CHRIST the only Preservative against a Reprobate Spirit.
2 CORINTHIANS xiii. 5.
_Know ye not your ownselves, how that JESUS CHRIST is in you, except ye be Reprobates._
THE doctrines of the gospel are doctrines of peace, and they bring comfort to all who believe in them; they are not like the law given by _Moses_, which consisted of troublesome and painful ceremonies; neither do they carry with them that terror which the law did; as, “cursed is every one who continueth not to do all things which are written in the book of the law:” If you were to keep the whole law, and break but in one point, you are guilty of the breach of all. The law denounces threatnings against all who do not conform to her strict commands; but the gospel is a declaration of grace, peace and mercy; here you have an account of the blood of CHRIST, blood which speaketh better things than that of _Abel_; for _Abel_’s blood cried aloud for vengeance, vengeance: But JESUS CHRIST’s crieth mercy, mercy, mercy upon the guilty sinner. If he comes to CHRIST, confesses and forsakes his sin, then JESUS will have mercy upon him: And if, my brethren, you are but sensible of your sins, convinced of your iniquities, and feel yourselves lost, undone sinners, and come and tell CHRIST of your lost condition, you will soon find how ready he is to help you; he will give you his spirit; and if you have his spirit you cannot be reprobates: you will find his spirit to be quickening and refreshing; not like the spirit of the world, a spirit of reproach, envy, and all uncharitableness.
Most of your own experiences will confirm the truth hereof; for are not you reproached and slandered, and does not the world say all manner of evil against you, merely because you follow JESUS CHRIST; because you will not go to the same excess of riot with them? While they are singing the songs of the drunkard, you are singing psalms and hymns: while they are at a playhouse, you are hearing a sermon: while they are drinking, revelling and mispending their precious time, and hastening on their own destruction, you are reading, praying, meditating, and working out your salvation with fear and trembling. This is matter enough for a world to reproach you; you are not polite and fashionable enough for them. If you will live godly, you must suffer persecution; you must not expect to go through this world without being persecuted and reviled. If you were of the world, the world would love you; for it always loves its own; but if you are not of the world, it will hate you; it has done so in all ages, it never loved any but those who were pleased with its vanities and allurements. It has been the death of many a lover of JESUS, merely because they have loved him: And, therefore, my brethren, do not be surprized if you meet with a fiery trial, for all those things will be a means of sending you to your master the sooner.
The spirit of the world is hatred; that of CHRIST is love: the spirit of the world is vexation; that of CHRIST is pleasure: the spirit of the world is sorrow; that of CHRIST is joy: the spirit of the world is evil, and that of CHRIST is good: the spirit of the world will never satisfy us, but CHRIST’s spirit is all satisfaction: the spirit of the world is misery; that of CHRIST is ease. In one word, the spirit of the world has nothing lasting; but the spirit of CHRIST is durable, and will last through an eternity of ages: the spirit of CHRIST will remove every difficulty, satisfy every doubt, and be a means of bringing you to himself, to live with him for ever and ever.
From the words of my text, I shall shew you,
I. The necessity of receiving the spirit of CHRIST.
II. Who CHRIST is, whose spirit you are to receive, And then
Shall conclude with an exhortation to all of you, high and low, rich and poor, to come unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and to beg that you may receive his spirit, so that you may not be reprobates.
_First_, I am to shew you the necessity there is of receiving the spirit of CHRIST.
And here, my brethren, it will be necessary to consider you as in your first state; that is, when GOD first created _Adam_, and placed him in the garden of _Eden_, and gave him a privilege of eating of all the trees in the garden, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which stood in the midst thereof. Our first parents had not been long in this state of innocence, before they fell from it, they broke the divine commands, and involved all their posterity in guilt; for as _Adam_ was our representative, so we were to stand or fall in him; and as he was our fœderal head, his falling involved all our race under the power of death, for death came into the world by sin; and we all became liable to the eternal punishment due from GOD, for man’s disobedience to the divine command.