we are unprofitable Servants and have done nothing but what was our duty yet God is pleased to accept what we can do because it is sincere and to forgive the defects and imperfections of our Obedience for his sake who fulfilled all righteousness And besides all this we have the encouragement of a great and everlasting Reward infinitely beyond all proportion of any service and Obedience that we can perform And if God be ready to assist and strengthen us in the doing of our duty and be willing so graciously to accept and to reward at such a rate the Sincerity of our endeavours to please him notwithstanding all the failings and imperfections of our best service and Obedience what can we possibly desire more for our encouragement to patient continuance in well-doing and to be stedfast and unmoveable and abundant in the work of the Lord. Fourthly and lastly The consideration of what hath been said upon this Argument may serve severely to rebuke the groundless Presumption of those who rely with so much confidence upon Chrst for eternal Salvation without any conscience or care to keep his Commandments as if Salvation lay upon his Hands and he knew not how to dispose of it and were glad of any one that would come and take it off upon any terms No he came to save us from our Sins to redeem us from all iniquity and to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good Works So that the Salvation which he hath purchased for us doth necessarily imply our forsaking of our Sins and returning to God and our Duty and his Death and Sufferings are not more an argument of his great Love to Mankind than they are a demonstration of his perfect hatred of Sin So that if we continue in the Love and practice of Sin we defeat the whole design of his coming into the World and of all that he hath done and suffered for us and the redemption which Christ hath wrought for us will not avail us in the least Salvation is far from the wicked says David Psal 119.155 If we have been workers of Iniquity the Saviour of the World when he comes to judge it will bid us to depart from him From all that hath been said it is evident that it is the greatest Presumption in the World for any Man to hope to obtain eternal Salvation by any device whatsoever or in the Communion of any Church whatsoever without Obedience and a holy Life For tho' our Obedience cannot merit yet it is necessary to qualifie and dispose us for it tho' it does not make us strictly worthy yet it makes us meet to be made partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light SERMON VIII The Authority of Jesus Christ with the Commission and Promise which he gave to his Apostles MAT. XXVIII 18 19 20. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you And lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World THESE Words are the last that our Blessed Saviour spake to his Apostles immediately before his Ascension into Heaven and there are these Three things contained in them Vol. V. I. A Declaration of his own Authority All power is given unto me both in heaven and in earth II. A Commission to his Disciples grounded upon that Authority Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you III. A Promise to encourage them in this work And lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world I. Here 's our Saviour's Declaration of his own Authority All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth Here 's an unlimited Power and Authority given him over all Creatures in Heaven and Earth This the Scripture tells us was conferred upon him as a Reward of his Sufferings Phil. 2.8 9 10. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth that is that all Creatures Angels and Men and Devils should do Homage and acknowledge Subjection to him II. Here is the Commission he gave to his Apostles by virtue of this Authority Go ye therefore and teach all Nations The Commission which he here gives is founded in the Authority he had before received Having all Power committed to him he constitutes and appoints the Apostles and their Successors to manage the Affairs of this his spiritual Kingdom upon Earth and this seems to be the same Commission which St. John mentions in other words John 20.21 As my Father hath sent me even so send I you that is as my Father commission'd me before so now having received full Authority from him I commission you Now in this Commission which our Saviour gave to his Disciples I shall take notice First Of the general Import and Design of it Secondly A more particular Declaration how they were to manage this Design First The general Import and Design of this Commission Go ye and teach all Nations The word which we translate teach is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disciple all Nations endeavour to make all the World Christians One would think here was a Power plainly enough given them to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews Which will more fully appear if we compare this passage in St. Matthew with the other Evangelists St. Mark oh 16.15 hath it Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature From which Text I suppose St. Francis thought himself bound to preach to Beasts and Birds and accordingly did it very often and with wonderful success as they tell us in the Legend of his Life But to extend our Saviour's Commission so far is want of Common sense in which St. Francis tho' they tell us he had other Gifts and Graces to an eminent degree was plainly defective But to proceed St. Luke ch 24.47 tells us our Saviour commanded that Repentance and remission of Sins should be preached in his Name among all Nations beginning at Jerusalem So that their Commission did plainly extend to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews only they were to begin with the Jews and to preach the Gospel first to them and when they had gone over Judea and Samaria then to pass to other Nations as St. Luke doth most expresly declare Acts 1.8 Ye shall receive power after that the holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me
