4. Nor convey a greater power and force to affect the heart of man. What is of greater efficacy than the Spirit of God ? Surely he is able to change the heart of man when nothing else can. Now the gospel is ' the ministration of the Spirit,' 2 Cor. iii. 8. [See these heads more enlarged in the Sermon on Luke xvi. 30, 31.]
Use 2. If God hath so settled the way of salvation in the new cove-
SERMON UPON ROMANS X. 5-9. 247
iiant as to leave no cause or occasion of doubting, or suspecting of the truth or certainty of these blessings he hath promised to us, then we should not live in jealousies and doubtfulness, as if we were not upon sure terms with God. If we transact with another about certain benefits, the transaction may prove to no purpose if the matter about which we contract with them hath no being, or the terms be impos- sible, or the conveyance be not so firm and strong as to hold good in law. Now none of these can be imagined in our entering into covenant with God. For —
1. Eternal life is not a chimera, or a thing that hath no being: then you might ' run uncertainly,' 1 Cor. ix. 26, if it were a dream, or a well-devised fable. No ; it is the greatest reality that can be thought of : John xiv. 2, ' In my Father's house are many mansions ; if it were not so, I would have told you : I go to prepare a place for you.' Christ would not flatter us into a fool's paradise.
2. It is not upon impossible terms, but such as are performable by the grace of God ; as faith : Eph. ii. 8, ' For by grace ye are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.' And the apostle telleth us, Kom. iv. 16, 'Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed.' Consider the conditions that concern either the making or keeping covenant. The conditions for making covenant : Jer. xxiv. 7, ' I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God ; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart ; ' and Ezek. xxxvi. 26, ' A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.' Then for keeping covenant ; for this is a covenant that keepeth us, as well as we keep it : Jer. xxxii. 40, 41, ' I will make an everlast- ing covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good ; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly, with my whole heart, and with my whole soul.' So there is a promise of influences, to prevent danger of discovenanting : Ezek. xxxvi. 27, ' I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.'
3. If the conveyance be not so strong and firm to make a plea in law ; but this is conveyed by God's word, and confirmed by his oath : Heb. vi. 17, 18, ' Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation.' It is assured to us by his own Son : Luke xii. 32, ' Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom ; ' and sealed to us by Christ's Spirit : 2 Cor. i. 22, ' Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.' Therefore the conveyance will bear a plea, both now in prayer and before the tribunal of God. If there ))e any room of doubting, it must be as to our qualification, and there- fore that you must make more explicit ; but as to that, remember that all the qualifications of the gospel must be evangelically interpreted.
248 SERMON UPON ROMANS X. 5-9.
not legally ; not in absolute perfection, but in a prevalent degree : our graces must be tried by the touchstone, not by the balance ; that they be of the right kind, though they are not full weight.
Use 3. If the christian religion be true, then we must love Christ and live to him, obey his precepts and depend on his promises. Sal- vation is brought home to our doors. God hath left it to our choice. ' The word is nigh thee ; ' the way is plain, clear, and open. Do you therefore choose it.
SERMON UPON EOMANS X. 10.
FofT with the heart man helieveth unto righteousness, and icith the mouth confession is made to salvation. — Eom. x. 10.