1.  This fear that Christ will not receive thee is for cant of the knowledge of Christ. Thou knowest but little of the grace and kindness that is in the heart of Christ; thou knowest but little of the virtue and merit of his blood; thou knowest but little of the willingness that is in his heart to save thee.  Slowness of heart to believe flows from thy foolishness in the things of Christ; this is evident to all that are acquainted with themselves, and are seeking after Jesus Christ.  The more ignorance, the more unbelief; the more knowledge of Christ, the more faith.  “They that know thy name, will put their trust in thee.”

2.  Thy fears that Christ will not receive thee may be also A consequence of thy earnest and strong desires after thy salvation by him.  For this I observe, that strong desires to have are attended with strong fears of missing.  What man most sets his heart upon, and what his desires are most after, he ofttimes most fears he shall not obtain.  So, the ruler of the synagogue had a great desire that his daughter should live, and that desire was attended with fear that she would not.  Therefore Christ saith unto him, “Be not afraid.”

Now thou fearest the sins of thy youth, the sins of thine old age, the sins of thy calling, the sins of thy Christian duties, the sins of thine heart, or something; thou thinkest something or other will alienate the heart and affections of Jesus Christ from thee.

But be content.  A little more knowledge of him will make thee take better heart; thy earnest desires shall not be attended with such burning fears; thou shalt hereafter say, “This is my infirmity.”

3.  Thy fear that Christ will not receive thee, may arise from a sense of thy own unworthiness.  Thou seest what a poor, sorry, wretched, worthless creature thou art; and seeing this, thou fearest Christ will not receive thee.  “Alas,” sayst thou, “I am the vilest of all men, a townsinner, a ringleading sinner.  I am not only a sinner my self, but I have made others twofold worse the children of hell also.  Besides, now I am under some awakenings and stirrings of mind after salvation, even now I find my heart rebellious, carnal, hard, treacherous, desperate, prone to unbelief, to despair; it forgetteth the word, it wandereth, it runneth to the ends of the earth.  There is not, I am persuaded, one in all the world that hath such a desperate wicked heart as mine is.  My soul is careless to do good; but none more earnest to do that which is evil.