HARING LIGHT OF CHRIST. 587 thermore, the same gospel maketh an offer of Christ to sinners, that if they will accept him on his easy and reasonable terms, he will be their Savior, the physician of their souls, their husband, and their head. 2. The benefits that he offereth them are these. (1.) That with these blessed relations to .him, himself, and interest in him, they shall have the pardon of all their sins past, and be saved from God's wrath, and be set in a sure way Of obtaining a pardon for all the sins that they shall commit hereafter, so they do but obey sin- cerely, and turnnot again to the rebellionof their unregeneracy. (2.) They shall have the Spirit to become their guide and sanctifier, and to dwell in their souls, and help them against their enemies, and conformthem more and more to his image, and heal their dis- eases, and bring them back to God. (3.) They shall have right to everlastingglory when this life is ended, and shall be raised up thereto at the last; besides many excellent privileges in the way, in means, preservation, and provision, and the foretaste of, what they shall enjoy hereafter. All these benefits the gospel offereth to them that will.have Christ on his reasonable terms. The sum of all is in 1 John v. 11, 12, "This is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son : he that hath the Sonbath life, and he that bath. not the Son hath not life." II. What this sin of the making light of the gospel is. 1. To make light ofthe gospel is to take no great heed to what is spoken, as if it were not a certain truth,, orelse were a matter that little con- cerned them; or as if God had not written these things for them. 2. When the gospel doth not affect men, or go to their hearts; but though they seem to attend to what is said, yet men are not awakened by it from their security, nor doth it work in any measure such holy passion in their souls as matters of such everlasting con- sequence should do this is making light of the gospel of salva- tion. When we tell men what Christ bath done and suffered for their souls, it scarcely moveth them: we tell them of keen and cutting truths, but nothing will pierce them : we can make them hear, but we cannot malte them feel: our words take up in the porch of their ears and fancies, but will not enter into the in- ward parts; as ifwe spake to men that had no hearts or feeling: this is a making light of Christ and salvation; (Acts xxviii. 26, 27.) hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people is waxen gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, their eyes are closed, &tc. 3. When men have no high estimation of Christ and salvation, but whatsoever they may say with their tongues, or dreamingly and speculatively believe, yet, in their serious and practical thoughts,
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