Apples of Gold, Book · Part 7
The old mans Doubts Reſolved
I ſhall now ſpeak a few words to Old men, and ſo cloſe up. Now
Is it ſo commendable, ſo deſirable, and ſo neceſſary for young men to be good betimes, to ſeek and ſerve the Lord in the ſpring and morning of their Youth, as hath been ſufficiently demonſtrated in this Treatiſe? Oh then that I could ſo wooe aged perſons as to win them (who yet have put off this great work) to ſeek and ſerve the Lord, before their glaſs be out, their Sun ſet, and their ſouls loſt for ever.
Oh that that counſil of the Prophet might take hold upon your hearts. Jer. 13.16Give glory to the Lord your God, before hee cauſe darkneſſe, and before your feet ſtumble (thorow age) upon the dark mountains, and while yee look for light, he turn it into the ſhadow of death, and make it groſs darkneſs.
I but aged Sinners may reply, is there any hope, any help for us? is there any probability, is there any poſſibility? that ever ſuch as we are ſhould return and finde mercy and favour with the Lord? wee who have lived ſo long without him, we that have ſinned ſo much againſt him, we that to this day are ſtrangers to him, yea in arms againſt him; Is there any hope that we white-headed ſinners, who have withſtood ſo many thouſand offers of grace, and ſo many thouſand motions of the ſpirit, and ſo many thouſand checks of conſcience, and ſo many thouſand tenders of Chriſt, and heaven, that ever we ſhould obtain mercy, that ever we ſhould have our old hearts turned, our millions of Sin pardoned, our vile natures changed, and poor ſouls ſaved, &c.
I Anſwer, that there is hope even for ſuch as you are; all the Angels in heaven, and all the men on earth, cannot tell, but that you, even you, may obtain mercy and favour, that your ſouls dye not; with the Lord nothing is impoſſible, and for the grace of the Goſpel, nothing is too hard; now this I ſhall make evident by an induction of partilars, thus
Firſt, Mat. 20.1…17 The Roman penny was ſeven pence half penny.All were not called nor ſent to work in the Vineyard, at the firſt-hour; ſome were called at the third-hour; others, at the ſixth; others, at the ninth; and ſome at the eleventh. God hath his ſeveral times of calling ſouls to himſelf: the eleventh hour was about five in the afternoon, an hour before Sun-ſet, when it was even time to leave work: and yet at this hour ſome were called, imployed, and rewarded, with the reſt.
Some of the fathers by the ſeveral hours mentioned in this Parable, do underſtand the ſeveral ages of man, viz. Childhood, youth, middle-age, and Old-age, wherein poor ſouls are called and converted to Chriſt, the ſcope of the Parable, is to ſignify the freegrace of God in the calling of ſome in the ſpring and morning of their days, and in the calling of others in their Old-age, in the evening of their days. But
Secondly, Abraham in the Old Teſtament, Gen. 12.4 Joh. 3.1, 2, 3, 4. ch. 7.50.and Nicodemus in the New, were called and converted in their old age; when there were but a few ſteps between them and the grave, between them and eternity; therefore let not the gray-headed ſinner deſpair, though his ſpring be paſt, his ſummer over paſt, and he arrived at the fall of the leaf. But
Thirdly, Divine promiſes ſhall be made good to returning ſouls, to repenting ſouls, to beleeving ſouls, Iſa. 1.18 Jer. 3.12. Iſa. 43.22, 23, 24, 25 Iſa. 57.17, 18 Jer. 5….5 John 3.16 Mar. 16.16.be they young or old, 2 Chron. 30.9. The Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return unto him, Joel 2.13. And rent your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful; ſlow to anger, and of great kindneſs, and repenteth him of the evil, Iſa. 55.7. Let the wicked forſake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for hee will abundantly pardon: or hee will multiply to pardon. More of this you may ſee by reading the Scriptures in the margent; all ſorts of ſin ſhall bee pardoned, to all ſorts of beleeving and repenting ſinners.
The new Jeruſalem hath twelve Gates, to ſhew that there is every way acceſs for all ſorts and ranks of Sinners to come to Chriſt. He was born in an Inn, to ſhew that hee receives all comers, young and Old, poor, and rich, &c. But
Fourthly, The Lord hath declared by Oath, a greater delight in the converſion and ſalvation of poor ſinners (whether they are young or old) than in the deſtruction and damnation of ſuch, Ezek. 33.11. As I live ſaith the Lord God, I have no pleaſure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil wayes? for why will ye dye, O ye houſe of Iſraell; two things make a thing more credible.
