The Nature and Danger of Making

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The Nature and Danger of Making Light of Christ and Salvation

"But they made light of it." Matthew 22:5

There is not one of us in this assembly who has not heard of Christ and his great salvation. There is not one of us who has not had the rich blessings of the gospel freely and repeatedly offered to them. Each one of us stands in the most absolute need of these blessings, and must perish forever without them! I wish I could add, that there is not one of us who has not cheerfully accepted them according to the offer of the gospel. But, alas! such an unmixed assembly is not to be expected on earth! Multitudes will make light of Christ and the invitations of the gospel, as the Jews did.

This parable represents the great God under the majestic idea of a king. He is represented as making a marriage feast for his Son. That is, God in the gospel offers his Son Jesus Christ as a Saviour to the guilty sons of men, and, upon their acceptance of him—the most intimate and endearing union, and the tenderest mutual affection takes place between Christ and them; which may properly be represented by the marriage relation. And God has provided for them a rich variety of blessings: pardon, holiness, and everlasting felicity, which may be signified by a royal nuptial feast, verse 2.

These blessings were first offered to the Jews, who were bidden to the wedding by Moses and the prophets, whose great business it was to prepare them to receive the Messiah, verse 3. The servants who were sent to call those who were thus bidden, were the apostles and seventy disciples, whom Christ sent out to preach that the gospel kingdom was just at hand, verse 3. When the Jews rejected this call, he sent forth other servants, namely, the apostles, after his ascension, who were to be more urgent in their invitations, and to tell them that, in consequence of impending Christ's death—that all things were now ready, verse 4.

It is seldom that invitations to a royal feast are rejected; but alas! the Jews rejected the invitation of the gospel, and would not accept its important blessings. They made light of Christ and his blessings: they were careless to them, and turned their attention to other things. These things were not peculiar to the Jews—but belong also to us Gentile sinners in these ends of the earth. Christ is still proposed to us; to the same blessings we are invited; and I have the honour, my dear brethren, of appearing among you as a servant of the heavenly King, sent out to urge you to embrace the offer!

I doubt not, but some of you have already complied; and you are enriched and made blessed forever. But alas! must I not alsofear for most of you? Have you not made light of Christ and salvation, to which you have been invited for so many years successively? Your case is really lamentable, as I hope you will see before I am done; and I most sincerely compassionate you from my heart. I now rise up in this solemn place with the design to address you with the most solemn seriousness, and the most compassionate concern. And did you know how much your happiness may depend upon it, and how anxious I am lest I should fail in the attempt—I am sure you could not but pray for me, and pity me. If ever you regarded a man in the most serious temper and address, I beg you would now regard what I am going to say to you. You cannot receive any benefit from this, or indeed any other subject—until you apply it to yourselves. And therefore, in order to reform you of the sin of making light of Christ and the gospel, I must first inquire: WHO are guilty of it? For this purpose let us consider,

What is it to make light of Christ and the invitations of the gospel? I can think of no plainer way to show this, than to inquire how we treat those things that we highly esteem; and also by way of contrast, how we treat those things which we make light of. And hence we may discover whether Christ and the gospel may be ranked among the things we esteem—or those we disregard.

1. Men are apt to remember and affectionately think of the things that they highly esteem; but as for those which they disregard, they can easily forget them, and live from day to day without a single thought about them. Now do you often affectionately remember the Lord Jesus Christ, and do your thoughts affectionately go after him? do they pay him early visits in the morning? do they make frequent excursions to him through the day? and do you lie down with him in your hearts at night?

Is not the contrary evident, as to many of you? Can you not live from day to day thoughtless of Jesus, and your everlasting salvation? Recollect now, how many affectionate thoughts have you had of these things through the week past, or in this sacred morning. And can you indeed highly esteem those things which you hardly ever think of? Follow your own hearts, sirs—observe which way they most naturally and freely run—and then judge whether you make light of the gospel or not!

Alas! we cannot persuade men to one hour's serious consideration, as to what they should do for a saving interest in Christ; we cannot persuade them so much as to afford him only their thoughts, which are such cheap things! And yet astonishingly, they will not be convinced that they make light of Christ! And here lies the infatuation of sin: it blinds and be-fools men, so that they do not know what they think of—what they love—or what they intend, much less do they know the habitual bent of their souls. They often imagine themselves free from those sins to which they are most enslaved; and particularly they think themselves innocent of the crime of making light of the gospel, when this is the very crime that is likely to destroy them forever!

