Spiritual Refining, Religious treatise · Section 9 · Sermon 78
SERMON LXXVIII.
Of the wilful obſtinacy that is in ſome men, with the cauſes thereof; and that ignorance of ones duty is no excuſe.
JER. 18. 12.
And they ſaid, There is no hope, but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
WE have conſidered Jeremiahs Commiſſion in the two parts of it. The next thing to be conſidered, is the ſucceſſe, or the event of it: and here we ſhall finde blaſphemy writ (as it were) on their foreheads. Nothing but peremptory, and wilful obſtinacy againſt this ſo juſt, neceſſary, and reaſonable an Exhortation, And yet were this denial like that of the younger ſon in the Parable, who ſaid, He would not, but afterward repented, and went, it had been more tolerable; but they perſevere in this impudent diſobedience: So that we may take notice of the aggravation of their reſolved wickedneſſe. 1. In their peremptory Negation, And they ſaid, there is no hope: Although it was Gods goodneſs to invite them to turn to him, it was their advantage, not his; and although he threatens them with that evil he is preparing for them, yet they ſay, No: And herein their rude and obſtinate rebellion is more evident, in that they make no excuſes, pretend no reaſons, but barely ſay, They will not turn unto God from their ſins. Thoſe in our Saviours Parable, that were invited to a feaſt, though it was their great ſin to make any thing in the world an impediment to their coming, yet they feigned reaſons, and were willing to be excuſed; but how they fell, the Prophe… plainly ſets forth, They will be what they are, and they will not change. And this their obſtinacy is further declared in a two fold amplification. Firſt, in that Phraſe, There is no hope: There is the ſame expreſſion, and the Hebrew word in Chapter 2. 25. ſome render it, Desperatum eſt, It is deſperate; we are reſolved to go on whatſoever it coſts us; Vatablus, expectoratum est, in this ſenſe, our heart is wholly turned aſide, and plucked off from God; we cannot love him, or obey his commands. Others, Obfirmati ſumus, we are ſetled, and obdurate in our wickedneſſe, Jeremiahs preaching is in vain to us; he may hold his tongue, for we are ſet upon that which is evil. On Tranſlators render it, There is no hope, and that may be in this twofold reſpect; Firſt, We have for ſo long a time given our ſelves up to the waies of wickedneſſe, we have thus long accuſtomed our ſelves to them, that now there is no hope that ever we ſhould become better. Or Secondly, we have for ſo long a time provoked God by our wicked rebellions, that there is no hope for us to be accepted with God if we would return unto him: But this ſeemeth not ſo proper, becauſe at this time God did hold out his Scepter of Grace to them if they would come in, and turn from their evill waies. Now you may demand, Whether the Iſraelites did in plain and direct terms anſwer Jeremiah thus? For it might ſeem improbable that they would acknowledge their way an evil way, and yet live in it: whereas they muſt needs do ſo, if they did in terminis thus refuſe the Prophet; For (ſay they) we will walk every one in the imagination of his evil heart: Or whether doth not the Prophet ſay, They ſaid ſo, becauſe by their lives and converſations, wilfully perſiſting in their former impieties; They ſaid thus by their actions, though not by their words? They might do both; for we ſee the Iſraelites ſometimes telling Jeremiah to his face, That they would not do what God had commanded them by his mouth, Jer. 44. 16. a notable place to diſcover their avowed and open diſobedience to God.
Obſ. That there are ſome men, who though they hear never ſo much of their duty to turn from their ſins unto God, yet are wilfully reſolved to continue in the ſame. It Obſ.was not Jeremiahs portion onelyonly, or the Prophets and Apoſtles in former times, but in all ages the Miniſtrie of God meets with ſuch incorrigible and deſperate hearers. Let the word of God ſound as terribly, as that Trumpet will at the day of judgement: Let all waies be uſed, Johns auſterity, or Chriſts meekneſſe: the mountains of their ſins cannot be removed into a ſea of tears, and godly ſorrow. Do we not every day ſee this fulfilled? How few are the hearers that come with this purpoſe, and prayer unto God, that they may go out from Gods preſence, cleanſed from their leproſie? That they who came ſwine, may return ſheep? That they who came Crows, may go home Doves? This undoeth you, that you come not to hear, that ye may be changed, made other men, but build ſtill upon your old rotten foundation.
To make this Doctrine like fire in your bowels, conſider, That under the Miniſtry of the word there are two kinde of ſinful and wicked hearers.Two kind of wicked hearers. 1. Ignorant.
