The way of the Spirit in bringing souls to Christ set forth in X sermons on John 16:7, 8, 9, 10 and chap 7:37 / by Mr. Thomas Allen, late pastor of a church in ... Norwich.

Answer.

How? briefly thus, When a Soul goes on not∣withstanding God holds forth this Record, that here is Eternal Life to be had by believing on Christ, this is the great Truth that God doth bear witness to in the Gospel, now when people do no more regard this so great Truth, though it be daily held forth to them, yet they regard it no more than they do the Words of one that they know to be an arrant Liar. Now one that is known to be a liar, if he should promise a man never so much, he would make no great matter of it, he promiseth to furnish him with mony at his need — but he doth not trust to it, he knows he is a liar, and therefore he is fain to pro∣vide for himself, as well as he can. Thus it is, God doth promise eternal life to the soul that doth accept of Jesus Christ, if you will believe on Christ here is eternal life for you, this is the great Truth that God doth bear witness to in the Gospel, now this Gospel is preached, and published, and proclaimed. Now when people have no more regard to this great Truth of the Gospel, than

they have to the words of a liar, then they make God a liar; they say this is a lie, let God say what he will, I will not believe a word of it, but we will look for salvation another way, we will shift for our selves as well as we can by our own duties and services, we will find the life in our own hands; so long as any poor soul goes on in a course of unbelief, he goes on continually to say that God is a liar. O Brethren! would it not make your ears tingle, and your hearts ake, to hear a man go up and down the streets, saying, God is a liar, I will not believe one word that he saith; you would say, if the man were in his wits, it is pity that he is suffered to live, thus to blaspheme the true God; Why truly, this is the case and course of every one that lives under the Gospel, un∣der this Record that God doth bear concerning Jesus Christ, and eternal life to be had in him, and yet they go on in a course and state of unbelief, and make nothing of all this, they do proclaim and say that God is a liar, and I do not believe one word that he saith what desperate and hor∣rible blasphemy is this? It may be you make no great matter of this, but notwithstanding thus it is, the Holy Ghost saith, He that believeth not the Record that God hath given of his Son, he makes God a liar. And is not this a great sin? to strike at the very Being of God; for if God be not a God of Truth, he must cease to be God.

That is the second Demonstration, That Unbe∣lief as it is a sin, so it is the greatest of sins. But then,

3. Unbelief appears to be a great sin, Because it is that whereby people do despise with the greatest

despite the greatest kindness and favour that God can shew to poor creatures; they do as it were spurn and kick away the kindness of God, with a spurn of the foot. God in the Gospel doth hold forth the greatest kindness, and favour, that can be shown to poor sinners, he offers to them life and salvation, peace, and pardon, and recon∣ciliation. — Now for persons not to regard this, O! it is a despising with the greatest despite, the highest kindness and favour that God can shew to poor sinners. I pray do but consider three or four things, that you may see what a high con∣tempt it is of the greatest kindness that can be shown to poor creatures.

1. Consider but the State and Condition of those to whom God doth offer and tender his Grace in the Gospel? What are they to whom God pro∣claims his Gospel, and offers pardon, and recon∣ciliation, and peace, and life, and salvation? Who are they? A company of poor condemned creatures, that are under the sentence of eternal death and condemnation, poor hopeless, and help∣less, undone creatures; We are all under a sentence of eternal death continually, so long as we are in a state of unbelief. The soul that sinneth it shall dy: God hath pronounced this sentence upon every sinners head; Now that God should offer and tender, and shew himself ready to shew kindness unto poor undone creatures, poor condemned creatures, condemned to eternal death, and for such poor creatures to slight this kindness, Is not this a sin and provocation with a witness? Is it not a great kindness for a King to shew such fa∣vour to a poor condemned creature, that is ready

to the Gallows, if the King should send him his pardon? It would be counted a kindness and a favour indeed. Truly Brethren, we are all condem∣ned creatures, sentenced to eternal death, now that God should be pleased to have any intend∣ment of good will and favour towards such as we are, especially if you consider the state of Angels, that fell, and are under a sentence of eternal con∣demnation, that God should leave them hopeless, and helpless for ever, pass by them, and shew favour to poor sinful mankind, here is a favour and kind∣ness indeed: We might all have perished, and God had lost nothing at all, he had been infinite∣ly glorious and just for ever. And then again.

