Samuels Encounter with Saul, Doctrine 18
Doct. 18. Shifts will not ſerue turne, when God comes to to reckon.
Now followeth the third. For, by this anſwer of Samuel reproouing Saul, and threatning puniſhment frō God vntounto him; it is cleere and manifeſt, that though he had vſed ſhifts, excuſes, and defences, for his doings, that they might ſeem good; yet all would not ſerue: for, if hee could hauehave iuſtified his doings, the Prophet would not hauehave proceeded to threaten the taking away of his Kingdome. And this teaches, that no colours, ſhifts, nor defences, will ſerue vsus, while God by the Miniſtry of his Word can conuict vsus, and our ſinnes doe make againſt vsus.
Proofe of the point.For if the Prophet Micah faith, that God would not receiue ſacrifices nor offrings for the peoples iniquitie, no marueile though ſhifts and excuſes will not ſerue; nay, (that which is more) a man that walketh moſt ciuilly, and cannot be charged by men, to be an offenſiue liuer, but ſhall bee taken for the moſt innocent of many, yet if he ſtand vponupon that, and ſee not inwardly into his corruption, blindenes, vnbeliefe, he ſhall be ſo farre from being iuſtified and allowed of God, that all his righteouſnes ſhall bee found nothing but as painting ouer a foule ſtocke or Image, and his beſt workes as filthy leprofie: and for proofe of this which I ſay, conſider Pauls words of himſelfe, and of his former eſtate, when he was not yet conuerted, thus hee ſpeakes, as touching my life from my childehood, and what it was from the beginning among my owne nation at Ieruſalem, Acts 26. 4.know all the Iewes, which knew me heeretofore, that aftet the moſt ſtraight ſect of our religion, I liued a Pharaſie; in which words wee hauehave heard what a ſtrickt liuer and righteous man hee was: yet that wee may not thinke that this high commendation was any thing in account with God, heare his words after his conuerſion, and after the word of God, was receiued and beleeued of him, for then he ſpeaketh after another manner, and as the truth was: I once was aliue without the Lawe, but when the cōmandement came, ſinne reuiued, but I dyed,Rom. 7. 9. for ſinne deceiued mee and ſlue mee. Heere we ſee that hee himſelfe when hee came to himſelfe, as a guilty perſon he condemned himſelfe, notwithſtanding all the righteouſnes which he had before, in his owne; and the iudgement of other men; ſo that if ſuch as Paul was (when he liued moſt ſtrictly in his profeſſion) who thinke ſimply they ſerue Godhighly, muſt yet (if euer they turne to God) be aſhamed of that which they gloryed in before; is it like that they who are by Gods word conuinced of great ſinnes, ſhall eſcape the daunger of his diſpleaſure, by their colouring of their faults, and by ſhiftes and excuſes? Who had a fayrer ſhewe for his doing,Luk. 19. then he that hid his tallent in the earth, which was committed to him: for that is ſure, in ſo doing hee did no euill with it; but did that excuſe ſerue him? no: but becauſe it was giuen him to doe good with, and to occupie, therefore it was ſaid to him, thou euill ſeruant, why diddeſt thou not put it to vſe?
Men beare themſelues in hand,Vſe. when the Word of God reprooueth them, that they will anſwer it well enough, and when Preachers conuince them, they hope God will not deale with them ſo hardly, as they doe: and men louelove alwaies to hauehave one thing or other, to flatter and deceiue their hearts by; like an euill debtor, who is in danger already, yet as long as hee can finde any to borrow of, runneth further into debt, not wiſely foreſeeing his ouerthrow to bee at hand, but imagines ſtill hee ſhall come out of it in time. So, when men can ſhift off the greatneſſe of their ſinnes, that they may not terrifie nor preſſe their conſciences, they thinke their eſtate good enough, and ſo dance in a nette, as if God ſaw them not; till on the ſodaine before they be aware, they fall headlong into feare and deſperation; or elſe become ſo ſenceleſſe and hardned, that they be paſt feeling, till they die in impenitencie. And how can it be otherwiſe? Doth not the ſcripture tell vsus plainely, that he who followeth not the light walketh in darknes, and cannot tell where he goeth. But we may know that when men beginne to conceiue of their eſtate, and their doing, not being guided by the light of knowledge, they are out of the way and deceiue themſelues, and when they crye peace,1. Sam. 8 17 Compared with 12. 20 peace, there is no peace; they finde not that which they hope for, much like vntounto them who would hauehave a King, and be like other nations, and that they thought beſt for them (ſay the Prophet what he could to the contrary) did they not finde to their coſts, that they erred in the imaginacions of their hearts,Eccleſ. 12. and were deceiued? The young man to whom Salomon ſpeaketh, who will needes rejoyce in his youth, and take his pleaſure; if ye tell him that there is any danger towards him, will he beleeue it? and doth he not therefore come to iudgement, and prooue by wofull experience, that his dreames in thinking all is well with him, are vaine, and diſapoint his fooliſh hope? And to ſhut vp this point, what is clearer then that in the goſpell, to teſtifie that no ſhiftes nor excuſes wil'ſerue, to hold men in their ſinne? That when certaine were bidde to the kings great ſupper, they returned anſwere; one this way excuſing his abſence, and another that: one had bought Oxen & muſt go trie them; Luk. 14.another had married a wife, &c. did their excuſes goe for payment? nay, could any thing be ſet down more fearfully to hold men from fond and forged excuſes and ſhiftes, to keepe in their ſinne, then that which is there mencioned? for thus anſwere was giuen to them by him that inuited them, and that with a vehemen aſſeueration, that none of them that were bidden, ſhall taſte of any ſupper.
Conciuſion of the point▪ with exhortation.By all which it is manifeſt, that no ſhiftes will ſerue men, when God ſhall iuſtly charge them, and when his word accuſeth and condemneth their courſe and doings, there is nothing; and therefore leaſt of all their vaine defences in extenuating their ſinnes or ſhiftes which they deuiſe, that ſhall euer be able to ſtand them in any ſtead, to helpe or deliuer them. Ceaſe we therefore from ſuch a purpoſe, which yet is a common practiſe amongſt men: and conſider wee, and be we reſolued, that God loueth plaineneſſe, and regardeth vprightnes, and the good meaning of the hart, according to knowledge: and if our conſciences accuſe vsus, God is greater, and hath more to charge vsus, then they can bring forth againſt vsus: and thus let Sauls example teach vsus, with the reſt that hauehave beene alleadged, how pregnant ſoeuer men bee in holding their ſinne, any way colouring or excuſing of it, yet that it will not ſerue them, neither ſhall be to any purpoſe, and thereby is the ſcripture verefyed,Prou. 28. 13 hee that hideth his ſinne ſhall not proſper.