Firſt, Thoſe that live in their ſins, and in an unconverted eſtate, by either an affected, or a groſſe ignorance. Or 2. Such who have knowledge, and yet knowingly, and wilfully commit thoſe ſins, that inwardly their own Conſciences, enlightned by the word, condemns them for. In theſe two ranks all wicked men may be placed: For as for Heathens, who have a meer negative ignorance or unbelief in God and his word, becauſe they never had Prophets ſent among them, ſome (Divines) ſay they are not damned for the not knowing, or not believing of thoſe things which are manifeſted meerly by revelation; but becauſe they detained the natural light of Conſcience in unrighteouſneſs. We ſpeak not then of ſuch, but of thoſe who are under the ſun-beams of the word, and yet are frozen in their ſins, (a Divels miracle) or under the ſweet droppings of the Goſpel, yet are a barren wilderneſs: Now ſome of theſe perſevere in their ſins, from a ſinful damnable ignorance. They know not the neceſſity of converſion: they underſtand not what all theſe ſermons tend to: They are altogether unacquainted with ſuch a work of Gods Spirit. Tthis ignorance doth not excuſe. For the ſervant that doth not know his maſters will, ſhall yet be beaten with many ſtripes, Luke 12. 47. becauſe it is either firſt, an effected ignorance, they deſire to be in darkneſs, and not to ſee the light, that ſo they may the more quietly, and ſecurely lye down in their ſins; they will not underſtand, that ſo they may not do good: there is this horrible impiety upon mens hearts, that they are afraid of divine light: they ſhut the eyes, leſt they ſhould behold that which is Truth, or good: even as a man draweth the curtain that no light may hinder him to take his reſt; as the thief hateth the light becauſe it diſcovers his wickedneſſe. Take heed then thou are not in the number of ſuch prophane wretches; thou careſt not for hearing, preaching, for reading the Scripture, for acquainting thy ſelf and family with the principles of religion: This will breed ſcruples in thy Conſcience: this will make thee ſee thy prophanneſſe, thy injuſtice, to be crying ſins; and therefore thou ſtoppeſt thy ear with the deaf Adder, that no inchanting may draw thee out of the hole. This is affected ignorance. Or ſecondly, It is groſſe ignorance, and that is which cometh by negligence, and prophane careleſneſs: and this is the cauſe that moſt in our Congregations are ſo ignorant about Religion, about Converſion, and theſe main points of godlineſs. A prophane negligence, they have no hearts, no minde, no affections to ſuch things; there is nothing belongs to their Trade, to their husbandrie, but they can skill in it, only in divine things they are as brutiſh as beaſts. Think not that this ignorance will excuſe you; ſay not, I am not book-learned, ſuch things are too high for me: What, wouldſt thou be thought a Chriſtian, and yet the neceſſary principles of religion too high for thee? Thou art to lay aſide thy endeavour after all other things in this life, till thou haſt attained to this: If thou doſt not eat of this tree of knowledge, thou canſt never eat of the tree of life. Oh then that at laſt God would make us Miniſters ſons of thunder, to awaken and terrifie you out of this groſſe ignorance.
The ſecond ſort of ſinners living in their impieties, are theſe in the Text, who 2. Prophane.have knowledge and inſtruction, yet are ſo deſperately wicked as they will perſiſt in it however: and ſuch are all wicked men who live in groſſe ſins, that are not onelyonly condemned by the word, but by a mans own heart. There is no Swearer, Adulterer, drunkard, but he ſaith, as theſe in the Text, No, but we will go after the luſts of our own heart. Now though the other are inexcuſable, becauſe their ignorance is wilfull, ſo theſe are much more to be reproved. Chriſt prayed, Father forgive them, becauſe they know not what they do. Luke 23. 34. But here it is rather, Father, let thy wrath fall on them, for they know what they do. Gregory and Auſtin ſpeaking of thoſe places, They go quick into hell, and the earth ſwallowed them up quick, applie it thus (if by way of alluſion it may be received:) ſuch who ſin wilfully, who know their ſin, who feel their ſin, whoſe conſciences are quick to condemn them: Oh (ſay they) theſe go quick to hell, and hell ſwalloweth theſe alive as it were. Now it may eaſily be demonſtrated, that many ſinners are in this latter rank with theſe in the Text, They ſay, No, we will do as we have done, take the pleaſures of ſin we uſed to do, whatſoever is ſaid to the contrary. Thus men follow one another deſperately into deſtruction: even as Saul, he firſt fell deſperately on his ſword to kill himſelf, and afterwards his armour-bearer as violently deſtroyed himſelf. It is an heavy judgement of all judgements, thus willingly and wittingly not to murther his body, but his ſoul, which is the greateſt ſin of ſelfmurther.
