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it, the rod must be taken to drive it away; and if it be not driven far away, the heart and it will meet and knit again. Not that the rod of itself will do this: the sad experience of many parents testify to the contrary: and Solomon himself tells you, Prov. xxvii. 22. "Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat, with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him," it is so bound in his heart; but the rod is an ordinance of God, appointed for that end; which, like the word, is made effectual by the Spirit's accompanying his own ordinance. And this, by the way, shows that parents, in administering correction to their children, have need, first of all, to correct their own irregular passions; and look upon it as a matter of awful solemnity, setting about it with much dependence on the Lord, and following it with prayer for the blessing, if they would have it effectual.

EVID. 2. How easily are men led aside to sin! The children who are not persuaded to good, are otherwise simple ones; easily wrought upon: those whom the word cannot draw to holiness, are led by Satan at his pleasure. Profane Esau, that cunning man, Gen. xxv. 27. was as easily cheated of the blessing, as if he had been a fool or an idiot. The more natural a thing is, it is the more easy: so Christ's yoke is easy to the saints, in so far as they are partakers of the divine nature: and sin is easy to the unrenewed man; but to learn to do good, as difficult as for the Ethiopean to change his skin; because the Will naturally hangs toward evil, but is averse to good. A child can cause a round thing to run, while he cannot move a square thing of the same weight; for the roundness makes it fit for motion, so that it goes with a touch. Even so when men find the heart easily carried towards sin, while it is as a dead weight in the way of holiness; we must bring the reason of this from the natural set and disposition of the heart, whereby it is prone and bent to evil. Were man's Will naturally but in an equal balance to good and evil, the one might be embraced with as little difficulty as the other; but experience testifies it is not so. In the sacred history of the Israelites, especially in the book of Judges, how often do we find them forsaking JEHOVAH, the Mighty God, and doating upon the idols of the nations about them? But did ever one of these nations grow fond of Israel's God, and forsake their own idols? No, no; though man is naturally given to changes, it is but from evil to evil, not from evil to good, Jer. ii. 10, 11. "Hath a nation changed their gods, which yet are no gods? But my people have changed their glory, for that which doth not pro

fit." Surely the Will of man stands not in equal balance, but has a cast to the wrong side.

EVID 3. Consider how men still go on in the way of sin, till they meet with a stop, and that from another hand than their own, Isa. lvii. 17. "I hid me, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart." If God withdraw his restraining hand, and lay the reigns on the sinner's neck, he is in no doubt what way to choose; for (observe it) the way of sin is the way of his heart: his heart naturally lies that way: it hath a natural propensity to sin. As long as God suffereth them, they walk in their own way, Acts xiv. 16. The natural man is so fixed in his woful choice, that there needs no more to show he is off from God's way, but to tell he is upon his own.

EVID. 4. Whatever good impressions are made upon him, they do not last. Though his heart may be firm as a stone, yea, harder than the nether mill-stone, in point of receiving them; it is otherwise unstable as water, and cannot keep them. It works against the receiving of them; and when they are made, it works them off, and returns to its natural bias, Hos. vi. 4. "Your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew, it goeth away." The morning cloud promiseth a hearty shower, but, when the sun ariseth, it vanisheth: the sun beats upon the early dew, and it evaporates; so the husbandman's expectation is disappointed. Such is the goodness of the natural man. Some sharp affliction, or piercing conviction obligeth him, in some sort, to turn from his evil course; but his will not being renewed, religion is still against the grain with him, and therefore this goes off again, Psal. lxxviii. 34. 36, 37. Though a stone, thrown up into the air, may abide there a little while; yet its natural heaviness will bring it down to the earth again; and so do unrenewed men return to the wallowing in the mire; because, although they were washed, yet their swinish nature was not changed. It is hard to cause wet wood take fire, hard to make it keep fire: but it is harder than either of these, to make the unrenewed will retain attained goodness; which is a plain evidence of the natural bent of the Will to evil.

EVID. last. Do the saints serve the Lord now as they were wont to serve sin in their unconverted state? Very far from it, Rom. vi. 20. "When ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness." Sin got all, and admitted no partner; but now, when they are the servants of Christ, are they free from sin? Nay, there are still with them some deeds of the old man, showing that he is but dying in them. And hence their hearts often misgive them, and slip aside unto evil,

when they would do good, Rom. vii. 21. They need to watch, and keep their hearts with all diligence; and their sad experience teacheth them, "That he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool," Prov. xxviii. 26. If it be thus in the green tree, how must it be in the dry?

