A Saint or a Brute, Part 1 · Section 1
1. REmember, it is Neceſſity that is pleaded with you in my Text. One thing is Neceſſary. Neceſſity, and your own Neceſſity, is ſuch an Argument, as one would think of it ſelf ſhould turn the ſcales, and fully reſolve you, and put you paſt any further deliberation or delay. If Neceſſity, your own Neceſſity, and ſo great Neceſſity to ſo great an End, will not prevail with you, What will? Neceſſity is that ingens telum that natural reaſon taketh to be unreſiſtible. Men think they may do almoſt any thing, if they can ſay Neceſſity commandeth it: Omnem legem frangit, magnum illud humanae imbecillitatis patroeinium, ſaith Seneca. What is it that Neceſſity ſeemeth not ſufficient to juſtifie with the moſt? And we will grant the Argument to be undenyable, if it be from abſolute Neceſſity indeed, and if men will not dream that it is more Neceſſary to be Rich, or Honourable, or to Live, then to be Holy, and to be Bleſſed with God, and to pleaſe him that created them. Ubi neceſſitas incumbit, non ultra diſputandum eſt, ſed celerrimè & fortiter agendum. Words ſignifie nothing againſt Neceſſity: Reaſon is but hindering troubleſom folly, when it pleadeth againſt Neceſſity. Omni arte, omne ratione officacior neceſſitas. Curt. In worldly matters, how quick-ſighted, how reſolute, how active is Neceſſity? What conquerable difficulties will it not overcome? What labour will it not endure, if it have but the encouragement of hope? And yet this Neceſſity is indeed no true Neceſſity at all. For that which is Neceſſary but to my credit, or eſtate, or health, or life, can be no more Neceſſary then is my credit, and eſtate, and health, and life it ſelf. When men do but fancy a Neceſſity where there is none, yet that will carry them through thick and thin. But O Sirs, you have a real undenyable Neceſſity to be Holy, and to ſet your ſelves to the work of your ſalvation; ſuch a Neceſſity as is founded in your Nature, and laid on you by your Maker, and as all the true Reaſon in the world will confeſs to be indiſpenſable Neceſſity.
Faxis ut libeat quod eſt neceſſe.
Make no more words then, but Reſolve and ſtirre when it is a matter that muſt be done. It is pitty and ſhame that the Amiableneſs of God and Holineſs will not prevail with you of themſelves: But if you cannot yet perceive them to be Delectable, acknowledge them to be Neceſſary. Be aſhamed that pretended Neceſſity for the Body, ſhould be more powerful with others, then real Neceſſity for ſalvation is with you. Look upon almoſt all the travel and labour that is under the Sun, and all the diligence that is uſed here in the world, and conſider Whether it be not a thouſand fold ſmaller Neceſſity then I am now pleading with you, that ſetteth almoſt all on work? The Rich will not toil and labour, but will take their eaſe, becauſe they think they are under no Neceſsity: but the poor will labour, becauſe they muſt: Though the command of God to Rich and poor ſhould make them equally diligent in their ſeveral callings, in obedience to their Creator, yet many thouſands that labour all the year in obedience to their own Neceſsities, would ſoon give it over and take their eaſe, if they could but be well maintained without it, notwithſanding the commands of God: And the poor that reproach the rich for idlendſs, would be idle themſelves if they were but rich. The Tradeſman followeth his trade, and the Huſbandman his hard labour all the year: and What reaſon will they give you, if you ask them why they do it, but this, We cannot live elſe: We muſt do it to maintain cur ſelves and families. And is not the reaſon thouſand times ſtronger for our ſouls? May we not better ſay, [We muſt pleaſe God, and ſet our hearts on the life to come, and mind and ſeek the One thing needful, whatever becomes of other things; for me cannot live elſe; we cannot be ſaved elſe.]
