231 SERMONS UrON EPHESIANS V. [SeII. Vll.
(2.) The counsels of salvation, or what we must do on our part, that we may partake of the righteousness and Spirit of Christ : Luke vii. 30, ' But the pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves.' There is the counsel which God giveth us, if we will have sin pardoned and be eternally happy. Many look to what he hath done for us ; but they do not seriously consider what he hath required of us. We are to obey tlie counsels of the gosj)el, as well as to believe the doctrines of the gospel. Now what hath God required ?
(1st.) That we should believe in Christ as the redeemer of the world, with such a faith as may make him precious to us, and value his grace above all the world : 1 Peter ii. 7, 8, ' Unto you therefore which believe he is precious : but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto they were also appointed.' The iipostle divideth the hearers of the gospel into believers and disobed- ient ; and there he showeth what Christ is to believers, ' precious,' as the alone refuge and sanctuary of distressed souls, who are ever hungering and thirsting after Christ, and more of his renewing and re- covering grace. The other party are the disobedient, and to them he is ' a stone of stumbling,' with allusion to them that travel by land, and ' a rock of offence,' with respect to them that travel by sea. They are loose and careless in this matter (we do not speak of every disobed- ience, but of wilful disobedience), they are ' a froward generation,' Deut. xxxii. 20. Preach and say what we will, it moveth them not ; teach them their duty, warn them of their danger, all is to no purpose ; they still reject Christ, and despise his benefits, and refuse to take on them his yoke, or embrace the noble and heavenly life. To the serious and broken-hearted, he is their life, light, food, strength, righteousness, and all ; but to others a fancy, or nothing. Believing in Christ is God's great command : 1 John iii. 23, ' And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ.' There- fore it is called 'the obedience of faith ; ' Rom i. 5, 'Made known to all nations by the obedience of faith,' Pom xvi. 26 ; 'And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,' 2 Cor. x. 4. But the rebellious world little valueth God's authority ; they are so addicted to ])altry vanities, and their own will and lusts, that they slight the offered Saviour, and all the grace he tendereth to them.
(2d.) Pepentance is another part of the counsel given to us. Christ told his disciples what they should do to perform their charge : Lidce xxiv. 47, ' And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.' And the apostles ])ressed it on all that would enter into the gospel kingdom : Acts ii. 38, ' And Peter said unto them, Pepent, and be baptized every one of )'ou in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins ;' Acts iii. 19, ' Pepent, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.' Now repentance implielh an hearty detestation and renunciation of our former ways, whereby we have offended God, and a serious dedication of ourselves to his use and service. Now many regard not this, and though they hear their personal sins reproved, and the curses of the law denounced against
Yer. 7.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 235
them, yet the}^ bold on their course still, and cannot be persuaded to leave' those sins ; and when God would heal them, they will not be liealed, but are wholly led by their corrupt affections, and will not be persuaded to abandon their bewitching lusts : 2 Chron. xxx. 8, ' Now be ye not stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord ; ' (Hebr. Give your hand unto the Lord). We press men to return, and not keep God out of his right any longer ; but we do ijut water a rock, and seek to mollify a flint, that yieldetli not ; nor will they strike hands with God. We cannot bring it to a bargain or thorough conclusion, so as to lay down the buckler, and say, ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ' Acts ix. 6.
{3d.) New obedience. This is part of the counsel of God to you if you would be saved : Heb. v. 9, ' He is the author of eternal salvation to them that obey him ;' Isa. i. 19, ' If ye be willing and obedient, ye f^hall eat the good of the land.' And grace teacheth us, Titus _ii. 12, 'That, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.' We should be sober as to the government of ourselves, righteous as to our carriage to our neighbour, godly as to the Lord himself, not defrauding him of his due worship, internal and external, love, trust, deliglit, reverence, daily commerce with him in company and alone. Though we persuade these things by the strongest and most cogent arguments, yet still there are some that will be intemperate, incontinent, that will iiot live soberly ; christians that will not live soberly, that cannot bridle the desires of the flesh ; unrighteous christians, that will not make con- science of giving everyone their due ; and ungodly persons that forget God days without number. Though much of this duty be evident by natural light, and necessary to preserve a comely order in human society, yet neither restraints of conscience nor the laws of men or God will keep them within the bounds of their duty ; but men will be dis- obedient still, and run out into many excesses and disorders, without all shame, especially when they have habituated themselves to some €vil custom and practice : Jer. xiii. 23, ' Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots ? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.' Alas ! who is able then to preach away the cup out of the drunkard's mouth, or wantonness out of the heart of the unclean person ? Yea, to bring vain people to part with a iashion, or a recreation, which hath often been a snare to them ? they are brought under the power of these things, and cannot leave them. A child of God may err and straggle out of his way through ignorance or incogi- tancy, or be overcome and borne down through the violent incursion of a temptation. It fareth with them as with the wise men who came a long journey to seek Christ ; when they went out of the way, the star left them, but they stayed not there till the star appeared to them again. So God's people may straggle from their duty, but they do not rest there. But the children of disobedience cannot cease from sin in the several kinds wherein they are captivated: 2 Peter ii. 14, ' Having €yes full of adultery, and cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls ; an heart they have exercised with covetous practices : cursed children, they have forsaken the right way.' It is their element, out of which they cannot rest.