the blindness and stupidity of the sons of men! they profess that they believe these things to be true, at least they dare not deny them to be so; but for the effect of them, for the salvation wrought by them, they value it the least of all things! Hear and behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish! Shall the Son of God (for what you care) shed his blood in vain? Shall he obey, and suffer, and bleed, and pray, and die for a thing of nought? Is it nothing unto you that he should undergo all these things? Was there want of wisdom in God, or of love to his Son, so to employ him, so to treat him, in a business which you esteem of so very small concernment, as that you will scarce turn aside to inquire after it? Assure yourselves that these things are of greater moment, lest one day you find it so to your eternal ruin.

3. This salvation will appear to be "great," if we consider what by it we are delivered from.

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What are we delivered from by this salvation? In a word, every evil in this world, or that which is to And all evil may be referred to two heads: (1.) That which corrupteth and depraveth the principles of our nature in their being and operation. And, (2.) That which is destructive of our nature as to its well-being and happiness. The first of these is sin, the latter is punishment; and both of them take up the whole nature of evil. Now from both these, with all their effects and consequences, are believers delivered by this salvation; namely, from sin and death. The Lord Christ was called "Jesus," because he saves his people from their sins, Matt. i, 22. And he is also the Savior that delivers them from the "wrath to come:" 1 Thess. i, 10. And this is "great salvation." What is the sickness of the body, to the disease, yea, the death of the soul? What is the imprisonment of the

outward man, under the wrath of poor worms like ourselves, and that for a few days, to the chains of everlasting darkness? What is a little outward temporary want, to the want of the favor, love, and presence of God to eternity? What is death temporal, past in a moment, an end of troubles, an entrance into rest, to death eternal, an eternal dying, under the curse, wrath, and righteous vengeance of the Holy God? These things have no proportion one to another. So inexpressibiy "great" is the salvation, that there is nothing left which is adequate to furnish an illustra tion of it.

4. This salvation is "great," on account of the end of it, or that which it brings believers to. The excellency of the inheritance which we obtain thereby, is such as no tongue can express, no heart conceive. It brings us to the favor and love of God, to the adoption of children into durable rest and peace; in a word, the enjoyment of God in eternal glory. Oh! the blessedness of this rest, the glory of this inheritance, the excellency of this crown, the eternity and unchangeableness of this condition, the greatness of this salvation! How weak, how low, how unworthy in every respect are our apprehensions of it! Yet, surely, through the blessed revelation of the spirit of grace by the word of the gospel, we see, we feel, we experience so much of it, as is sufficient to keep us up to an holy admiration and longing after it all the days of our earthly pilgrimage.

§18. It remaineth now, that we declare the unavoidableness of their destruction, who "neglect" this so great salvation. There are three things that make the punishment or destruction of any person to be unavoidable: 1. That it be just and equal. 2. That there be no relief or remedy provided for him. And, 3. That

he to whom it belongs to inflict punishment, be able and resolved so to do: and they all concur to the height in this case. For it is just and equal that such persons should be destroyed; whence the sentence concerning them is so discretionary and absolute, "He that believeth not, shall be damned," Mark xvi, 16. And the Holy Ghost supposeth this case so clear and undeniable, that he refers the proceedings of God therein to the judgment of sinners themselves, Heb. x, 29. And they who are judged on this account at the last day will be speechless; have nothing to reply, nothing to complain of. And the sentence denounced against them will appear to all to be righteous, because they despise an overture of a treaty about peace and reconciliation between God and their souls. Now what greater indignity can be offered unto him, than to reject his tenders, without so much as an inquiry after what his terms are, as the most do to whom the gospel is preached? Is not this plainly to tell him, that they despise his love, scorn his offers of reconciliation, and fear not in the least what he can do unto them? And is it not just that such persons should be filled with the fruit of their own ways? Let men deal thus with their rulers whom they have provoked, that have power over them, and see how they will fare with them. Neither will God be mocked, nor shall his grace always be despised with impunity. When men shall see and learn by woful experience what pitiful worms they are, and have.some beams of the greatness, majesty, and glory of God shining upon them, how will they be filled with shame, and forced to subscribe to the righteousness of their own condemnation, for refusing his treaty and terms of peace!

These terms contain "salvation;" and men in the neglect of them, neglect and refuse "their own salvation;"

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and can any perish more justly than they who refuse to be saved? If God's terms had been great, hard, and difficult, yet, considering by whom they were proposed, and to whom, there was all the reason in the world why they should be accepted; and their destruction would be just that should not endeavor to observe them to the utmost. But now it is life and salvation that he tenders, on the neglect of which he complains, that men "will not come to him that they might have life." Certainly there can be no want of righteousness in the ruin of such persons: but that which the apostle principally builds the righteousness and inevitableness of the destruction of the gospel neglecters upon, is the "greatness" of the salvation tendered unto them; "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" And if this be despised, is it not righteous that men should perish? If we know not, yet God knows how to set a value upon this great effect of his love, wisdom, and grace, and how to proportion punishment to its contempt. The truth is, God alone is able sufficiently to revenge the greatness of this sin, and thereby, the indignity done to him. Is it meet that God should be mocked, his grace be despised, his justice violated, his glory lost; and all, that sinners may go unpunished? Let them think so whilst they please, God thinketh otherwise, all the angels in heaven think otherwise, all the saints from the beginning of the world to the end of it, think otherwise, and will glorify God to eternity for the righteousness of his judgments on them that obey not the gospel.

$19. 2. Suppose the destruction of these persons be in itself righteous, yet may there not be some remedy and relief provided for them, that they may not actually fall under it? May there not yet be some way of escape for them, and so their ruin not be so unavoidable as is pretended? No; there neither is, nor can be

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any relief provided for them that sin against the gospel. For, from what spring, what fountain should it proceed? Mercy and grace are principally sinned against, and if the gospel be neglected, their whole design is defeated; nay, the utmost of mercy and is grace already sinned against in it, and what remaineth now for the relief of a sinner? Is there any other property of the Divine nature, the consideration of which will administer to men any ground of hope? Is there any thing in the name of God, in that revelation that he hath made of himself by his works, or in his word, to give them encouragement? doubtless nothing at all. But yet suppose that God had not laid out all the riches and treasures of his wisdom, grace, love, and goodness in gospel salvation by Jesus Christ, (which yet he affirms he hath) suppose that in infinite mercy there were yet a reserve for pardon; by what way and means should it be brought forth and made effectual? We have seen that God neither would nor could ever have exercised pardoning mercy towards sinners, had not way been made for it by the blood of his Son: what then? Shall Christ die again that despisers of the gospel may be saved? Is the blood of Christ such a "common thing," as to be so cast away upon the lusts of men? Besides; when should he make an end of dying? They who have once neglected the gospel may do so upon a second trial, nay undoubtedly would do so, and thence must Christ often die, repeatedly be offered, and all still in vain. Neither hath God any other Son to send to die for sinners, he sent his only begotten Son once for all; and he that believeth not on him must perish for ever. All the mercy and grace that God hath for his creatures (if we believe himself) is engaged in gospel salvation only; and if that be despised, in vain shall men look for any other. As for a