Post by Admin on Feb 2, 2024 11:42:57 GMT -5
Unbelief the Sin Against Christ by Way of Eminence, and the Wrong Done to the Soul Thereby
But he that sins against me, wrongs his own soul; all they that hate me love death. PROVERBS 8:36
THE preceding verse gave us the happiness of those who are
interested in Christ; this verse gives us the misery of those who reject
him. And in it we have two things.
1. A dreadful risk some sinners run; they sin against the wisdom of
God, and wrong their own souls. In which consider,
(1.) The dangerous adventure they make: they sin against Christ the
Son of God. I told you, that Christ the personal wisdom of God is
here meant. I must here inquire what is meant by sinning against
him. Christ being true God, every sin men commit is against him,
and wrongs their souls too. But it is not every sin that is here meant;
it is some sin by way of eminency against the second person of the
Trinity; for it is such a one as is constructed to be a hating of him,
and loving death, which cannot be said of every sin. You know that
the Holy Ghost being true God also every sin is in some sort against
him; yet there is a sin against the Holy Ghost so called by way of
eminency; so here is a sin against Christ by way of eminency. Now
those sins which have their denominations from the several persons
of the Trinity, respect them not so much in their essence, as in their
office, operation, and work. The Father is Creator, the original
lawgiver, the Son Redeemer and Saviour, the Holy Ghost applier of
Christ's purchase, Enlightener and Sanctifier. The first sin of Adam
in him and us, and the sins of the Pagans still, are the sin against the
Father, the transgressing of the law of the Creator. The sin of gospel despisers
is the sin against the Son, as a rejecting of the gospel of
Christ. The sin of obstinate and malicious deliberate fighting against
God, is the sin against the Holy Ghost, as against the inward working
of the Holy Ghost in them. All the world are by nature under the first,
and so liable to wrath; but the Son of God is the anointed Saviour
and Redeemer, by whom alone sinners may be recovered. John 14:6.
He is the ordinance of God for sinners' salvation. He is the remedy
against sin provided by the Father; so the rejecting of this ordinance
and remedy is the sin against Christ. That is, in a word, it is the sin
opposite to the seeking and finding of Christ, vers. 34, 35, namely,
not closing with, but rejecting Christ offered in the Gospel, called the
sin of unbelief, John 16:8, 9.
(2.) The effect of this dangerous adventure; he wrongs his own
soul. The word properly imports violence, and might be read, "He
doth violence to his own soul." So it is rendered, Zeph. 3:4. He ruins
himself, he is a self-destroyer, a self-murderer. The man is lying
pining away in his sin; Christ the Physician comes to his bedside,
saying, "Sinner, I offer you life and salvation with myself." But he
turns away, he will have none of him, he cannot part with his disease.
So he wrongs his own soul; he dies of it. But there is more than that
in it. The man slights Christ; who loses by it. Not Christ, not his
messengers, but the poor unbeliever himself, Prov. 9:12.
2. The nature of this practice, which shews what a dreadful risk it
must needs be. But of that more afterwards.
TWO doctrines may be deduced from the words.
DOCTRINE I. Unbelief, or a sinner's not believing, accepting,
embracing, closing with, and resting on Christ for salvation, is the sin
against Christ by way of eminency.
DOCT. II. The unbeliever sinning against Christ by unbelief, wrongs his own soul.
I shall illustrate each doctrine in order.
DOCT. I. Unbelief, or a sinner's not believing, accepting, embracing,
closing with, and resting on Christ for salvation, is the sin against
Christ by way of eminency. That is, if a man designed as affront to
the Son of God, if he were in a mind to pierce him to the heart, and
put a signal affront on him, this is the way to do it, namely, to slight
the offer he makes of himself in the gospel. In handling this doctrine, I shall,
I. Shew what treatment of Christ it is, that is this sinning against him.
II. Confirm the doctrine, shewing you, that unbelief is the sin against
Christ; that this treatment of Christ, in not believing in, accepting,
embracing, closing with, and resting on him for salvation, is sinning
against him in an eminent manner.
