ed in them.

effectual persuasion of the will to Christ is not at all effectThere are some collateral effects, as I may call them, which the gospel has upon men. It would pain a considerate man to see how sinners fill themselves with a false happiness in these lesser things, while they still remain in the state of unregeneracy. I would fain undeceive such mistaken souls who bow down under the power of selfdeceit, and that in a point in which their eternal salvation is concerned. There are two things which are apt to deceive men in this matter; these are, partial convictions on the understanding, and transient motions on the affections. In these things multitudes deceive themselves, as if the whole design of the gospel were accomplished upon them therein.

(1.) Partial convictions of the understanding-light and knowledge breaking into the mind, producing orthodoxy of judgment: this seems to some the effectual opening of the understanding to Christ, though alas, to this day they never saw sin in its vileness, much less their own special sin; nor Christ in his suitableness and necessity. People who live under the gospel can hardly avoid the improvement of their understandings by the light that shines upon them; knowledge grows, their faculties expand, and they can talk well on religion and ably defend it. Perhaps they can even pray with commendable variety and largeness of expression: these things gain applause from men, and excite confidence in themselves, while no saving influences are shed down to quicken, change, and spiritualize the heart.

(2.) There are transient motions and touches of the gospel upon the affections, which give some men melting pangs and moods now and then under the word, though it never settles into a spiritual frame, an habitual heavenliness of temper; of such the apostle speaks, Heb. 6:5. And this is the more dangerous, because they now seem to have attained all that is essential to religion, or necessary to salvation. For when to the light of their understandings there

are added melting affections, a man seems to himself complete in all that the gospel requires to the being and constitution of a Christian, as a great divine, Mr. Burgess, speaks. Thus men are apt to reason: If I had only light in my mind, and never found any meltings of my affections, I might justly suspect myself to be a hypocrite; but there are times when my affections, as well as my understanding, seem to feel the power of the gospel. And yet these things may be where the heart never effectually opens to Christ; all this may be but a morning dew, or an early cloud that vanisheth away; as is plain in John's hearers, John 5:35, and in Paul's hearers, Gal. 4:14, 15. For except the convictions of the understanding are effectual, and the motions upon the affections settled to a heavenly habit and temper, the man is but where he was before as to the real condition of his soul. Were thy understanding so convinced of the evil nature and dreadful consequences of sin, and thy affections and will thereupon so effectually determined to embrace the Lord Jesus, upon a considerate and thorough examination of his terms propounded in the gospel, then thou mightest conclude the great design of it was accomplished upon thy soul; but to rest in general convictions and transient affections without this, is but to mock and deceive thy own soul. Alas, this comes not home to the main end of the gospel.

2. Learn from hence the prodigious stubbornness and hardness of the hearts of men living under the gospel, which still resist it. You have heard how all its commands, promises, threatenings, and examples bear directly and jointly upon the hearts of sinners to open the will to Christ; yet how few comparatively obey and answer this great design of it. All these are like heaven's great artillery planted against the unbelief and stubbornness of men, to batter down their carnal reasonings, overthrow their vain hopes, and open a fair passage for Christ into their souls.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2 Cor. 10:4, 5. If a mound be raised, and many cannon planted thereon, and all are played against the wall of a fort, thousands of shots made and yet no breach, not one stone moved out of its place, you will say that is a strong wall indeed. Beloved, God hath, as I may say, raised a mound in the gospel, planted the great ordnance of heaven upon it, discharged many dreadful volleys of threatenings; nay, he hath, as it were, come under the walls of the unbelieving soul with terms of mercy, and yet there is no opening. O prodigious obstinacy. "We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented." Matt. 11:17. Neither the sweet airs of gospel grace, nor the dreadful thunders of the law, make any impression upon you. O what an obdurate rock is the heart by nature. Certainly, every Christian may see enough in others, and find enough in himself, without the help of other books, to confute the doctrine which extols and flatters the nature of man. It is as easy to make an impression with your finger upon a wall of brass, as for the best sermon in the world, in its own strength, to make a saving impression upon a sinner's will.

3. Is it the great design of the gospel to open the hearts of men to Christ? Then wonder not that it meets with such strong and fierce opposition from Satan, wherever it is sincerely and powerfully preached. As for general and formal preaching, which comes not to the quick, Satan is not so much concerned about it; he knows it will do him no great damage; nay, it secures his interests in the souls of men. But wherever the gospel comes with power, laying the axe to the root, showing men the vanity of their

ungrounded hopes, pressing the necessity of regeneration and faith, this preaching quickly gives alarm to hell, and raises all manner of opposition against it. "What is it to preach the gospel," saith Luther, "but to drive the rage and fury of the whole world upon us?" Satan is the god of this world, all men by nature are his subjects: no prince is more jealous of the revolt of his subjects than he; and it is time for him to bestir himself, when the gospel comes to dethrone him, as it does in the faithful preaching of it. "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out." John 12:31. Now he falls as lightning from heaven. Luke 10:18. Now sinners are made sensible of the cruel tyranny and bondage of Satan's government, and of the glorious liberty offered to them by Jesus Christ. Satan suspecting the issue of these things, bestirs himself to purpose. O what showers of calumnies and storms of persecution does he pour on Christ's faithful ambassadors. Certainly he owes Christ's ministers a spite, and they shall know and feel it, if ever he get them within the compass of his chain. But let this discourage none employed in this glorious design; the Lord is with them to protect their persons and reward their diligence.

4. If the opening of the heart be the main design of the gospel, Christ and faith ought to be the principal subjects that ministers should insist on among their people. There are many other useful doctrines which ought to be opened and pressed in their time and place. Moral duties have their excellencies, but Christ and faith are the great things we are to preach. Let men be once brought to Christ, and the rest will follow; but to begin and end with morality, will never make men gospel Christians. Grace teaches morality, Tit. 2:11, 12; but morality without grace saves no man. It has been a grand artifice of the devil to confound grace with morality, and make men believe that nothing more is required for men's salvation, than a civil,

sober conversation in the world, and so lay aside the principal part of the gospel, which opens and presses the necessity of regeneration, repentance, and faith in the blood of Christ. Such preaching as this answers not the design of Christ in the conversion of souls; such preaching disturbs not the consciences of men: the Lord help all his ambassadors to mind the example and charge of their Redeemer, and laying, aside all carnal interest, to apply themselves faithfully unto the souls and consciences of their hearers, not as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ. Gal. 1:10.

5. In the next place, this doctrine is of excellent use to convince men of the damning nature of the sin of unbelief—a sin which frustrates the main design of the gospel of Christ on the unbeliever's soul. This is the sin that keeps the heart fast shut against him.

ical grace, so unbelief is the radical sin.

As faith is the rad

It is the traitor's

gate, through which those souls pass that are to perish for ever. The gospel can do you no good, the blood of Christ can yield no saving benefit, while your souls remain under the dominion of this sin. When we consider the mighty arguments of the gospel, we may wonder that all who hear them are not immediately persuaded to Christ by them. And on the other hand, when we consider the mighty power of unbelief, how strongly it holds the soul in bondage to sin, we may wonder that any soul is brought over to Christ even by the gospel. It was not without cause that the apostle puts faith in Christ among the great mysteries of the gospel. 1 Tim. 3:16. The intrinsic evil and fearful consequences of this sin of unbelief will appear in these three particulars.

(1.) It fixes the guilt of all other sins on the person of the unbeliever; it binds them all fast on his soul: "For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." John 8:24. It were better for thee to die any other death. What more terrible can God threaten, or man feel? This