Eighteen sermons preached in Oxford 1640 of conversion, unto God. Of redemption, & justification,…

1. The first word is a general proclamation; whereby Christ gives any one leave to come and take him. Christ is not only a Fountain sealed, as in the Canticles, but a Fountain open for sin and for uncleanness, as in Zechariah: so that now when he keeps open house, he makes proclamation, that none shall be shut out. He puts none back; sins, not the greatest that can be, can keep thee back: this is the first thing, and to confirm it, we have our Saviours own proclamation. Isa. 55.1. Ho! every one that thirsteth, come you to the waters, and he that hath no money, come, buy, and eat: yea, come, buy wine and milk without money, and without a price. A strange contradiction, one would think; What! buy, and yet without money, and without price. The reason is, because there is a certain thing which fools esteem, ⟨p. 403⟩a price which is none. Rev. 3.18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire: Why? How must this be done? Truly thus; whensoever a sinner comes to Christ to have his sins pardoned, and to be a subject of Christs Kingdom, thou must not then be as thou wast, but thou must be changed. Thou must not live as thou didst before in the state of rebellion. Now to leave sin is not worth a rush, its not a sufficient price; but yet we see a fool will esteem his own babbles: I must lay down my lusts, I must lay down my covetousness, intemperance, &c. and a man thinks it a great matter thus to do: and to leave the freedom he had before, though it be a matter of nothing. When a rebel receives his pardon, is the Kings pardon abridged, because he must live like a subject hereafter? Why should he else seek for the benefit of a subject? This is said in respect of the foolish conceit of man, who thinks it a great price to forsake his corruptions. Again, John 7.37. with the same loud voice, Christ cried when he offered himself a Sacrifice for sin: he cried at the time of the great feast, that all should come. In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood, and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. In ult. Rev. there is a quicunque vult, that is it I pressed: Its a place worth gold. And these are the places which being applied, make you of strangers draw near: but now these are not appliable to a man before he hath grace: every one cannot apply them. Never forget that place while you live: its the close of Gods H.