In the next place conſider (as was hinted before) that two waies we may diſcover this obſtinate diſpoſition; either expreſly in words, by a publick owning this impudent rebellion, or in our actions and deeds onelyonly: Of the former ſort the Scripture giveth ſome inſtances, ſuch as thoſe that ſay, The Lord ſeeth not, and bid the knowledge of the moſt high depart from them, Job 21. 14. And again ſuch as Pſ. 12. ſay, Who is the Lord? our tongues are our own, we will not be controlled. Of the latter ſort are thoſe, who though they utter not this miſchief with their mou hs, yet by their works they deny him. Therfore think not to ſay within your ſelves, We are not ſuch impudent ſinners, we do not belch ſuch blaſphemie with our mouths; for if thou goeſt on wilfully in thy wicked way, againſt all thoſe admonitions and exhortations that are diſpenſed to thee, God will judge thee in the number of ſuch high offenders.
Therefore in the third place obſerve, What are thoſe cauſes that tumble down Cauſes of obſtinacy in ſin. 1. Atheiſme.men headlong this hill of deſtruction, that they ſeemed to be carried into hell as violently as the Swine poſſeſſed by the divel were into the bottom of the ſea; for men came not to be thus wicked at the firſt Temptation. And one Cauſe is, Atheiſme and unbelief: Where this is, preſently a floodgate is ſet open for all impietie and wickedneſſe, as Faith is the firſt foundation ſtone in the building of all godlineſſe: a man muſt believe that God is, & that he is a rewarder of all thoſe that ſeek him: ſo Atheiſme and unbelief is the firſt ſin that makes way for all other impieties. He believeth there is no God, and that God is not a ſevere Judge of thoſe that do wickedly. Hence are thoſe expreſſions of the moſt flagitious men; Is there knowledge in the most high? and God is not in all their thoughts: ſo that when the fear of God and his judgements is ſtricken out of mens Conſciences by unbelief, you may call that man Legion, for many thouſand of Luſts will quickly poſſeſſe him; Oh then if thou wouldſt be kept from this pit of confuſion, daily quicken up in thee faith in God, and all his attributes, as the Scripture revealeth him, and fear of him in all thy waies; for if theſe will keep a man from ſwallowing Gnats, much more Camels.
Secondly, Another cauſe is long cuſtome in ſinning. This makes a mans Conſcience 2. Long cuſtom in ſinninglike Leviathans ſcales, as Job ſpeaks of; this doth not onelyonly make a man dead in ſin, but burieth him in the grave, and rolls a great ſtone over him: this makes a man like the fat beaſt prepared for the ſlaughter, and yet fils us for the preſent with all joy and content: Theſe often ſay, There is no hope, We have lived thus long in the pleaſures of our ſin, and they are ſo habituated in us, that we cannot do otherwiſe. Hence experience tels us, that many men ſin, and that grievouſly; yet they do not ſo much as think they are ſinners, becauſe cuſtome hath taken away all feeling from them.
Thirdly, Proſperity and abundance of eaſe and plenty in the committing of their ſins, doth alſo make men lift up themſelves preſumptuouſly againſt God: Thus God 3. Proſperity and abundance of eaſe.by Jeremiah, I ſpake unto thee in thy proſperity, but thou wouldſt not hear: and Solemon obſerveth it, becauſe judgement was not preſently executed, Therefore the heart of man was ſet in him to do wickedly, Eccleſ. 8 11. and David alſo takes notice of this, when being greatly troubled at the proſperity of the wicked, and relating all things are according to their hearts deſires, he addeth, Therefore violence compaſſeth them as a chain, Pſal. 73. 6. What was it that puffed up Nebuchadnezzar, ſo that he made himſelf as God, and Tyre and Sidon, that they ſet their hearts as God, but outward greatneſſe? therefore ſucceſſe and proſperity in wickedneſſe, makes men exceeding bold, even againſt God himſelf.
Fourthly, Hardneſs of heart: This doth violently carry on men to wickedneſſe, for as long as that ſtone is, there can no mollifying, or ſoftening impreſſion be received. 4. Hardneſſe of heart.Thus the Apoſtle argueth, Rom. 2. Despiſeſt thou the goodneſſe of God, and after thy hardueſs and impenitent heart treaſureſt up wrath? hardneſſe, and then impenitency. Oh what is the reaſon that men do not give over, but ſtill add more wickedneſſe? Is it not becauſe of this hardneſſe? It is a vain thing for the Artificer to think to bring his cold Iron into any form or faſhion before it be melted, and heated in the fire.