so afraid of the Merit of Obedience and good Works that they are loth to assert the Neeessity of them and do it with so much caution as if they were not throughly perswaded of it or did apprehend some dangerous consequence of it but this fear is perfectly groundless as if Merit could not be excluded without casting off our Duty and releasing our selves from any Necessary Obligation to be good For any Man surely may easily discern a plain difference between a worthiness of desert and a fitness of receiving a Rebel being penitent and sorry for what he hath done though he cannot deserve a pardon yet he may thereby be qualified and made meet to receive it though Repentance do not make him worthy yet it may make him capable of it which an obstinate Rebel and one that persists in his disloyalty is not This is a thing so plain of it self that it would be waste of time and words to insist longer upon the proof of it Now the Necessity of Obedience in order to eternal Life and Happiness relies upon these three grounds 1 st Upon the Constitution and Appointment of God 2 dly The general Reason of Rewards 3 dly Upon the particular Nature of that Reward which God will confer upon us for our Obedience 1 st The Constitution and Appointment of God Eternal Life is the Gift of God and he may do what he will with his own he may dispense his Gifts and Favours upon what Terms and Conditions he pleaseth and therefore if he hath plainly declared that to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Immortality he will give eternal Life that without holiness no Man shall see the Lord but if we have our fruit unto holiness our End shall be everlasting Life who shall resist his Will or dispute his Pleasure The Right and Authority of God in this matter is so unquestionable that it admits of no contest and the Blessings and Benefits propos'd are so infinitely great and unvaluable that no condition of obtaining them which is possible to be perform'd by us can be thought hard and unequal so that we ought thankfully to receive so great a favour let the terms and conditions of it be what they will and if there were no other reason for the imposing of these Conditions upon us of Faith and Repentance and Obedience but merely the Will and Pleasure of God this were enough to silence all Objections against it But 2 dly The Necessity of Obedience in order to eternal Life is likewise founded in the Reason of Rewards in general For though the measure and degree of our Reward so infinitely beyond the proportion of our best Duty and Service as eternal Life and Happiness is I say though the measure and degree of this Reward be founded in the immense Bounty and Goodness of God yet the Reason of Reward in general is necessarily founded in our Obedience to God's Laws for according to the true nature and reason of things nothing but Obedience is capable of Reward For though Authority may pardon the breach and transgression of Laws and remit the punishment due thereto yet to reward the contempt of Laws and wilful disobedience to them is directly contrary to the design of Government and does plainly overthrow the very Reason and End of all Laws and makes Obedience and Disobedience to be all one if so be they are equally capable of Reward and therefore nothing can be more absurd and sensless than for any Man to hope to be rewarded by God who does not live in a sincere Obedience to his Laws Every Man that hath this hope in him that is in Christ Jesus to be sav'd by him purifieth himself even as he is pure that is endeavours to be like him in the purity and obedience of his life and nothing surely can be more unreasonable than to expect to be rewarded by the great Governour and Judge of the World if we be disobedient to his Laws for where Obedience to Law is refused there all reason and equity of Reward ceaseth No wise Prince can think fit to reward Disloyalty and Contempt of his Laws because to reward it would be to encourage it much less will God the great and infinitely wise Governour of the World 3 dly the Necessity of Obedience will yet more evidently appear if we consider the particular Nature of that Reward which God will confer upon us for our Obedience The happiness of Heaven which is the Reward promised in the Gospel is described to us by the sight and enjoyment of God Now to render us capable of this blessed Reward it is necessary that we be like God but nothing but Obedience and Holiness and being renewed after the Image of him who created us in righteousness can make us like to