606 MÀKING LIGHT OF CHRIST. will a despised Christ save you then? If he be accursed that sets light by father or mother, (Dent. xxvii. 16.) what then is he that' sets light by Christ ? It was the heinous sin of the Jews, that among them were found such as set light by father and mother Ezek. xxu. 7. But among us, men slight the Father of Spirits In the name of God, brethren, I beseech you to consider how you will then bear his anger which now you make light of ! You that cannot make light of a little sickness or want, or of natural death, no, notof a toothache, but groan as if you were undone ; how will you then make light of the fury of the Lord, which will burn against the contemners of his grace ! Doth it not behove you beforehand to think of these things ? iii. Hitherto I have been convincing you of the evil of the sin, and the danger that followeth : I come nowto know your resolution for the time to come. What say you? Do .you mean to set as light by Christ and salvation as hitherto you have done ; and tabe the same men after all this ? I hope not. O, let not your minis- ters, that would fainsave you, be brought in as witnesses against you to condemn you : at least, I beseech you, put not this upon me. Why, sirs, if the Lord shall say to us at judgment, Did you never tell these men what Christ did for their souls, and what need they had of him, and how nearly it did concern them to look to their salvation, that theymade light of it ? wemust needs say the truth ; Yea, Lord, we told them of it as plainly as we could ; we would have gone on our knees to them if we had thought it would have prevailed ; we did entreat them as earnestly as we could to consid- er these things: they heard of these things every day ; but, alas ! we never could get them to their hearts : they gave us the hear- ing, but theymade light of all that we could say to them. O, sad will it prove on your side, if you force us to such an answer as this. But if the Lord .do move the hearts of any of you, and you re- solve to make light of Christ no more; or if any of you say, ' We do not make light of him ;' let me tell you here in the conclusion what you must do, or else you shall be judged as 'slighters of Christ and salvation. And first I will tell you what will not serve the turn. 1. You may have a notional knowledge of Christ, and the ne- cessity of his blood, and of the excellency of salvation, and yet perish as neglecters of him. This is too common among professed Christians. You may say all that other men do of him. What gospel passages had Balaam ! Jesus I know, and Paul I know, the very devils could say, who believe and tremble; James ii. 2. You may weep at the history of his passion, when you read how he was used by the Jews, and yet make light of him, and perish for so doing.
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