Justified
Puritan Board Sophomore
Samuel Rutherford, Communion Sermons:
But ye will say then, Does not Christ threaten in the Gospel, that He that believes not is condemned already? will He not thunder out judgments against His own children? and convince their conscience of sin by His Holy Spirit? John xvi. 8 says, "he shall convince the world of sin." Writes He not who has the seven stars in His right hand, sharp rebukes against the churches of Asia, that He will remove the candlestick from among them? I answer, God threatens the Gospel indeed, but He doth it this way; he never cuts away hope of mercy so long as the Gospel is preached. The Gospel condemns sin, and infidelity, and denounces wrath: but this is always a new song in the end of it, "Believe and repent for all that ye have done, and ye shall be saved." But at the first breach the law says, "The wrath of God and hell be upon sinners." And howbeit sinners would repent, yet the law will hear of no repentance; the Gospel says repent, or else ye perish.
