N13259:183
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.
INSTEAD of being a precious stone in your eyes, he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to you. That he is a Saviour who hath manifested such divine perfections in what he hath done and suffered, is one principal reason why you set nothing by him.—Consider how provoking this must needs be to GOD the Father, who has given his only begotten son for your salvation; and what wrath it merits from the son whom you thus treat. And consider how you will hereafter bear this wrath.
CONSIDER that however Christ be set at nought by you, yet he shall be the head of the corner, and that even with respect to you. Though you set him low, yet he shall be exalted with respect to you. It is but a vain thing for you to make light of Christ and treat him with contempt. How much soever you contemn him, you cannot break his bands asunder, nor cast his cords from you. You will still be in his hands. While you despise Christ, GOD will despise you, and the Lord will have you in derision. GOD will set his king on his holy hill of Zion in spite of all his enemies: Psal. ii. 1—6. Though you say we will not have this man to reign over us, yet Christ will rule over you▪ Psal. cx. 2. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. If you will not sumbit to the sceptre of his grace, you shall be subject to the rod of his wrath, and he will rule you with a rod of iron: Psal. ii. 9, 10, 11, 12.
3. You may hence be led to see how worthless many of those things in yourselves are, that you have been ready to make much of. Particularly, if it be so that you set nothing by all the glory of Christ, then what are those desires that you have after Christ, good for? and that willingness that you think you find, to come to Christ?—Sinners are often wont to excuse themselves in their unbelief with this, that they see not but that they are wiling to come to Christ, and would gladly come to him if they could, and have great desires to come to him. And they make much of such a willingness and such desires, as though GOD were unjust to punish them for not coming to Christ, when they would gladly come to Christ if they could. But this doctrine shows that your willingness and desires to come to Christ, are not worthy to be mentioned as any excuse: for they are not