes a motion to his father, Oh! father, let there be prayer in our family, Oh! let there be reading the Word in our family. May be the fervant comes and makes a motion to the Miftrifs; Oh! Miftrefs, let's go to fuch a Sermon, let us go to fuch a Meeting,let's go to Prayer: The Kingdom of Heaven may come in fuch a motion: by the hand of a Child, by the hand of a Servant: take heed therefore if you have not fubmitted to this offer; Oh! take heed, take heed how you neglect fo great falvation; Ifay the Kingdom of Heaven may come in fuch a fmal motion as you defpile. And therefore, if ever the Lord breath upon any of your hearts; if the wind come about; man and woman, up with thy Sails, now for thy life, now for thy Eternity; if this gale be loft, may be thou fhalt never have fuch a gale again: The Kingdom of Heaven does approach and draw neer unto us, before we draw near unto it: well therefore, when it comes, fee that you accept of it.

Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at band: Or bath Preached approached.

T

at Mar

greis,

HESE Words are part of that Sermon Newwhich John the Baptift preached, when fifhftreer. he first began for to preach the Gofpel. March, They contain, ye fee, at the firft view, 16.1645. An Exhortation to Repentance, with a Motive, or Encouragement thereunto: For the Kingdom of Heaven is at band. I take it for granted that ye understand what is the notion of Repentance. And my defign is not to fall into the common place of Repentance; but only to speak to it fo far as it hath relation to this motive.

Some there are, that think these words are to be underftood of a Legal Repentance; as if John the Baptift's Miniftry were a Legal Miniftry; and in that fenfe he himself a fore-runner of Jefus Chrift. This (me thinks) is to lowen the Ministry of John the Baptift. And if you look into the 1. Chap. of Luke, you will find, that John's Ministry was not a Legal Ministry, but a Gospel-Miniftry: (the 76, and the 77. verses) Thou Child fhalt be called the Prophet of the Higbeft: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare bi waies: To give knowledg of falvation unto his people, by the remission of their fins. And if ye look into the following

Nn

verfe

verfe to the Text, ye shall find the Interpretation of this Repentance: Repent ye: for this is be that was spoken of by the Prophet Elaias, faying, The voice of one crying in the Wilderneß, Prepare ye the way af the Lord, make bis paths straight. So that preparing the way of the Lord, and making his paths ftraight; is all one with that which is going before. Now is any one able to make his paths ftraight before he do come to Chrift? why then do we come to Chrift if we be able to make our paths ftraight before we do come unto

him?

And befides, As the Motive is, fuch is the Repentance that is founded on it. The Motive here is Evangelical: Re pent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The motive is Evangelical, furely therefore; the Repentance here requi red, is not a Legal, but an Evangelical Repentance.

But what is it then? what is here meant by the Kingdom of Heaven? and the Kingdom of Heaven being at hand, or approaching?

"

In the language of the new Teftament, the Kingdom of Heaven is fomtimes put for the Kingdom of Glory: Sometimes it is put for the Church of Chrift under the new Te ftament: Sometimes it is put for the Gospel, and the prea ching of the Gospel: Somtimes for the whol Kingdomof Grace. I take it here for the whol ftate of the Meffiah: the Kingdom of Grace, the Preaching of the Gospel, and the Difpenfations thereof. And he faies here, That the Kingdom of Heaven hath approach't: therefore do you turn, therefore do ye repent.

There are thefe two notes that lie before ye.

First, The Kingdom of Heaven does approach unto us, before we do come unto it. Repent ye: or turnye: because the King dom of Heaven bath approach't unto you; So in the beginning.

Secondly, That the appropinquation, approaching, or draw ing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven, is the highest, and tbe geestef motive in the world unto true Repentance.

I have spoken to the former in a Congregation,

not far

distant:

diftant: and my defire is to fpeak unto the Second. The appropinquation, approaching, or drawing neer of the Kingdom of Heaven, is the highest, and the greatest motive in the world unto true Repentance.

This is the motive that Jabn ufes here; thus Jobs begins, when he began for to preach the Gofpel. And if you look into the 4. the next Chapter, ye fhall find, that our Saviour Chrift begins to preach Repentance upon the fame Motive: verfe the 17. from that time Jefus began to preach, and fay, Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at band. The fame words. And if ye look into the 10. Chapter of Matthew, ye fhall find, that when he fent out his Apoftles for to preach, he put the like words into their mour hes alfo: (at the 7. verfe) And as ye go, preach, faying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

There the word, Repent, is not you will fay: But if you look into the 6. of Mark, and the 12. verfe: ye shall find that is faid there, Then they went out, and preach't, that men fbouldrepent. It was part of their Commiffion and thus they were to preach Repentance upon this motive,That the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, or the Kingdom of Heaven is ap proaching. Surely therefore, this is the great Motive, the Motive of Motives. In the Invitation to the great Supper fpoken of in the Gospel: what is the Motive ufed, for to bring men unto the Supper,but this? Come, for all things are now ready: Mercy is ready, the Blood of the Lord Jefus Chrift is ready, Come, for all things are now ready: this is the motive that is ufed there. And if ye look into the 12, Chapter of Paul to the Romans, ye shall find at the 1. verfe, That when the Apostle doth exhort them, to prefent them, felves a living facrifice, holy, acceptable unto God: he perfwades by this motive of mercy: I befeech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye prefent your bodies a li ving facrifice. I beseech ye therefore... That Therefore, fends us unto the former Chapter, to enquire what these mercies were. At the 30. verfe of the former Chapter, he faies unto them, For as ye in times paft have not beleeved God, Nn 2

yet

Doct.

I.

|yet now have obtained mercy through their unbelief. The Jews were caft off: and the Gentiles (thefe Romans) received to mercy, the Kingdom of Heaven did come to them, the Gofpel effe&nally preach't to them, the Do&trine of Free remiffion of poor finners: Now (faies he) I beseech youby the mercies of God, that ye prefent your Bodies a living facrifice. The Scripture is full of this.

But for our better opening, and cleering of this Truth: Let us I pray defcend into the particulars of Repentance, and confider how the Grace, and Mercy, and Love of God in Chrift (which is the fubftance of this Kingdom of Hea ven, hath an influence upon them all; and how all of chem are caufed thereby.

1

First, A man that does Repent, must fee, and know his fins true fight of fin is requifite to true Repentance. Indeed, å man may in some measure attain unto the knowledg, and difcovery of his fin by fome Affliction: when Adoni-berek had his fingers, and toes cut off, you know what he faid: Thus bave I done. Afflictions do un-leave a man, take off his Leaves: when the Leaves are off the hed ges, ye fee thofe Birds-nefts, that ye could not fee before when the Leaves were on: And fo, when Affliction hath made one naked, and taken ones Leaves off, a man is able to fee thofe nefts of corruption in his own heart that he ne ver did fee before.

The Apostle faics, by the Law is the knowledg of fin: but now, though by the Law, as by a rule, we come to the knowledg of our fin; and by Affli&tion we are helpt cofee the nefts of our own hearts: yet notwithstanding, a man cannot fee his fins fully but by Gospel light; it is a work of the Spirit to convince of fin: I will Jend the fpirit, the Com forter and be hall convince the world of fin. And where does the Spirit breath, but in the Gospel, the Kingdom of Heaven, the preaching of the Gofpel? Received ye the Spirit (fajes the Apoftle) by works of the Law, or by the preaching of Faith? When once Efay the Prophet had had a fight of Christ, be cries out, a mihi, I am undone: Wo in me, I am undone, I

am unclean.