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pable of obtaining it by their own exertions. They were in a state of death. They were in a state of condemnation as finners. Eternal deftruction hung over their heads: and from that deftruction they were of themselves unable to deliver their fouls. Secondly: A method of obtaining life was provided and made known unto them; namely, to come unto Chrift. God had openly fet forth his Son, from eternity,apartaker of the Godhead, to be a propitiation for the fins of mankind; to purchase salvation by his blood; to reveal to men the path of righteousness, and to enable them to purfue it. Thirdly: The Jews had the power of coming unto Chrift, and of thus obtaining life. On another occasion, our Lord affirmed, as an univerfal truth; No man can come unto me, except the Father which bath fent me draw him. But the terms in which he addreffed the multitude, "Ye will not come unto me," prove, that to them, as unto all to whom the Gospel was preached, the requifite affiftance was vouchfafed from above; and that their refufal to feek falvation through Him was their own voluntary deed.

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Do you conceive that these momentous> truths have no other reference than to the

Jews?

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Jews? They relate to all men. All men equally with the Jews have inherited from the common ancestor of all the fame corrupt nature. All men, like the Jews, have incurred the wrath of God, and plunged them felves into a ftate of death and condemnation, by breaking his Law: and are equally incapable of fatisfying his juftice, and delivering themselves from punishment by any ftrength or wifdom of their own. To all men, as unto the Jews, life, an eternal life of happiness, is offered. To all men Jefus Chrift is propofed as the Author and only Giver of Salvation. To all men grace is extended from above, to render them capable of coming unto Chrift effectually for pardon, for bleffedness everlasting. On all men power and affiftance fufficient progreffively to incline and enable them, if they refift not the Holy Spirit, to come unto Chrift and attain falvation, are mercifully bestowed. And every man, who perishes in confequence of not coming unto Chrift, perifhes becaufe, though in every refpect enabled to come, he will not come unto the appointed Saviour that he might have life.

Perhaps, however, you may be difpofed to conclude that you have already obeyed

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the command of coming unto the Lord Jefus. May God grant that you may be warranted in that conclufion! But on what formed it? Do

you con

grounds have you clude that you have come unto Chrift, because you were born in a Christian country; were baptifed into the Christian Church; have been accustomed to attend Christian worship, and to profefs yourselves Christians? All thefe fteps may have been taken, and you may ftill be in a state of death. Were not the Jews outwardly. members of the true church of God in their day? Had not they been received into that Church, according to the ordinance of God, in their infancy? Had not they been trained up in attendance on the Synagogue and the Temple? Were not they zealous for the forms of their religion, and eager to profess themselves the people of God? Yet how does our Saviour addrefs them? As men under the fentence of condemnation. My brethren, to be a realChriftian is not to be a Chriftian in name and profeffion; but to be in heart and conduct, as becometh the doctrine of Chrift. And

no man is in heart and conduct a true difciple of our Lord, who has not come unto Him that he might have life.

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That you may be affifted in judging, every one for himself, whether you have come unto Chrift that ye might have life; or whether, like the Jews, you have hitherto refused to liften to his call; I propofe, in the firft place, to fet before you fome of the circumftances which hinder men from coming unto Chrift: then to explain the manner in which you are to come unto him effectually for falvation: and afterwards to make a fhort and practical application of the subject.

I. Among the circumftances by which individuals are restrained from having recourfe to Jefus Chrift for life eternal the most obvious, is disbelief of the truth. of his divine miffion; or feepticism, fo great as practically to be followed by effects the fame with thofe of pofitive unbelief. "And fhall a man," we are asked, "be

condemned, becaufe he applies not for "falvation to a perfon whom he believes that God has not commiffioned to be a "Saviour?" No. But he may be condemned for not believing that God has commiffioned that perfon to be a Saviour. Here new outcries againft uncharitablenefs and bigotry are raised. "Shall a man be

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"condemned, because an impreffion of a "certain kind is not wrought upon his "understanding: because the evidence"adduced in fupport of an afferted fact proves infufficient to convince his judge"ment ?" Yes if it be through his own culpability that his understanding is fteeled. against the impreffion, his judgement biaffed against the evidence. Suppofe that man ftanding to receive his final doom, and thus addreffed from the throne. "Thou wert endowed, while on earth, "with faculties adequate to the examination of the evidences of Chriftianity. Thou wert ftationed, not in a region ftill overspread with the corruptions of "darkened ages; but in a land where in "fimplicity and truth, the pure doctrines "of the Gofpel were displayed: not in a region where the oracles of God were "fealed up in an unknown tongue; where "ignorance furrounded the the enquirer; "where perfecution cut off the faithful "worshipper; but in a land of light and "knowledge, a land of civil and religious "freedom. My word was unfolded before "thee, My temples were opened to thee "My Minifters warned and invited thee, "in vain. The fupreme importance of

"Eternity

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