Aggravation of Sin, Sermon 3 – Imprimatur 2
AGGRAVATIONS OF SINNING AGAINST MERCIEMERCY.
ROM. 2. 4, 5.
Or deſpiſeſt thou the riches of his goodneſſe, and forbearance, and long ſuffering, not knowing that the goodneſſe of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardneſſe and impenitent heart, treaſureſt up unto thy ſelfe wrath againſt the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgement of God?
THis is the laſt & moſt weighty aggravation which the Apoſtle puts into the meaſure of the Gentiles ſinfulneſſe (which in the former Chapter he had, verſe 29. pronounced full before) to make it fuller yet: Their ſinning againſt mercies, and deſpiſing the riches of Gods goodneſſe, patience, and forbearance, the hatefull evill and iniquity whereof, can be better no way ſet off and illuſtrated unto mens conſciences, than by a diſplay of the riches of that goodneſſe which mea ſinne againſt. My purpoſe therefore is to unlock and carry you into that more common treaſury of outward mercies, and leade you through the ſeverall roomes thereof, all which doe continually leade you unto repentance: That then reflecting upon our ungratefull waſte, and abuſe of ſo many mercies in ſinning, thereby our ſins, every ſinne, the leaſt, may yet appeare more ſinfull unto us, who are leſſe than the leaſt of all thoſe mercies. Know then, that beſides that peculiar treaſure of unſearchable riches of grace laid up in Chriſt (the offer of which neglected and deſpiſed,Epheſ. 2. 7. addes yet to all that ſinfulneſſe, a guilt as farre exceeding all that which ſhall be ſpoken of, as Heaven exceeds the Earth) There is another untold Mine of Riches the Earth is full of, Pſal. 104. 24.as the Pſalmiſt tells us, and the Apoſtle here, which theſe Gentiles onelyonly heard of, and which we partake of all as much as they. As there are riches of grace offered to you which can never be exhauſted; ſo there are riches of patience ſpent upon you, which you will have ſpent out in the end; the expence of which, caſt up, will alone amount to an immenſe treaſure, both of guilt in you, and of wrath in God, as theſe words informe us.
To helpe you in this account, I will
1. In generall, ſhew what Goodneſſe, or Bounty, Patience, and long ſuffering are in God.
2. That there are riches of theſe ſpent upon all the ſons of men.
3. That theſe all leade men to repentance. And then
4. I will expoſtulate with you, and aggravate your ſinfulneſſe, in going on to deſpiſe all theſe by unrepentance, as the Apoſtle here doth.
Firſt, in that God is ſaid here to be Good, or Bountifull: 2. Patient, or forbearing: 3. Longſuffering, they ſeeme to note out three degrees of his common mercies unto men.
Firſt, he is a good, or a bountifull God: for ſo, as goodneſſe is here uſed, I exegetically expound it: For though it be true, that goodneſſe and bounty may differ; yet when riches of goodneſſe are ſaid to be communicated, it imports the ſame, and is all one with Bounty; And ſuch is God. And all thoſe noble and royall qualifications and properties which concurre to make one truely good, and bountifull, doe meet and abound in him, in all thoſe good things which he doth beſtow; and are found truly in none but in him: ſo that it may be truly ſaid, that there is none good but God, as Chriſt ſayes of him.
Now Bounty, in the generall, which is in God, may be thus deſcribed:
It is a free, willing, and a large giving of what is meerly his own, looking for no recompenſe againe.
To explaine this, that you may ſee, that all theſe conditions are required to true goodneſſe, and all of them to be found in God onelyonly.
1. He that is Bountifull, he muſt be a Giver, and Beſtower of good things: and all he beſtows, it muſt be by way of gift, not by way of recompence unto, or by deſert from the party hee beſtowes all on:Luke 6. 33. Therefore Chriſt ſayes, Luke 6. 33. that to doe good to thoſe who have done, or doe good to us, is not thank-worthy, nor is it Bounty. But God is therefore truely good, becauſe hee ſimply, meerely, and abſolutely gives away all which he beſtowes: For hee was not, nor can any way become beholden to any of his creatures; nor had formerly received any thing from them,Rom. 11. 35. which might move him hereunto: ſo Rom. 11. 35. Who hath firſt given him, that hee may recompence him againe? Nay untill He gave us a being, we were not capable of ſo much as receiving any good thing from him.
2. He who is truly termed Good, or Bountifull, all that he gives away muſt be his owne; Pſal. 24. 1.And ſo all which God beſtowes, it is his owne. So Pſal. 24. 1. The Earth is the Lords. The ground wee tread on, the place wee dwell in; Hee is our Landlord. But is that all? for the houſe may be the Landlords, when the furniture is the Tenants: therefore he further addes, And the fulneſſe of it is his alſo: that is, all the things that fill the world, all the furniture,Pſal. 50. 11, 12. and proviſion of it both; all the moveables. (So Pſal. 50. 11, 12.) The cattell and the fowles upon a thouſand hills are mine, ſayes hee; and alſo all the ſtanding goods, the corne and oile (which you ſet and plant) are mine, Hoſ. 2. 9. yea and the Pſalmiſt in the ſame 24. Pſalme, adds further, that they who dwell therein are his alſo: not the houſe and furniture onelyonly, but the Inhabitants themſelves. And this, by the moſt ſure, and moſt ſoveraigne title that can be, better than that of purchaſe, or inheritance, of and from another: for he hath made them; All is thine, becauſe all comes of thee, 1 Chron. 29.ſayes the ſame David, 1 Chron. 29. 11, 12. And all things are not onelyonly [of him] but [through him] Rom. 11. 36. that is, they cannot ſtand nor ſubſiſt without him. Even Kings, (the greateſt and moſt bountifull of men) their bounty is but as that of the clouds, which though they ſhowre down plentifully, yet they firſt received all from the Earth below them.
3. He muſt give largely, it is not Bounty elſe. Now God is therefore ſaid to be rich in goodneſſe, becauſe he is abundant in it. So we finde it, comparing Pſal. 33. 5. with Pſal. 104. 24. in which it is ſaid, that the earth is full of his goodneſſe, and his riches; which we may judge of, by what he ſayes in the 27. verſe of that 104. Pſalme, of what an houſe he keepes, and what multitudes he feeds: All theſe (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) wait on thee, that thou mayeſt give them meat, and thou openeſt thy hand, and they are filled with good. King Ahaſuerus, to ſhew his bounty, made a Feaſt to his chiefe Subjects, but it was but for halfe a yeare, and not to all: ſome few halfe yeeres more would well nigh have beggard him; but God doth thus continually. The greateſt and moſt bountifull of men, when they would expreſſe the largeſt of their bounty, ſpeake but of giving halfe of their Kingdomes, (ſo Herod, and he did but talk ſo too) But God beſtowes whole worlds, and Kingdomes, as Daniel ſpeakes, Dan. 4. 35. and gives them to whom he pleaſe.
