Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere

Object. If it be a free gift, why is faith required?

Sol. Because faith takes away nothing from the gift. If a man give a beggar an Alms, and he reach out his hand to receive it, his reaching out the hand makes the gift never the less, because the hand is not a worker, but an instrument in receiving the free gift. Rom. 5.15. If through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace hath abounded unto many in Jesus Christ. And vers. 17. If by one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they that receive abundance of grace shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ: Here's the point then, God is well pleased, and therefore sends to us. Wilt thou have my Son? with him thou shalt have abundance of Grace, and everlasting life, and my love too. There's no Creature in this place, but this shall be made good unto, if he can find in his heart to take Christ; thou shalt have a warrant to receive him. Now to receive Christ, is to believe in his name, and to draw near unto him. (The word Receiving) is a taking with the hand, with free entertainment; as vers. 11. immediately before the Text. It's not so properly Receiving, as Entertaining. He came to his own, and his own received him not; they were like the foolish Gadarenes, that preferred their pigs before Christ; they would rather have his room, than his company: and so, when Christ comes, and thou hast rather be a free man, as thou thinkest, and wilt not have him to reign over thee, then thy case is lamentable: Then self-will, self-have. T•e only point is, whether we come to Christ, or he come to us, there is a drawing near. If thou comest to Christ he will not put thee back; if Christ come to thee by any good motion, if thou shut not the door against him thou shalt […] him; R•v. 3.20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: i• a•• man hea• m• v•ice, and open the door, I will come in unto him, and up wih hm, and he wih me.