2. Consider how God hath set his infinite Wis∣dom on work to contrive and find out a way, to manifest his goodness and favour to poor sin∣ners, which all the Angels in Heaven could never have done, that there should be a way found out to save sinners, that have infinitely offended and wronged the justice of God, and yet the justice of God not suffer! here is the infinite wisdom of God set on work to find out this way. Brethren, there was a great deal of the Wisdom of God seen in the contrivance of the World, and of the crea∣tures, framing of the Creation. Saith the Psalmist, speaking of the creatures, In Wisdom hast thou made them all, Psal. 104.24. Ay, there is much of the Wisdom of God seen in the creation of the World. The Heavens declare the Glory of God, Ay, but Brethren, in the work of the redempti∣on of lost man, shewing grace, and favour, and kindness to poor undone creatures as we are, here∣in appears the manifold Wisdom of God. Eph. 3.10.

To the intent that now, unto the Principalities and Powers in heavenly places might be made known by the Church the manifold Wisdom of God. Here was Wisdom and manifold Wisdom, Wisdom upon Wisdom, to find out a way for God to shew kind∣ness and favour to poor condemned creatures as we are. And then

3. Consider further that you may see the kind∣ness of God about the salvation of man. Consider that God should make it known that he is freely and fully willing to save undone creatures, that he is willing to save any poor sinner that is willing to venture on Christ, to lay hold on him by Faith; it was the great intendment of God in sending his Son from Heaven to be made a man, and to be made under the Law, and to suffer the wrath and Curse of God for the transgression of the Law, to make peace and attonement for sinners, here is now the manifold Wisdom of God, the won∣derful Wisdom of God, and that God should re∣veal this, and make this known unto poor sinners, that God is freely willing and fully willing that poor sinners find grace in his sight, that they might have pardon and reconciliation, whosoever they be that will believe on Christ, and accept of him. And not only so, But

4. Consider that God should send his Servants, and Messengers about, up and down the World, for that end, that he might shew favour and kind∣ness to poor sinners, he sends them in his name to publish and proclaim his Grace, to make known his everlasting Gospel unto poor sinners. Go, saith Christ, Mark 16.16. Preach the Gospel, and tell them, He that believeth shall be saved, and he

that believeth not, shall be damned. There will be his punishment. Now Brethren put all these to∣gether, here is kindness and grace indeed; that God should have favour for poor undone sinful creatures as we are, that are sentenced to eternal death, and that he should come and offer it and tender it as he doth. Now consider what a sin it is, not to receive it, not to embrace it, and accept of it▪ but to slight it, and refuse and despise it, as every unbeliever doth. God comes and offers eternal life and salvation in the Gospel, if you will receive it, you shall be saved; if you do venture your souls upon it, you shall be eternally saved: now for poor creatures, as it were, to kick this a∣way with the foot, to spurn at this grace and kind∣ness of God, to cast it behind your back as not worthy the regarding, you will say, certainly, this cannot be but a very great and high provoca∣tion: As now, suppose, the King should send a pardon to a poor condemned Malefactor, and he should take the pardon, and cast it behind his back; you will say this mans case is very sad. This is the case of every unbelieving soul; the pardon that God offers in the Gospel, he makes a very wisp of it, and casts it behind his back. Now consider, if this be not a sin; doth not this deserve condemnation with a witness? This is the con∣demnation, — That is the third.