Fifthly, Deſpair, That ſometimes makes a man heap iniquity upon iniquity; he thinketh he can be no worſe then he is, and therefore he will eat and drink, for 5. Deſpair.to morrow he ſhall dye, he ſhall be damned: Thus as you heard ſome explained this, There is no hope, that is, we have committed ſuch foul abominations, and have ſinned ſo preſumptuouſly, that there is no hope, God will not receive us if we ſhould come. This was Cains condition, deſpair made him cry out, his ſins were greater then he could bear; and therefore he never humbleth himſelf before God, but goeth on in his reſolved wickedneſſe.
Laſtly, The Divels great power and dominien that he hath over ſuch men, makes them boggle at no impiety. Theſe are the Divels inſtruments prepared for every 6. The divels dominion over thee.high degree of wickedneſſe: As God hath his ſervants, and precious veſſels fitted for all his greateſt imploiment; ſo theſe are by the divel prepared for the worſt kind of drudgery: thus when the divel had entred into Judas his heart, taken greater hold on him then ever, then he can guide him to that perfidious act of wickedneſs to betray Chriſt into his enemies hands, yea and can ſo horribly diſſemble as to give him a kiſſe, pretending much reverence at that very time of treacherie. Thus you ſee what are thoſe milſiones that are hung about ſuch mens necks to preſſe them down into the ſea. Here muſt be one Objection anſwered, and that is, How can men ſin willingly, and knowingly? for is it not a received rule among Philoſophers, and owned Object.by Divines, that Omnis peccans eſt ignorans, All ſins come from ignorance? And is it not alſo another received maxime, That no man can will evill, becauſe it is evill, Nemo intendens malum operatur? and the reaſon is, becauſe no facultie can be carried out beyond his object: as the underſtanding cannot give aſſent to any thing that is falſe, it is impoſſible but it ſhould believe that which is true, or appearing ſo; ſo it cannot be but that the will ſhould will good, or what it judgeth good, How then can thy ſin, when they know it to be ſin?
The Anſwer is two-fold; Thoſe mentioned rules are true, but thus men come to ſin wilfully and knowingly. 1. Although they have the knowledge of ſins in the general, and do in the univerſal believe theſe things to be ſin, yet in the par…icular they do not conſider it at that moment of ſinning; ſo that if we take ignorance for imprudence and inconſideration that men do not weigh circumſtances or actions in the balance, then all ſins come from ignorance. Or 2. Men come to ſinne wilfully, becauſe as their Conſciences tell them ſuch actions are ſins; ſo their ſenſe or corrupt affections, preſent at the ſame time the pleaſure and the profit of ſin, and by this means, they take the bait, not attending to the hook; and thus the evill of ſin doth not ſo much deter them, as the ſeemiug good of ſin doth allure them.
Uſe of Admonition to all that hear this Truth. Take heed that there be not many among you of this wilfull obſtinate rebellion againſt God: How can God or his Prophets judge it otherwiſe, when he hath not onelyonly framed evil, but actually executed his ſevere wrath upon you by ſore judgements? yet many return not from their evil waies. If you are not guiltie herein, Why then after ſo many Exhortations and admonitions doſt thou yet embrace thy luſts? What is this but like theſe in the Text? to ſay, No, we will walk after the imaginations of our own hearts. To be ſure thou wilt confirm that there is this incorrigibleneſſe, if ſtill after this Sermon thou ſhalt perſiſt in thy wickedneſſe; for it will come to this, either (Lord) I am convinced, I will ſtand out no longer, I will give up my ſelf to thee; or elſe, For all that is ſaid, I am reſolved to go on in my impieties. Oh do not think to plead ignorance, think not to ſay, Lord for give me, for I know not what I do: Yea thou doſt know what thou doſt, and thy own Conſcience with the word of God doth conſtantly condemn thee for it. Now conſider the aggravation of ſinning thus wilfully. 1. It is an argument of one that is hopeleſſe, and incurable; for if thou mockeſt at the day of judgement, and careſt not for the threatning of God, What remaineth to cure thee? Hath not God uſed all means to reclaim thee, and yet thou art in thy ſins?
2. Conſider, God will one day over maſter that unruly ſpirit of thine, he will turn thy laughter into terror, thy jollity into horror: Who ever hardned himſelf againſt the Lord, and proſpered? Job. 9. 4. Think not that this impudent boldneſſe, and prophane ſecuritie will alwaies animate thee; no, God hath his time when he will make thee tremble and quake before him.