on many accounts the greatest provocation of God that a creature can make himself guilty of. For it is, as might be manifested, an opposition to God in all the properties of his nature, and in the whole revelation of his will. Hence the gospel, which is a declaration of of grace, mercy, and pardon, though it condemn all sin, yet denounceth the final condemnation of persons only against this sin. "He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned," Mark xvi, 16.

§4. Now this privative unbelief (which the apostle intends) is twofold, and consists, first, in refusing to believe when it is required; secondly, in rejecting the faith after it hath been received. We shall consider both:

1. When the object of faith, or that which is to be believed, is according to the mind of God, and in the ways of his appointment, proposed to men; when sufficient evidence is given to the truth and goodness of what is so proposed, and the authority is made known on which faith is required, yet they refuse to believe. Now as this hath its root in the natural darkness, blindness, and depravedness of the minds of men, so it is not educed and acted without new sinful prejudices, and stubbornness of the will, refusing to consider the evidences given to the truth proposed, or the goodness and excellency of the things themselves; nor is it acted without signal effects of hardness of heart, love of sin and pleasure, keeping men off from the obedience required. The root of this unbelief is in the original depravation of our natures with that spiritual impotency, and enmity to God, wherein it consists. Besides this general cause of unbelief, when it comes to particular instances, and the gospel is proposed to this or that man for his assent and submission, there is always some

special corruption of mind, voluntarily acted, if the soul be kept off from believing; and on that account principally, and not merely original impotency and enmity against God, is the guilt of unbelief reflected upon sinners. There is the same fundamental cause of unbelief in all that refuse the gospel; but the next immediate proper cause of it is peculiar to every individual. Some are kept off from believing the gospel; for instance, by inveterate prejudices in their minds, which they have taken in upon corrupt principles and interests; and this shut up of old most of the Jews under their unbelief. They had received many prejudices against the person and doctrine of Christ, which on all accounts they expressed, and so were offended at him. And so it is with many at all times. Prejudices against the preachers of the gospel on sundry accounts, and against their doctrine, as either useless, or false, or unintelligible, or somewhat they know not what, but which they do not like, keep them off from attending to the word and believing, see John v, 44. To some an especial obstinacy of will from those prejudices offereth itself in this matter; so our Savior tells the Pharisees, John v, 40, "Ye will not come to me that ye might have life;" they put forth a positive act of their wills in refusing and rejecting him. And on this account the guilt of men's unbelief is absolutely resolved into their own wills. Love of sin with some, (and it is the most common path to ruin) is the immediate cause of their actual unbelief; John iii, 19, “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil." They like not the terms of the gospel because of their resolutely wilful love of sin, and so perish in their iniquities. Stupid ignorance, arising from the possession, which other things inconsistent

with faith and obedience, have of the minds of men, is another cause. So our apostle tells us, 2 Cor. iv, 4, That "the God of this world hath blinded the eyes of them that believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." When the minds of men are irradiated with the light of the gospel, it is that they may believe; for by that light is faith produced. How is this obstructed? it is by the darkness and blindness of their* minds. What darkness is this? is it what is common to all? no, but that which is in a peculiar manner brought on the minds of some men, who, by the crafts and deceit of the God of this world, are kept in a stupid and brutish ignorance of spiritual things. This keeps them from believing, and fully clears the holiness and and righteousness of God in his judgments, against final and impenitent unbelievers, to whom the gospel is preached: For as that impotency which is in them naturally, is culpable; and it is no excuse for them for not believing, because of themselves they could not so do; seeing it is by their own default that they are brought into that condition: so every one in his own person, who believeth not, doth by a voluntary act reject the gospel, and that on such corrupt principles as none can deny to be his sin.

$5. 2. There is an unbelief that consists in a rejection of the truth after it hath been admitted and professed. Some after they have been convinced of the truth, and made profession of it, yet through the temptations of the world, the corruption of their own hearts, love of sin, or fear of persecution, suffer their convictions to wear off, or cast them out, and reject the faith they have owned. He hath already withstood the efficacy of the only remedy for his distempers who hath rejected and despised it, what can cure

him? "It had been better for men not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandments delivered to them," 2 Pet. ii, 21. Renegadoes from the gospel are the greatest villains in the world; nor do menvoluntarily renounce the light, but to give themselves up to the deeds of darkness. The corruptions of such men absolutely prevail over their convictions, and the power of sin in their wills and affections, casts off all influencing light from their understanding. And this is the condition of unspeakable multitudes in the world.

Satan will be casting fiery darts at the soul, but when the shield of faith is held up constantly and stedfastly they are immediately quenched; Ephes. vi, 16, yes, it is the work of faith to arm the soul on all hands, that assaults make no impression upon it; and when it is brought but to parley with an objection, then unbelief is at work. Innumerable are the opposite inclinations, objections, and temptations that lie in the way of professing the gospel, especially against exemplary stedfastness: and to hearken to what Satan suggests, to reason with the world, to consult with flesh and blood, contains the first actings of unbelief towards corrupting the heart in order to a departure from God. While our Savior taught the multitude, in general terms, of "the bread of God that came down from heaven," they were pleased with it, and cried, Lord give us evermore of this bread," John vi, 34, but when he began to acquaint them in particular that he himself was that bread, that his flesh was meat, and that his blood was drink, that is, that they were the spiritual nourishment of the souls of men, especially as given for them in his death; they began to be offended and to murmur,, crying, "This is an hard saying, who can bear it?" verse 60, 61. And what was the effect

of this dislike? Plain and open apostasy, ver. 66, "From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him." And whence did this dislike and murmuring arise? It was merely the acting of their unbelief, as our Lord declared, ver. 63, 64, "My words," which you so dislike, "are spirit and: life, but there are some of you that believe not." The young man mentioned, Matt. xix, had a great respect for the teachings of Christ, for he comes to him to be instructed in the way to eternal life; but when our Lord Jesus proceeded to make a particular trial of him: in a special instance, bidding him "sell what he had, and give to the poor, and follow him;" this he liked not, but went away sorrowful," ver. 21, 22.

§6. Unbelief sometimes operates in a dislike of the purity, simplicity, and spirituality of gospel worship. This was that wherein our apostle had principally to do with the Jews; who were apt to admire the pompous worship of the temple, and so to dislike the naked simplicity of the gospel institutions. Hence, the pagans of old objected to the Christians, that they had a worship without temples, altars, images, or pompous ceremonies; whence they looked on them as mere atheists. And this dislike of the purity and simplicity of the gospel worship is that which gave rise and increase to the whole Roman apostasy. The severity and universality of obedience which it requireth, is another thing that unbelief dislikes; and makes abundant use of the flesh to this purpose. Something or other it would be gratified in, within doors or without, or at least be spared, and not in all things pursued. as the gospel requires. To be always and in all things, private and public, personal and relative, mortified, crucified, and denied, and to have no rest given it, the flesh likes not; and unbelief makes use of so unwel