網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

CXVII.

SERM. soul here present to do whatsoever Christ commands, so as to become His faithful disciples, real Saints, such as the Gospel requires you all to be, and such as many have been already. And why should not we be such as well as any other? If we be not, the fault is wholly in ourselves, in our own corrupt wills; we will not, and that is the only reason that we do not serve God as we ought. Do but resolve, by God's grace, to set upon it in good earnest, and the business is done. For,

2. When ye have once taken Christ's yoke upon you, and made trial of it, you will feel it to be, as He saith, easy and light; yea, comfortable and pleasant to you. When ye have once entered upon God's service, and are accustomed to it, you will find it to be perfect freedom: all difficulties will then be over. You will have so much joy and comfort, so much rest and quiet, so much pleasure and satisfaction in your minds, from your obeying and serving God, that nothing which He commands will seem hard or grievous to you.

3. If ye take Christ's easy yoke upon you, and bear His light burden while ye live, you will get to Heaven when ye die and what can ye desire more? For there you will have more than as yet ye can desire: for there you will be with Christ, with God Himself, and be as happy as it is possible for creatures to be. And that surely would be a sufficient recompense, although ye should spend your whole life in toil and labour for it: how much more, when nothing else is required of you than what ye may all do with ease and pleasure, as Christ Himself assures us with His Own mouth, saying, "For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

[blocks in formation]

THE Prophets, the Apostles, and the Ministers of Christ, in all ages, have complained of the little effect their ministry had upon the people they were sent to; and we have as much cause to make the same complaint now, if not much more than ever for, though God's Holy Word was never more frequently read, more plainly expounded, or more powerfully pressed for many ages, than it is in this; yet there are but few that mind it, but few that are ever the better for it. I speak not only of those who, according to St. Paul's prophecy, will not "endure sound doctrine, but after their own 2 Tim. 4. 3. lusts heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;" but of those also who profess to believe and come to hear the good Word of God, as administered by those who are sent by God Himself to do it, there are but few of them that do any more than hear it: though they hear it over and over again, it is all one, they will not do it: though we tell them from Christ's Own mouth, that "except they repent, they [Luke 13. must all perish," yet they will not do it: though we tell them, 3.] upon His infallible word, that if they "first seek the King- [Matt. 6. dom of God and His righteousness, all" other necessary "things shall be added" to them, yet they will not do it: though we tell them that it is their interest, as well as duty, to perform both their public and private devotions to Almighty God every day, and to serve Him with reverence and godly fear, yet they will not do it: though we invite

33.]

SERM. them in the Name of Christ to come to His Own table, and

CXVIII. there feed upon His most blessed body and blood, so as to

partake of all the blessings which He hath merited for them, yet they will not come: some not at all, and others so seldom, as to shew they care not whether they ever come or no; like those in the parable, who when they were invited by Matt. 22. 5. a king to the marriage of his own son, " they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise." Thus the care of this world, and the deceitful

22.5.

[ch. 13.22.] ness of riches, usually choke the seed of God's Word, and make it unfruitful, how carefully soever it is sown. It rarely meets with an honest and good heart, that will bring forth fruit to perfection.

This may seem a severe reflection upon the age we live in, but I am sure it is true: there are none here present who take notice of what is done in the world, but know it to be so of the greatest part of those they are acquainted with many, I fear, know it to be true of themselves, that they have heard the Word of God for many years together, and yet, to this day, will not do it. I judge no man, but leave every one to the judgment of God, and of his own conscience. But I desire you all to consider what the Judge John 13. 17. of the whole world saith, " If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Whereby He hath assured you, that your hearing or knowing your duty will never make you happy unless you do it, but it will rather aggravate your sin James 4.17. and misery; for "to him that knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin." He doth not only sin, by not doing good, but he sins also by knowing how to do it and yet not doing it; and so is guilty of a double sin, one in neglecting his duty, as it is commanded by God, and another in neglecting it, although he himself knows it to be his duty; and by consequence, he sins both against God and his own conscience too, and will fare accordingly in the other world; where it will be more tolerable for those that never heard of the Word of God, than for such as heard it, and yet refused to conform their faith and actions to it.

When I seriously reflect upon these things, I cannot but dread to think of the sad account that many of us will have to give at the last day, and heartily wish that I may be an

instrument in God's hand, to bring them to a better mind; that, for the future, they may "be doers of the word, and Jam. 1. 22. not hearers only, deceiving their own souls;" that they may not be hearing and hearing all their life long, and all in vain and to no purpose; like those who are always running in a race, and yet never get the prize; but that they may run as to obtain," as the Apostle here adviseth, or rather Almighty God, by him, commandeth all men to do.

[ocr errors]

For here, we may first observe, He speaks to all indifferently, whatsoever state or condition they are in as to this world, high or low, rich or poor; as all are capable of it, so He would have all run, so as to obtain the crown, the "incorruptible crown," as He calls it in the next verse, even eternal life and glory in the world to come. This is offered in the Gospel unto all; so that all may have it that will but take the care and pains they ought for it; which the Apostle expresseth by running for it, in allusion to the Isthmian games, where men used to run races for a certain prize which was set before them: which kind of races being usually run near Corinth, the inhabitants of that city could not but be thoroughly acquainted with all things relating to them; and therefore the Apostle, writing to them, saith, "Know ye not that they which run in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize?" and then adds, "So run that ye may obtain." He takes it for granted, that they knew, that how many soever ran in those races, only one obtained the prize; but in this, He would have all run so as to obtain it; this being such a prize, that not only one but all may have it, that will but run aright for it; for God is no respecter

of

persons, He "would have all men to be saved, and come 1 Tim. 2. 4. to the knowledge of the truth;" and accordingly, "He so John 3. 16. loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life;" He excepts against no man, nor, by consequence, against any one here present; but every one of you may as certainly be a glorified Saint hereafter in Heaven, as he is now in this place, if it be not his own fault; God permits, He invites, nay, He commands you all to run so as to obtain eternal life; and therefore, if any of you miss of it, they must blame themselves for it: and so

CXVIII.

SERM. they will when it is too late; they will blame themselves to all eternity for being such fools and madmen as to lose such a glorious prize, which once they might have had but would not the remembrance whereof will be a great aggravation of the misery that you will then suffer by your own default. This is a thing much to be observed, and I wish you would always carry it in your minds, even, that whatsoever your outward condition may be at present, you are all, as yet, in a capacity of obtaining the crown of glory. This prize is set before you all, and you are all, and every one, required to run so as to obtain it.

Col. 1. 12.

But then you must observe withal, that you must run for it, or else you can never have it. No prize was ever gotten by sitting still and doing nothing; much less this, the greatest that ever was or ever can be offered to the world. You must not think that it will drop into your mouths while you are asleep, or be forced upon you whether you will or no. No; there is a great deal to be done before we can be "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light," a great deal more than men commonly think of; who, when they have spent their whole life in nothing else but eating, and drinking, and sleeping, or else in getting money, and perhaps using unlawful means to get it, yet after all hope to go to Heaven when they die. But what ground can they have to hope for it? None, certainly; no more than a man hath to expect the prize that other people run for, although he himself never runs at all, but stands stock still all the while; such a one, be sure, can never get it: and therefore the Apostle here adviseth all to run, that have any mind to obtain it.

And more than that too, he adviseth them not only to run, but to "run so as to obtain:" whereby he puts them in mind, that they may run so as not to obtain: and so, verily, many do; as our Lord and Master also Himself hath taught Luke 13.24. us, saying, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." But lest we should mistake His meaning, He Himself exver.25-27. plains it in the following words, saying, "When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door,

« 上一頁繼續 »