1. Reigning Unbelief is in all natural men, who are not only guilty of unbelief, but described by the term unbelievers, as being persons never throughly gained to the obedience of the Gospel, or the acceptance of Christ, and life and peace in him. It bewrayeth it self, 1. By hardness of heart; they are not moved nor affected with their own misery▪ nor with redemption by Christ, and the great things of eternity depending thereupon; nor the invitations of grace, calling them to the enjoyment of them, Acts 19 9. And divers w•re hardened, and believed not, &c. an hard heart is one of the Devil's impregnable Forts, not easily attached by the force and power of the Word: Men are born with an hard heart; we bring the stone with us into the world, and by positive unbelief, or by slighting offers of grace made to us, it increaseth upon us: Hardness of heart is known by the foolishness of it, when seeing we see not, and hearing we hear not, Acts 28. 26, 27. when we have a grammatical knowledge of things, but no spiritual discerning; 'tis also known by the insensibleness of it, when men have no feeling of terrors by the Law, of peace, joy, and hope by the Gospel, no taste of the good word at all, but are as stones, unmoved with all that is spoken. 2. By a neglect of spiritual and heavenly things, they do not make it their business and work to look after those things, Matth. 22. 5. *But they made light of it, and went one to his Farm, another to his Merchandise. Your callings are not your [Greek or Hebrew], your work and main business, that is to look after an interest in Christ, therefore when, this is the least thought of, and the Farm and the Merchandise engrosseth all our time and care men believe not; Could they slight Christ and holy things if they did soundly and throughly believe the Word of God? Would they not find some time to mind their souls? Looking after the inward man, that's the main care; and men would first regard it, if they did believe that the soul were ⟨p. 265⟩so concerned both in point of danger and hope, surely when men take no heed to the great offers of the Gospel, they do not look upon it as a certain truth. 3dly. By secret suspicions in their own souls against the truth of the Gospel;
1. Reigning Ʋnbelief is in all natural men, who are not only guilty of unbelief, but described by the term unbelievers, as being persons never throughly gained to the obedience of the Gospel, or the acceptance of Christ, and life and peace in him. It bewrayeth it self, 1. By hardness of heart; they are not moved nor affected with their own misery▪ nor with redemption by Christ, and the great things of eternity depending thereupon; nor the invitations of grace, calling them to the enjoyment of them, Acts 19 9. And divers w•re hardned, and believed not, &c. an hard heart is one of the Divel's impregnable Forts, not easily attached by the force and power of the Word: Men are born with an hard heart; we bring the stone with us into the world, and by positive unbelief, or by slighting offers of grace made to us, it increaseth upon us: Hardness of heart is known by the foolishness of it, when seeing we see not, and hearing we hear not, Acts 28. 26, 27. when we have a grammatical knowledge of things, but no spiritual discerning; 'tis also known by the insensibleness of it, when men have no feeling of terrors by the Law, of peace, joy, and hope by the Gospel, no taste of the good word at all, but are as stones, unmoved with all that is spoken. 2. By a neglect of spiritual and heavenly things, they do not make it their business and work to look after those things, Matth. 22. 5. *But they made light of it, and went one to his Farm, another to his Merchandise. Your callings are not your 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, your work and main business, that is to look after an interest in Christ, therefore when, this is the least thought of, and the Farm and the Merchandise ingrosseth all our time and care men believe not; Could they slight Christ and holy things if they did soundly and throughly believe the Word of God? Would they not find some time to mind their souls? Looking after the inward man, that's the main care; and men would first regard it, if they did believe that the soul were ⟨p. 265⟩so concern'd both in point of danger and hope, surely when men take no heed to the great offers of the Gospel, they do not look upon it as a certain truth. 3dly. By secret suspicions in their own souls against the truth of the Gospel;
- *[Greek or Hebrew], They would not take it into their care and thoughts.〈non-Latin alphabet〉, They would not take it into their care and thoughts.