III. Improve the subject, in an address both to saints and sinners.
I. I am to shew what treatment of Christ it is, that is this sinning
against him. In the general, it is twofold.
First, There is a doctrinal treatment of him, that is this sinning
against him. So Deists, Socinians, Arians, Papists, &c., sin against
him. I insist not on this further than to warn you, that there is, at this
day, in this island, appearing a greater disposition to depart from the
faith, than there has been at least these thirty years past. Some in the
neighbouring land, not papists, nor prelatists, but dissenters, are
undermining the doctrine of the eternal Godhead of Christ; and
some in this Church are making woful advances towards obscuring
the doctrine of the free grace of God in Christ. All which are the
native bitter fruits of the generation's practical slighting of, and
sinning against Christ, under the light of the gospel.
Secondly, There is a practical treatment of him, that is this sinning
against him. And of this kind is,
1. Living ignorant of Christ, and the fundamental truths of the
gospel; John 1:10. Grossly ignorant persons are doubtless
unbelievers. For how can they believe, who know not what to
believe? how can they believe in Christ, who have no knowledge of
him? Psalm 9:10. They are slighters of Christ, who have means of
knowledge, and yet know him not; they know him not, because they
will not be acquainted with him; Job 21:14, "They say unto God,
Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." And
thus many proclaim their soul-ruining unbelief, by their slighting of
ordinances and means of knowledge, and not profiting under them.
Were there a physician in the country-side curing all freely, and if
any should never use means to get acquainted with him, would not
such persons be slighters of him, to their own ruin.
2. People's living insensible of their absolute need of Christ; Matth.
9:12. He comes in the gospel, and offers himself with all his salvation
to sinners, to every one that hears it. Why does he so, but because
they must perish without him, and that they need him? But the most
part find no pinching need of him, and therefore never come to him.
This is slighting him with a witness; Rev. 3:17, "Because thou sayest,
I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and
knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and
blind, and naked." The law is preached, and their misery without
Christ is told them; yet are they never so far convinced as to be
pricked to the heart; Acts 2:37. They have no more ado with him,
than a hale and sound person with the physician.
3. Their not believing the doctrine of the gospel, the record that God
hath given concerning his Son; 1 John 5:10, 11. In the gospel it is
testified to us from heaven, That Christ alone is the great ordinance
of God for life and salvation to poor sinners; that God hath placed
that life in him, and offers it in and with him to them. This is the
doctrine of the gospel; but who believes it? Is. 53:1 OBJECT. Who
does not believe it? ANSW. Alas; that is the nature of the disease.
Men may convince men who are hearers of the gospel of the sin of
murder, adultery, &c.; but if the Spirit of God take it not in hand,
they will not convince them of unbelief; John 16:8, 9. But for your
conviction, (which may the Spirit carry home!) I will tell you, the
treatment which Christ gets from most men, upon the back of the
revelation of that record that God have given of him to them, is such
as that; 1 Sam. 10:24, 27, "And Samuel said to all the people, See ye
him whom the Lord hath chosen that there is none like him among
all the people?—But the children of Belial said, How shall this man
save us? and they despised him;" and as that, 2 Kings 5:10–12, "And
Elisha sent a messager unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan
seven times, and thy flesh shall come again unto thee, and thou shalt
be clean. Bel Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I
thought, he will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the
name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and
recover the leper. Are not Abana, and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus,
better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them and be
clean? So he turned, and went away in a rage." Of this treatment of
Christ take these two evidences.
EVID. 1. Their not seeking after him with the utmost diligence, till
they find him. Compare Prov. 8:34, 36, "Blessed is the man that
heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my
doors.—But he that sinneth against me, wrongeth his off soul; all
they that hate me, love death." Paul believed the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus, and therefore pressed forward, Phil. 3:14.
