What dignity hath God stamped on Gospel Ordinances, in making them the organs and mediums through and by which Christ speaks life to dead Souls! This greatly exalts the dignity of the Gospel, and deservedly endears it to all our Souls. I deny not but God can convey Spiritual life immediately without them; but though he hath not tied up himself, yet he hath tied us up to a diligent and constant attendance upon them; and that with the deepest respect and reverence to them, Luke 10. 16. He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. Behold, how the sin is graduated, and aggravated to the height of sinfulness. The contempt of the Gospel runs much higher than Men are aware of. We think it no great matter to neglect or contemn a messenger of Jesus Christ; but that contempt flies in the very face and authority of Christ, who gave them their Commissions; yea, in the very face of God the Father, who gave Christ his Commission. Christ speaks in and by his Ministers, they are as his mouth, Jer. 15. 19. Moreover, the sin sticks at ⟨p. 312⟩our own Souls, and we injure them as well as Christ: For the Word preached is his appointed Instrument to convey spiritual life, the best of Blessings to our Souls. Upon which account it is called the Word of life, Phil. 2. 16. and the power of God to salvation, Rom. 1. 16. We then militate against our life and salvation when we despise and neglect the Ordinances of God. 'Tis good for men to lye under them, and continually wait on them; who knows when the Spirit of God will breathe life to your Souls through them? What if yet you have found no such benefit from them? the very next opportunity may be the time of life, the appointed season of your salvation. Bring your carnal Relations to them, as they did their sick and diseased Friends in the days when Christ was on Earth, laying them in the way he was to pass. Christ will honour his Ordinances; see that dou don't despise them. I think no Age was ever deeper drenched in the guilt of this sin than the present Age is.
What dignity hath God stampt on Gospel Ordinances, in making them the organs and mediums through and by which Christ speaks life to dead Souls! This greatly exalts the dignity of the Gospel, and deservedly endears it to all our Souls. I deny not but God can convey Spiritual life immediately without them; but though he hath not tyed up himself, yet he hath tyed us up to a diligent and constant attendance upon them; and that with the deepest respect and reverence to them, Luke 10. 16. He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. Behold, how the sin is graduated, and aggravated to the hight of sinfulness. The contempt of the Gospel runs much higher than Men are aware of. We think it no great matter to neglect or contemn a messenger of Jesus Christ; but that contempt flies in the very face and authority of Christ, who gave them their Commissions; yea, in the very face of God the Father, who gave Christ his Commission. Christ speaks in and by his Ministers, they are as his mouth, Ier. 15. 19. Moreover, the sin sticks at ⟨p. 312⟩our own Souls, and we injure them as well as Christ: For the Word preached is his appointed Instrument to convey spiritual life, the best of Blessings to our Souls. Upon which account it is called the Word of life, Phil. 2. 16. and the power of God to salvation, Rom. 1. 16. We then militate against our life and salvation when we despise and neglect the Ordinances of God. 'Tis good for men to lye under them, and continually wait on them; who knows when the Spirit of God will breathe life to your Souls through them? What if yet you have found no such benefit from them? the very next opportunity may be the time of life, the appointed season of your salvation. Bring your carnal Relations to them, as they did their sick and diseased Friends in the days when Christ was on Earth, laying them in the way he was to pass. Christ will honour his Ordinances; see that dou don't despise them. I think no Age was ever deeper drencht in the guilt of this sin than the present Age is.
