Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

Thirdly, Though God sees there be none for the present, yet God lays in for time to come: God will send His Gospel to a place, though He sees this Generation will get no good by it; and God may Intend the good of the Generation that is to come, by sending His Ministry in this particular Generation; though He sees that they will not Entertain it, yet some that may come after them, may Entertain it. As they say in China, they prepare Work for many Hundred years before: The Parents they are preparing Work for their Children to enjoy. And so the Lord lays In, in one Generation, for the Children that are coming after, and therefore whether you Entertain it or no, God notwithstanding will have His End accomplished.

Thirdly, Though God sees there be none for the present, yet God layes in for time to come: God will send His Gospel to a place, though He sees this Generation will get no good by it; and God may Intend the good of the Generation that is to come, by sending His Ministry in this particular Generation; though He sees that they will not Entertain it, yet some that may come after them, may Entertain it. As they say in China, they prepare Work for many Hundred years before: The Parents they are preparing Work for their Children to enjoy. And so the Lord layes In, in one Generation, for the Children that are coming after, and therefore whether you Entertain it or no, God notwithstanding will have His End accomplisht.

Fourthly, Another Reason why God sends His Gospel, where He knows it will not be Entertained by the Generality, it is this, To leave Men wholly without Excuse. I may put these two together, To discover the Abominable sinfulness of the Hearts of Men, and to leave them wholly without Excuse. There is nothing in the World that doth discover the sinfulness of Mans Heart, more than this, That when the Lord sends this Gospel among them, yet it is rejected. The Preaching of any Moral Truths, do nothing so much argue the ⟨p. 227⟩sinfulness of Mans Heart in the rejection of them, as when the Gospel is Preached, and that is rejected. That argues the Abominable wickedness of Mans Heart, yea, for ought we know, more than is in the very Devil. We do not know that there is so much Perverseness in any of the Devils in Hell, as there is in the Heart of that Man that doth reject the Ministry of the Gospel. And why? Because God never tried them, God never put it to trial, to offer any Terms of Peace to them, and never told them that He would be Reconciled to them upon any Terms: And therefore whether they have such perverseness of heart or no, it is not discovered so as thine is. But if thou Livest where the Ministry of the Gospel is Preached, and yet continuest wicked and ungodly, thou art discovered to have that wickedness in thy Heart; that for ought thou knowest, it is beyond the wickedness of any Devil in Hell. The Devils might say, Lord, hadst thou offered Terms of Peace to us, we would not have so rejected it: And then it doth leave Men utterly without Excuse. I do not say, that this is Gods primary Intention, but this comes in: Why, the Lord doth suffer the Gospel to be Preached, to leave them wholly without Excuse. And for that, you have that Text in the fore-named place,