3. Our danger is great if we receive not and obey not this doctrine
A SER:\rON ox JOHN 111. 33. 385
concerning accepting sinners to lite in Christ ; that will appear by comparing two places. In Mat xxiv. 14, it is said, ' The word of the kingdom shall be preached eh fiaprvpiov, for a testimony to them :' and Mark xiii. 9, ' A testimony against them.' First to them, next against them ; to them, if they receive it ; against them, if they reject, neglect, or believe it not. What is now an offer of grace will then be an accusation for despising grace. God will not be without a witness at the day of judgment, and men will be left without excuse. We had sufficient to convince us of the way of pleasing God.
Secondly, The respect that is due to this testimony. It is not only to be heard or understood, but received: 'Whosoever receiveth this testimony ;' that is, to hear it so as we may understand it ; to under- stand it so as we may a.ssent to it with our minds ; to assent to it with our minds so as we may embrace it with our affections ; to embrace it with our affections so as we may build our hope and con- fidence thereupon, and lie under the sovereignty of it in our lives and actions. This is to receive tbe testimony of Christ : one degree maketh w-ay for another.
1. Hear it or regard it we must. Here is a testimony brought out from the bosom of God concerning the weightiest matters, our eternal peace and salvation ; and that by his Son taking our nature. Now, for us to disregard it is the greatest indignity and affront that we can put upon God : Mat. xxii. 5, ' But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.' There was a feast provided, all things were made ready — a marriage-feast of the king's son — a message sent, but ' they made light of it' Now many will not take it into their care and thoughts, nor so much as consider what God had intended from all eternity for their comfort and peace. The first sort of bad ground was the highway, the careless, neglected, unbounded common : Mat. xiii. 19, ' When any man heareth the word and understandeth it not ; ' /xr? auvievTo<; — non attendit ; doth not lay it to heart, doth not consider the necessity and use of this doctrine. So Acts xvi. 14, God's first work upon Lydia was to make her attend to the things spoken by Paul ; that is, to enter into a deep consideration with herself The careless highway hearer is very common, that lightly taketh up the current opinions where he liveth, and doth the work of an age in a breath. Men say, We are all sinners, and God is merciful, and Christ is the saviour of the world ; but they never weigh these things. The outward notion falleth upon their hearts as seed doth upon the beaten path, but it never entereth 80 as to take root there.
2. Understand it we must, or we do not receive this testimony. We must search after the thorough knowledge of those things which Christ hath taught us concerning the purpose of his Father, or the manner of our salvation : John xiv. 21, ' He that hath my command- ments and keepeth them.' A man must have them before he can keep them ; have them in our judgments before we can keep them in our memory, hearts, and consciences ; know our duty before we can make conscience of it. Nothing gets to the will and affections without the understanding, as nothing passeth to the bowels without the mouth and the stomach : Prov. xix. 2, ' Without understandincr
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386 A SERMON ON JOHN III. 33.
the heart is not good.' You cannot go on with the work of God till you do nnderstandingly close with Christ Jesus. Christ called the multitude and said, ' Hear and understand,' Mat. xv. 10. Next to the ear, the mind must be possessed with these truths.
3. We must firmly assent to it, acquiesce in the testimony of Christ ; and the mind must be so far prevailed with as to assent to tlie truth of what it understands. The apostle saith, 1 Tim. i. 15, ' This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation.' First determine of that ; the word is true. If we did believe it, we would make more use of it. There is a defect in point of assent. Doubts would sooner vanish if we did not secretly give God the lie. Man is apt to suspect evangelical truths as lying cross to his lusts and interests ; even dogmatical infidelity is more rife in this lower world than we do imagine, where God is unseen, and our great hopes and enjoyments are to come, and our owning of God costs us so dear, and the flesh is so importunate to be pleased. All our coldness in duty a.nd boldness in sinning cometh from hence ; atheism and unbelief lieth at the bottom. Men are not persuaded of divine truths, and therefore they have so little influence ui)on them ; therefore look to assent; John vi. 69, ' We know and are assured thou art the Christ ;' so John xvii. 8, ' They have known assuredly that I came out fi'om God.' We should come to this certainty and persuasion, and firm adherence to the general truths.