the word of life, how weak and worthless soever they were that brought it; it should descend as sweet showers upon the valleys, and make them fruitful. 2. We have the activity of Christ as a preacher. By this spirit, it is said here, he preached: not only did he so in the days of his abode on earth, but in all times, both before and after; he never left his church altogether destitute of saving light, which he dispensed himself, and conveyed by the hands of his servants; therefore it is said, he preached; that this may be no excuse for times after he is ascended into heaven, no, nor for times before he descended to the earth in human flesh; though he preached not then, nor does now in his flesh, yet by his spirit he then preached, and still doth; so according to what was chief in him, he was still present with his church, and preaching in it, and is so to the end of the world. This his infinite Spirit, being every where, yet it is said here, by it he went and preached, signifying the remarkable clearness of his administration that way: as when he appears eminently in any work of his own, or taking notice of our works, God is said to come down; so to those cities of Babel and Sodom, Let us go down; and, I will go down and see; so, Exod. iii. 8. I am come down to deliver Israel: thus here, so clearly did he admonish them by Noah, coming as it were himself on purpose to declare his mind to them. And this word, I conceive, is the rather used to shew what equality there is in this: he came, indeed, visibly, and dwelt amongst men, when he became flesh; yet before that, he visited by his Spirit; he went by that and preached. And so in after-times, himself being ascended, and not having come visibly in his flesh to all, but to the Jews only; yet in the preaching of the apostles to the Gentiles, as the great apostle says of him in this expression', he came and preached to you which were afar off; and this he continues & Gen. xi. 5.7. h Gen. xviii. 21. Eph. ii. 17. 1 to do in the ministry of his word: and therefore, says he, He that despiseth you, despiseth me". Were this considered, it could not but procure far more respect to the word, and more aceptance of it. Would you think that in his word Christ speaks by his eternal Spirit? yea, he comes, and preaches, addresses himself particularly to you in it; could you slight him thus, and turn him off with daily refusals, or delays at least? Think it is too long you have so unworthily used so great a Lord, that brings unto you so great salvation; that came once in so wonderful a way to work that salvation for us in his flesh, and is still coming to offer it unto us by his Spirit; does himself preach to us, tell us what he undertook on our behalf, and how he hath performed all; and now nothing rests but that we receive him, and believe on him, and all is ours. But alas! from the most, the return is, which we have here, disobedience. And this is what we are, 2dly, To consider of his hearers. You may indeed observe two things in these hearers, by which they are characterised: their present condition in the time the apostle was speaking of them, they are spirits in prison; and this former disposition, when the Spirit of Christ was preaching to them, they were sometime disobedient: this latter went first in time, and was the cause of the other. Therefore of it first. 1.. The past disposition of the hearers spoken of; they were sometime disobedient. If you look to their visible subordinate preacher, you find he was a holy man, and an able and diligent preacher of righteousness, both in his doctrine, and in the track of his life, which is the most powerful preaching; on both which accounts it seems strange that he prevailed so little. But it appears much more so, if we look higher, even to this height, at which the apostle points, that almighty Spirit of Christ that preached to them; and yet they were disobedient. The word is ἀπιθήσασι, they were not persuaded; and Luke x. 16. it signifies both unbelief and disobedience, and that very fitly; unbelief being in itself the grand disobedience, the mind not yielding to divine truth, and so the spring of all disobedience in affection and action. And this root of bitterness, this unbelief, is deep fastened in our natural hearts; and without a change in them, a taking them to pieces, they cannot be good. It is as a tree firmly rooted, which cannot be plucked up without loosening the ground round about it; and this accursed root brings forth fruit unto death, because the word is not believed; the threats of the law, and promises of the gospel : therefore men cleave unto their sins, and speak peace unto themselves while they are under the curse. It may seem very strange that the gospel is so fruitless amongst us; yea, that neither word nor rod, both preaching aloud to us the doctrine of humiliation and repentance, persuade any man to return, or so much as to turn inward, and question himself to