4. He that is bountifull, muſt give all he gives freely, and willingly. Which, though I put together, yet may imply two diſtinct things: As firſt, that he that gives, muſt be a free agent in it, who is at his choice, whether he would give any thing away or no. The Sunne doth much good to the world, it affords a large light, and even halfe the world at once is full of its glory: yea and all this light is its owne, not borrowed, as that of the Moone and Starres is; yet this Sunne cannot be called good or bountifull, becauſe it ſends forth this light neceſſarily, and naturally; and cannot chooſe but doe ſo; nor can it draw in its beames. But God is a free giver, he was at his choice, whether he would have made the world or no; and can yet when hee pleaſeth, with-draw his Spirit and face, Pſal. 104. 29.and then they all periſh, Pſal. 104. 29. Secondly, it muſt be willing by alſo: that is, no way conſtrained, nor by extraction wrung from him, who is to be called Bountifull. A willing mind in matter of bounty, is more accepted than the thing, 2 Cor. 8. 12. Now of God it is ſaid, Dan. 4. 22. that he gives the Kingdomes of the world to whom he will, and none ſwayes him, or can ſtay his hand, ver. 35. yea hee gives all away with delight. So Pſal. 104. 31. having ſpoken of feeding every living thing, and of other the like works of his goodneſſe, throughout that Pſalme, hee concludes with this, God rejoyceth in all his workes: that is, doth all the good he doth to his creatures with delight; It doth him good (as it were) to ſee the poore creatures feed.
Laſt of all, looking for no recompence for the time to come. This is another requiſite in Bounty. Sayes Chriſt,Luke 6. 34. Luke 6. 34. If you give to receive againe, as ſinners doe, this is not thank-worthy: but ver. 35. ſo doth not your heavenly Father: For (ſayes he) Doe good, and hope for nothing againe, ſo ſhall you be like your Father, and then you ſhall ſhew your ſelves true children of the [moſt High.] In which word, he inſinuates a reaſon why God gives all thus: becauſe he is ſo great, and ſo High a God, as nothing wee doe can reach him; as David ſpeaks,Pſal. 16. 2. Pſal. 16. 2. My goodneſſe extends not unto thee: he is too high to receive any benefit by what we doe. And even that thankfulneſſe he exacts, he requires it but as an acknowledgement of our duty, and for our good, Deut. 10. 12.
And ſo much for the firſt, namely, what goodneſſe and bounty is: and how God is truely good, and he onelyonly ſo. But this attribute of his, and the effects of it, he exerciſeth towards all our fellow creatures, and did to Adam in Paradiſe. But now to us ward (as the Apoſtle ſpeaks) namely the ſons of men, now fallen, hee extendeth and manifeſts a further riches, namely, of patience and long-ſuffering, which the devills partake not of, the good Angels and other creatures: that ſinned not, are uncapable of. For as Chriſt ſayes, Luke 6. 35.Luke 6. 35. In what he beſtowes on us, he is kind to ſuch, as are evill and unthankfull. Mercy is more than goodneſſe, for mercy alwaies doth reſpect miſery: and becauſe all the creatures are ſubject to a miſery, Rom. 8. 20, 21, 22. of bondage and vanity, therefore his tender mercies are over all his workes. But yet patience is a further thing than mercy, (as mercy is than goodneſſe) being exerciſed, not towards miſerable creatures onelyonly, but towards ſinners, and includes in it more three things further towards them.
1. Not only that thoſe perſons he doth good unto do offend, and injure him; but that himſelf alſo is exceeding ſenſible of all thoſe wrongs, and moved by them, and alſo provoked to wrath thereby; it is not patience elſe. So in the 2. of Pet. 3. 9. It is not ſlackneſſe (ſayes he there:) God is not ſlack: that is, he ſits not in heaven as one of the Idol gods, that regarded not what acts were kept here below; or took not to heart mens carriages towards him; but is long-ſuffering, or patient; that is, he apprehends himſelfe wronged, is fully ſenſible of it; is angry with the wicked every day, Pſal. 7. 11.Pſal. 7. 11. he hath much adoe to forbear, even when he doth forbeare, and letteth them alone; he exerciſeth an attribute, a vertue towards them, namely, patience, in keeping in of his anger; which is as to keepe fire in ones boſome.
But ſecondly, this is not all; he doth not ſimply forbeare, and reſtraine his anger, but vouchſafeth that time he forbeares them in, that they might repent in it; and his mercies, as meanes leading to repentance. So it followes in that 2 Pet. 3. 9. But God is long ſuffering to us-ward, and his long ſuffering hath this in it, not willing that any ſhould periſh, but come unto repentance. So alſo Revel. 2. 21. it is called ſpace to repent. Revel. 2. 21.And all the bleſſings he vouchſafeth, he gives them as means and guides to leade them on to repentance, as here. And Mat. 18. 29.Mat. 18. 29. Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. That is, give me a longer day and ſpace to pay the debt in, and be willing to accept it when I bring it, and let me lye out of priſon, that I may be enabled to pay it.
Thirdly, there is yet a further thing in his patience, namely, a waiting, and expectation that men would come in,Luke 13. 17. and repent. So Luke 13. 17. Theſe three yeeres have I [come ſeeking] fruit, but have found none: There was an expectation, a longing, a deſire it would bring forth fruit, Oh when ſhall it once be, ſayes God, Ier. 13. laſt?
In the laſt place, that other attribute of long ſuffering, which is the third, is but as a further degree of patience; but patience lengthened out farther, that is, when God hath beene thus patient, hath forborne and waited for their comming in, and that not for three yeeres, but haply thirty, forty yeeres, and ſtill they turne not; his patience then begins (as we would think) to be (as it were) worne out, and his anger begins to ariſe, as if he could forbeare no longer; (as it was towards that tree, Why cumbereth it the ground? Cut it downe) yet hee goes on to ſpare a man another yeere, and many more yeares ſtill after that; and endureth with much long ſuffering (as Rom. 9. 22.) the veſſels of wrath, endures to wonderment, above meaſure, beyond all expectation, all patience, as it were; this is long ſuffering.
The ſecond generall head is, that there are [riches] of this his goodneſſe, &c. expended on us.
It is a rich goodneſſe, patience and long ſuffering: Rich in themſelves, in regard of their abundance, as they came from him: and rich alſo in regard of their precious uſefulneſſe unto us, as they may be improved by us.
Firſt, in themſelves they are rich: if wee conſider what is expended, all that while, Hee layes out, not ſimply his power to ſuſtain and uphold all things, and to maintaine us freely: ſo to doe is nothing to him. For whilſt he doth but ſo, nothing goes out of purſe, or is detracted from him; (as I may ſo ſpeak) he feeles not the expence either of power, providence, &c. All this coſt him but words: For he upholds all, creates all by the word of his power, Heb. 1.Hebr. 1. And thus to maintaine the Angels, and to have maintained all mankinde before they fell, had beene no more. But (my brethren) when now he maintains us ſinners, not ſimply power goes forth from him, but his glory is expended, and taken from him, and for the while waſted, detracted from; he loſeth, at preſent, every day infinitely by us, and he is ſenſible of it; every ſinne takes glory from him, robs him, as he himſelfe complaines: that he who made the world, upholds it, (keeps it together, as the hoops doe the barrell, it would fall to pieces elſe, to nothing; in whom all live, as fiſhes in the Sea, yea upon whom all live) that He ſhould live unknown, Iohn 1. 10.unthought of, unſerved; yea diſgraced, diſhonoured in the world, and have this world loſt to him, as it were; and ſinne, the Devill, wicked men, to have all the glory from him, to be exalted, to carry the whole world afore them: This ſpends upon him, he had need of Riches to doe this.
