1. They are most _wanton._ Men object to that which promises them
rest! Above all the things in the world this is what our troubled
spirits need. Oh, the intense folly of men, that when the Gospel sets
rest before them they will not hear it, but turn upon their heel.
There is no system of doctrine under heaven that can give quiet to
the conscience of men, quiet that is worth having, except the Gospel;
and there are thousands of us who bear witness that we live in the
daily enjoyment of peace through believing in Jesus, and yet our
honest report is not believed; nay, they will not hear the truth.
2. Objections against the Gospel are _wilful,_ even as it is here
said, "This is the refreshing, yet they would not hear." When man say
they cannot believe the Gospel, ask them whether they will patiently
hear it in all its simplicity. No, they say, they do not want to hear
it. The Gospel is so difficult to believe; so they say. Will they
come and hear it preached in its fulness? Will they read the Gospels
for themselves carefully? Oh, no; they cannot take the trouble. Just
so. But a man who does not want to be convinced must not blame
anybody if he remains in error, nor wonder that objections swarm in
his mind.
3. Such objections are _wicked,_ because they are rebellion against
God and an insult to His truth and mercy. If this Gospel be of God, I
am bound to receive it: I have no right to cavil at it, nor raise
questions, philosophical or otherwise. It is mine just to say, "Does
God say this and that? Then it is true, and I yield to it. Does the
Lord thus set before me a way of salvation? I will run in it with
delight."
4. These people raised objections that were _the outgrowth of their
pride._ They objected to the simplicity of Isaiah's preaching. They
said, "Who is he? You should not go to hear him; he talks to us as if
we were children. Besides, it is the same thing over and over again.
You may go when you like, he is always harping on the same string."
Have you not heard folks say in these days concerning a true Gospel
preacher, that he is always preaching about sovereign grace, or the
blood of Christ, or crying out, "Believe, believe, and you shall be
saved"? They sneer and say, "It is the old ditty over and over
again." The passage translated "precept upon precept, line upon
line," was uttered in ridicule, and sounded like a ding-dong rhyme
with which they mocked Isaiah. The words were intended to caricature
the preacher; though they do not suggest the idea when translated,
they do suggest it readily enough in the Hebrew. There are people now
living who, when the Gospel is plainly and simply preached, exclaim,
"We want progressive thought; we want"--they do not quite know what
they do want. Too many wish for a map to heaven so mysteriously drawn
that they may be excused from following it. Multitudes prefer the
Gospel shrouded in a mist; they love to see the wisdom of man shut
out the wisdom of God. This was the style of objection current in
Israel's day, and it is fashionable still.