God For he that would be like God must be holy and just and good and patient and merciful as God is and this alone can make us capable of the blessed sight and enjoyment of God for unless we be like him we cannot see him as he is and if we should be admitted into Heaven we could not find any pleasure and happiness in communion with him Blessed are the pure in heart says our Saviour for they shall see God Without Holiness says the Apostle no man shall see the Lord. And indeed it is in the very nature of the thing impossible that a wicked Man whilst he remains so should ever be happy because there can be no agreeable and delightful Society between those that are of a quite contrary temper and disposition to one another between him who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity and a sinful and impure Creature For what fellowship saith the Apostle can righteousness have with unrighteousness what communion hath light with darkness or God with Belial that is with the wicked and disobedient Till we become like to God in the frame and temper of our minds there can be no happy Society between him and us we could neither delight our selves in God nor he take any pleasure in us for he is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness neither shall evil dwell with him The wicked shall not stand in his sight he hateth all the workers of iniquity It cannot be otherwise but that there must be an eternal jarring and discord between the righteous and holy God and wicked and unrighteous Men. I will behold thy face says David in righteousness There is no looking God in the face upon any other terms If we have been workers of iniquity God will cast us out of his sight and in great anger bid us to depart from him and we also shall desire him to depart from us as being unable to bear the sight of him So that there is great reason why Holiness and Obedience should be made the Conditions of Eternal Life and Happiness since in the very Nature of the thing it is so necessary a Qualification for the blessed
in the latter part of the Text that many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able I proceed now to the Second part of the Text the Reason or Argument whereby this Exhortation is enforced Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you shall seek to enter in and shall not be able Every seeking to enter in will not gain our admission into Heaven therefore there must be striving For Men may do many things in Religion and make several faint Attempts to get to Heaven and yet at last fall short of it for want of that earnest Contention and Endeavour which is necessary to the attaining of it We must make Religion our business and set about it with all our might and persevere and hold out in it if ever we hope to be admitted to Heaven for many shall seek to enter that shall be shut out Now what this seeking is which is here opposed to striving to enter in at the strait gate our Saviour declares after the Text v. 25. When once the Master of the House is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Then shall ye begin to say we have eaten and drunk in thy Presence and thou hast taught in our streets but he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity St. Matth. mentions some other Pretences which they should make upon which they should lay claim to Heaven Mat. 7.21 22 23. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Many will say unto me in that Day Lord Lord have we not Prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful works And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work Iniquity After all their seeking to enter in and notwithstanding all these Pretences they shall be shut out and be for ever banisht from the Presence of God This shall be their doom which will be much the heavier because of the disappointment of their confident expectation and hope So St. Luke tells us v 28. There shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and ye your selves thrust out And they shall come from the East and from the West and from the North and from the South and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God To which St. Matthew adds Chap 8. v. 12. But the Children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And then our Saviour concludes Luke 13.30 Behold there are last that shall be first and first which shall be last From all which it appears with what Confidence many Men upon these false Pretences which our Saviour calls seeking to enter in shall lay claim to Heaven and how strangely they shall be disappointed of their expectation and hope when they shall find themselves cast out of Heaven who they thought had out done all others in Religion and were the only Members of the true Church and the Children and Heirs of the Kingdom and shall see others whom they thought to be out of the Pale of the true Church and excluded from all terms of Salvation come from all Quarters and find free Admission into Heaven and shall find themselves so grosly and widely mistaken that those very Persons whom they thought to be last and of all others farthest from Salvation shall be first and they themselves whom they took for the Children of the Kingdom and such as should be admitted into Heaven in the first place shall be rejected and cast