Secondly, conſider the multitude of ſinners, that thus ſpend, and live upon theſe riches, no leſſe than all the world: Hee had need of multitudes of patience in him: He forbeares not one, but all and every one. We looke upon one man, and ſeeing him very wicked, wee wonder God cuts him not off; we wonder at our ſelves, that God did not cut us off before this, when once our eyes are opened: nay then caſt your eyes over all the world, and ſtand amazed at Gods forbearance towards it. Take the richeſt man that ever was, to have millions of men in his debt, it would undoe him ſoone. All the world are in Gods debt, and run ſtill in debt every day more and more, and yet he breaks not, nay breaks not them.
Nay thirdly, to manifeſt this abundance yet more, conſider not onelyonly the multitude hee forbeares, but the time he hath done it: to forbeare much, and to forbeare it long: he hath forborne, and beene out of purſe from the beginning of the world, ſince men were upon the face of the earth, five thouſand yeeres and a halfe already; and how long it is yet to the day of Judgement, wee know not: And yet ye ſee, He is as patient, and as bountifull now in the latter dayes of the world, as he was at the firſt. Did that greateſt Convert that ever was, that had not lived paſt thirty yeeres in his ſinfull eſtate (for he was young when he held the ſtoners clothes that ſtoned Stephen) and yet was the chiefeſt of ſinners, did he yet (as himſelfe ſayes) thinke himſelfe a patterne of long ſuffering, 1 Tim. 1. 16.1 Tim. 1. 16. though it a great matter God ſhould forbeare ſo long? what is the whole world then? if he, being but one ſmall poore veſſell, was ſo richly laden with the riches of Gods patience, how is this great bark of the world then fraught, that hath gone over ſo vaſt a gulfe of time? how much of theſe his riches have been laden in it?
And then fourthly, adde to this the expenſive prodigality of all theſe ſinners in all ages; every ſinner ſpends ſomething, and how laviſh are men of oathes? All the thoughts of mens hearts from their youth up, they are evill, and onelyonly evill, and continually: and how much then hath every man ſpent him? every ſin is a debt.
In the ſecond place, this is a rich goodneſſe and patience in regard of the preciouſneſſe and uſefulneſſe.
Firſt, precious, in regard of what all theſe manifeſtations of his goodneſſe and forbearance coſt,2 Pet. 3. 1. even the blood of his Sonne, who as a Lord hath bought and purchaſed all wicked men; their lives, and their reprivall, all that time that here they live; and all the bleſſings and diſpenſations of goodneſſe, which here they do enjoy. Chriſts mediation ſo far prevailes with God for all the world, that it puts a ſtop to the preſent proceedings of juſtice, which otherwiſe had ſaid of all, that day thou ſinneſt, thou dyeſt. So that as Chriſt may be called the wiſdome and the power of God; ſo alſo the patience and the long ſuffering of God. For, for his ſake, and through his meanes, it is exerciſed: God would not ſhew a drop of mercy, but for his Sonne. Which, I take, ſtrongly and clearly intimated, in that dealing of his, with the Jewes, (Exod. 23. 20. compared with Exod. 33. 2, 3, 4, &c. Immediately after God had given the Law, (by the rules and threatnings whereof, God the Father in his government was to proceed) and after they had tranſgreſſed it, He there declares, that he could not goe with them: page missing reſted thee, and told thee, this world was no place for thee,Acts 1. 25. for hell is onelyonly our owne place, Acts 1. 25. thou ſhouleſt have beene executed the firſt day. And is not ſo much time of eaſe from puniſhment infinite mercy? Caſt but your thoughts upon the Angels that fell, that have been in hell from the firſt moment of their ſinning, doe but thinke with your ſelves, what they would give to have ſo much time, cut out of that eternity, they are to run through, & to have it ſet apart for eaſe, and to be void of torment; if the rich man in hell, made it ſuch a great ſuit, and counted it ſo great a favour to have but one drop of water (which could but for a little while (ſcarce more than a moment) have cooled and eaſed, not his whole body, but the tip of his tongue only) how much more would he have thought it mercy, to have lived ſo many yeares againe as he had done free from torment? what is it then for thee, to live ſo many yeares free from the falling of the leaſt drop of that wrath, whereof the full vialls ſhould have been poured out many yeares agoe? The ſame Law was out againſt us, which was out againſt the Angels;2 Pet. 3. 9. That day thou eateſt, thou ſhalt dye the death: what put the difference? the Apoſtle tells us, his long ſuffering to us ward: not to them: for in Chap. 2. 4. he had told us that hee ſpared not the Angels which fell, but poſted, and threw them into hell, as ſoone as they had ſinned.
Sixtly, But further, in the 6. place; Is this all? hath it beene barely a time of eaſe given thee, a time of reprivall? No, it hath beene more, ſpace to repent, and ſo to obtaine thy pardon in, Rev. 2. 21. And as it hath beene more than eaſe of torment unto thee, ſo alſo conſider it hath beene more than ſlackneſſe in him that hath afforded it to thee, as the Apoſtle there doth tell us. It is not that he hath tooke no notice of thy offending him, but he is ſenſible of every idle thought, of every oath, vaine word, and as the Scripture tels us, he is pained at the very heart, in ſo much as he repents that ever he made thee;Gen. 6. he is angry with thee every day thou riſeſt, every time hee lookes on thee, when ever he meets thee going into the Taverne to be drunk, the whorehouſe to be uncleane, when he meets thee reeling in the ſtreets, he hath much adoe to forbeare killing thee, as he had to forbeare Moſes when he met him in the Inne: He is ready to have a blow at thee, and it ſhould not need be any great ſtroake, or fetching his arme about; if he did but blow on thee, thou wert conſumed. To ſuffer thee to live, doth therefore coſt him much riches of patience; but to cut thee off, need coſt him nothing: hee can doe that with eaſe. But further, all is joyned with a willingneſſe that thou ſhouldſt repent, and not periſh, as that place tells thee. It were much mercy for a Traytor to be reprived, to have a leaſe of his life for twenty yeeres, though there were no hope nor meanes of obtaining his finall pardon after that time ſpent, and this alſo, though monethmonth, a yeere? what others, who have laine gaſping, would have given a world for time againe, (as I have heard one crying day and night (call time againe) or if not then, oh what in Hell:
The third thing I am to ſhew, is, that all this goodneſſe, patience, and forbearance, is afforded towards you as a meanes, and helpes to bring you to repentance.Acts 17. 26, 27, 28. Acts 17. 26, 27, 28. God (ſayes the Apoſtle there) hath allotted to men, both their times to live in, and alſo their places of abode and habitations, all richly furniſhed with bleſſings to uphold their lives & beings. And to what end are both theſe thus afforded? That they might ſeek the Lord, if by groping after him (even as men in the darke) they might haply finde him. But men being in the darke, and deſtitute of guides to bring thē unto God, may yet be as far of finding him as ever. Therefore adde but the words of my text, to what the Apoſtle ſayes there, and we ſee, that this goodneſſe of God takes us by the hand, and leads us to repentance; to turne from ſinne unto God, and ſo to finde him. And thus lead are you unto God, by the help of three ſeverall guides, which each after other ſweetly leade you, and point you out to this.
