ing the throne of grace; making light of it, Matth. xxii. 5. neglecting so great salvation, Heb. ii. 3. There are many things from whence this contempt springs. Either no sense of their need of what is to be had at the throne of grace; or else a dream, that they may be supplied elsewhere; or gross unbelief, that men think in their hearts, that all this account of the throne of grace is but a cunningly-devised fable; or the nature of the blessings, spiritual and eternal, unsuitable to, and not taking with their carnal hearts, who mind earthly things. If the exhortation had run thus, Let us come, that we may get silver, and obtain gold, to render us rich in this world; what leaping and striving would there be to obey it? whilst grace and mercy, that men have no sense nor experience of, are despised; and therefore the throne of grace, where only they are to be had, is despised also. The Spirit of God in the scripture is at much pains to commend the worth and value of the blessings that Christ came to purchase, and hath to dispense, and to prefer them above all present sensible things; yet, notwithstanding all the bright light of the word darting daily in men's eyes, the dross and dung of this world is more precious in the eyes, and savoury to the heart of every ungodly man, than all the grace given on earth, and all the glory to be given in heaven. 2. This sin of not coming, is committed by delaying to come The call of God is, Let us come; the answer of many hearts is, Let us delay to come. Whence think you that these delays come? We have it daily to bewail before God and you, that a multitude will come together to hear, and do so day by day; yet all that can be said to them, from their childhood to their old age, never prevailed with many of them to spend one hour in serious treating at the throne of grace, with God in Christ, for the eternal salvation of their souls. It is undeniable, that ye are but a pack of gross hypocrites, if you attend on the means of grace in the assemblies of saints, and yet have no particular personal errand to the throne of grace for your own souls. The salvation of the soul is not carried on in a crowd. The grace of God must be particularly applied to you, and you must particularly apply it to yourselves, and yourselves to the throne of grace, if ever you be saved. The fellowship of presence without fear, and call and count all the blessings of the covenant theirs, without any doubt, and yet without any ground. But when God began to deal with them, and to come close to them, and to send in light and life into their consciences, then they see their former mistakes; they see their utter want and great need of those blessings they once dreamed they were rich in the possession of; they see their utter unworthiness of them; and therefore find it hard to believe, that ever the Lord will welcome them to the throne of his grace. Usually beginners in Christianity have greater light and sense as to their necessity of saving grace and mercy, than about the Lord's willingness to give them. And this is the season wherein Satan doth usually come in (if permitted, and often he is) with his temptations and fiery darts, that they felt nothing of while they were in his kingdom and power of darkness. To such I would propose three things: 1st, What is the ground of thy discouragement? Hereto I know they will say a great deal, and it may be more than is true. I grant all can be said to be true. But the sum of all is, I am a great sinner, and exceeding miserable. Be humbled as low as hell in the sense thereof, yet be not discouraged. What is in thy case but what is common? Only thou seest and feelest for thyself, and so did others. 2dly, What is the tendency of it? Doth it tend to keep thee aloof from the throne of grace? It is then, of Satan. 3dly, What can be the cure of it? You would not be always in this heartless frame. How think you to get it removed? by keeping still from the throne of grace? Will, or can, any spiritual plagues be cured, but by Christ the Physician? or any spiritual blessing be got, but at his door? Can you expect it without coming, and begging? David took the right course with his fainting heart, Psal. xlii. 5.; he challengeth his soul for its disquietment; he chargeth it to trust in God: and because he had not prevailed with his soul, he brings it to God by faith, ver. 6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me. Do ye so; and call upon him by that name, God that comforteth those that are cast down, 2 Cor. vii. 6. I shall name no more of the ways this sin is acted than corruptions strong; they have made some essays to get matters mended, and all in vain: whereon they conclude, that it will never be better; and they sit down in security, and give themselves up to their pleasures: Isa. xxii. 13. Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die. A strange argument. Approach of death usually mars the taste of pleasure. The handwriting on the wall, even when not known, marred Belshazzar's cheer, Dan. v. This is a very miserable and sinful case. It springs from men's being ignorant of the true remedy, when they were sick of sin; and because all the physic and physicians they used and tried did them no good, they conclude their sickness is unto death. But let such know, that there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Only come and see, and try what may be done. Beware of despair; it is the devil's sin. But he hath reason for it: for he is condemned; and all doors of hope are eternally shut upon him, or rather none was ever opened to him. But for a man that hath the riches of God's longsuffering, forbearance, and patience, (Rom. ii. 4.), daily laid out upon