out So that by seeking to enter we may understand all those things which Mâ—n may do in Religion upon which they shall pretend to lay claim to Heaven nay and confidently hope to obtain it and yet shall be shamefully disappointed and fall short of it Whatever Men think and believe and do in Religion what Privileges soever Men pretend what Ways and Means soever Men endeavour to appease the Deity and to recommend themselves to the Divine Favour and Acceptance all this is but seeking to enter in and is not that striving which our Saviour requires If Men do not do the will of God but are workers of Iniquity it will all signify nothing to the obtaining of Eternal Happiness Our Saviour here instanceth in Mens Profession of his Religion calling him Lord Lord in their personal Familiarity and Conversation with him by eating and drinking in his Presence and Company in their having heard him preach the Doctrine of Life and Salvation Thou hast taught in our streets in their having prophesied and wrought great Miracles in his Name and by his Power Have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out devils and in thy Name done many wonderful works These were great and glorious Things which they boasted of and yet nothing of all this will do if Men do not the Will of God notwithstanding all this he will say unto them I know ye not whence ye are depart from me ye workers of Iniquity And by a plain Parity of Reason whatever else Men do in Religion what Attempts soever Men may make to get to Heaven upon what Priviledges or Pretences soever they may lay claim to eternal Life they will certainly fall short of it if they do not do the will of God but are workers of Iniquity My business therefore at this time shall be to discover the several false Claims and Pretences which Men may make to Heaven and yet shall never enter into it And to this purpose I shall instance in several Particulars by one or more of which Men commonly delude themselves and are apt to entertain vain and ill-grounded hopes of eternal Salvation 1 st Some trust to the external Profession of the true Religion 2 dly Others have attained to a good degree of Knowledge in Religion and they rely much upon that 3 dly There are others that find themselves much affected with the Word of God and the Doctrines contained it it 4 thly Others are very strict and devout in the external Worship of God 5 thly Others confide much in their being Members of the only true Church in which alone Salvation is to be had and in the manifold Privileges and Advantages which therein they have above others of getting to Heaven 6 thly Others think their great Zeal for God and his true Religion will certainly save them 7 thly Others go a great way in the real Practice of Religion 8 thly Others rely much upon the Sincerity of their Repentance and Conversion whereby
in his bosom As corporal Acts are attributed to God in Scripture so likewise to separated Souls In Hell he lift up his Eyes being in Torments Intimating to us that this sensual and voluptuous Man had stupidly past away his Life without any serious Thoughts and Consideration but now at last he was awakened when it was too late and began to consider In Hell he lift up his Eyes being in Torments O the Stupidity of Sinners who run on blindly in their Course and never open their Eyes 'till they are fallen into the Pit who cannot be brought to consider 'till Consideration will do them no good 'till it serve to no other purpose but to enrage their Consciences and to multiply the Stings of them Thus it was with this Rich Man he lift up his Eyes being in Torments and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom Our Saviour represents him as seeing that which would then most probably come to his Mind Feeling his own Misery he began to consider the happy Condition of the poor Man whom he had so cruelly neglected And indeed one great part of the Torment of Hell consists in those Reflections which Men shall make upon the Happiness which they have wilfully lost and neglected and the Sins whereby they have plunged themselves into that miserable State Ver. 24. And he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his Finger in Water and cool my Tongue for I am tormented in this Flame See how the Scene is changed now he is fain to beg Relief of the Beggar who had sued to him in vain Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his Finger in Water and cool my Tongue Here is another very decent Circumstance the Rich Man is represented as not having the Face to beg any great Relief from Lazarus towards whom he had been so hard-hearted To dip the tip of his Finger in Water to cool his Tongue had been a very great Favour from Lazarus to whom the Rich Man had denied even the Crumbs which fell from his Table For I am tormented in this Flame The Scripture loves to make use of sensible Representations to set forth to us the Happiness and Misery of the next Life partly by way of Condescension to our Understandings and partly to work more powerfully upon our Affections For whilst we are in the Body and immers'd in Sense we are most apt to be moved by such Descriptions of things as are sensible and therefore the Torments of wicked Men in Hell are usually in Scripture described to us by one of the quickest and sharpest