USE SECOND. The second use—A USE OF EXAMINATION.
We come now to the use of examination. Sinner, thou hast heard of the necessity of coming to Christ and of Christ's willingness to receive the coming soul; together with the benefit that they by him shall have that indeed come to him. Put thyself now upon this serious inquiry, Am I indeed come to Jesus Christ?
Motives plenty I might here urge, to prevail with your conscientious performance of this duty. 1. Thou art in sin, in the flesh, in death, in the snare of the devil, and under the curse of the law, if you are not coming to Jesus Christ. 2. There is no way to be delivered from these, but by coming to Jesus Christ. 3. If thou come, Jesus Christ will receive you and will in no wise cast thee out. 4. Thou wilt not repent it in the day of judgment, if now thou come to Jesus Christ. 5. But thou wilt surely mourn at last, if now thou shalt refuse to come. 6. And lastly, Now thou hast been invited to come; now will thy judgment be greater, and thy damnation more fearful, if thou shalt yet refuse, than if thou hadst never heard of coming to Christ.
Object. But we hope we have come to Jesus Christ.
Answ. It is well if it proves so. But lest thou shouldst speak without ground, and so fall unawares into hell-fire, let us examine a little.
First, have thou indeed come to Jesus Christ? What hast thou left behind thee? What didst thou come away from, in thy coming to Jesus Christ?
When Lot came out of Sodom, he left the Sodomites behind him (Gen 19). When Abraham came out of Chaldea, he left his country and kindred behind him (Gen 12; Acts 7). When Ruth came to put her trust under the wings of the Lord God of Israel, she left her father and mother, her gods, and the land of her nativity, behind her (Ruth 1:15–17; 2:11,12). When Peter came to Christ, he left his nets behind him (Matt 4:20). When Zaccheus came to Christ, he left the receipt of custom behind him (Luke 19). When Paul came to Christ, he left his own righteousness behind him (Phil 3:7,8). When those who used curious arts came to Jesus Christ, they took their curious books and burned them; though, in another man's eye, they were counted worth fifty thousand pieces of silver (Acts 119:18–20.
What sayest thou, man? Hast, thou left thy darling sins, thy Sodomitish pleasures, thy acquaintance and vain companions, thy unlawful gain, thy idol-gods, thy righteousness, and thy unlawful curious arts, behind thee? If any of these be with thee, and thou with them, in thy heart and life, thou art not yet come to Jesus Christ.
Second, Art you come to Jesus Christ? Prithee tell me what moved thee to come to Jesus Christ?
Men do not usually come or go to this or that place before they have a moving cause, or rather, a cause moving them thereto. No more do they come to Jesus Christ—I do not say before they have a cause, but—before that cause move them to come. What sayest thou? Hast thou a cause moving thee to come? To be at present in a state of condemnation is sufficient for men to come to Jesus Christ for life. But that will not do, except the cause moves them; which it will never do until their eyes are opened to see themselves in that condition. For it is not a man's being under wrath, but his seeing it, that moves him to come to Jesus Christ. Alas! All men by sin are under wrath; yet but few of that all come to Jesus Christ. And the reason is, that they do not see their condition. "Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matt 3:7). Until men are warned, and also receive the warning, they will not come to Jesus Christ.
Take three or four instances for this. Adam and Eve came not to Jesus Christ until they received the alarm, the conviction of their undone state by sin. (Gen 3) The children of Israel cried not out for a mediator before they saw themselves in danger of death by the law (Exo 20:18,19). Before the publican came, he saw himself lost and undone (Luke 18:13). The prodigal did not, until he saw death at the door, ready to devour him (Luke 15:17–18). The three thousand came not, until they knew not what to do to be saved (Acts 2:37–39). Paul came not, until he saw himself lost and undone (Acts 9:3–8, 11). Lastly, before the jailer came, he saw himself undone (Acts 16:29–31). And I tell thee, it is an easier thing to persuade a good man to go to the physician for a cure, or a man without hurt to seek a plaster to cure him, than it is to persuade a man who sees not his soul-disease, to come to Jesus Christ. If they have no need for the physician; then why should they go to him? The full pitcher can hold no more; then why should it go to the fountain? And if thou come full, thou come not aright; and be sure Christ will send thee empty away. "But he healeth the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds" (Mark 2:17; Psa 147:3; Luke 1:53).
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