Firſt, all this goodneſſe beares witneſſe to your hearts of a gracious hand that extends it ſelf in all theſe; therefore in that 17. of the Acts, he ſubjoynes, God is not far off any of us. That there is a good God beſtowes all things on you, is a thought lyes at next doore of all his bleſſings, not far off. Yea they all (ſayes the Apoſtle to the ſame Gentiles,Acts 14. 16. Acts 14. 16.) doe beare witneſſe of him, (though they went on in their owne wayes) yet (ſayes he there) God left not himſelfe without witneſſe; that is, an impreſſion on their hearts that his good hand beſtowed all on them, when he filled their hearts with foode and gladneſſe.
Secondly, His goodneſſe having brought thus God to mens thoughts, then your owne conſciences take you, and leade you downe into your ſelves, and beare witneſſe, that you by walking in your owne wayes, doe nothing but provoke and offend this good God. So Rom. 2. 15.
And then thirdly, there is an indelible principle common to all men to love thoſe who love them; Luke 6.which after the two former have brought you hitherto, point, you to Repentance, as the concluſion. [Shall we goe on to ſinne againſt this good, ſo good? returne evill for good?] Is not this a naturall neceſſary conſequent out of all theſe, to ſay as they, Let us therefore feare the Lord, who giveth us the early and the latter raine, Ier. 5. 26, 27.as it is Ier. 5. 26, 27? And though men are ſaid not to know this, in the text, yet the meaning is, they doe not throughly and effectually conſider thus much, ſo as thereby to be brought to Repentance, yet however there is ſuch a witneſſe of all this in all mens hearts, and thus are they led on unto Repentance, would they ſee their way and follow their guide.
The uſe ſhall be an uſe of expoſtulation (as here the Apoſtle carryes it) with men ſinfull and impenitent, for going on to ſinne againſt all this mercy; together with an aggravation of their ſinfulneſſe hereby. Men, if young, doe uſually take the advantage of this their precious time, (which out of ſo much long ſuffering is vouchſafed them) and of all thoſe precious opportunities, and bleſſings they enjoy, to improve them onelyonly, in reaping and gathering in to themſelves the pleaſures of ſinne; making the time of youth their harveſt of ſinning, and yet thinke to eſcape by repenting, afterwards: and then when old, after they have already enjoyed a long and a faire Sunſhine day to turne to God in, and to have ſowne much ſeed to the Spirit, the comfort whereof they might now have reaped; yet as they have altogether neglected ſo to doe all their youth, ſo they goe on to doe ſo ſtill, whilſt they ſee they have any day left, be it never ſo neare the ſetting; and doe chooſe rather deſperately to venture their eſtate in the world to come, upon the riches of his mercy pardoning, (though without all care and endeavour to change their hearts or lives) upon the experience they have had of the riches of his mercy forbearing them in this world, thinking to finde him the ſame in both. With all ſuch, let me reaſon a little, and from the riches of Gods goodneſſe, patience, &c. ſpent upon them, at once expoſtulate with them, for their impenitency, and aggravate to them their ſinfulneſſe, and alſo, if poſſible, prevail with them to goe on to deſpiſe it thus no longer. And if there be any principle of common ingenuity, any ſparke (I doe not ſay of grace, but of goodneſſe of nature) left unextinguiſht, me thinkes it ſhould affect you, and doe ſome good on youere I have done.
And to that end, conſider a little, and compare together Gods loving kindneſſes towards you, and your unkind dealings towards him.
To begin at the very beginning of thy being: how much riches of goodneſſe were there laid and buried in thy foundation? when the firſt corner ſtone was laid, when thou wert made a man, (beſides the coſt which hath beene ſpent upon this building ſince) and, curſed as thou art, even that very foundation was laid in bloody iniquities, in which thou wert conceived; and the very materialls of ſoule and body, thou conſiſteſt of, being tempered with ſinne,Hab. 2. 10, 11. like the ſtone in the wall, and beame out of the timber, cry out every moment to God againſt thee,Pſal. 137. 7. as Edom did, Raſe it, raſe it, even to the very ground.
Conſider how but the other day thou were meere nothing, and when an infinite number that never were nor ſhall be, were in as great a poſſibility of being as thou, (for when he made this world, he could have laid it aſide wholly, and created millions of otherworlds) yet he choſe thee to have a roome in this, but one world, (for he means to make no more) and this world could have ſtood without thee, and did before thou wert, and ſhall doe when thou art gone: yet he called thee forth out of nothing, and by his Almighty power, bade thee ſtand forth when there was no need of thee. I ſay he choſe thee to have a being: for as there is an election of things that are to ſalvation, ſo out of things that were not unto being. And wretch that thou art, if thou repenteſt not, thou deſtroyeſt what God hath made, and hadſt better have kept nothing ſtill, and never have peept out, or elſe to skulk into thy firſt nothing againe, for thou art loſt, better never to have beene borne.
Secondly, Conſider yet more goodneſſe. Thou mighteſt have beene admitted into the loweſt forme of creatures, have beene a worme, a flea, a flye, which we men fillip and cruſh to death at pleaſure: but to be made a Man, created one of the States, Barons, Lords of the world the firſt houre, admitted into the higheſt order, crowned a King in the wombe, as David ſayes of man, Pſal. 8. 5. made a little lower than the Angels, Pſal. 8. 5.but crowned with glory and honour; made to have dominion over all the works of his hands. The one halfe of thee is more worth than a whole world, [thy ſoule] as Chriſt ſayes, that went to the price of ſoules; upon which God hath beſtowed an eternity of being, and made it the picture of his face, his Image, when other creatures do weare but his footſteps. And thy body the other peece, and indeed but the Caſe, the Sheath, (as Daniels phraſe and the Chaldee hath it, Dan. 7. 15.) of thee, what a curious workmanſhip is it? wonderfully and fearfully made, Pſal. 139. 15.as David ſayes, Pſalm. 139. 15. curiouſly wrought in the lower parts of the earth: So there he calls the womb; becauſe as curious workmen, when they have ſome choice piece in hand, perfect it in private, and then bring it forth to light for men to gaze at: So God out of a teare, a drop, he hath limmed out the Epitome of the whole world; the Index of all the creatures.Eccl. 12. 2. Sunne, moone, ſtarres, are to be found in thee. And yet wretch as thou art, thou art withall the Epitome of hell, and broughteſt into the world with thee, the ſeeds and principles of all the villanies, that have beene acted in the world, and if thou repenteſt not, thou hadſt better have beene a toad, or ſerpent, the hatefulleſt of creatures; and wouldſt change thy condition with them one day.
