undeserving of any serious regard. Yet will not men believe us, any more than they believed our blessed Lord. They will cry out against us, as introducing new doctrines, though they are so fully maintained by our own Church, and by all the Apostles and Prophets from the foundation of the world. Let a minister preach any self-righteous doctrines subversive of the Gospel, and he will be credited by all : but where the Gospel comes, a division immediately ensues; and, if some receive the word, vast multitudes will be found to reject it.]
To account for this unbelief, I will point out, II. The source from whence it flows —
Men can give no satisfactory reason for it : for they have in their own minds somewhat of a conviction, that what they oppose is true. Hence our Lord said, and we also may adopt his words, " If I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?" The true reason of men's unbelief is, that they have within them " an evil heart," from whence it proceeds6. In answer to our Lord's question, then, I will tell you why you do not believe.
1. You will not inquire into what you hear — [Men hear us, as they heard our blessed Lord : but they
will not examine whether what they hear agrees with the voice of inspiration, or whether it corresponds with their own experience. We tell them of their guilt : we declare to them their danger : we make known to them the way of salvation : but whether they assent to what they hear, or dissent from it, they alike are sunk in unbelief ; because they will not take the pains necessary for investigating the subject, or ascertaining the agreement of our statements with the truth of God. In this the inhabitants of Thessalonica shewed themselves pecu- liarly defective, whilst the Beraeans prosecuted a wiser and better plan : " The Beraeans were more noble than those at Thessalonica, in that they searched the Scriptures daily, to see if these things were so : and therefore many of them, it is said, believed*." If men will leave truth unexplored, it is no wonder if they doubt its excellence, or deny its very existence.]
2. You are averse to the truth, as far as it comes
before you —
[Our Lord's hearers " believed him not, because he told them the truths." And so it is now. If we declare to you your undone state, you do not like to hear of it. If we affirm
e Heb. Hi. 12. f Acts xvii. 11, 12. & ver. 45.