Pains that Human Nature is ordinarily acquainted withal namely by the pain of Burning Fire being the most active thing in Nature and therefore capable of causing the sharpest Pains But we cannot from these and the like Expressions of Scripture certainly determine that this is the true and proper Pain of Hell All that we can infer from these Descriptions is this that the Sufferings of wicked Men in the other World shall be very terrible and as great and probably greater than can possibly be described to us by any thing that we are now acquainted withal for who knows the Power of God's Anger and the utmost of what Omnipotent Justice can do to Sinners For as the Glory of Heaven and the Joys of God's Presence are now inconceivable so likewise are the Torments of Hell and the Miseries of the Damned Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither have entred into the Heart of Man those dreadful things which God prepares for them that hate him Who can imagine the utmost significancy of those Phrases which the Scripture uses to set forth this to us of God's being a consuming Fire of being tormented in Flames of God's Wrath and Jealousy smoaking against Sinners and all the Curses that are written in his Book falling upon them Who can conceive the Horror of those Expressions of the Worm that dies not and the Fire that is not quenched of God's pouring out the Vials of his Wrath of being deliver'd over to the Tormentor of being thrust into utter Darkness of being cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone These forms of Speech seem to be borrowed from those things which among Men are most dreadful and affrighting and to be calculated and accommodated to our Capacities and not so much intended to express to us the proper and real Torments of Hell as to convey to us in a more sensible and affecting manner the sense of what the Scripture says in general that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Ver. 25. But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented Abraham said Son remember It is very observable how our Saviour chuses to represent to us the discourse between Abraham and the Rich Man tho' there was the greatest difference between them imaginable the one was in Heaven and the other in Hell yet they treated one another civily Abraham is brought in giving the common terms of Civility to this wretched wicked Man and calling him Son Son remember It was indeed a very severe thing which he said to him he put him in mind of his former Prosperity and of his Fault in his unmerciful Usage of Lazarus Remember Son that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and Lazarus c. But yet whilst he speaks such sharp things to him he ' bates bad Language A Man may say very severe things where a just Occasion requires it but he must use no reviling rem ipsam dic mitte male loqui say the thing but use no bad Language And this as one says is the true art of Chiding the proper Stile wherein we must use to reprove If we do it with Malice and Anger and Contempt it is misbecoming even tho' we despair of doing good but if we hope for any good Effect we are like to miss of it this way for as the Apostle says excellently the wrath of Man worketh not the righteousness of God Some think that Abraham gives the Rich Man the Title of Son ironically and by way of Jeer but without all reason For surely there is not so much bad Nature in Heaven as to scoff at those who are in Misery Besides that we find our Saviour observing this Decorum of good Language in other of his Parables as particularly in that of the King who invited Guests to the Marriage of his Son Matth. 22.11 When the King saw there the Man that came without his Wedding Garment tho' he past a very severe Sentence upon him yet he gives him the common terms of Civility Friend how camest thou hither This should teach us Christians how we ought to demean our selves towards those who are at the greatest distance from us and how we ought to behave our selves
Men from being convinced by an Apparition from the Dead It is not generally for want of Evidence that Men do not yield a full and effectual Assent to the Truth of God's Word I mean that they do not Believe it so as to Obey it but from the Interest of some Lust The true cause is not in Mens Understandings and because there is not Reason enough to satisfy them that the Scriptures are the Word of God but in the obstinacy of their Wills which are enslaved to their Lusts And the Disease being there it is not to be Cured by more Evidence but by more Consideration and by the Grace of God and better Resolutions The Man is addicted to some Vice or other and that makes him unwilling to entertain those Truths which would check and controul him in his Course The light of God's Word is offensive to him and therefore he would shut it out This account our blessed Saviour gives of the Enmity of the Jews against him and his Doctrine John 3.19 Light is come into the World and Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil for every one that doeth evil hateth the light neither cometh he to the light lest his deeds should be reproved Upon the same account it is that Men resist the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures not because they have sufficient Reason to doubt