In " shaming this their counsel," the ungodly will pretend to reason with them —
[They will deride this counsel as unnecessary ; since there is no occasion for them to feel any such alarm about their
souls They reprobate it as presumptuous : for, can
they suppose that God should pay such peculiar regard to them, to accept them, sanctify them, save them; when all the
rest of the world are perishing in their sins ? They
pour contempt upon it as ineffectual : for to think of setting- aside all good works in point of dependence, can be no other
than a desperate delusion Such are the arguments
with which the ungodly will endeavour to shame the poor out of their confidence in God.]
But we will defend their counsel against all these unjust aspersions —
[It is not unnecessary : for there is not a creature in the
universe that can be saved in any other way It is not
presumptuous. What presumption is there in believing God's promises, and in obeying his commands, and especially that command of coming to Christ and relying on him for salva- tion *= ? It is not ineffectual : for there never was, nor
ever shall be, one soul left to perish, that sought for mercy
solely and entirely by faith in Christ The cities of
refuge afforded a safe asylum to him who fled from the avenger of blood : and, whatever have been the sins of the believing penitent, " he shall not be ashamed or confounded, world without end^."]
Address,
1. The despisers —
[We need not go far to find persons of this character. In fact, they despise this counsel who do not follow it, even though they should never cast any particular reproach on those
who adopt it But, I beg leave to ask, what comisel
will you give ? Shall it be, to despise all I'eligion ? or
to rest in outward forms ? or to say, " Lord, Lord,
whilst you do not the things which he says ? " You
may boldly maintain this counsel now : but will you do it in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment? Know, assuredly, that you will be ashamed of it then, whether ye be now, or not. And that is the only wise counsel which will be approved of your God, and issue in your everlasting salvation. All else is but to " make lies your refuge, and to hide yourselves under falsehood^;" or, in other words, to " build on a foundation of sand, what will fall," and crush you under its ruins.]
e 1 John iii. 23. ^ Isai. xlv. 17. s Isai. xxviii. 15.