him; that hath the door of grace set open to him, and the Lord calling, intreating, promising acceptance on his coming; for such a man to give over all hope, is a sin someway worse than the devils; a frame pleasing only to the devil, most dishonourable to God, and his Son Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Ghost, (I do not call it the sin against the Holy Ghost); a reflection on all the glorious appearances and manifestations of the throne of grace, and most surely damning if continued in. Away with it speedily: conclude thy case is not desperate ; and if you cannot shake it off, come to the throne of grace, and complain of it. It ye can but see the throne, and him that sits upon it, despair will vanish as a night-owl on the bright shining of the Sun of Righteousness. Despair cannot live in the presence of the glorious grace of Jesus Christ. Come then and see, and lay hold on the hope set before you. The other refusers to come, are the discouraged. They do not despair that their case cannot be mended; but they see so much, and so many things out of order, that their hearts fail them in applying to the only remedy. In the time of their carnal security, and ignorance of God and of themselves, (that bred and kept up that security), they could rush into God's presence without fear, and call and count all the blessings of the covenant theirs, without any doubt, and yet without any ground. But when God began to deal with them, and to come close to them, and to send in light and life into their consciences, then they see their former mistakes; they see their utter want and great need of those blessings they once dreamed they were rich in the possession of; they see their utter unworthiness of them; and therefore find it hard to believe, that ever the Lord will welcome them to the throne of his grace. Usually beginners in Christianity have greater light and sense as to their necessity of saving grace and mercy, than about the Lord's willingness to give them. And this is the season wherein Satan doth usually come in (if permitted, and often he is) with his temptations and fiery darts, that they felt nothing of while they were in his kingdom and power of darkness. To such I would propose three things: 1st, What is the ground of thy discouragement? Hereto I know they will say a great deal, and it may be more than is true. I grant all can be said to be true. But the sum of all is, I am a great sinner, and exceeding miserable. Be humbled as low as hell in the sense thereof, yet be not discouraged. What is in thy case but what is common?. Only thou seest and feelest for thyself, and so did others. 2dly, What is the tendency of it? Doth it tend to keep thee aloof from the throne of grace? It is then, of Satan. 3dly, What can be the cure of it? You would not be always in this heartless frame. How think you to get it removed? by keeping still from the throne of grace? Will, or can, any spiritual plagues be cured, but by Christ the Physician? or any spiritual blessing be got, but at his door? Can you expect it without coming, and begging? David took the right course with his fainting heart, Psal. xlii. 5.; he challengeth his soul for its disquietment; he chargeth it to trust in God: and because he had not prevailed with his soul, he brings it to God by faith, ver. 6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me. Do ye so; and call upon him by that name, God that comforteth those that are cast down, 2 Cor. vii. 6. I shall name no more of the ways this sin is acted than these three; despising, delaying, and refusing. Several other expressions there are of this sin in the word; but if you be kept from these three, you are innocent from the great transgression. Secondly, What is the wrath revealed from heaven for this great sin of not coming to the throne of grace? 1. God testifies his displeasure against this sin, by taking away of his gospel. Nothing is more just with God, than that, when his grace is slighted, the means of grace should be removed. If the Lord argue so as to correction, Isa. i. 5. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more; much more may he argue thus, Why should I keep up a throne of grace any longer? you will but despise it more and more. Christ teacheth a sad parable, Matth. xxi. 33, &c. and makes a just, but dreadful application of it to the hearers, ver. 43. Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God (another name of the throne of grace) shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. They were cut off for their unbelief, Rom. xi. 20. With what face can an unbeliever beg of God the continuance of the means of grace, who hath no mind to enjoy the end and blessing of those means? A general contempt of the grace of God enfeebleth the spirits of ministers and Christians in standing before the Lord, for the continuance of the gospel with à people that use it not. This dreadful judgment hath been often threatened in the word, and inflicted, in the severe providence of God, on many once-famous churches and nations. As the Lord saith, But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it, for the wickedness of my people Israel, Jer. vii. 12.; so I may say, Go to Jerusalem, and the seven churches in Asia; go to Greece and Africa, where many a famous church was planted, and learn to fear for yourselves: not to speak of later desolations in ours and our fathers days. The Lord's removing of his gospel, is a judgment that is very deep; as the apostle speaks of the same subject, Rom. xi. 33. We may take notice of this judgment as brought on by prevailing errors in and about the foundation, Jesus Christ; or by gradual apostasy, and impurity of conversation, |