[Through sin the soul
sets itself against God.]
II. To speak of the
gospel and of the carriage of sinful souls towards God under that
dispensation.
The gospel is a
revelation of a sovereign remedy, provided by God, through Christ, for the
health and salvation of those who have made themselves objects of wrath by the
breach of the law of works; this is manifest by all the Scripture. But how doth
the soul carries it towards God, when He offered to deal with it under and by
this dispensation of grace? Why, just as it carried it under the law of works:
they oppose, they contradict, they blaspheme, and forbid that this gospel be
mentioned (Acts 13:45; 27:6). What higher affront or contempt can be offered to
God, and what greater disdain can be shown against the gospel? (2 Tim 2:25; 1
Thess 2:14-16). Yet all this the poor soul, to its own wrong, offered against
the way of its own salvation; as it is said in the Word of truth, 'He that sinned
against me wronged his own soul: all they that hate Me love death' (Prov 8:36).
But, further, the soul despised not the gospel in that revelation of it only, but the great and chief bringer thereof, with the manner, also, of His bringing of it. The Bringer, the great Bringer of the gospel, is the good Lord Jesus Christ himself; He 'came and preached peace to them that the law proclaimed war against; became and preached peace to them that were afar off, and to them that were nigh' (Eph 2:17). And it is worth your observation to take notice how He came, and that was, and still is, as He is set forth in the word of the gospel; to wit, first, as making peace Himself to God for us in and by the blood of His cross; and then, as bearing (as set out by the gospel) the very characters of His sufferings before our faces in every tender of the gospel of His grace unto us. And to touch a little upon the dress in which, by the gospel, Christ presented unto us while He offered unto sinful souls His peace, by the tenders thereof.
No comments:
Post a Comment