Neceſsity makes the Traveller trudge from morning till night; and the Carryer to follow his horſes through fair and foul from year to year; it makes ſome dig into the bowells of the earth, in mines and cole-pits; and ſome to hale Barges; and ſome to cut through the terrible Ocean, and venture their lives among the raging waves and ſtorms; and ſome even to beg their bread in rags from door to door: And O what will not Neceſsity do that can be done? And yet how many thouſands triſle or do nothing for their ſouls, as if there were no Neceſsity of being ſaved; or no Neceſsity of being Holy that we may be ſaved. When alas, all the Neceſſity in the world, is no neceſſity at all, in compariſon of this. You muſt beg, or ſtarve, or famiſh, if you do not work: But you muſt burn in Hell, if with fear and diligence you work not out your own ſalvation, Phil. 2. 12. (for all that it is God that worketh in you). You muſt lie in priſon if your debts be not paid: But you will be caſt into outer darkneſs, if by the pardon of your ſins, you be not diſcharged from your debt to God. You may become beggars if you be idle in your Callings: But you will be the priſoners of Hell, and ſhut out of all the Happineſs of the Saints, if you labour not for the food that doth not periſh, and ſtrive not to enter in at the ſtrait gate, and give not diligence to make your Calling and Election ſure. John 6. 27. Matth. 7. 13. Luke 13. 24. 2 Pet. 1. 10. You muſt ſuffer hunger and nakedneſs, if you have not food and rayment: But you muſt ſuffer everlaſtingly the wrath of God, if you have not the One thing neceſſary. You will be the ſcorn and laughingſtock of men, if you fall under their contempt and loſe your honour: But you will be the enemies of God, and hated by him, if you continue to contemn his grace.
O had you but ſeen the Life to come, you would ſay, There is a Neceſsity of attaining it! Had you been one hour in Hell, you wou'd think that there is a Neceſsity of eſcaping it, and that there is no Neceſsity to this.
What ſay you to all this? Is it not of Truth and Weight? Can you deny it? Or ſhould you make light of it? None but an Infidel can deny it; and none but a dead-hearted ſinner can make light of it. Believe the Word of God, and the Truth of it will be paſt queſtion with you: Conſider but that you are men that have immortal ſouls; and the weight of it will appear ineſtimable to you; above contempt; above neglect. Believe it Sirs, you may as well ſee without light, and breath without air, and be ſupported without earth, or live without food, as be ſaved without Holixeſs, or happy without the One thing neceſſary. Heb. 12. 14. John 3. 3, 5. Matth. 18. 3. And when this is reſolved of by God, and ſtabliſhed as his ſtanding Law, and he hath told it you ſo oft and plainly, for any man now to ſay, [I will yet hope for better; I hope to be ſaved on eaſier terms, without all this ado] is no better then to let his face againſt the God of heaven, and inſtead of believing God, to believe the contradiction of his own u…godly heart; and to hope to be ſaved whether God will or not; and to give the lie to his Creator, under the pretence of truſt, and hope: It is indeed to hope for impoſsibilities: To be ſaved without Holineſs, is to ſee without eyes, and to live without life: And who is ſo fooliſh as to hope for this? Few of you are ſo unreaſonable as to hope for a crop at harveſt, without plowing or ſowing; or for a houſe without building; or for ſtrength without eating and drinking; or to ſleep and play, when you have nothing to maintain your families, and ſay, You hope that God will maintain both you and them. And yet this were a far wiſer kind of hope, then to hope to be ſaved without the One thing neceſſary to ſalvation; and without a heart that is ſet upon it, and a life that is imployed for it. It is the Holy Ghoſt that calleth you to anſwer the queſtion, Heb. 2. 3. How ſhall we eſcape if we neglect ſo great ſalvation? If you know how, then enter the liſts with God, and diſpute the caſe with him: How will you eſcape, if you be neglecters of the Only way that he hath provided for your eſcape? Is there any device or ſhift of wit, that can procure your eſcape? Is there any power or intereſt of men or Angels that can procure your eſcape? How can that be done, that God hath reſolved ſhall not be?
