The Jews were apt to found their hopes of mercy on their relation to Abraham —
[Many of them had a strange conceit that no child of Abraham could perish : and it is probable that they built that notion on the promise of God never to cast off the seed of Abraham*^. They had no idea that there was such a thing as a spiritual seed ; and therefore they limited the promise to his descendants according to the flesh, and included all of them without any regard to their moral character. Against this erroneous notion the Baptist cautioned those whom he now addressed; and told them, that God would rather raise up a posterity to Abraham out of the very stones, (or perhaps from among the Gentile soldiers, many of whom might be present with them on that occasion,) than either sufier his promise to fail, or admit impenitent sinners to heaven.]
And similar to this are the delusions which obtain
amongst us —
[Because men have been born of Christian parents, and educated in a Christian land, and have never formally re- nounced Christianity, they imagine that they are Christians, notwithstanding they have never cordially embraced the doc- trines of Christianity, nor obeyed its precepts. They have the
^ Gal. v. 22, 23. ^ 2 Cor. vii. 10, 11. f Jer. xxxi. 35—37.
r 9
same reason for being Christians that Mahometans have for being Mahometans, and no better. They have never seen the suitableness of Christianity to their wants, nor the sufficiency of it for their necessities: nor have they been concerned about it, any further than just to observe its outward forms. Yet On this the generality found their hopes of heaven. Whether they will express it in words or not, it is that which they " tihink to say tvitkm themselves." But we must remind all such persons of the declaration of St. Paul, " that he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh : but he is a Jew who is one inwardly : and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God^." It is not any external profession that will avail us in the day of judg- ment : we may have the sublimest knowledge, the strongest faith, the most ardent zeal, and the most unbounded libe- rality, and yet perish at last for want of that principle of love, which is the source and summit of all vital godliness '\ O that we may never deceive our own souls, nor rest in any thing shoit of "pure, practical, and undefiled religion!"]
Such indifference about true reliction would not long exist, if men would but reflect, Uiat, III. There is a time shortly coming, when tlie want of it will be attended with the most bitter con- sequences.
God had determined to punish the Jewish nation for their unfruitfulness —
[Long had he waited to see whether the vines he had cul- tivated with so much care, would bring forth fruit: but they brought forth none but wild grapes: and therefore, though he had spared them long at the intercession of the vine-dresser, he determined speedily to cut them down, that they might cumber the ground no longer. Of this the Baptist wanied^his audience : he assured them, that God was ready to execute his purpose; that "the axe was even now lying or their roots ;" and that nothing but immediate and true repentance could avert their doom.]
The same awful judgment awaits every unfruitful soul — *^
[An unfruitful tree stands unconscious of the destiny that awaits It : but they who see the preparations made for cutting It down, anticipate its fate. Thus, if impenitent transgressors nad eyes to see, they might see the axe lying at their root, and
s Rom. ii. 28, 29. h j Cor. xiii. 1-3. i Ke7rcu rrpor.