If you were desperately wounded, and one told you of an infallible
cure that one had, and which you might get; if after this notice given
you, you did not with your utmost might and most laborious
endeavours seek after it, would not all the world conclude you did
not believe there was such a remedy to be got by you? But your souls
are thus wounded, and we tell you day by day, that there is an
infallible remedy for them in Christ; and yet ye do not diligently seek
after him till ye find him. May we not then say, with the prophet,
"Who hath believed our report?" Isa. 53:1.
EVID. 2. Their seeking life and salvation another way. So do all
unbelievers, who give not up themselves to utter despair. They leave
the King's highway, John 14:6, and betake themselves every one to
his own way, Isa. 53:6. God says of Christ, "This is the way, walk ye
in it." But they will not venture on it, but take another way, by which
they turn their backs on Christ, and so sin against him.
(1.) The way of the law or covenant of works, namely, by doing to
seek life, Rom. 9:32. This is the way that all men naturally betake
themselves to, and that every man abides in, till the grace of God
bring him to Jesus Christ. The natural bias of the heart to it I have
shewn elsewhere, together with the enmity of the heart against Jesus
Christ.* It is little they do; but it is according to their doing, not
according to their interest in the blood of Christ, that they expect to
find favour with God. This speaks unbelief, and slighting of Christ
with a witness; "for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is
dead in vain," Gal. 2 ult.
(2.) The way of uncovenanted mercy. They pretend to do what they
can; and where they come short, they expect that God will be
merciful to them and forgive them; while in the meantime they do
not consider that they can only find mercy being in Christ. Thus they
do at least mix their own righteousness with Christ's, if they have any
regard to Christ at all, Gal. 3:12.
4. Their not believing the doctrine of the gospel upon the authority of
a divine testimony, but on some low account. As to many pretending
to believe in Christ, we may see the quite contrary in them to that, 1
Thess. 2:13,—"When ye received the word of God which ye heard of
us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the
word of God." What belief they have of it, they owe to their
education, not to regeneration; to the teaching of men, not to theteaching of the Spirit.
What makes some Jews, Mahometans, Pagans,
Papists, in foreign countries, namely, that it is the religion they were
brought up in, that is even the thing which makes them Christians in
our country. O Sirs, that is not faith in Christ, but real unbelief of
him, and slighting of him, as receiving his doctrine not upon his own
authority, and the testimony of the Spirit, but of man, John 5:34. If
ever ye come to honour Christ by believing, your faith will be built on
another foundation; John 4:42, "Now we believe, not because of thy
saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed
the Christ, the Saviour of the world."
5. Their not believing the doctrine of the gospel with a particular
application to their own case, or to themselves. Here is the trial of a
convinced sinner. Christ said, Mark 16:15, 16, "Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature." "He that believeth
and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be
damned." Hereupon the apostle says to the jailor at Philippi, "Believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house,"
Acts 16:31. And every minister of Christ may say so to every man, and
God says it to every one to whom his word comes. So that although
we do believe that Christ is able and willing to save all his elect, yet if
I do not believe that he is able and willing to save ME, and that he
offers himself to ME, I am still an unbeliever, and do sin against
Christ. For,
(1.) The offer is general, and comprehends us all, Isa. 55:1; Rev. 3:20.
If any of you then believe it as to all others, and not as to yourselves,
ye make God a liar, and do not believe his word; because though God
says, the offer is to all that hear the gospel, ye contradict it, saying,
that the offer belongs not to you, and that Christ is not willing to be
yours.
(2.) What benefit can any man have by a general promise or offer of
mercy from God or man, which he does not appropriate to himself?
A king offers mercy to all the rebels that will take it; one says, "O but
it is to all the rest, and not to me, I will not venture out of my
lurking-hole." Is not this a belying of the king, and a refusing of
mercy, and slighting the offer?