Thirdly, being a man, haſt thou all thy members that belong unto a man? it is becauſe hee wrote them all in his booke, Pſal. 139. 16. if he had left out an eye in his common-place booke, thou hadſt wanted it; is not that a mercy? aske the blinde. If thou hadſt wanted thoſe windows to looke out at, thy body would have beene a dungeon, the world a priſon. If a Tongue (which is thy glory) or an eare, thou hadſt lived among men, as a beaſt among men. And yet when God gave thee all theſe, what did he but put weapons into an enemies hand? for haſt thou not uſed all theſe,Rom. 6. as weapons of unrighteouſneſſe? Inſomuch as the tongue, but one member, is called a world of iniquity by the Apoſtle; and if thou repenteſt not, thou hadſt better (as Chriſt ſayes) have entred into the world without an eye, an care, a tongue, than with theſe goe for ever into hell.
Fourthly, when thou wert taken out of the wombe, (where thou didſt remaine, but whileſt thou wert a framing) what a ſtately palace hath he brought thee into, [the world] which thou findeſt prepared, and ready furniſht with all things for thy maintenance, as Canaan was to the Children of Iſrael; a ſtately houſe thou buildeſt not, trees thou plantedſt not, a rich Canopy ſpangled, ſpread as a Curtaine over thy head; he ſets up a Taper for thee to work by [the Sun] till thou art weary, Pſal. 104. 23.Pſal. 104. 23. and then it goes down without thy bidding, for it knows its going downe, ver. 19. and then he drawes a curtain over halfe the world, that men may goe to reſt, thou cauſeſt darkneſſe, and it is night, ver. 20. An houſe this world is, ſo curiouſly contrived, that to every roome of it, even to every poore village, ſprings doe comes as pipes to finde thee water. So Pſal. 104. 10, 11.Pſal. 104. 10, 11. The pavement of which houſe thou treadeſt on, brings forth thy food, ver. 14. Bread for ſtrength, wine to cheere thy heart, oyle to make thy face to ſhine, ver. 15. Which three are there ſynecdochically put for all things needfull to ſtrength, ornament, and delight. The very chambers of that houſe (as David calls them) drop fatneſſe, and water the earth, ver. 13. Hee wheeles the heavens about, and ſo ſpins out time for thee, every moment of which time brings forth ſome bleſſing or other, and no one is barren.Pſal. 65. 11. Therefore Pſal. 65. 11. the yeere is ſaid to be crowned with goodneſſe: a diadem of goodneſſe encircles it round: and yet thou haſt filled this world thou thus art brought into, with nothing but rebellions, as hee hath done with bleſſings, and haſt piled up ſins to heaven; and thou haſt preſſed all theſe armies of bleſſings thou findeſt the world filled with, to fight againſt their Maker, under the devills banner, whom thy wickedneſſe ſets up as the god of this world. And as the yeere is crowned with goodneſſe, ſo thy yeeres with wickedneſſe, and no moment is barren; but all thy imaginations are evill continually. Yea thou haſt ſinned againſt heaven and earth, and ſubjected the whole creation unto vanity, laden the earth, and filled it ſo with wickedneſſe, that it groanes, the axeltree of it is even ready to crack under thee, and the ground thou treadeſt on to ſpue thee out.
Fiftly, ſince thou cameſt into the world, what a long time hath God ſuffered thee to live in it? hee hath not ſpared thee three yeares onelyonly, (as he did the figtree) but thirty, forty. And when thou firſt madeſt bold to thruſt forth thy trayterous head into the world, Death (which thy ſin brought into the world with it) might have arreſted duplicate page duplicate page but for one treaſon, and though all that time of his reprivall he carryes and behaves himſelfe never ſo obediently. But unto thee, this time hath beene more than a longer day of life, and putting off the execution (which for the guilt of that firſt rebellion ſhould have been acted on thee in the womb) it hath beene time to repent in: And yet hath not this time of thy reprivall made thee ſo much the more rebellious? and haſt not thou ſpent all this time in making up the meaſure of thine iniquity full? and hath it beene will ingneſſe onelyonly in God that thou ſhouldeſt not periſh? yea more, joyned with waiting alſo, when it ſhould once be, thinking the time long, as longing and deſiring that thou wouldſt repent, that he might pardon thee. Thus Ierem. 13. laſt, God expreſſeth himſelfe, when ſhall it once be? yea and conſider how many dayes of payment have been ſet, and how many promiſes made, and broken all by thee, and yet ſtill hee walteth unto wonderment. Thou receiuedſt preſſe money at thy Baptiſme, when thou didſt promiſe to forſake the devill and all his workes, and to begin to ſerve him, when thou ſhouldſt begin to diſcerne betweene good and evill. But no ſooner did the light of knowledge dawne in thy heart, but thou beganſt to fight againſt him; and thy firſt thoughts to this day have beene onelyonly and continually evill. And then (haply) in thy younger yeares, before thou hadſt taſted of the pleaſures of ſinne, he gave thee an inkling, by meanes of thy education, of his goodneſſe towards thee, and of that happineſſe to be liad in him, and thou hadſt the firſt offer of him, ere thy tender yeares were poyſoned by the world; and he hath dealt with thee againe and againe, both by his Word and Spirit; not waited onelyonly, but wooed thee, and hath beene a ſuiter to thy heart long: and I appeale to your hearts, how many promiſes you have made him, of turning from all your rebellions to him, after ſuch a Sermon, which was brought powerfully home: in ſuch a ſickneſſe, and in ſuch a ſtrait, thy conſcience knowes full well: And ſtill God hath made tryall of thee, and given thee longer day; and though thou haſt broke with him againe and againe, yet he hath forborne thee againe and againe, and hath waited this twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, ſixty years, when thou ſhouldeſt come in, and be as good as thy word, and ſtill thou haſt failed him. And yet behold and wonder, and ſtand confounded at the riches of his long ſuffering, that after ſo many yeares expence, and promiſes broken by thee, expectations failed in him, and many mockeries of him, after all this he is yet willing to accept of the remainder, if thou wouldſt ſpend the reſt of the time, left thee in the fleſh, according to his will, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks,1 Pet. 4. 3. 1 Pet. 4. 3. even to loſe principall, uſe, and all, for what is paſt, and requires but the ſame compoſition was propounded the firſt day; yea and not onelyonly ſo, but with promiſe to become a debtor unto thee, to beſtow further riches on thee than ever yet thou ſaweſt, or art able to conceive: yea and all this, when he could have his penyworths out of thee another way, and loſe not one farthing by thee, but by puniſhing thee in hell, recover all to the utmoſt.
