O then, let us not look upon the gofpel as an ordinary thing, but as fomething indeed extraordinary. Accordingly let us highly prize and value that book of God put into our hands, which brings unto us the teftimony of Jefus Chrift. The enjoyment of it is a wonderful privilege.

USE 2. We may hence learn the exceeding greatnefs of the fin of unbelief. Real unbelief, is a fin much more common than is imagined. It was prophefied of old, that few would believe the report of the gofpel. Ifai. iii. 1. Who bath beieved our report? And the apostles had occafion to fpeak of the dreadful accomplishment of that prediction, Job. xii. 37, 38. Though he had done fo many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him; that the faying of Efaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which be fpake, Lord, who hath believed &c. So Rom. x. 16. There were but very few comparatively, that received or gave credit to the teftimony of Chrift. Job. iii. 32. And what he hath feen and heard, that be teftifieth, and no man receiveth his teftimony. And as it was then, fo it is unto this day. Under the gofpel, there are a multitude of unbelievers. There are many indeed that make a profeffion of believing the gofpel, who yet in reality do not believe it. There are but few that believe the glorious myfteries, the precious promifes, the awful threatnings of the gospel. The little or no influence which these things have upon the hearts and lives of men, do plainly declare that they do not really believe them, whatever they may pretend.

And

Now, the greatness of this fin of unbelief may be gathered from the truth before us. For it is a not believing him, whom God has fent to be a witness to us. this is a charging him with being a falfe witness. It makes Jefus Chrift, whom God the Father has given to us for a witnefs, to be a liar. For not to believe his teftimony, is in effect to reprefent him under this bafe character. 1 Job. v. 10. He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar. Not to believe the teftimony of Chrift, is to

give him the lie. And how horrid a fin is this, to tax Jefus Chrift, the faithful and true witness, come from God, with being a liar! If there be any fin, that we have reason. to mourn over and be humbled before God for, it is this worse than devilish fin, unbelief. The Devils themselves have fuch a belief of Chrift's teftimony, as to tremble, and be filled with dread thereat. How vile then are they, that have not fo much faith as the very Devils? They that doubt of gofpel truths, they that are not in the least moved or affected with them; as is the cafe of too many under the gospel!

USE 3. We may hence be affured, that all the awful threatnings denounced by Jefus Chtift, against unbelieving, impenitent, and difobedient finners, fhall be executed upon them. The gofpel record contains in it, many dreadful and tremendous threatnings, uttered by our Lord Jefus Chrift. He has faid, that fuch as believe not, fhall be damned. He has faid, that except finners repent, they shall perish. He has faid, that fuch as know their mafter's will and do it not, fhall be beaten with many fripes. He has faid, that if lufts, as dear as a right hand or right eye, be not parted with, men fhall be caft into hell fire, where the worm dieth not, and where the fire is not quenched. He has faid, that gofpel finners fhall receive greater damnation, than others, even than Sodom and Gomorrab, places of crying abominations. Thus has Jefus Chrift faid, and thus it affuredly fhall be. He that teftifies these things, is a witness fent from God, and he is a true and faithful witnefs. And finners fhall one day find, that he has spoken the truth in all the menaces of his word. O then let fecure finners be awakened out of their fecurity, and no longer dream of an exemption from punishment, while they continue in fin. For as fure as the Lord Jefus Chrift is a divine, infallible witnefs, fo fure is it, that the wrath of God will overtake, and abide upon impenitent finners.

Hé

USE 4. This may affure true believers, that all the promifes of the gofpel fhall be fulfilled to them. There are exceeding great and precious promifes, which Jefus Chrift has in the gospel given to believers. He has told them, that their beavenly Father will give good things, yea, his good fpirit, unto them, upon their prayer to him. has told them, that whatfoever they shall afk of bis Father in his name, he will do it for them. He has told them, that they hall never perish, but shall have eternal life given to them, and be for ever in heaven with him. Now, all thefe, and whatever other promifes are contained in the gofpel of Chrift, fhall moft undoubtedly be made good to believers. He is given of God to be a witnefs of these things to them, and he is a witnefs that cannot lie, or deceive. It is no more poffible for the promifes to be unfulfilled to believers, than it is poffible for Jefus Chrift to be a falfe witness. Let all believers then be encouraged and comforted, in the affured hope and expectation of all promised bleffings. It is no prefumption in you, but duty, confidently to truft in God, for grace, and glory, and every good thing, for the fake of Jefus Chrift.

