Ver. 4-6.—1. It is a great mercy, a great privilege, to be en- lightened with the doctrine of the gospel, by the effectual working of the Holy Ghost. 2. It is such a privilege as may be lost, and end in the aggravation of the sin and condemnation of those who were made partakers of it. 3. Where there is a total neglect of the due improvement of this privilege and mercy, the condition of such persons is hazardous, as inclining towards apostasy. 4. All the gifts of God under the gospel are peculiarly heavenly, John iii. 12; Eph. i. 3. 5. The Holy Ghost, for the revelation of the mysteries of the gospel, and the institution of the ordinances of spiritual wor- ship, is the great gift of God under the new testament. 6. There is a goodness and excellency in this heavenly gift, which may be tasted or experienced in some measure by such as never receive him in his life, power, and efficacy. 7. A rejection of the gospel, its truth and worship, after some experience had of their worth and excellency, is a high aggravation of sin, and a certain presage of de- struction. 8. The Holy Ghost is present with many as to power- ful operations, with whom he is not present as to gracious inhabita- tion. 9. There’isa goodness and excellency in the word of God, able to attract and affect the minds of men, who yet never arrive at sincere obedience to it. 10. There is an especial goodness in the word of the promise concerning Jesus Christ, and the declaration of its accomplishment.
Ver. 7.—1. The minds of all men by nature are universally
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482 SUMMARY OF DOCTRINAL AND [CHAP. VI. 8.
and equally barren with respect to fruits of righteousness and ‘holi- ness, meet for and acceptable unto God. 2. The dispensation of the word of the gospel unto men is an effect of the sovereign power and pleasure of God, as is the giving of rain unto the earth. 3. God so ordereth things in his sovereign, unsearchable providence, that the gospel shall be sent unto, and in the administration of it shall find admittance into what places, and at what times, seem good unto himself, even as he orders the rain to fall on one place, and not on another. 4. It is the duty of those unto whom the dispensation of the word is committed of God, to be diligent, watchful, instant in their work, that their doctrine may, as it were, continually drop and distil upon their hearers, that the rain may fall often on the earth. 5. Attendance unto the word preached, hearing of it with some dili- gence, and giving of it some kind of reception, make no great differ- ence among men; for this is common unto them who never become fruitful. 6. God is pleased to exercise much patience towards those to whom he once grants the mercy and the privilege of his word, 7. Where God grants means, there he expects fruit. 8. Duties of gos- pel obedience are fruits meet for God, things that have a proper and especial tendency unto his glory. 9. Wherever there are any sin- cere fruits of faith and obedience found in the hearts and lives of professors, God graciously accepts and blesseth them.
Ver. 8.—1. Whilst the gospel is preached unto men, they are under their great trial for eternity. 2. Barrenness under the dis- pensation of the gospel is always accompanied with an increase of sin. 3. Ordinarily God proceeds to the rejection and destruction of barren professors by degrees, although they are seldom sensible of it until they fall irrecoverably into ruin. ;
Ver. 9.—1. It is the duty of the dispensers of the gospel to satisfy their hearers in and of their love in Jesus Christ to their souls and persons. 2. It is our duty to come unto the best satisfaction we may in the spiritual condition of them with whom we are to have spiri- tual communion. 3. We may, as occasions require, publicly testify that good persuasion which we have concerning the spiritual condi- tion of others, and that unto themselves. 4. The best persuasion we can arrive unto concerning the spiritual condition of any leaves yet room, yea, makes way for gospel threatenings, warnings, exhorta- tions, and encouragements. 5. Among professors of the gospel somie are partakers of better things than others, 6. There are, according to the tenor of the covenant of grace, such things bestowed on some per- sons as salvation doth infallibly accompany and ensue upon. 7. It is the duty of all professors strictly to examine themselves concerning their participation of those better things which accompany salvation.
Ver. 10.—1. Faith, if it be a living faith, will be a working faith.
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2. We ought to look on obedience as our work, which will admit neither of sloth nor negligence. 8. It is a due regard unto the name of God that gives life, spirituality, and acceptance, unto all the du- ties of love which we perform towards others. 4. It is the will and pleasure of God that many of his saints be in a condition, in this world, wherein they stand in need of being ministered unto. 5. The great trial of our love consists in our regard to the saints that are in distress, 6. It is the glory and honour of a church, the principal evidence of its spiritual life, when it is diligent and abounds in those duties of faith and love which are attended with the greatest diffi- culties. 7. Our perseverance in faith and obedience, though it re- quires our duty and constancy therein, yet it depends not on them absolutely, but on the righteousness of God in his promises. 8. No- thing shall be lost that is done for God, or in obedience unto him. 9. The certainty of our future reward, depending on the righteousness of God, is a great encouragement unto present obedience.