VER. 11.] SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS I. 309
think these men deliver you the covenant of grace? No; it is a covenant of their own making and modelling, not the covenant of God., which is your charter and sure ground of hope. The blood of Christ doth what belongs to it, but faith and repentance must do what be- longs to them also. They have not the least degree of that honour which belongs to the love of God, or blood of Christ, or operation of the Spirit ; yet faith, repentance, and new obedience must be regarded in their place. Surely none of the privileges of the new covenant belong to the impenitent and unbelievers ; these are the portion of the faithful only. It is the Father's work to love us, of his own accord and self-inclination ; Christ's work to be a sacrifice for sin or propitiation for us ; the Spirit's work to convert us to God ; but we must accept of the grace offered, that is, repent, believe, and live in obedience to God.
2. A right order of means and ends, that by the one we may come to the other. The great end of Christianity is coming to God ; the prime and general means is by Christ: 1 Peter iii. 18, 'Christ hath once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God ; ' and John xiv. 6, ' I am the way, the truth, and the life ; no man cometh unto the Father but by me ; ' Heb. vii. 25, ' He is able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by him.' The subordi- nate means are the fruits of Christ's grace, in sanctifying us, and enabling us to overcome temptations, more expressly by patient suffer- ing and active obedience. Suffering : Eom. ii. 7, ' To them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life.' Obedience : 1 Cor. xv. 58, ' Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord/ The great diffi- culty of religion lieth not in a respect to the end, but the means. There is some difficulty about the end, to convince men of an unseen felicity ; but there is more about the means, not only to convince their minds, but to gain and convert their hearts, and bring them to submit to this patient, holy, and self-denying course, whereby we obtain eternal life. Many wish the end, but overlook the means, as Balaam, Num. xxiii. 10. When the Israelites despised the pleasant land, it was because of the difficulty of getting to it, Ps. cvi. 24, 25. The land was a good land, flowing with milk and honey ; what ailed them ? There were giants, sons of Anak, to be overcome first, walled towns to be scaled, numerous inhabitants to be vanquished. Heaven is a good heaven, but the way to it is to deny themselves. Few come to the apostle's resolu- tion: Phil. iii. 11, ' If by any means I might obtain the resurrection of the dead.' To forsake what we see and love for a God and glory we never saw, there is the difficulty of religion. But the covenant bindeth this expressly upon us : Mat. xvi. 24, ' If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me ; ' Luke xiv. 26, ' If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, &c, he cannot be my disciple.'
3. A right order of duties and comforts : Mat. xi. 28, 29, ' Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.' Commands
310 SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS I. [SeR. XII.
and promises are interwoven ; comfort is more vanishing than grace, enjoyed only by him that works closely. If we will not be at the pains of seeking after the blessings of the covenant, no wonder if we miss them. Comfort is possessed more inconstantly, and with more frequent interruption, if we be not thorough in obedience.
Fourthly, Our cure must not be disturbed, to which many sorts of grace are necessary.
1. General and particular grace. There are some common benefits, as the offer of a new covenant to all sinners : Mark xvi. 16, ' He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; ' John hi. 16, ' Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish ; ' 2 Cor. v. 19, ' God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.' This common grace must not be neglected. Then peculiar grace to the elect : John vi. 37, 'All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.' Special grace is built on general, as the appli- cation to us upon the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice and ransom, and the offer of the covenant.
2. In the application we need Christ's renewing and reconciling grace : Isa. liii. 5, ' He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.' Peace and healing, justification and sanctification ; both a relative and real change, in converting us to God and changing our natures, as well as redeeming us from the curse, are necessary.