2. The things that men most value—will be the frequent subjects of their discourse. The thoughts will command the tongue, and furnish materials for conversation. But those things that they forget and disregard—they will not talk of. Do not they therefore make light of Christ and salvation—who have no delight in conversing about them, and hardly ever mention the name of Christ but in a trifling or profane manner? They do not like the company where divine things are discoursed of—but think it fanatical and troublesome. They had much rather be entertained with humorous tales and idle stories, or talk about the affairs of the world. "They are of the world," says John, "therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears them." 1 John 4:5. They are in their element in such conversation.

Or others may talk about 'religion'—but it is only about the 'externals' of it as, "How such a man preached; it was a very good or a bad sermon," etc. But they have no desire to enter into the spirit and substance of divine things! and if they speak of Christ and experimental religion, it is in a heartless and insipid manner. And do not such make light of the gospel? and is not this the character of many of you?

3. Men make light of those things, which they only talk about—but do not reduce into practice. Christianity was intended not to furnish matter for empty talkers—but to govern the heart and practice! But are there not some who only employ their tongues about it, especially when their spirits are raised with liquor, and then a torrent of noisy religion breaks from them. Watch theirlives, and you will see little appearance of Christianity there. And do not these evidently make light of Christ, who make him the theme of their drunken conversation, or who seem to think that God sent his Son from heaven just to set the world a talking about him? There is nothing in nature that seems to me more abominable than this!

4. We take the utmost pains and labour to secure the things we value—and cannot be easy while our property in them is uncertain. But those things that we think lightly of—we care but little whether they are ours or not. Therefore, have not such of you made light of Christ and salvation, who have lived twenty or thirty years uncertain whether you have a saving interest in him—and yet have been easy and contented, and take no method to be resolved? Are all who hear me this day determined in this important question: "What shall become of me—when I die?" Are you all certain upon good grounds, and after a thorough trial—that you shall be eternally saved? Oh that you were! but, alas! you are not! And do you think you would bear this uncertaintyabout it, if you did not make light of salvation? No! you would carefully examine yourselves; you would diligently peruse the Scriptures to find out the marks of those who shall be saved; you would anxiously consult those who could direct you, and particularly pious ministers, who would think it the greatest favour you could do them—to devolve such an office upon them. But now ministers may sit in their studies for a whole year, and not ten people perhaps in five hundred, come to them on this important business.

Oh, sirs, if the gospel should pierce your hearts indeed, you would but cry out with the convicted Jews, "Men and brethren, what shall we do!" Acts 2:37. Paul, when awakened, cries out, in a trembling consternation, "Lord! what will you have me to do!" But when shall we hear such questions now-a-days?

5. The things that men highly esteem, deeply and tenderly affect them, and excite some motions in their hearts. But what they make light of, makes no impression upon them. And if you did not make light of the gospel, what workings would there be in your hearts about it! What solemn, tender, and vigorous passion would it raise in you—to hear such things about the world to come! what fear and astonishment would seize you at the consideration of your misery; what transports of joy and gratitude would you feel at the glad tidings of salvation by the blood of Christ! what strong effectual purposes would be raised in you at the discovery of your duty! Oh what hearers would we have, were it not for this one sin—the making light of the gospel! Whereas now we are in danger of wearying them, or preaching them asleep with our most solemn discourses about this momentous affair!

But we talk to them of Christ and salvation—until they grow quite tired of this dull old tale, and this foolishness of preaching. Alas! little would one think from the air of carelessness, levity, and inattention that appears among them—that they were hearing such weighty truths, or have any concern in them!

6. Our estimate of things may be discovered by the diligence and earnestness of our endeavours to obtain them. Those things which we highly value—we think no pains too great to obtain. Those things we think lightly of—we use no endeavours to obtain them, or we use them in a languid, careless manner. And do not they make light of Christ and salvation, who do not exert themselves in earnest to obtain them—and think a great deal of every little thing they do in religion? They are still ready to cry out, "What need of so much diligence? We hope to be saved without so much trouble!" And, though these may not be so honest as to speak it out—it is plain from their temper and practice—that they grudge all the service they do for Christ as done to a master whom they do not love. They love and esteem the world—and therefore for the world they will labour and toil all day, and seem never to think they can do too much! But for the God who made them, for the Lord who bought them, and for their everlasting salvation, they seem afraid of taking too much pains.

