5. Consider of the great judgment that will light upon them that despise an offer of salvation. That which by its natural tendency is a grace bringing salvation, by your neglect may bring certain condem- nation and ruin. Observe, God did never utterly cast off the people of the Jews for contempt of the law, but when once they came to despise the gospel, God would have no more to do with them. Indeed for the contempt of the law the Jews were punished ; they went into captivity, but still a stock did remain, and it budded again. But when those glorious appearances of grace were discovered to them, and they despised them, then the wrath of God came unto them, eV? to reX.o<j, *to the uttermost,' 1 Thes. ii. 16. When salvation itself cannot save them, condemnation must needs take place ; and so persons perish Upon a double ground — as guilty sinners, and as despisers of the remedy ; as a man that is deadly sick, and will not take physic, perish- eth both as he is sick and as he will not take physic ; or as a man con- demned by the law, and being reprieved for a short time, yet neglects to sue out his pardon.
But you will say, Who are those contemners of this salvation offered in the gospel ? The gospel is the remedy, and contemning the gospel may be explained by refusing the counsels of physicians. You know some are utter enemies to physic, and cannot endure anything that is bitter and tart : and so carnal men, given up to pleasure, can- not endure the severities of the gospel, which are God's counsels and receipts for sick souls. If a few good hopes and wishes will carry them to heaven, that is all they mind. Some see that the endeavours of phy- sicians do not always succeed, and that there is great uncertainty in that art, therefore slight all. Thus do men slight the gospel out of pure unbelief. Every one that hears the word is not saved ; there are but few to whom it is manifested in power ; and so they contemn it, having no such high thoughts of the word of God. Some, out of pride, refuse physic ; they know as much as the physician ; and so they throw away themselves by depending upon their own counsel. So some, out of mere pride and conceit, slight the gospel ; they know as much as can be taught them ; they think themselves alive, and need nothing, when they
VeR. 11.] SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. 63
are stark dead. Others, out of negligence, they are sick, but are not at leisure to take physic, do not mind the condition of their body till it proves deadly. Thus it is in the sickness of the soul ; some are slighters : Mat. xxii. 5, ' They made light of it,' afjbeXrjo-avTe^ ; others distrust, others cannot endure God's terms, others are self-conceited ; but all neglect this great salvation, and contemn the greatest gift Grod ever offered to men ; therefore they shall meet with the greatest judg- ment.
6. Besides the wrong done to God and yourselves, consider the wrong you do to God's messengers. This is the spiritual honour God hath put upon them, that they are instrumental saviours: 1 Tim. iv. 16, ' In doing this, thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.' We are employed in a subserviency to his grace, that so we might be saviours unto you. Oh ! do not rob us of the honour God hath put upon us, let not our employment be in vain. The apostle urgeth this argument, Phil. ii. 16, 'Holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that 1 have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.' Discover that it is a word of salvation in your lives. This would be the minister's crown and rejoicing, to see the fruits of the word of life, now in your conversation, and hereafter in your glorifica- tion, when a minister shall present himself and all his converts to God, ' Behold, I and the children which thou hast given me,' Ileb. ii. 13. Therefore do not rob us of the honour God hath put upon us to be instrumental saviours.
What shall we do ? Take these directions —
1. Get a sense of your dead and lost condition by nature. The killing letter makes way for the word of life ; the law shows us that we are dead, and then we inquire after the way of life and salvation : * The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost,' Luke xix. 10. We must be lost in our own sense and feeling before we can be saved. It is very notable that only those that were pricked in heart said, ' What shall we do to be saved ? ' Acts ii. 37, ' i^Tow when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles. Men and brethren, what shall we do ? ' So Paul : Acts ix. 6, 'And he, trembling and astonished, said. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ' So the jailer : Acts xvi. 29, ' He came trem- bling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said. Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? ' Till we are pinched in con- science we trouble ourselves with other questions: as the disciples had many superfluous questions : John ix. 2, ' Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was bom blind ? ' and nice disputes : Acts i. 6, ' Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel ? ' they were taken up with terrene expectations. Such a question Peter propounded to Christ : John xxi. 21, ' Lord, and what shall this man do ? ' But when we are soundly humbled, we say, Lord, what must I do to be saved? I see I am a lost creature ; an hunger-bitten beggar will seek relief. Such questions are rare now, because the law has not a kindly work. Men think the gate of heaven wide, and the way easy to find ; they never came to see how far off they were. But those that know themselves to be lost are inquisitive after a remedy, and more pliable to God's counsel. Oh ! where is the word of salvation ? what shall we do ? They are ready to submit to any terms God shall prescribe.