(3.) How is it possible that one can accept, receive, and rest on Christ
for salvation, if he make not a particular application of the promise
of the gospel, or gospel-offer to himself? The acceptance, &c. must
needs be founded on the offer, and can be no larger than the offer is;
if I do not believe that God offers to be my God is Christ, I cannot
accept him as such. If I do not believe that Christ gives himself to ME
in the gospel-offer, I cannot accept, receive, and embrace, nor rest on him.
(4.) Wherein does our faith of the promises of the gospel go beyond
the faith of devils, if it proceed not the length of application of them
to ourselves? James 2:19. The devils believe the threatenings of God,
and that with application, and they tremble; and that they believe the
promises of God too in the general, that they shall be made out, we
have no reason to doubt, when we consider, they believe God's
faithfulness to his word, and therefore tremble in expectation of what
he has threatened. And they know it is the same faithful God who has
made the promises, that has made the threatenings. And now that
for a course of five thousand years they have observed the promises
still fulfilled in their time, we may be sure that they do expect the rest
will be fulfilled too. Wherein then can our faith go beyond theirs, if
we believe not the promise or offer of life and salvation to us in
particular?
5]Wherefore in not believing, accepting, embracing, closing with, and
resting on Christ for salvation, with particular application to
ourselves, we sin against Christ, and wrong our own souls. Against
this Satan bends his force, and under a vail of humility Christ is
affronted by the unbelieving sinner; and indeed it is a mighty thing
to believe this, over the belly of seen and felt vileness and
unworthiness; but faith will make its way over it all, and honour
Christ by believing his word.
6. Lastly. Their not taking, accepting, and receiving of Christ in the
Gospel-offer, and resting on him, for life and salvation; John 1:11, 12.
The royal Bridgroom is slighted, sinned against, and affronted when
the offered marriage is neglected, refused, or shifted, or in any ways
not concluded, by the sinful children of Adam; when the bride halts
betwixt two opinions, and does not conclude the blessed bargain.
And thus sinners sin against Christ,
1st, When the sinner will not take Christ, but holds by other lovers,
namely, the world and lusts. There are two opposite parties in suit of
sinners' hearts, who are hearers of the gospel, Christ on the one
hand, lusts on the other. These last have so engaged the hearts of
many, that they give Christ the refusal; Jer. 51:25; John 5:40. They
see there is no dealing with both; if they take Christ, they must let
these go away; and therefore since they cannot otherwise have him,
they will not have him. They cannot think of being deprived or
abridged of their sinful liberty; so the offer of Christ is made them,
but they will not accept it.
2dly, When the sinner dare not take Christ, or embrace him in the
gospel-offer, fearing that he will never be his, nor give himself to
him. This is the snare for the convinced sinner, and as effectually
keeps him from Christ, as the love of lusts does the secure; Jer. 2:25.
One may see, that the former makes way for the latter. The ground of
this is one's sinfulness and unworthiness seen and felt, which makes
them think it would be presumption in them to believe. Hence they
say, as Luke 5:8. "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
The hand of Joab is in this. Satan has two glasses to let men see their sins in.
(1.) A lessening glass, which he holds before the eyes of secure
sinners, causing their sins appear little. Hence their enormous
outbreakings, though habitual, are accounted but infirmities; and
lesser sins, which the world makes no bones of, are accounted no
sins at all.
(2.) A magnifying glass, which he holds before the eyes of the
convinced sinner. And one may know that he is looking on his sinful
self in Satan's glass, when he sees his own sinfulness so as he cannot
see God's mercy, the virtue of Christ's blood, and the efficacy of his
Spirit, above his sinfulness; when the sight of the disease sets him
farther from the Physician, and makes him stand off from Christ,
instead of running to him; when instead of quickening him to
embrace the remedy, it causes his heart to faint so as be cannot put
forth his hand to apply the offered cure.
That this is from Satan, is manifest, in that it is directly contrary,
(1.) To the true use of the law in subserviency to the gospel; Gal. 3:24.
The law discovers sin, and the soul's misery by it; but then the design
of that to the hearers of the gospel is, that they may be made to prize
and run unto Christ.