Let us preach to them as long as we will, we cannot bring them in earnest to desire and pursue after holiness. Follow them to their houses, and you will hardly ever find them reading a chapter in their Bibles, or calling upon God with their families, so much as once a day. Follow them into their retirements, and you will hear no penitent confessions of sin, no earnest cries for mercy. They will not allow to God that one day in seven which he has appropriated to his own immediate service—but they will steal and prostitute some even of those sacred hours for idleness, for worldly conversation, or business. And many of them are so malignant in wickedness, that they will reproach and ridicule others who are earnestly seeking Christ!

And is not Christ worth seeking? Is not eternal salvation worth so much trouble? Does not that man make light of these things—who thinks his ease or carnal pleasure of greater importance? Let common sense judge!

7. That which we highly value—we think we cannot buy too dear; and we are ready to part with everything that comes in competition with it. The merchant that found the one pearl of great price—sold all that he had to purchase it, Matthew 13:46. But those things that we make light of—we will not part with things of value for them.

Now, when Christ and the blessings of the gospel come in competition with the world and sinful pleasures, you may know which you most highly esteem—by considering which you are most ready to part with. You are called to part with everything that is inconsistent with a saving interest in Christ—and yet many of you will not do it. You are called but to give God his own, to resign all to his will, to let go all those profits and pleasures which you must either part with—or part with Christ; and yet your hearts cling to these things; you grasp them eagerly, and nothing can tear them from you! You must have your pleasures, you must keep your credit in the world, you must look to your estates—whatever becomes of Christ and salvation! As if you could live and die better without Christ—than without these earthly things; or as if Christ could not make you happy without them.

And does not this bring the matter to an issue, and plainly show that you make light of Christ—in comparison with these things? Christ himself has assured you, over and over, that unless you are willing to part with all for his sake—that you cannot be his disciples! And yet, while you have the quite contrary disposition—you will pretend to be his disciples; as if you knew better what it is that constituted his disciples—than Christ does!

8. Those things which we highly value—we shall be for helping our friends to obtain. Do not those, then, make light of Christ—who do not take half so much pains to help their children to a saving interest in him, as to set them up in the world, and leave them large fortunes? They supply the outward needs of their families—but they take little or no care about their everlasting salvation! Alas! Sirs, your neglected, ignorant, and wicked children—can witness against you, that you make very light of Christ and salvation, and their immortal souls!

9. That which men highly esteem—they will so diligently pursue—that you may see their regard for it in their endeavours after it. You may therefore see that many make light of the gospel by the little knowledge they have of it, after all the means of instruction with which they have been favoured. Alas! where is their improvement in holiness! Alas! how little do they know of their own hearts, of God and Christ, and the world to come, and what they must do to be saved! Ask them about these things, and you will find them stupidly ignorant! And yet they have so much conceited knowledge, that they will not acknowledge it; or if they do, they have no better excuse than to say they are no scholars, or they have a poor memory—as if it required extensive learning, or a great genius to know the things that are necessary to salvation. Oh! if they had not made light of these things; if they had bestowed but half the pains upon them which they have taken to understand matters of worldly business or pleasure, they would not be so grossly ignorant as they are!

When men can learn the hardest trade in a few years, when men of bright abilities, and perhaps considerable learning, after living so many years—are still mere novices in matters of true religion, and do not so much as know the terms of life according to the gospel—is it not plain that they care but little about these things, and that they make light of the Son of God, and all his inestimable, immortal blessings?

Thus I have offered you sufficient matter of conviction in this affair. And what is the result? Does not conscience smite some of you by this time, and say, "I am the man who has made light of Christ and his gospel!" If not, upon what evidence are you acquitted? Some of you, I doubt not, can say, in the integrity of your hearts, "Alas! I am too careless about this important affair—but God knows I am often deeply concerned about it! God knows that if ever I was in earnest about anything in all my life—it has been about my everlasting state; and there is nothing in all the world that habitually lies so near my heart!"

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