C. L..

FOURTHLY. There is a natural contrariety, direct opposition and enmity, in the Will of man, to God himself; and his holy Will, Rom. viii. 7. "The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be," The will was once God's deputy in the soul, set to command there for him; but now it is set up against him. If you would have the picture of it, in its natural state, the very reverse of the Will of God represents it. If the fruit hanging before one's eyes, be but forbidden, that is sufficient to draw the heart after it. Let me instance in the sin of profane swearing and cursing, to which some are so abandoned, that they take a pride in them, belching out horrid oaths and curses, as if hell opened with the opening of their mouths; or larding their speeches with minced oaths, as Faith, Hath, Fai'd ye, Hai'd ye, and such like; and all this without any manner of provocation, though even that would not excuse them. Pray tell me, (1) What pront is there here? A thief gets something in his hands for his pains; a drunkard gets a belly-us what do you get? Others serve the devil for pay; but ye are volunteers, that expect no reward, but your work itself, in affronting of Heaven. And if you repent not you will get your reward in full tale; when ye go to hell, your work will follow you. The drunkard shall not have a drop of water to cool his tongue there; nor will the covetuous man's wealth follow him into the other world: but ye shall drive on your old trade there: and an eternity shall be long enough to give you your heart's fill of it. (2.) What pleasure is there here, but what flows from your trampling upon the holy law? Which of your senses doth swearing or cursing gratify? If it gratify your ears, it can only be by the noise it makes against the heavens. Though you had a mind to give up yourselves to all manner of profanity and sensuality, there is so little pleasure can be strained out of these, that we must needs conclude, your love to them in this case, is a love to them for themselves, a devilish unhired love, without any prospect of profit or pleasure from them otherwise. If any shall say, these are monsters of men! Be it so; yet alas! the world is fruitful of such monsters; they are to be found almost every where. And allow me to say, they must be admitted as the mouth of the whole unregenerate world against Heaven, Rom. iii. 14.

"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, ver. 19. Now we know that what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."

I have a charge against every unregenerate man and woman, young or old, to be verified by the testimonies of the Scriptures of truth, and the testimony of their own consciences; namely, that whether they be professors or profane, or whatever they be, if they are not born again, they are heartenemies to God: to the Son of God; to the Spirit of God; and to the Law of God. Hear this, ye careless souls that live at ease in your natural state.

FIRST, ye are "enemies to God in your minds," Col. i. 12. Ye are not as yet reconciled to him, the natural enmity is not as yet slain, though perhaps it lies hid, and ye do not perceive it. (1.) Ye are enemies to the very being of God, Psal. xv. 1. The fool hath said in his heart there is no God." The proud man would that none were above himself; the rebel, that there were no King; and the unrenewed man, who is a mass of pride and rebellion, that there were no God. He saith it in his heart, he wisheth it were so, though he be ashamed and afraid to speak it out. And that all natural men are such fools, appears from the Apostle's quoting a part of this Psalm, "That every mouth may be stopped, Rom. iii. 10, 11, 12, 19. I own indeed, that while the natural man looks on God as the Creator and Preserver of the world, because he loves his own self, therefore his heart riseth not against the being of his Benefactor: but his enmity will quickly appear, when he looks on God as the Rector and Judge of the world, binding him, under the pain of the curse, to exact holiness, and girding him with the cords of death, because of his sin. Listen in this case to the voice of the heart, and thou wilt find it to be, "No God." (2) Ye are enemies to the nature of God, Job. xxi. 14. "They say unto God, depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." "Men set up to themselves an Idol of their own fancy, instead of God; and then fall down and worship it. They love him no other way than Jacob loved Leah, while he took her for Rachel. Every natural man is an enemy to God, as he is revealed in his word. An infinitely holy, just, powerful, and true Being, is not the God whom he loves, but the God whom he loathes.. In effect men naturally are haters of God, Rom. i. 30. And if they could, they certainly would make him another than what he is. For consider it is a certain truth, That whatso ever is in God is God; and therefore his attributes or per◄

fections are not any thing really distinct from himself. If God's attributes be not himself, he is a compound Being, and so not the first Being (which to say, is blasphemous) for the parts compounding are before the compound itself; but he is "Alpha and Omega, the first and the last."

Now, upon this I would, for your conviction, propose to your consciences a few queries; (1.) How stand your hearts affected to the infinite purity and holiness of God? Conscience will give an answer to this, which the tongue will not speak out; if ye be not partakers of his holiness, ye cannot be reconciled to it. The Pagans, finding they could not be like God in holiness, made their gods like themselves in filthiness; and thereby discovered what sort of a god the natural man would have. God is holy; can an unholy creature love his unspotted holiness? Nay, it is the righteous only that can "give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness," Psal. lxxxvii. 12. God is light: can creatures of darkness rejoice therein? Nay, "every one that doth evil hateth the light," John iii. 29. For, what communion hath light with darkness ?" 2 Cor. vi. 14. (2.) How stand your hearts affected to the justice of God? There is not a man, who is wedded to his lusts, as all the unregenerate are, but would be content, with the blood of his body, to blot that letter out of the name of God. Can the malefactor love his condemning judge? Or an unjustified sinner, a just God? No, he cannot, Luke vii. 47. "To whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." Hence seeing men cannot get the doctrine of his justice blotted out of the Bible; yet it is such an eye-sore to them, that they strive to blot it out of their minds. And they ruin themselves, by presuming on his mercy while they are not careful to get a Righteousness, wherein they may stand before his Justice; but "say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil," Zeph. i. 12. (3.) How stand ye affected to the Omniscience and Omnipresence of God! Men naturally would rather have a blind idol, than an all-seeing God: and therefore do what they can, as Adam did, to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord. They no more love an allseeing every-where present God, than the thief loves to have the judge witness to his evil deeds. If it could be carried by votes, God would be voted out of the world, and closed up in heaven: For the language of the carnal heart is, "The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth," Ezek. viii. 12. (4.) How stand ye affected to the Truth and Veracity of God? There are but few in the world, that can heartily subscribe to that sentence of the apostle, Rom. iii. 4. "Let God be true,

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