of their Divine Authority but because they are unwilling to be govern'd by them and to conform their Lives to the Laws and Precepts of that Holy Book For the Wills of Men have a great Influence upon their Understandings to make assent easy or difficult and as Men are apt to assent to what they have a mind to so they are slow to believe any thing which crosseth their Humours and Inclinations so that tho' greater Evidence were offer'd it is likely it would not prevail with them because the matter does not stick there Their Wills are distemper'd Men hate to be reform'd and this makes them cast the Laws of God behind their Backs and if God himself should speak to them from Heaven as he did to the People of Israel yet for all that they might continue a stiff-necked and rebellious People Tho' the Evidence were such as their Understandings could not resist yet their Wills might still hold out and the present condition of their Minds might have no lasting influence upon their Hearts and Lives such a violent Conviction might affect them for the present but the Sense of it might perhaps wear off by degrees and then they would return to their former hardness Men by a long and obstinate continuance in sin may bring themselves to the Temper and Disposition of Devils who though they believe and tremble at the thoughts of God and his Threatnings yet they are wicked still for so long as Men retain a strong affection for their Lusts they will break through all Conviction and what Evidence soever be offer'd to them they will find some way or other to avoid it and to delude themselves The plain truth of the case is this if Men will honestly speak their Consciences they cannot deny it they do not call for more Evidence either because they want it or are willing to be convinced by it but that they may seem to have some Excuse for themselves for not being convinced by that Evidence which is afforded to them 4 thly Experience does abundantly testify how ineffectual extraordinary ways are to convince and reclaim men of depraved Minds and such as are obstinately addicted to their Lusts We find many remarkable Experiments of this in the History of the Bible What Wonders were wrought in the sight of Pharaoh and the Egyptians yet they were harden'd under all these Plagues Balaam who greedily followed the wages of unrighteousness was not to be stopt by the admonition of an Angel The Jews after so many Miracles which their Eyes had seen continued to be a stiffneck'd and gain saying People so that it is hard to say which was more prodigious the Wonders which God wrought for them or their Rebellions against him and when in the fulness of time the Son of God came and did among them the works which never man did such as one would have thought might have brought the worst People in the world to Repentance those of Tyre and Sydon of Sodom and Gomorrah yet they repented not Yea the very things which the Rich Man here in my Text requested of Abraham for his Brethren was done among them Lazarus did rise from the dead and testified unto them and they were not perswaded And which is yet more our Saviour himself according to his own Prediction while he was alive rose again from the dead the third day and was visibly taken up into Heaven and yet how few among them did believe and give glory to God! So that we see the very thing here spoken of in the Text made good in a famous Instance they who believed not Moses and the Prophets which testified of the Messias were not perswaded when he rose from the dead And does not our own Experience tell us how little effect the extraordinary Providences of God have had upon those who were not reclaimed by his Word It is not long since God shewed himself among us by terrible things in Righteousness and visited us with three of his sorest Judgments War and Pestilence and Fire and yet how does all manner of Wickedness and Impiety still reign and rage among us It is a very sad Consideration to see how little those who have outlived these Plagues have been reformed by them we have not return'd to the Lord nor sought him for all this I may appeal to the Experience of particular Persons How frequently do we see Men after great Afflictions and tedious Sufferings and dangerous Sicknesses return to their former Evil Courses and tho' they have been upon the brink of Eternity and the terrors of Death have compass'd them about and the pains of Hell have almost taken hold of them tho' they have had as lively and sensible Convictions of another world as if they had spoken with those that had come from thence or even been there themselves yet they have taken no warning but upon their deliverance and recovery have been as mad as furious Sinners as they were before so that it ought to be no such wonder to us which the Text tells us that if men hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Especially if we consider in the 5 th and last place That an effectual perswasion that is such a Belief as produceth Repentance and a good Life is the gift of God and depends upon the operation and concurrence of his Grace which is not to be expected in an extraordinary way where Men have obstinately rejected the ordinary means appointed by God for that end To be effectually perswaded to change our Lives and become new Men is a