Take you men that believe not, and let them read the Word of God over again and again, and yet they receive little instruction from what they read, little admonition, little stirred up to any goodness: And you shall not at all find any blessing, no saving gift of God, can be wrought in the heart without faith, and because faith comes not by reading, but by hearing, therefore the Apostle writes not to them that believe not, but to such as are believers. If ever God had intended that the reading of these writings had been effectual to the begetting of faith, surely he would have followed them with mighty works, as he blessed the preaching of the Gospel, in the primitive times, with miraculous works; but you shall not read in any Scripture, that ever God so far blessed the Word read to any man, or that he ever wrought a miracle to confirm the Word read, where the word hath been taught: God magnified it much in the first publishers of it, till the whole world was convicted. And had God been pleased at any time to think that these writings should be effectual to convert men to grace, surely, it had been a notable means for the Apostles to have sent sundry Epistles to many Churches, to whom they should never personally come: But this was their care, to go all over the world, to preach here and there, all the world over, round about the world, as much as in them lay, which they needed not to have don, in case the sending of an Epistle would have served the turn. Notable is that speech, and famous in this kind, Rom. 10.14, to 17. Faith comes by hearing, &c. So that in very truth, because the Apostles did not see, of what use their writings might be to any unbelievers, because all the work that reading could reach unto, could not reach to beget and work saving faith, which is the principal scope of preaching; therefore they did never address themselves to write any of their Epistles, to any unbeliever, but only to such as believe on the name of the Lord Jesus.
Take you men that beleeve not, and let them read the Word of God over again and againe, and yet they receive little instruction from what they read, little admonition, little stirred up to any goodnesse: And you shal not at all find any blessing, no saving gift of God, can be wrought in the heart without faith, and because faith comes not by reading, but by hearing, therefore the Apostle writes not to them that beleeve not, but to such as are beleevers. If ever God had intended that the reading of these writings had been effectual to the begetting of faith, surely he would have followed them with mighty works, as he blessed the preaching of the Gospel, in the primitive times, with miraculous workes; but you shal not read in any Scripture, that ever God so farre blessed the Word read to any man, or that he ever wrought a miracle to confirme the Word read, where the word hath been taught: God magnified it much in the first publishers of it, til the whole world was convicted. And had God been pleased at any time to thinke that these writings should be effectual to convert men to grace, surely, it had been a notable meanes for the Apostles to have sent sundry Epistles to many Churches, to whom they should never personally come: But this was their care, to goe all over the world, to preach here and there, all the world over, round about the world, as much as in them lay, which they needed not to have don, in case the sending of an Epistle would have served the turne. Notable is that speech, and famous in this kind, Rom. 10.14, to 17. Faith comes by hearing, &c. So that in very truth, because the Apostles did not see, of what use their writings might bee to any unbeleevers, because all the work that reading could reach unto, could not reach to beget and worke saving faith, which is the principall scope of preaching; therefore they did never addresse themselves to write any of their Epistles, to any unbeleever, but onely to such as beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus.
