But out of Christ, thou shalt find God a just God, a sin-avenging God, a God that will by no means spare the guilty; and be sure that everyone that is found out of Jesus Christ will be found guilty in the judgment-day, upon whom the wrath of God shall smoke to their eternal ruin. Now, therefore, consider of it, and take the counsel of the Apostle, in 2 Corinthians 13:5, which is, to examine thyself whether thou art "in the faith," and to prove thy own self whether thou hast received the Spirit of Christ into thy soul, whether thou hast been converted, whether thou hast been born again, and made a new creature, whether thou hast had thy sins washed away in the blood of Christ, whether thou hast been brought from under the old covenant into the new; and do not make a slight examination, for thou hast a precious soul either to be saved or damned.
And that thou mayest not be deceived, consider that it is one thing to be convinced and another to be converted; one thing to be wounded, and another to be killed, and so to be made alive again by the faith of Jesus Christ. When men are killed, they die to all things they lived to before, both sin and righteousness, as all their old faith and supposed grace that they thought they had. Indeed, the old covenant will show thee that thou art a sinner and that a great one too; but the old covenant, the Law, will not show thee, without the help of the Spirit, that thou are without all grace by nature; no; but amid thy troubles, thou wilt keep thyself from coming to Christ by persuading thy soul that thou art come already, and hast some grace already. O, therefore, be earnest in begging the Spirit, that thy soul may be enlightened. The wickedness of thy heart discovered that thou mayest see the miserable state that thou art in because of sin and unbelief, which is the excellent condemning sin; and so insight and sense of thy sad condition, if God should deal with thee in severity according to thy deservings. Do thou [now] cry to God for faith in a crucified Christ, that thou mayest have all thy sins washed away in His blood, and such an exemplary work of grace wrought in thy soul that may stand in the judgment-day. Again,
Second. In the next place, I told you that a man might go a great way in a profession and have many excellent gifts, [Second use]. To do many wondrous works, and yet be but under the Law; from hence you may learn not to judge yourselves to be the children of God, because you may have some gifts of knowledge or understanding more than others: no, for thou mayest be the most knowing man in all the country as to head-knowledge, and yet be but under the law, and so consequently under the curse, notwithstanding that, 1 Corinthians 13. Now, seeing it so, that men may have all this and yet perish, what will become of those who do no good at all and have no understanding, neither of their own sadness nor of Christ's mercy? O, sad! Read with understanding Isaiah 27:11, "Therefore He that made them will not have mercy on them, and He that formed them will show them no favor" (See also 2 Thess 1:8, 9).
Now, there is one thing, which, for want of it, is that most people miscarry in an unfortunate manner, and that is because they cannot distinguish between the nature of the Law and the Gospel. O, people, you are blinded here as to the knowledge of this, which is one great cause of the ruining of many. As Paul saith, "While Moses is read," or while the law is discovered, "the veil is upon their heart" (2 Cor 3:15) that is, the veil of ignorance is still upon their hearts so that they cannot discern either the nature of the law or the nature of the Gospel, they being so dark and blind in their minds, as you may see, if you compare it with Chronicles 4:3, 4. And indeed, I am confident that were you but well examined, I doubt many of you would be found so ignorant that you would not be able to give a word of correct answer concerning the Law or the Gospel. Nay, my friends set the case; one should ask you what time you spend and what pains you take. To the end, you may understand the nature and difference of these two covenants. Would you not say, if you should speak the truth, that you did not so much as to regard whether there were two or more? Would you not say I did not consider covenants or study their nature? I thought that if I had lived honestly and done as well as possible, God would accept me and have mercy upon me as He did on others. Ah, friends, this is the cause of the ruin of thousands, for if they are blinded to this, both the correct use of the law and the Gospel are hidden from their eyes. So for sure they will be in danger of perishing most miserably, poor souls that they are, unless God, of His mere mercy and love, doth rend the veil from off their hearts, the veil of ignorance, for that is it which doth keep these poor souls in this besotted and blindfolded condition, in which if they die they may be lamented for, but not help; they may be pitied, but not preserved from the stoke of God's everlasting vengeance.
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