say, What have I done? But thus it will be, till the spirit be poured from on high, to open and soften hearts. It is to be desired, as much wanting in the ministry of the word; but were it there, that would not serve unless it were by a concurrent work within the heart, meeting the word, and making the impressions of it there; for here we find the spirit went and preached, and yet the spirits of the hearers still unbelieving and disobedient. It is therefore a combined work of this spirit in the preacher and hearers that makes it successful, otherwise it is but shouting in a dead man's ear; there must be something within, as one said in a like case. But, 2dly, We have the present condition of these hearers, To the spirits in prison. That is now their posture; and because he speaks of them as in that posture, he calls them spirits; for it is their spirits that are in that prison; and likewise calls them spirits to whom the spirit of Christ preached; because it is indeed that which the preaching of the word aims at; it hath to do with the spirits of men. It is not content to be at their ear with a sound, but works on their minds and spirits some way, either to believe and receive, or to be hardened and sealed up to judgment by it, which is for rebels. If disobedience follow on the preaching of that word, the prison follows on that disobedience; and that word, by which they would not be bound to obedience, binds them over to that prison, whence they shall never escape, nor be released for ever. Take notice of it, and know that you are warned; you will not receive salvation, offering, pressing itself upon you. You are every day in that way of disobedience, hastening to this perpetual imprison ment. Consider you now sit and hear this word; so did these that are here spoken of: they had their time on earth, and much patience was used towards them; and though you are not to be swept away by a flood of waters, yet you are daily carried on by the flood of time and mortality'. And how soon you shall be on the other side, and sent into eternity, you know not. I beseech you, be yet wise; hearken to the offers yet made you; for in his name I yet once again make a tender of Jesus Chritt, and salvation in him, to all that will let go their sins, to lay hold on him. Oh! do not destroy yourselves. You are in prison, he proclaims unto you liberty. Christ is still following us himself with treatiesTM. Christ proclaims your liberty, and will you not accept of it? Think, though you are pleased with your present thraldom and prison, it reserves you (if you come not forth) to this other prison, that shall not please you: these chains of spiritual darkness, in which you are, unless you be freed, will deliver you up to the chains of everlasting darkness, wherein these hopeless prisoners are kept to the judgment of the great day; but if you will receive Jesus Christ mClamans dictis, factis, morte, vita, descensu, ascensu, clamans ut redeamus ad eum. AUG. presently, upon that, life and liberty, and blessedness, are made yours. If the Son make you free, you shall be free indeed". 2dly, We have the designation of the time or age of this preacher considered under the former head. When once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah.] There are too main continuing wonders in the world; the bounty of God, and disloyalty of man: and the succession of times is no other but new additions of these two. One grand example is here set before us, an ecumenical example as large as the whole world; much patience, and yet invincible disobedience. Here are two things in the instance: 1st. The Lord's general dealing with the world of the ungodly at that time. 2dly, His peculiar way with his own chosen, Noah and his family: he waited patiently for all the rest; but he effectually saved them. Obs. 1. The time designed thus, in the days of Noah. There were many great and powerful persons in these days, that overtopped Noah (no doubt) in outward respects, as well as in their stature, the proud giants; and they begot children, mighty men of old, men of renown, as the text hath it. And yet, as themselves perished in the flood, their names are drowned. They had their big thoughts certainly, that their houses and their names should continue, as the Psalmist speaks", and yet they are sunk in perpetual oblivion. And Noah's name, who walked in humble obedience, you see, in these most precious records of God's own book, still looks fresh, and smells sweet, and hath this honour, that the very age of the world is marked with this name, to be known by it: In the days of Noah. That which profane ambitious persons do idolatrously seek after, they are often remarkably disappointed of: they would have their names memorable and famous, yet they rot; they are either buried with them, or remembered with disgrace; and rotting above ground as carcases uninterred, and so are the John viii. 35. • Gen, vi. 3. P Psal. xlix. 11. |