I beſeech you now, beloved Hearers, to remember this urgent motive of Neceſſity, and uſe it when you are tempted to delay or trifle about the buſineſs of your ſalvation, as if it were ſome indifferent needleſs thing. Without worldly Riches you may be rich in faith: Without worldly honours, you may have the honour of being the ſons of God: and without worldly pleaſures, or health, or life, you may have the favour of God and Life eternal: But without the One thing needful, you have nothing that is durably or ſatisfactorily good, but are undone for ever. Without the things of the world, you will live in want for a little while, and then you will be equal to the greateſt Princes: But without this One thing, you muſt live in endleſs woe and miſery, and be far worſe then the baſeſt priſoner in the Dungeon, or than the toades and vermine that lie in the uncleaneſt holes or ſinks of the earth. And yet dare you delay another day before you make ſo Neceſſary a change? You have hearts of ſtone, if your Own Neceſſity thus urged upon your Conſideration will not awake you. If your hearts were not dead within you, while you hear theſe things, one would think ſuth a Neceſſity ſhould make you feel, and reſolve upon a ſpeedy change, and make you ſtir in the diligent performance. Can you go on in ſecurity, in negligence and worldlineſs, when you hear of your Neceſſity, that you muſt change, or you are loſt for ever? O ſtupid ſouls, that will not be moved with Neceſſity of everlaſting conſequence! O what hath God, or Chriſt, or heaven, or holineſs, done againſt theſe men, that will rather lie in Hell for ever, then they will live in the love and ſervice of this God, and in the practice of holineſs, and in the hopes of Heaven! How meet are they for Hell, that will venture upon it deliberately and upon choice, to ſcape the trouble of living in the holy Love, delight and ſervice of the ever bleſſed God? that is, to ſcape the trouble of Heaven. Is it ſo great a ſin to ſhut up the bowels of compaſſion againſt our brother in his need? 1 John 3. 17. And is it not more unnatural to deny compaſſion to your ſelves in your own neceſſity? and in the greateſt neceſſity? O poor ſinners, remember your Neceſſities! Your own, your great, your abſolute Neceſsities: When you hear men that gather alms cry [Remember the poor] doth it make thee think [What a poor neceſsitous ſoul have I to remember?] As Paul ſaith of Preaching to others, I may ſay much mote to you, of minding and practiſing this great work of your ſalvation [Neceſsity is laid upon you, and woe to you if you do it not.] 1 Cor. 9. 16. Woe to you that ever you were born, and that ever you were reaſonable creatures, or rather, that ever you ſo abuſed your Reaſon, if you neglect and miſs of the One thing neceſſary.
I know you have other wants to be ſupplyed, and other matters to look after in the world: But alas, how ſmall are they! God will ſupply all your other wants, if you will firſt and ſaithfully look after this. Phil. 4. 19. Matth. 6. 33. 1 Pet. 5. 7. Or if life and all go, you▪ will find all in heaven: But if you miſs of this One thing, nothing in the world can make ſupply, or do you good. And though now your feeling tell you not theſe things, alas how quickly will God make you feel, and teach you by that ſenſible way that you would needs be taught by?
Awake then you ſluggiſh careleſs ſouls! Your houſe over your heads is on a flame! The hand of God is lifted up! If you love your ſelves, prevent the ſtroke: Vengeance is at your backs: The wrath of God purſueth your ſin; and woe to you if he find it upon you when he overtaketh you: Away with it ſpeedily: Up and be gone, return to God; make Chriſt and mercy your friend in time, if you love your lives. The Judge is coming, for all that you have heard of it ſo long, till you believe it not: You ſhall ſhortly ſee the Majeſty of his appearance, and the dreadful glory or his …a…, and yet do you not begin to look about you, and to ma…e ready for ſuch a day? Yea, before that day, your ſeparated ſouls ſhall begin to reap as you have ſowed here. Though now the partition that ſtands between you and the world to come, do keep unbelievers ſtrange to the things that moſt concern them; yet Death will quickly find a Portal to let you in; and then ſinners you will find ſuch doings there, as you little thought of, or at leaſt did ſenſibly regard on earth. Before your Corpſe can be wrapt up in your Winding-ſheets, you will ſee and feel that which will tell you to the quick, that One thing was neceſſary. If you do die without this One thing Neceſſary, before your friends can have finiſhed your funerals, your ſouls will have taken up their places among the Devils in endleſs torment and deſpair: and all the wealth, and honour, and pleaſure, that the world afforded you, will not eaſe you. This is ſad, but it is true, Sirs; for God hath ſpoken it.
Up therefore and beſtir you for the life of your ſouls. Neceſſity will awake the ſluggard. Neceſsity we ſay, will break ſtone walls: The proudeſt will ſtoop when they perceive Neceſsity. The moſt ſloathful will beſtir them when they feel Neceſsity. The moſt careleſs will look about them and be induſtrious in Neceſsity. Neceſsity is called the Tyrant of the world, that can make men do any thing that is poſſible to be done. And yet cannot Neceſsity make you caſt away your ſins, and take up a Holy and Heavenly life? Neceſſity will make men fare hard, and work hard, and travel hard, and go bare, and ſuffer much; yea it will even cut off a leg or an arm to ſave their lives: And yet can it not prevail with reaſonable creatures, to caſt away the poiſon of a fruitleſs, filthy, deceitful ſin? and to be up and doing for their ſalvation! O poor ſouls! Is there, think you, a greater Neceſſity of your ſin then of your ſalvation? and of pleaſing your fleſh for a little time, then of pleaſing the Lord, and ſcaping everlaſting miſery? I beſeech you conſider your own Neceſſities.