1 The quality or dignity of the perſon ſpeaking.
2 The manner of the ſpeech; Now here you have the great God, not onelyonly ſpeaking, promiſing, but ſolemnly ſwearing, that hee had rather poor ſinners ſhould live than dye, bee happy, than miſerable; therefore deſpair not, Oh aged ſinner, but duplicate page duplicate page return unto the Lord, and thou ſhalt bee happy for ever. But
Fifthly, Vna guttula plus valet, quam caelum & terra. Luther. One little drop is more worth than heaven and earth.there is vertue enough in the precious blood of Jeſus Chriſt to waſh and cleanſe away all ſin; not only to cleanſe away the young mans ſins, but alſo to cleanſe away the old mans ſins; not only to cleanſe a ſinner of twenty years old, but to cleanſe a ſinner of fifty, ſixty, yea a hundred years old, 1 Joh. 1.7. The blood of Jeſus Chriſt his Son cleanſeth us from all ſin; not ſimply from ſin, but from all ſin; there is ſuch a power and efficacie in the blood of Chriſt, as is ſufficient to cleanſe all ſorts of ſinners, from all ſorts of ſins; there is vertue in the blood of the Lamb to waſh out all the ſpots that are in the oldeſt ſinners heart; and therefore let not old ſinners deſpair, let not them ſay, there is no hope, there is no help, as long as this fountain the blood of Jeſus Chriſt is open, for all ſorts of ſinners to waſh in. But
Sixthly, The call and invitations of Chriſt in the Goſpel, are general, and indefinite, excluding no ſort of ſinners, Rev. 3.20 Behold, I ſtand at the door, and knock; if any man (mark the indefiniteneſſe of perſonal admittance) hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will ſup with him, and hee with mee; let the ſinner bee old or young, a green head, or a gray head, if hee will but open the door, Chriſt will come in, and have communion and fellowſhip with him. So in that, Mat. 11.28. Iſa. 55.1. John 7.37. Rev. 22.17. turn to theſe Scriptures, and dwell upon them, they all clearly evidence the call and gracious invitations of Chriſt to bee to all ſinners, to every ſinner, hee excepts not a man, no, though never ſo old, nothing ſhall hinder the ſinner, any ſinner, the worſt and moſt aged ſinner, from obtaining mercy, if hee bee willing to open to Chriſt, and to receive him as his Lord and King, John 6.37. But
Seventhly, Chriſts pathetical lamentation over all ſorts and ranks of ſinners, declares his willingneſſe to ſhew mercy to them, O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem (ſaith Chriſt, Luk. 19.41, 42.weaping over it) that thou hadſt known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace, Pſal. 81.13.&c. O that my people had hearkened unto mee! Chriſt weeps over Jeruſalem; ſo did Titus, and ſo did Marcellus over Syracuſe, and ſo did Scipio over Carthage; but they ſhed tears for them, whoſe blood they were to ſhed; but Chriſt weeps over the necks of thoſe young and old ſinners, who were to ſhed his blood. As a tender hearted Father weeps over his rebellious Children, when neither ſmiles, nor frowns, neither counſels, nor intreaties will win them, or turn them from their evil waies. So doth Jeſus Chriſt over theſe rebellious Jews upon whom nothing would work; But
Eighthly and laſtly, though aged ſinners have given Chriſt many thouſand denyals, yet he hath not taken them, but after all, Pſal. 65.1, 2. Rom. 10.21.and in the face of all denyals, hee ſtill re-inforces his ſuit, and continues to beſeech them by his Spirit, 1 Joh. 5.2, 3.by his word, by his wounds, by his blood, by his meſſengers, and by his rebukes, to turn home to him to embrace him, to beleeve in him, and to match with him, that they may bee ſaved eternally by him; all which beſpeaks gray-headed ſinners, not to deſpair, nor to diſpute, but to repent, return, and beleeve that it may go well with them for ever. Conſider ſeriouſly what hath been ſpoken and the Lord make you wiſe for eternity.
There are three other Books lately publiſhed by Mr. Brooks.
1 Precious remedies againſt Satans devices, or ſalve for Beleevers and unbeleevers ſores, being a companion for thoſe, that are in Chriſt, or out of Chriſt, that ſlight or neglect ordinances under a pretence of living above them, that are growing in ſpirituals, or decaying, that are tempted or deſerted, afflicted or oppoſed, that have aſſurance or want it, 2 Cor. 2.11.
2 Heaven on Earth, or a ſerious diſcourſe touching a well grounded aſſurance, of mens everlaſting happineſs and bleſſedneſſe, diſcovering the nature of aſſurance, the poſſibility of attaining it, the Cauſes, Springs, and Degrees of it, with the reſolution of ſeveral weighty queſtions, Rom. 8.32, 33, 34.
3 The unſearchable Riches of Chriſt, or meat for ſtrong men, and milk for babes; held forth in two and twenty Sermons from Epheſians, 3.8. preached on his lecture nights at Fiſhſtreet-hill.
All three Printed for, and ſold by John Hancock, at the firſt ſhop in Popeshead-Alley, next to Cornhill. 1657.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Brooks, Apples of Gold (1657)