Neither, ſeventhly, hath it beene barely and ſimply an act of patience and forbearance, though joyned with this willingneſſe, thou ſhouldſt not periſh; or meerely a permiſſive act of ſuffering thee to live. But God ſhewes forth yet more riches of goodneſſe joyned with this long ſuffering; in him ye live, and move, and have your being; and doſt thou live in him onelyonly? nay thou liveſt on him alſo, upon his coſt and charges; I have hung upon thee (ſayes David) from my mothers wombe. And conſider what thy life is, that of ſo ſmall a bottome, he ſhould ſpin out ſo long a thred! had hee not drawne it out of his owne power, as the ſpider doth her web out of her owne bowels, it had beene at an end the ſecond minute; to maintaine that radicall moiſture, that oyle that feeds the lampe, and light of thy life, that radicale balſamum, this is as great a miracle as the maintaining the oyle in the cruze of the poore famiſhed widow. And further yet; hath he maintained thee onelyonly? Nay more, hath he not defended thee, tooke thy part, protected thee, tooke thee under his wing, as the hen doth her chickens, to ſhelter thee from thoſe many dangers thy life hath been expoſed unto? Otherwiſe, how many wayes, ere this, hadſt thou been ſnatcht away out of the land of the living? Is thy caſe, the caſe of the figtree onelyonly, which before we mentioned, that when God cryed, Cut it downe, another cryed, ſpare it? but there have beene many have cryed, Cut thee downe, and God hath cryed, ſpare Thee: there is never a minute, but the devills would have had a blow at thy life, as he longed to have had at Iohs. That thou, a poore lump of fleſh, ſhouldſt walke through, and in the midſt of ſuch an hoſt of fierce and cruell enemies, whoſe hearts are ſwelled with malice at thee, and God ſhould ſay to them all, concerning thee, as he did to Laban concerning Iacob, Touch not this man. And yet if thou wert not liable to their malice and power, yet conſider how many dangers and caſualties, beſides, thou haſt beene kept in, and from; as falls, drowning, killing many wayes; how often have the arrows of death come whisking by thee, took away thoſe next thee, (haply of thy kindred, brother, ſiſter, yoke-fellow, of the ſame houſe, family with thy ſelfe) and yet have miſſed thee? And if we look no farther than theſe dayes of mortality we have lived in; two great plagues in this Kingdome, how have the moſt of us all here ſurvived, and now the third is increaſing and growing upon us? To have our lives in ſuch deare yeares of time, when to have our life for a prey is mercy enough, as Ieremy told Baruch! that theſe arrows ſhould flye round about us, over our heads, and miſſe us! that Gods arreſts ſhould ſeize upon men, walking, talking with us, and ſpare us! how often, many other wayes, hath thy neck been upon the block, and the axe held over, and yet hath fallen beſides! To goe no farther than thy own body, the humours thereof, if God ſhould not reſtraine them, would overflow and drowne it, as the waters would the earth, if God ſhould not ſay to them, ſtay your proud waves. And when in a ſickneſſe they have been let out, yet God hath kept a ſluce, that ſo much ſhould break forth, and no more, which ſhould purge, and waſh the body, and make it more healthfull, as the overflowing of Nilus doth. And when then thy body hath been brought low and weake, and like a crazy rotten ſhip in a ſtorme, taking in water on all ſides, ſo that all the Phyſitians in the world could not have ſtopt thoſe Leakes; yet hee hath rebuked wind and ſea, hath careened, mended thee, and launched thee into the world againe, as whole, as ſound, and ſtrong as ever; and God hath ſaid,Iob 33. as Iob. 33. that Thou ſhouldſt not dye. In a word, if thou conſider but what thy life is, and the dangers it is ſubject to, thou wilt acknowledge it as great a wonder to preſerve it, as to ſee a glaſſe, that hath beene in continuall uſe, gone through many hands, and hath had many knocks, and falls, to be kept for forty, fifty, ſixty yeeres whole and unbroken: God hath carryed thy life in his hand, as it were a candle in a paper lanthorn in a ſtrong windy night, and kept it from being extinct, when as wee often ſee in many, that a little cold comes but in at a little cranny, and blowes their candle out, as Iob ſpeaks.
And eightly, how have theſe yeeres and hours of thy time been filled up with goodneſſe? and with how many comforts? For a Traytor to live, though but upon bread and water all his dayes, what favour is it? and ſo hadſt thou lived all this time, never ſo miſerably, though all thy dayes thou hadſt eaten thy bread in darkneſſe, and hadſt had much ſorrow with thy ſickneſſe, Eccleſ. 5. 17.(as Solomon ſpeaks.) Some there are, who, as Iob ſpeaks,Iob 21. 25. Iob 21. 15. dye in the bitterneſſe of their ſoules, and never eate with pleaſure, ſcarce ſeeing a good day; and if this had beene thy caſe, yet this is infinite mercy. Even whatſoever is on this ſide Hell,Lamen. 3. 22. is mercy. Lam. 3. 22. ſay they in the worſt eſtate the Church was ever on earth, It is thy [mercies,] not mercy onelyonly, but multitude of mercies are ſhewne us, that we are not conſumed, becauſe his mercies are renewed every morning. If at the brink of hell, and not in, it is mercy. But hath he not all this while filled thy heart with food and gladneſſe, Acts 14. 17.as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Acts 14. 17? It were infinite to goe over the particular kinds of common comforts, which God vouchſafes men here: not halfe the riches of his goodneſſe is yet told: It would require an age to make an Inventory of them. Haſt a houſe in the world to hide thy head in, and keepe thee from the injuries of the weather? (which was more than Chriſt had) God he is thy Landlord, (though it may be thou payeſt him no rent;) he it is that builds the houſe, Pſal. 127. 1. Haſt a bed to lye upon? he makes it, eſpecially in thy ſickneſſe, Pſal. 41. 3.Pſal. 41. 3. Haſt thou ſleepe (which is the nurſe of nature, the parentheſis of all thy cares and griefes,) he rocks thee aſleep every night; and as he gives thee a houſe, ſo hee gives thee reſt, Pſal. 127. 2.Pſal. 127. 2. It is God keeps off thoſe gnatts of diſtracting cares, and griefes, and thoughts, and terrors of conſcience, would buzze about a man, and keepe one continually waking. And when thou ſleepeſt, is thy ſleepe pleaſant to thee? God makes it ſo,Ier. 31. 26. Ier. 31. 26. Haſt thou cloathes to cover thy nakedneſſe? reade old Iacobs Indentures, Gen. 28. 20.Gen. 28. 20. and thou ſhalt ſee by them whoſe finding they are at; if Thou wilt give mer rayment, that is one of his conditions mentioned. Yea, doe thy cloathes keepe thee warme? even this is attributed to him,Iob 37. 17. Iob 37. 17. He fills thee, feeds thee, ſpreads thy table, ſerves thee, fills thy cup, as David deſcribes his goodneſſe, Pſal. 23. 5. and gives thee thy meat in due ſeaſon; and hath not failed thee a meales meat, but thou haſt had it at thy appointed time, as Iob ſpeaks. And haſt thou health? which is the ſalt to all theſe bleſſings, (without which thou wouldſt ſay, thou hadſt no pleaſure in them) He is the God of thy health, and keeps off diſeaſes.Exod. 15. 26. Exod. 15. 26. I will put none of thoſe diſeaſes on thee; I am the Lord who healeth thee; that is, preſerve thee from them which elſe would ſeize on thee. And theſe mercies hee vouchſafeth unto you that are the pooreſt,Pſal. 68. 19. and loades you with theſe and the like benefits every day.
But haſt thou Riches added to theſe, and abundance? The bleſsing of God maketh rich, Prov. 10. 22. Though thou hadſt them by birth, yet hee made thoſe friends, and parents of thine, but feoffees in truſt for thee: they were no more, it was God who bequeathed them, Eccl. 2. laſt. Or whether thou haſt got them ſince by thine owne induſtry, it is hee gives thee power to get wealth, Deut. 8. 18.Deut. 8. 18. Prov. 12. 24. and out of a ſmall eſtate maketh men great, Iob 8. 7. It is hee by his providence hath ſtopt the ſecret iſſues and draynes of expence, at which other mens eſtates runne out; hath ſtopt that hole in the bottome of the bag, as the Prophet ſpeaks. And with theſe riches hath he given thee a heart to uſe them. This, as it is a farther mercy, Eccleſ. 5. 19. and Chap. 6. 2. ſo alſo from him, as it is noted there.