4. Let me name one more, that if the Lord please to open our Eyes, we may see a little more into the evil of this sin of unbelief. Our not belie∣ving on Christ, is the highest Contempt put upon the eternal Son of God that can be; In refusing and slighting of Christ, we trample upon the Blood

of the infinite, and eternal, and beloved Son of God. You will say, that is a sin with a witness indeed, if a man should have taken the Blood of Christ, that ran out of his side, and stampt it un∣der his feet in disdain and contempt, you will say, that mans sin is a very great sin. Brethren, those that have Jesus Christ offered, and tendered to them, (as Jesus Christ is tendered and offered to every sinner that sits under the Gospel) there is his Blood offered and tendered to us; now if we refuse it, we do as it were trample upon the very Blood of the Son of God. 'Tis the expression of the Apostle, Heb. 10.29. Who have trodden under foot the Son of God, They trample the very Blood of the Son of God under their feet. Brethren, Jesus Christ in the Gospel comes and tenders him∣self, he tenders his Blood, the price and merit of his Blood, here is peace, here is pardon and re∣conciliation with God, here is eternal life and sal∣vation, the very price of my Blood. Now for us to make nothing of all this, to make no more of the Blood of Christ, than we would do of the Blood of a Beast, certainly this cannot but be a very high Provocation. I remember the Parable, Mat. 21. of a Vineyard that was let out to Te∣nants, so the Master of the Vineyard sent in season for the fruit of his Vineyard: well, 'tis said, v. 31. The husbandmen took his Servants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another; at last saith the Master of the Vineyard, I will send my Son, they will reverence my Son; and at v. 38. When they saw the Son, they used him as despitefully and shame∣fully as the other. What shall become of those hus∣bandmen that instead of reverencing his Son, they

cast him out of the Vineyard and slew him? 'Tis said, v. 40. When the Lord of the Vineyard comes he will miserably destroy those husbandmen. Why, Brethren, this is the case of every unbelieving soul, the Son of God comes and tenders his Blood, here is my hearts blood, the price of my Blood which I have shed, he tenders it to us to accept of it, to accept of peace, and pardon, and salvation, which is the price of my Blood, and we make no account of it, is not this a high provocation? and do we not deserve to be miserably destroyed?

So now you have seen the second thing opened, That unbelief is not only a sin, but it is a great sin; one of the greatest sins of all others, And O! that we had eyes to see it. But then,

3. Thirdly, To shew you, that it is the work of the Spirit in order to Conversion, to convince a Soul, as of other sins, so especially of this great sin of unbelief. I shall briefly name two or three things to shew you what the Spirit doth in order to the convincing of the soul of this great sin of unbelief, you shall find usually that the Spirit in convincing a soul of unbelief, in order to conver∣sion and eternal salvation, it usually doth these three things.

1. The Spirit doth come and reveal to the Soul the great evil of the sin of unbelief, sets it before the soul, and makes it to see it, therefore the Spirit is called the Spirit of Revelation, because it doth re∣veal the Gospel, and the great sin that is against the Gospel. Eph. 1.17. That God would give un∣to you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation. Bre∣thren, it is not natural Conscience that can con∣vince a man of the sin of unbelief. A natural

Conscience may possibly help to convince a soul of other sins, it may check the soul for other sins, as Murder or Blasphemy, — For indeed a natural Conscience is ready to accuse of sin, Rom. 2.15. Their Consciences in the mean while, excusing or ac∣cusing one another. Natural Conscience may ac∣cuse for some sins, but not for this sin of unbelief. The Law may help a soul to be convinced of some sins that are expresly against the Law, but the law cannot convince any man or woman of unbelief, no, though 'tis true as I said before, That believing on Christ is virtually required in the first Command∣ment, yet it is not expresly commanded, but on∣ly implicitly, and virtually, therefore it is not in the power of the law of the Commandments to help to convince a soul of the sin of unbelief, no more than the second Commandment is a means and instrument to convince us of our neglect of Gospel worship, because it is not expresly com∣manded there but implicitly and consequentially; Therefore I say it must be the work of the Spirit alone, to convince of the sin of unbelief. The Law and Conscience may help to convince the Soul of other sins, but none but the Spirit of God can convince the soul of the evil of the sin of un∣belief. This is the first thing that the Spirit doth in the soul, in order to the convincing of it of the sin of unbelief, namely, to open the eyes of the understanding, and to reveal and discover to the soul, the evil that is in the sin of unbelief.

