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

That those that shall not Entertain the Gospel, ¹the Lord will deal very quick with them; Your Peace shall return again: the Lord will not stand long about the matter. I in the naming of the point have already spoken of a Scripture or two, Now is the Axe laid to the root of the Trees, when John Baptist came to Preach the Kingdom of God. And that in the Last of Mark v. 16. Go and Preach saith Christ to his Disciples, he that believes shall be Saved, he that believes not shall be Damned: The Lord Christ tells how quick the Lord will be with those that shall not entertain the Gospel; and there are many Texts that are very full for this purpose: and because it is a great Point, and that it should strike much upon your Consciences, therefore I will present it in the fullness of the Evidence of Scripture. That place that you have in Matth. 10. it is just parallel to this in Luke 10. there where Christ sends his Apostles forth, as he doth the 70. he gives the same Directions in effect; but mark here, Saint Matthew goes farther than Saint Luke, Let your Peace Return to you; and whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear ⟨p. 261⟩your words, when you depart out of that House or City, shake off the dust of your feet: Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment, than for that City. See here the quickness of God with those that do reject the Gospel: So in John 3. that is very famous for this, in ver. 18. He that believeth on him is not Condemned, but he that believeth not is Condemned already. You will say he is Condemned already, because his Natural Condition is such that he is under Condemnation: No, but I take it, the Scripture doth aim at something further; He is not only Condemned by reason of his sins against the Law, but he is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the Name of the only Begotten Son of God. How could he Believe in the Name of the Only Begotten Son of God before ever he heard it; but here it is spoken of Light that is come into the World, for so it follows in ver. 19. And this is the Condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light; because their deeds were evil: That is, when Christ shall come to be preached to any People, and they will not believe;