(2.) To the ample declarations of love and mercy
made in the gospel, which shew that there is no case whatsoever so
bad but Christ is both able and willing to take it in hand; Isa. 1:18,
and 55:1; Rev. 3:20, and 22:17.
3dly, When the sinner dare not venture on Christ alone for salvation,
but to strengthen that bottom, goes about to render himself
acceptable to God by his own obedience, Gal. 5:4. The covenant of
works is so engrained in our natures, and so ignorant are we
naturally of the mystery of Christ, and the way of imputed
righteousness; that till the Spirit of the Lord savingly enlighten one
in the knowledge of Christ, he will have but low thoughts of an
imputed righteousness as an insecure way, and will therefore go
about to strengthen it by the addition of his own works; though it is
but attempting to mix clay with iron, that will not do. But the Spirit
of the Lord, in the day of power, will carry men quite of their own
bottom.
4thly, When the sinner does not take him for all the ends for which
he is appointed of the Father for sinners, and in all his offices, but
divides them, 1 Cor. 1:30. He is given to us for all in the gospel-offer,
for salvation from sin as well as from wrath, to be our Prophet to
teach us, our Priest to save us, and our King to govern us. When
therefore the sinner does not take him for sanctification as well as
justification, he is not received at all indeed, but sinned against, and
rejected as the ordinance for sanctifying of sinners.
Lastly, When the sinner does not believe, that he shall have life and
salvation by Jesus Christ. True faith may be accompanied with many
doubtings; sometimes one may be ready to say, "My hope is perished
from the Lord;" but it is plain that where there is no such persuasion
in greater or lesser measure at any time, there is no faith.
II. I proceed to confirm the doctrine, shewing you, that unbelief is
the sin against Christ; that this treatment of Christ, in not believing
in, accepting, embracing, closing with, and resting on Christ for
salvation, is sinning against him in an eminent manner. This will
appear from some general considerations, and from a view of some
particular pieces of malignity against Christ wrapt up in unbelief.
First, It appears from some general considerations.
1. Faith in Christ is an honouring of him in a special manner, John
5:23, 24; therefore unbelief must be a special dishonour done to him.
Faith gives glory to the object of it, Rom. 4:20; unbelief then robs
him of that glory, and casts reproach on him. Faith puts the crown on
Christ's head, Cant. 3 ult., unbelief pulls it off and tramples it under
foot. See then how good, necessary, and pleasing to Christ believing
in him is; how bad, noxious, and abominable to him unbelief must be.
2. Unbelief is the great Antichrist in the heart, setting up there in
downright opposition to the Son of God. The end of Christ's coming
was to destroy sin, 1 John 3:8, the effect of unbelief is to preserve sin
in life and vigour. It is the soul and life of all other sins, the shield
that keeps their heads and hearts hale; take it away, they all die, and
the soul revives; leave it upon their head, and they all live, and the
soul dies, John 8:24. It is the general of the army of hell in men's
breasts, against whom the word is given in the day of power, "Fight
neither with small nor great," but with unbelief, the king of sins, John 16:8, 9.
3. It is a sin that so engrosses the whole soul to itself against Christ,
that it leaves him nothing to take part with him against it. If a man
sin against Christ by oppression, murder, &c. his judgment, reason,
natural conscience, will in greater or lesser measure plead the Lord's
cause against him, and will prepare the way for the Spirit's
conviction. But as for unbelief, there is no help from them against it.
The mystery of Christ lies beyond the ken of mere reason, 1 Cor. 2:14,
how then can the blackness of the sin of unbelief be discerned
thereby, or the natural conscience check for it? Nay, mere reason, in
its corrupt state, sides against Christ with unbelief, in as far as the
best way it knows, is the way of the law or covenant of works. So that
on this occasion, Meroz's curse may light on all the faculties of the
soul, "because they come not to the help of the Lord against the mighty," Judg. 5:23.