USE 5. Let us all be exhorted to receive the teftimony of our Lord Jefus Chrift. If he be given of God to be a witness to us, it is then our duty to give due entertainment to his teftimony. John the Baptift complained, that na man (i. e. fcarce any, or but very few) received the teftimony of Chrift, Joh. iii. 32. O let there not be occafion for fuch a complaint concerning us; but let his teftimony find ready reception with us.

tives.

Confider here three Mo

Mot. 1. The teftimony of Chrift is moft worthy of our reception. It is fo upon all accounts, that can be imagined; efpecially on thefe two accounts.

1. His teftimony is truly divine. It is not the teftimony of a meer creature, but of one that is true God. Jefus Chrift is God and man in one perfon. And therefore his teftimony, is the teftimony of GoD. For this caufe

cause it is most worthy to be received. The teftimony of a wife, and knowing, and faithful man, is worthy to be received how much more the teftimony of God? 1 Job. v. 9. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. It is infinitely more valid and certain, than any human teftimony.-Again, the teftimony of an holy Angel is worthy to be received. And therefore Zacharias was fmitten with dumbnefs, for not believing the words of the Angel Gabriel, Luk. i. 20. How much more worthy is the teftimony of Jefus Chrift to be received, who is a greater and more excellent perfon than the highest Archangel, even a divine perfon, whom all the Angels of God do worship? Heb. i. 4, 5, 6. Jefus Chrift is God the Son, and therefore his teftimony is, without controverfy, moft worthy of our hearty reception.

2. His teftimony is concerning things of the highest importance. They are not mean and trivial matters, which he witneffes to us, but matters of infinite and eternal confequence. His teftimony respects thofe things, which have reference to our everlasting felicity, or mifery. He teftifies to us, that everlasting falvation, or everlasting damnation, will be the portion of every man. He also teftifies to us, the way for obtaining falvation, and efcaping damnation. Now furely, one that witneffes fuch things as thefe unto us, is moft worthy to be received by

Us.

How readily do we receive a witnefs, that may be ferviceable to us in our temporal interefts? But how much more readily fhould we receive a witness, that may be ferviceable to us in our eternal interefts? What are all the tranfient good or evil things of this world, compared with the eternal good or evil things of the world to come? In this Cafe then, Chrift may fay to us, as Mofes did to the people of Ifrael, Deut. xxxii. 46, 47. Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day.-For it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life.

Mot. 2. Confider how great a fin it is, not to receive the teftimony of Jefus Chrift. Men for the most part make a light matter of rejecting the teftimony of Christ,

as if there were little or no evil in it: but it is a fin of the greatest magnitude. For,

(1.) It is a contempt of the grace and good will of Jefus Chrift. How wonderful was the grace of the Son of God, that he would come down from heaven, to preach the glad tidings of good things to a miferable and finful world? He did not content himself to fend an Angel, or prophets and apoftles, but came in his own perfon, clothed with human nature, to teftify to us the great things of the kingdom of God. O the riches of the grace of Chrift herein! Now, for men not to receive the meffage of Jefus Christ, is a defpifing the riches of his good nefs and grace. It is practically to fay, that there is no fuch fpecial kindness and favour in his bringing the gospel to us. And how heinous a fin is this! To defpife the bounty of common providence, is a very great fin; but to despise the grace of Chrift in the gofpel, is a much greater fin.

(2.) It is a preferring the teftimony of Satan, to the teftimony of Jefus Chrift. When God had created our firft parents, he forbad them to eat of the tree of the knowlege of good and evil, and teftified to them, that in the day they did eat thereef they should furely die, Gen. ii. 17. On the other hand, the devil said to them, that if they did eat thereof they fhould not furely die, Gen. iii. 4. Now this teftimony of Satan, they received, rather than the teftimony of God. And this is what every child of Adam does, who receives not the teftimony of Jefus Christ. The devil labours, to the utmost of his power, to hinder men from receiving the teftimony of Chrift; and to perfwade them to receive his own teftimony, which is contrary to that of Chrift. Now, one or other of these teftimonies finners will receive. And he that receives the one, infallibly rejects the other. And he that rejects the one, infallibly receives the other. If men then do not receive the teftimony of Chrift, they receive the teftimony of Satan. And in fo doing, they do prefer the devil's teftimony to Chrift's. Now, what an horrid iniquity is this! It is a practical faying, that the Father of lies, is

more.