N13259:156
Sermons, on the following subjects
Sermons, on the following subjects; The manner in which salvation is to be sought. The unreasonableness of indetermination in religion. Unbelievers contemn the glory of Christ. The folly of looking back in fleeing out of Sodom. The warnings of Scripture in the best manner adapted to the awakening and conversion of sinners. Hypocrites deficient in the duty of prayer. The future punishment of the wicked unavoidable and intolerable. The eternity of hell-torments. The peace which Christ gives his true followers. The perpetuity & change of the Sabbath. / By the late Reverend Mr. Jonathan Edwards, president of the College of New-Jersey.
Hartford: printed by Hudson and Goodwin, 1780
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
NEITHER do unbelievers set any thing by those excellent virtues which appeared in CHRIST'S human nature, when he was upon earth. He was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners; he was meek and lowly of heart; he was patient under afflictions and injuries; when he was reviled, he reviled not again. But unbelievers set nothing by these things in JESUS CHRIST.—They very often hear how excellent and glorious a person CHRIST is: they are told of his holiness, and grace, and condescension, and meekness; and have the excellencies of CHRIST plainly set forth to them; yet they set all at nought.
2. THEY set nothing by his excellency in his work and office. They are told how glorious and complete ⟨p. 61⟩a mediator he is, how sufficient to answer all our necessities, and to save sinners to the uttermost; but they make light of it all; yea that make nothing of it—They hear of the wonderful wisdom of GOD in contriving such a way of salvation by CHRIST, they have the manifold wisdom of GOD set forth to them; but they set nothing by this wisdom, nor do they make any account of the excellency of this way of salvation.
THE unbeliever hears what a wonderful thing it was, that he who was in the form of GOD and esteemed it no robbery to be equal with GOD, should take upon him the human nature, and come and live in this world in a mean and low condition; but he makes nothing of this.—He hears much of the dying love of CHRIST to sinners, how wonderful it was that so glorious a person, who is infinitely above the angels, should so set his love on such worms of the dust, so much below him, on such sinful creatures, who were his enemies, as to come and be made a curse for them, and die a cruel and ignominious death in their stead; but he sets nothing by all this. This dying love of CHRIST is a thing of no account with him, those great things that CHRIST hath done and suffered, are with him light matters, things of no weight at all.