2. Another work of the Spirit in order to it is this, namely, to cause the Soul to understand and know plainly that all his best duties and services that he can perform in this World cannot be acceptable

unto God, nor make his person acceptable without faith in Christ. Truly this now is the work of the Spirit to convince a Soul of this, to discover this, that it is not all my duties, and services, and performances, that can procure my acceptance with God without faith in Christ. Brethren, this the Holy Ghost speaks in Scripture, and this the Holy Ghost makes a soul sensible of, That with∣out faith it is impossible to please God. The soul, it may be, is ready to think that he can please God with the performance of duties and services,— But when the Spirit of God comes to convince the soul of the sin of unbelief, it shews him that all these things are not pleasing to God, but are displeasing to him without faith in Christ; neither our per∣sons, nor any thing we can do, can be accepted of God without faith; Eph. 1.6. saith the Apostle, Wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, Our persons are accepted in the Beloved, and our services are accepted in the Beloved, in Christ, and through Christ; otherwise nothing can be ac∣cepted and pleasing to God that we can do; and hereby now, by the operations of the Spirit, the Soul comes to see the sad and miserable Estate of unbelief. That is the second.

3. Another Work that the Spirit doth in order to convince a Soul of the Sin of Ʋnbelief, is this; name∣ly, to cause the Soul to see plainly, that it hath been out of the Way of Salvation all this time. The Soul hath gone on it may be in a course of duties, and services, and performances, it hath been careful and strict to walk exactly, to wrong no body, to be diligent in its calling, to be careful in all its dealings, to be abundant in duties and services,

giving attendance to the Word, waiting upon God in every Ordinance. The Soul goes on in this way, and thinks now it is in a way of salvation. I would not discourage and dishearten any from going on in such a way, but still without faith this is not the way, we are out of the way of sal∣vation, and we are all of us naturally enclined to seek for salvation in this way, in walking exactly, and being conscientious in the performance of du∣ties, and being diligent in our vocations and cal∣lings, this was the way wherein the poor Israelites did miscarry, and perish. Saith the Apostle, Rom. 9.30.31. What shall we say, that the Gentiles which followed not after Righteousness, have attained to Righteousness: but Israel which followed after the Law of Righteousness, hath not attained to the Law of Righteousness; wherefore? because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the Works of the Law. Ay, they went about, saith the Apostle, to establish their own righteousness, and so would not sub∣mit to the Righteousness of God. They went a∣bout to establish their own Righteousness; truly this is natural to every one, to walk on in the way of the Covenant of Works, to look for life in that way that Adam should have found life in if he had continued in his obedience; I say, 'tis natural for every one to walk on in such a course, to expect eternal life and salvation in that way, whereas when the Spirit of God comes to convince a Soul of the sin of unbelief, it makes the soul to see it hath been out of the way of life and salvation all this time; I have taken a wrong course all this time, and now the Soul begins to be amazed to think he hath lost all his time and all his labour,

and now the Soul sees that this is not the way to life and salvation, but the way of salvation is in the way of believing on Christ, and now the soul is set in that way and course of believing on Christ, and this is the Word behind us, which the Pro∣phet Isaiah speaks of, Isa. 30.21. Thou shalt hear a voice behind thee, saying, this is the way walk in it. The Spirit of the Lord comes and whispers in our ear, and tells us this is the way of life and sal∣vation, you will never find life by your own do∣ings, but this is the way walk in it, if you would find life. Thus the Holy Ghost doth ordinarily those three things in order to the convincing a Soul of the sin of unbelief. So now you have heard the Point opened and cleared. Now to make a little Application in a word or two, and so I have done.