Or haſt thou credit (which is better than riches?Prov. 22. 1. ſo ſayes Solomon, Prov. 22. 1.) it is God who gives it, not thy wiſedome, parts, or worth: Eccleſ. 9. 11. favour is not alwaies to men of skill: that is, not acceptation of what they doe, without a farther bleſſing from God. Therefore beſides the gift of wiſdome, he gave a further promiſe of honour alſo unto Solomon, 2 Chron. 1. 11. It is God who faſhions mens opinions. The Apoſtle prayes to God his ſervice might be accepted of the Saints, though no ſervice was like to be more acceptable, for it was the gathering and bringing in of almes and reliefe to them. It is he rules mens tongues, bids men bleſſe, as well as he bade Shimei curſe: and he hath kept thee from ſuch groſſe ſinnes, which, as flyes, would have putrifyed the oyntment of thy good name, who alſo conceales thoſe thou haſt committed, and hides thee from the ſtrife of tongues, Iob 5. 21.Iob 5. 21.
Haſt thou friends, or doe any love thee? (wherein much of the comfort of our lives conſiſts, and therefore David ſayes of Ionathan, 2 Sam. 1. 26.2 Sam. 1. 26. Thou wert pleaſant to me) it is God who gives favour in mens eyes: So hee did Ioſeph, Gen. 39. 21.Gen. 33. 10. If any man or creature doth thee a kindneſſe, he toucheth their hearts, (as it is ſaid of the men who clave to Saul) and viſits for thee; He made the Aegyptians beyond all reaſon the Iſraelites friends, gave them favour in their eyes, as the text tells us. And hence, Gen. 33. 10. Iacob ſayes, He ſaw the face of God, in reconciled Eſaus face; for Gods favour appeared in his looke. He put you into your callings, ranks, and ſtations, gives you all your skill, ſucceſſe in them; The meaneſt of trades, to ſow, and plough, and threſh, they are from the Lord, who is wonderfull in working, (Eſay 28. from the 23. to the end) even as well as the skill of the moſt curious Ingraver, Limbner, or Embroyderer (as of Bezaleel) the Scripture ſayes, God was his Maſter, taught him. Haſt thou enlarged parts and gifts for higher imployments?Iob 32. 8, 9. it is not thy birth, or age hath acquired them unto thee: Iob 32. 8, 9. Great men are not alwaies wiſe, therefore it goes not by birth; nor have the aged alwaies underſtanding, it goes not onelyonly by experience; but it is the inſpiration of the Almighty. And haſt a calling anſwerable to thy parts, to be a Scholler, and have thy minde enriched and ennobled with the beſt and choiſeſt jewell the world hath, wiſdome and knowledge; whereby the minde is elevated as much above other mens, as they are above beaſts? God hath beene thy great Tutor, The mind of man is Gods Candle, and hee maketh wiſer than a mans teachers, as he did Moſes in Egyptian learning, Daniel, David.
To conclude, haſt thou comfort in all theſe? in riches, learning, credit, wife, children, meat, drink, &c. Hee puts in all the ſugar, delight and pleaſure that eſpecially depends on him; even to faſhion the heart to all theſe. As ayre lights not without the Sunne, nor wood heats not without fire; ſo neither doth thy condition comfort thee without God.Acts 14. 17. And therefore Acts 14. 17. it is ſaid, He filled their hearts, as with food, ſo, with gladneſſe.
And beſides all theſe, conſider the many peculiar paſſages and turnings of his providence towards thee for thy good; the working of things together, ever and anon to doe thee a good turne; the packing and plotting all for thee, better than thou couldſt have plotted for thy ſelfe; as thy reliefe in many ſtreights, ſucceſſe in many buſineſſes; He workes all our works in us and for us, as Eſay ſpeaks, Eſay 26. hath he not taken ſuch ſpeciall care and providence of thee, as if hee had regarded no man elſe in the world?
And now when thou haſt conſidered all, bethinke thy ſelfe withall a little of thy dealings towards him: what have beene the effects and fruits of all this goodneſſe? hold up thy head man, looke God in the face. It is well yet, that ſhame begins to cover thee. How hath that his patience and long ſuffering, vouchſafing thee ſpace to repent, wrought with thee? how nigh to repentance hath it brought thee? Such is the perverſeneſſe of mans nature, as Solomon tells us, Eccleſ. 8. 11.Eccleſ. 8. 11. that becauſe ſentence againſt an evill worke is not preſently executed, therefore the hearts of the ſonnes of men are fully ſet to doe evill: Becauſe God defers puniſhing, they defer repenting; thou thinkeſt to ſpend the moſt precious of thy time and ſtrength in ſinning, and give God the dreggs, the bottome, the laſt ſands, thy dotage, which thy very ſelfe and friends are weary of, and all theſe bleſſings and comforts which God hath vouchſafed thee, how haſt thou uſed them againſt him? This oyle which ſhould have beene fuell to thy thankfulneſſe, hath encreaſed the fire of thy luſts, and thy luſts have conſumed them all, Iames 4. The riches hee hath given, thou haſt made Idols of, and ſacrificed thy deareſt, morning, daily thoughts and affections unto, as God complaines, Ezek. 16. from the 15. and ſo on: [His meat] (as at the 29. ver. he calls it) thou ſacrificedſt to thy belly, which thou haſt made thy God; thy ſtrength to women; the wealth hee hath given you, you have made uſe of, but to live at a high rate of ſinning, and to procure the ſweeteſt bits, the daintieſt and moſt coſtly ſinnes; The edge of that ſword of power God hath put into thy hand, thou haſt turned againſt him and his, haply both his Children and Miniſters; ſo that God, by giving thee all theſe, hath but made thee more able to offend him, and hath ſtrengthned an enemy, and by ſparing thee thus long, hath but made thee more bold to doe it; all his mercyes have but fortifyed thy heart againſt him; Doe ye requite the Lord thus, ye fooliſh people and unkind? as Moſes expoſtulates the caſe,Deut. 32. 6. Deut. 32. 6. as Chriſt ſaid to the Jewes, For which of all my good workes doe yee ſtone me? So ſay I to you, for which of all his mercies is it, ye ſinne againſt him? what, to fight againſt him with his owne weapons? to betray all he gives you into the devills, his enemies hands? What iniquity did you ever finde in him, thus to deale? God will one day thus expoſtulate his cauſe with you, and heape coales of fire upon all your heads, (if that you turne not) becauſe you have rendred him evill for good: and all theſe mercies thus abuſed, will be as ſo many coales to make hell fire the hotter. And to reaſon this point yet further with you out of the Text, and what arguments it will afford to work upon you.
