II. Infer. What dignity hath God stamped on gospel-ordinances, in making them the organs and medium through and by which Christ speaks life to dead souls. This greatly exalts the dignity of the gospel, and deservedly endears it to all our souls: I deny not but God can convey spiritual life immediately without them ; but tJiough he hath not tied up himself, yet he hath tied us up to a diligent and constant attendance upon them, and that with the deepest respect and reverence to them; Luke x. 16. ^' He that " heareth you, heareth me : and he that despiseth you, despiseth " me, and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me." Be- hold how this sin is graduated and aggravated to the height of sinfulness. The contempt of the gospel runs much higher than men are aware of We think it no great matter to neglect and contemn a messenger of Jesus Christ ; but that contempt flies in the very face and authority of Christ, who gave them their com- missions ; yea, in the very face of God the Father, who gave Christ liis commission. Christ speaks in and by his ministers, they are his mouth, Jer. xv. 19. Moreover, the sin strikes at our own souls, and we injure them as well as Christ. For the word preach- ed is his appointed instrument to convey spiritual life, the best of blessings, to our souls. Upon which account \X is called " the " word of life,'' Phil. ii. 16. and " the power of God to salva^ " tion,"" Rom. i. 16. We then militate against our life and sal- vation, when we despise and neglect the ordinances of God. It is good for men to lie under them, and continually wait on them ; who knows when the Spirit of God will breathe life to your souls through them ? What if yet you have found no such benefit from them .^ The very next opportunity may be the time of life, the ap- pointed season of your salvation. Bring your carnal relations to them, as. they did their sick and diseased friends, in tlie days when Christ was on earth, laying them in the vvay he was to pass. Christ will honour his ordinances ; see that you do not despise them.
I think no age was ever deeper drenched in tlie guilt of this sin than the present age is.
III. Infer. What a fearful judgment is the removing the gospel from a nation, seeing it is in and by the gospel Christ speaketh life to the souls of men !
The Spirit of God, and the word of God usually come and go together ; when therefore tliese are gone, no more conversions are to be expected ; dreadful is the case of that people, Prov. xxix. 18. f' Whei'e no vision is, the people perish.'' Those are direful me- naces, Isa. viii. 16. " Bind up the law, seal up the testimony among " my disciples." And Rev. ii. 5. " I will remove thy candlestick f' out of its place." Better the sun were taken out of heaven than the gospel out of the church. O England ! provoke not thy God to execute upon thee the judgment here threatened. Think not God hath made such a settlement of the gospel, that it shall never be remqved, however yqu use it. Your Advocate in heaven hath obtained it for you for a time upon trial ; if you bring forth fruit, well ; you and the generations to come shall be happy in it ; if not, this blessed tree, which hath brought forth so many mercies to you and yours, must and will be cut down, Luke xiii. 8. Yea, and even n(^ " is the ax laid at the root of the tree," Mat. iii. 13. It is an allusion to a carpenter that throws down the ax and saw at the root of the tree he intends to cut dpwn. The only ground of hope which remains with us this day, is, that there are some buds appearing, some fruits putting forth ; and if there be a blessing in the bud, the Lord will spare it, according to Isa. Ixv. 8. But these hopes are balanced with many sad symptoms, which may make us tremble to think what God is about tp do with such a sinful nation.
IV. Infer, Those that have heard Christ's voice and call in the gospel, have no reason to be discouraged from going to Christ in the way of faith ; Christ's call is a sufficient warrant to believe. Many poor souls arc staggered in their work of faith, by the fear of presumption ; an ugly objection which they know not how to clear themselves of: but certainly, this, above all considerations in the >vorld, enervates this objection of presumption. Then men pre- sume, Ayhen they act without a call or warrant ; but if Christ have spoken to your hearts by the voice of his Spirit, you have the best warrant in the world to go to him. What though you know not tlie issue "^ yet your obedience is due to his call. " By faith Abra- " ham, when he was called to go out into a place, which he " should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed ; and he went ^' out, not knowing whither he went," Heb. xi. 8. So must you. It is not neces!<ary to your going to Christ; that you must be ascerr
tained before-hand what the event and issue thereof shall be. Your believinor is an act of obedience to the voice of Christ that calls you. "When therefore Satan shall object, what, such a wretched soul as thou go to Christ ! Canst thou imagine to find entertain- ment with him, whom thou hast so abused and deeply wronged ? Thy answer shall be ready : It is true, I have been a vile wretch, and deeply WTonged the Lord Jesus ; but Christ hath spoken ta my heart, he hath called me, and therefore it can be no presumption in me to go at his call ; but contrariwise, it would be flat rebeUion against his Sovereign command to refuse to believe, and come unto him ; yea. it would be a greater sin than any of my former sins. have been. Besides, had the Lord Jesus no intention of mercy (as thou maliciously insinuatest) towards my soul, he would never have spoken to my heart by conviction and persuasion, as he hath done.
V. Infer. If no soul can open to Christ until it hear his powerful, spiritual voice, then the change made upon men by conversion is wholly supernatural.
The rise of faith is from this power of Christ, not fram the nature of man, John i. 13. Proud nature arrogates this power and honour to itself, but ^nthout any ground ; for though some thing9»may be done by men in their natural state, which have a remote tendency ta conversion and spiiitual life, yet it can never open to Christ savingly, without a power communicated from himself. There is a total im- potence in nature to produce such an effect as this. The scripture speaks it roundly ; telling us, " The natural man cannot (of himself) know the things tliat are of God,"" 1 Cor. ii. 14. Cannot believe ; for faith is not of ouvselyes, it is the gift of God, John vi. 44. Cannot obey ; Roin. viii. 7. '' The carnal mind is not subject to the " law of God, neither indeed can be." Cannot spealc a good rcord. Mat. xii. 34. Cannot think a good thought, 9, Cor. iii. 5. What a poor impotent thing then is the natural man, who can neither believe, nor obey, speak a good word, nor think a good thought, by any natural power of his own ?