I7ifer. 3. It is the great design of the gospel, to open the hearts of men to Christ ? Then wonder not that it meets with such strong and Jierce opposition from Satan, wherever it is sincerely and powerfully preached. As for general and formal preaching, which comes nofi to the quick, the devil is not so much concerned about it, he knows it will do him no great damage ; nay, it fastens and secures his interests in the souls of men. But wherever the gospel comes with Spirit and power, laying the axe to the root, shewing men the vanity of their ungrounded hopes, pressing the necessity of re- generation and faith, this preaching quickly gives an alarm to hell, and raises all manner of opposition against it. ' What is it to ' preach the gospel, (saith Luther) but to drive the rage and fury ' of the whole world upon us T Satan is the god of this world, all men by nature are his born subjects : no prince on earth is more jealous of the revolt of his subjects than he ; and it is time for him to bestir himself, when the gospel comes to dethrone him, as it doth in the faithlul preaching of it, John xii. 81. " Now is the *' judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be " cast out." Now he falls as lightning from heaven, Luke x. 18. Now sinners are made sensible of the cruel tyranny and bondage of Satan's government, and of the glorious liberty offered to them by Jesus Christ. Satan suspecting the issue of these things, bestiri himself to purpose. O what showers of calumnies, and storms of persecution doth he pour upon the names and persons of Christ's faithful ambassadors ! Certainly, he owes Christ's ministers a spite, and they shall know and feel it, if ever he get them within the compass of his chain. But let this discourage none employed in this glorious design ; the Lord is with them to protect their persons and reward their diligence.
Infer. 4. If the openivg cf the heart he the main design of the gospel, Christ and faith ought to he the principal subjects that ministers should insist on among their people. ■
There arc many other useful doctrines which may, and ought to be jopened and pressed in their time and place. Moral duties, Sfc. have their excellencies; but Christ and JaiiJt are the great things we are to preach. Let men be once brought to Christ, and the rest will follow; but, to begin and end with moraliti/^ will never make men gospel-Christians. Grace teaches morality. Tit. ii. 11. but morality without grace saves no man. I doubt not but it has been a grand artifice of the devil, to confound grace with morality, and make men believe that nothing is more required unto men's salvation, but a civil sober conversaticm in the world, and so lay by the principal part of the gospel, which opens and presses the necessity of regeneration, repentance, and faith in the blood of Christ. Such preaching as this answers not the end and de- sign of Christ in the conversion of souls ; such kind of preaching disturbs not the consciences of men : the Lord help all his aw- hassadors to mind the example and charge of their Redeemer, and laying aside all carnal interest, to apply themselves faithfully unto the souls and consciences of their hearers, " not as men-pleasers, ^' but as the servants of Christ."
II. Use, of Conviction.
In the next place, this doctrine is of excellent use to convince men of the dreadful damning nature of the sin of unbelief: a sin which defeats and frustrates the main design of the blessed gospel of Christ on the unbeliever's soul.
This is the sin that keeps the heart fast shut against him. As faith is the radical grace, so unbelief is the radical sin. What shall I say of it .? It is the ti^aiior's gate, through which those souls pass that are to perish for ever. The gospel can do you no good, the blood of Christ can yield no saving benefit, whilst your souls remain under the dominion and power of this sin. When we consider the mighty arguments of the gospel, we may wonder that all that hear them are not immediately persuaded to Christ by them. And, on the other side, when we consider the mighty power of unbelief, how strongly it holds the soul in bondage to sin ; we may admire that any soul is brought over to Christ by the gospel. It was not without cause that the apostle puts faith in Christ among the great mysteries and wonders of the gospel, 1 Tim. iii. 16. Now the in- trinsic evil and fearful consequences of this sin of unbelief ^vill ap- pear in these following particulars :
1. Unbelief fixes the guilt of all other sins on the person of the unbeliever; it binds them all fast upon his soul, John viii. 24. >< For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."' Die in thv sins man.? it were better for thee to die any other death.
What more terrible can God threaten, or man feel ? This is the sin that makes " the death of Christ of none effect to us,*' Gal. v, 4. There is indeed a sovereign virtue in the blood of Christ to pardon sin, but thy soul cannot have the benefit of it, while it re- mains under the dominion of this sin. As it was said of the miraculous w^orks of Christ, " He could do no mighty works there " because of their unbelief,'' Matth. xiii. 58. so none of his spiritual works, no ordinances can do thy soul good, until the Lord break the power of this sin ; Heb. iv. 2. " The word preached did not *' profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.'* If a man were dangerously sick, or wounded, the richest cordials and most sovereign pla'isters in the world can never recover him, unless received and applied. Unbelief spills the most sovereign cordials of the gospel as water u|x>n the ground. The greatest sins that ever thou committedst might be pardoned, did not this sin lie in the way ; were this gone, all the rest were gone too : but whilst unbelief remains, they also remain upon thee.
2. Of all the sins that are upon the souls of men, this is the most difficult sin to be removed and cured : other sins lie more open ta con^^ction, but tliis hath the most specious pretences to countenance and defend it. Men commit this sin out of a fear of sin. They wdll not believe, lest they should presume : they dare not believe, because they are not qualified. The strength of other sins meets in this sin of unbelief: it is the strongest fort wherein Satan trusteth. Take an adulterer, or a profane swearer, and you have a fair open way to convince him of liis sin ; shew him the command he hath violated, and he hath nothing to say in his own defence ; but the unbeliever hath a thousand plausible defences.