4. It is the sin that ruins the hearers of the gospel, with whom. Christ
has to do; John 3:18, 19, "He that believeth not, is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil." The poor pagans who have not heard
of Christ, sin not against him in this sort, John 15:22. Whatever sins
the hearers of the gospel may have been chargeable with, if they will
believe in Christ, they shall never be charged on them; upon this
point of believing, or not believing, turns their salvation, or
damnation, Mark 16:16. Wherefore since it is the raining sin, it must
needs be the great ruining sin against Christ.
5. It is equal to the grossest sins against the light of nature. The
Pharisee could say, I am not unjust, an extortioner, an adulterer; the
publican durst not say so. But the one rejected the propitiation.
which the other embraced, Luke 18:13, and so was accepted of God,
while the other was rejected. You will bless God ye are honest, sober
men and women, no adulterers, murderers, &c.; but ye do not see the
bloody sin of unbelief, which is as ill as any of them; Isa. 66:3, "He
that killeth an ox, is as if he slew a man;" i.e. An unbeliever is as a
murderer in God's sight. Faith was the grea; duty under the Old
Testament as well as under the New, ver. 2. And those Jews who put
their sacrifices of oxen, lambs, and their incense, in the Messiah's
stead, by unbelief were as murderers, &c.
6. It is above these sins in odiousness and heinousness; Heb. 10:28,
29, "He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, under two or
three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye shall he
be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God,"
&c.? There was a consultation of the Trinity concerning the making
of man, and the result was, his creation after God's image How great
must those sins be, which, breaking the laws of his creation, do
signally deface that image? There was also a consultation of the
Trinity concerning man's restoration, and the result was, the Son of
God giving himself to the death for their recovery. How much greater
then must the sin of unbelief be, which of its own nature tends to
make the whole contrivance vain? The Sodomites were great sinners,
and the Capernaumites unbelievers; which were the greatest sinners?
The greatest punishment by a just Judge speaks the greatest sin; and
so the Capernaumite unbelievers were the greatest sinners, Matt. 11:23, 24.
7. It has none that goes beyond it but the sin against the Holy Ghost;
and even it is unbelief carried to its utmost height, Heb. 10:29.
Unbelief strikes against the Father and the Son, casting dishonour on
both, John 5:23. If to this be added a doing despite to the Spirit of
God, the sinner is at his utmost pitch of wickedness. And none are
capable of the latter, but he that is guilty of the former.
8. Lastly, It is a sin directly striking against the glorious office
wherewith Christ is invested, and while he is in the actual exercise of
that office, John 8:49. The Father minding to recover the glory of his
wronged attributes, and lost sinners of the race of Adam, invested his
own Son in the medistory office, that he should build the temple of
the Lord, and bear the glory. The Son comes in this his noble office,
with his Father's commission, to prosecute it for these noble ends:
and unbelief rejects him as such, and casts dishonour on him, Luke
19:14. To do a personal injury to a king is a crime, but to do an injury
striking against his kingly character and office, and that while he is in
the administration of his royal office, is a crime of a far deeper die,
than any merely personal injury done him. So the case is here.
Secondly, That unbelief is the sin against Christ by way of eminency,
appears from a view of some particular pieces of malignity against
him wrapt up therein.
1. It is a despising him as the Father's choice. The voice of the gospel
is, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Matth. 3 ult.
The unbeliever answers, "We will not have this man to reign over us,"
Luke 19:14. When man fell, God looked on the whole creation, and
there was none found able to help him; so he made choice of his own
Son, that the breach might be under his hand, Psalm 89:19. This
comes to be proclaimed in the gospel, and as Samuel said to all the
people, "See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none
like him among all the people?" 1 Sam. 10:24; it says, "Behold my
servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth," Isa.
42:1. "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world," John 1:29. But unbelief says, as 1 Sam. 10:27, "How shall this
man save us? and they despise him." So unbelievers pour contempt
on the choice. Ask the unbelieving Jews if they approve the choice?