Conſider, firſt, what it is thou doeſt; whileſt thus thou goeſt on, thou art a Deſpiſer of the Riches of his goodneſſe: that which is oppoſite to goodneſſe, muſt needs be tranſcendently evill. What, art thou evill, becauſe God is good? and ſo much the more evill, by how much the more he is good, ſurely there muſt needs be an unexhauſted treaſure of wickedneſſe in thee, which will alſo cauſe in the end a treaſure of wrath in him; what and ſinne againſt mercy, patience, long ſuffering, added to goodneſſe? of all attributes, as the richeſt to the moſt glorious; for it is that he glories in: in the abuſing of which, therefore he thinkes himſelfe moſt debaſed: of all attributes the tendereſt: what, kick againſt his bowels? ſo are his mercies called: canſt hit him no where elſe but there? to deſpiſe a mans wiſdome, power, learning, is not ſo much as to deſpiſe his love; what canſt thou imagine will become of thee, when thou commeſt to dye? what is it thou wilt then come to plead and cry for? O mercy, mercy; why wretch that thou art, it is mercy thou haſt ſinned againſt. Riches of mercy and patience abuſed; turnes into fury. I may allude to that ſpeech, 1 Sam. 2. 25. If a man ſinne againſt his brother, 1 Sam. 2. 25.the Iudge ſhall judge him; but if againſt God, who ſhall plead for him? So hadſt thou ſinned againſt any other attribute, Mercy might have pleaded for thee; but if againſt Mercy it ſelfe, who ſhall?
Well, if thou goeſt on thus to doe ſo ſtill, thou haſt a hard heart; it argues the greateſt hardneſſe of all other; that is the ſecond. You uſe not (however it comes to paſſe) to deale thus with the worſt of men, ſinner like to your ſelves; but to them that love you, you tender love againe, Luke 6. 33. and will you deale ſo with God? Is it a ſmall thing to weary men, but you muſt weary God alſo? Eſay 7. 13.ſayes Eſay, 7. 13. Hee thought it infinitely leſſe to abuſe men than God; but you carry your ſelves as men, to men, but as devills towards God; herein ye have not the hearts of men in you; not principles of common humanity, whereby ye differ from beaſts; The cords of love are called the cords of a man, Hoſ. 11. 6.Hoſ. 11. 6. the ſpirit of man breakes, melts under kindneſſe; beaſts indeed yee uſe to prick with goades, but the cords of a man are the cords of love; no principle being more deepely engraven in mens hearts, than this, to doe good to thoſe who doe good to you, Mat. 5. 46.Mat. 5. 46. Nay, would ye had herein yet the hearts of beaſts; The Oxe knowes his owner, the Aſſe his maſters cribb, but my people have rebelled againſt mee. A ſinne ſo much againſt nature, that he calls upon thoſe creatures, who have no more than meere nature in them, viz.Eſay 1. the heavens to ſtand aſtoniſht at it. But as nature elevated by grace, riſeth higher than it ſelf; ſo being poyſoned with ſinne, it is caſt below it ſelfe, ſins againſt it ſelf, and the principles which are begotten in and with it ſelfe; if it were not ſo, how were it poſſible thou ſhouldſt hate him, who never did thee hurt? and goe on to wound him, who weepeth overthee? and deſpiſe that in him moſt, which ſeekes to ſave thee? and load him with ſins?Amos 2. 13. Amos 2. 13. who loades thee daily with his mercies,Pſal. 68. 19. Pſal. 68. 19.
There is a third conſideration the text ſuggeſts, to ſhew the fearfulneſſe of thy ſin in this reſpect; and that is, that thou goeſt on every minute ſinning and in impenitency, by deſpiſing his goodneſſe, to treaſure up wrath againſt the day of wrath; to ſin againſt mercy, of all other encreaſeth wrath; thou muſt pay treaſures, for treaſures ſpent. As thou laviſhly ſpendeſt riches of mercy, ſo God will recover riches of glory out of thee: God will not loſe by thee, but will reckon with thee in wrath for every offer of patience ſpent; for every ſand of long ſuffering that runs out, hee drops in a drop of wrath into his Vialls, and it will prove a treaſure, ſuch a treaſure as ſhall bring in an eternall revenue of glory unto God, of all his glory loſt, and riches ſpent, with advantage; ſuch a treaſure, as will aske an eternity of time to be ſpent upon thee, and yet be never emptied or made leſſe; and the longer thou goeſt on, the greater heap it will ſwell unto. And doſt thou know and conſider how faſt this treaſure fills, and how much the longer thou goeſt on to adde to it, ſtill the more thou addeſt, ſtill the laſt yeere more than all the yeeres before? every minutes impenitency adding to this heape and ſumme, as new figures added in a ſumme uſe to doe; the firſt is but one, the ſecond makes it ten, the third an hundred, the fourth a thouſand, and what a ſumme will this grow to?
Ay but thou wilt ſay, Tuſh, I am in proſperity, in health, wealth, and eaſe, and to day ſhall be as to morrow, and much more abundant. Eſay 56. 12. Well, but fourthly, conſider out of the text, that there will come a day at laſt, the morrow whereof will be a day of wrath: It is treaſuring up now, but is not brought forth till the day of wrath, till which day thou mayeſt goe on and proſper, as Iob giving us the reaſon why wicked men proſper here, ſayes, Chap. 21. They are reſerved to the day of wraths, in the plurall, becauſe treaſures are laid up againſt then; thou art yet ſpared, becauſe thy ſins are not yet full, and that Treaſure is not full, as the ſins of the Amorites were not; and all this thy preſent proſperity fits thee but for hell. So Rom. 9. 22. they are ſaid to be veſſells fitted for deſtruction, by long ſuffering. And ſo Nahum tells us, they are but as ſtubble laid out in the Sunne a drying, till it be fully dry, Nahum 1. 10. that it may burne the better; and like grapes that are let to hang in the Sunſhine till they be ripe, Revel. 15. 16. and ſo thou for the winepreſſe of Gods wrath.
But thy ſenſeleſſe heart may hap to ſay, I ſee no ſuch thing, and theſe are but threats, I thinke ſo; therefore it is ſaid in the Text, that it is a Treaſure; which, as Treaſures uſe to be, is hid till that day comes, & then revealed, as the words have it. For though thou ſeeſt not this day a comming, yet God who ſits in heaven, ſees thy day a comming, as David ſayes, Pſal. 37. 13. who is therefore ſaid to ſee it, becauſe himſelfe ſees it not; and it is a comming faſter than thou art aware of it,2 Pet. 2. 3. 2 Pet. 2. 3. Damnation ſlumbereth not, though thou dreameſt not of it; lingreth not: as an hue and cry, it is ſent out, and is on its courſe, and will in the end overtake thee, and that when thou leaſt thinkeſt of it, as a theefe in the night, when thou art aſleepe, yet dreameſt not of it, 2 Theſ. 5. when thou art leaſt prepared for it,2 Theſ. 5. as in the old world, when they were eating and drinking: as God watcheth when his child is at the beſt and ripeſt, and then takes him; ſo he will watch thee to take thee for thy neglect, at thy worſt, and give thee haply no time to prepare; they goe downe to hell in a moment, Pſal. 73 9.
FINIS.
IMPRIMATUR;
THO: WEEKES. R. P. Epo: Lond. Cap. Domeſt.
End of the text · Thomas Goodwin, Aggravation of Sin (1637)