(3.) To persuade to holiness in a high and potent way of reasoning, by pure precepts and strict injunctions, by high patterns and examples of being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, holy as he is holy; by fit inducements from the rewards and punishments, strict precepts requiring not only external practice, but a right disposition of heart towards God ; notable encouragements from the love of God, the pur- chase of Christ Jesus : 2 Cor. v. 14, ' The love of Christ constraineth us.' Powerful inducements from the punishments; the wrath of God, that shall seize on the soul as well as the body in this life, and the flames of hell. Men that require an ordinary conversation outwardly threaten only, and promise some outward and temporal good or evil ; but he requires regeneration upon eternal good or evil.
[4.] The word is suited as a proper cure for the diseases of men's souls. The diseases of men's souls are ignorance, slightness, and im- potency.
(1.) The first disease is ignorance, set forth by the notions of dark- ness and blindness : Eph. v. 8, ' Ye were sometimes darkness ; ' 2 Peter i. 9, 'He that wanteth these things is blind, and cannot see afar off.' Though they have a natural power of understanding, yet no spiritual discerning, 1 Cor. ii. 14, no saving knowledge of the things which pertain to the kingdom of God. This is the great disease of Imman nature, worse than bodily blindness, because men are not sen- sible of it : Picv. iii. 18, ' And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.' Because they look not for guides to lead them: Acts xiii. 11, 'And immediately there fell on him a mist and darkness, and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.'
332 SERMONS UPON 1 PETER I. 23. [Ser. IV.
(2.) Sliglitness ; they will not mind these things, nor exercise their thoughts about them : Mat. xxii. 5, ' They made light of it ; ' Heb. ii. 3, ' How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? ' It is a long time ere we can bring them to ask, ' What shall I do to be saved ? '
(3.) Impotency and weakness, which lieth in the wilfulness and hardness of their hearts. Our non posse is non velle. Our inability lies in our unwillingness: Ps. Iviii. 4, 5, ' They are like to the deaf adder, that stoppeth her ear, which will not hearken to the charmer, charming never so wisely ; ' Mat. xxiii. 37, ' How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens under lier wings, and ye would not ? ' Luke xix. 14, ' His citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying. We will not have this man to ]-eign over us.' Now what more proper cure for all these evils than the word of God ? Teaching is the proper means to cure ignorance, for men have a natural understanding. Warning of danger and mind- fulness of duty is the proper means to cure slightness. And to remove their impotency (which lieth in their obstinacy and wilfulness), there is no such means as to beseech them with constant persuasions. The impotence is rather moral than natural. We do not use to reason men out of bare natural impotency, to bid a lame man walk, or a blind man see, or bid a dead man live ; but to make men willing of the good which they rejected or neglected; in short, to inform the judgment, awaken the conscience, persuade the will : yet it is true the bare means will not do it without God's concurrence, the evidence and demon- stration of the Spirit ; but it is an encouragement to use these means, because they are fitted to the end, and God would not appoint us means which should be altogether in vain.
2. Why the word preached by those whom God hath sent for that work ? This hath a further subserviency, that God hath authorised some to interpret scripture as well as explain, to draw the arrow to the head, by earnest and copious exhortations to inculcate what is more briefly delivered in the word. Scripture possibly may be laid by as a neglected thing; therefore some that should be Christ's spokesmen must be sure to call upon us, and put us in mind of onr eternal con- dition, must bring the word nigh to us, Eom. x. 5. This institution speaketh much of the wisdom and goodness of God.
[1.] His wisdom. Death entered by the ear, so doth life and peace. Seeing is in heaven, but hearing in the church. God will try the world by his ordinary messengers. We would have visions, oracles, and miracles, Luke xvi. 30 ; some to come from the dead ; but God hath sent some to deal with us more rationallj^ by external applications in the way of a man, and not rule us by strong hand and mere force.
[2.] His goodness and condescension. He sends men of the same mould : 2 Cor. v. 19, 'And committed unto us the word of recon- ciliation.' Men subject to the same affections. As the fowler catcheth many birds by one decoy, a bird of the same feather. He dealeth with us as by men of the same nature, subject to the law of the same duties ; men with whom we may have ordinar}"^ and visible commerce ; not by angels that might affright us, but our fellow-creatures, who are con- cerned in the message as much as we are ; men that know the heart of a man by experience, our prejudices and temptations. If they