No; they say, It is a stumbling-block; ask the unbelieving Gentiles, if
they approve it, No, it is foolishness, 1 Cor. 1:23. Therefore do others
as they will, they will not lay their weight on that bottom. Only
believers cry, Grace, grace to the choice! a noble choice! "Christ the
wisdom of God, and the power of God," ver. 24; compare Matth. 11:6.
2. It is a trampling upon his love in undertaking the mediatory office.
Man having sinned, justice demands satisfaction; the poor bankrupts
cannot discharge the debt themselves, angels found themselves too
weak to bear such a burden, sacrifice and offering cannot be accepted
as a compensation for the wrong done to a holy God. The proposal is
made to the Son, and respect to his Father's glory, and unhired love
to sinners, makes him accept and strike hands; "Lo, I come," &c.,
Psalm 40:6, 7. And after all, unbelief says in effect, he might have let
it alone; the unbeliever is not for life and salvation that way. Christ's
Father is content, he is so, but the unbeliever is not, Psalm 81:11.
How great must the sin of trampling on such love be?
3. It is a treating of him as a liar and an impostor. The language of
every unbeliver is that; John 7:12, "He deceiveth the people." Christ's
name is the word of God, by whom the mind of God touching the
salvation of sinners is manifested to the world; he is by office
interpreter of the Father's mind, the great prophet and teacher. He
came from the Father's bosom, and reveals the way of salvation in
the doctrine of the gospel. What is it not to believe him then, but to
make him a liar? 1 John 5:10. And since the revelation made by him
is upon such a weighty matter, the not believing it must needs infer
the looking on him as an impostor. What then shall be given to that
false heart, that thus sins against Christ? "Sharp arrows of the
mighty, with coals of juniper," Psalm 120:4.
4. It is a contempt poured on his precious blood, and the whole
course of his obedience and sufferings. The believer by faith gets in
under that blood, Heb. 12:24; but unbelief treads on it, chap. 10:29.
This performance of the Son was looked upon as a sufficient mean to
retrieve the Father's glory, and recover the sinner that was sunk
lowest in sin and misery, Psalm 89:19. As such it is proposed to
sinners in the gospel; but they will not receive it. And if ye consider
all the sets of unbelievers, the bold contemners that go on in their
sins, and hope for mercy; the legal professors that lay the stress on
their own duties; the trembling unbeliever, that dare not come to
Christ; the desperate sinner, that says there is no hope; they will all
be found agreeing in maintaining low unworthy thoughts of the
glorious ransom paid by Christ, and offered to them. The first say, All
that was needless, God is merciful; the second, It is too weak a
bottom to trust all to; the third, It may bear the weight of many, but
it is too weak for theirs; the fourth, It can do nothing for them.
5. It is a frustrating of the ends of the death of Christ, as far as lies in
the unbeliever's power. He had a long, sore, and helpless travail of
soul; he endured it in hopes of a glorious issue; Isa. 53:11; Heb. 12:2.
But did all treat him as the unbelieving part of the world does, the
issue would be but as it were bringing forth wind. At the expense of
the blood of the Son of God, a medicine is prepared for perishing
souls; but the unbeliever will not apply it, when it is brought to his
hand; a feast is prepared, but the unbeliever will not eat of it, but
says in effect, "To what purpose is this waste?"
6. Lastly, It is a declining of his government, and subjection to him,
most reproachfully; Luke 19:14. We see most of the hearers of the
gospel at this pass with him; subject themselves to whom they will,
they will not subject themselves to him; they stick by other lords. His
Father has given him all power in heaven and earth; but they will not
come under his power, as long as they can shift otherwise. There are
many reasons of this, but there is one that is little observed, namely,
unbelief, they cannot trust him. A wise people will not subject
themselves willingly to one they cannot trust; Judg. 9:15 compare
Psalm 2 ult. They cannot trust him with their welfare, though he is
the Father's trustee, the trustee of believers; hence they say, he shall
not be their trustee. What wonder then that unbelief be "a piercing of
him?" Zech. 12:10.