Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Further Directions for the avoiding Preſumption, conſidering the greatneſs of the guilt, of the danger, how many miſcary by it. To be poſſeſſed of the difficulty of being Saved, the pa…city of thoſe who ſhall be ſaved. Self Examination, Rules for it. Takeing heed of Sinning againſt Light. Prayer to God Working out our Salvation with Fear.
2. POſſeſs your Souls Secondly (if you would avoid this great Temptation) with the greatneſs of Sin, and danger of Preſumption, and the great multitudes which ſplit eternally on this Rock. Here are three things offered to your Conſideration,
1. The greatneſs of the Sin of Preſumption. This will be underſtood partly by conſidering the Nature of it, partly by conſidering the Revelation of Gods wraih againſt it, as to the Nature of it. 1. It Robbeth God of the Glory of his Juſtice, it indeed ſeemeth to give God the honour of his Goodneſs and Mercy, but it makes him an Idol of Mercy, and deſpoileth him of his Juſtice, and Purity, and Holineſs: God indeed is Gracious and Merciful; but he is alſo a God of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity: a God before whom Sinners ſhall not ſtand in Judgment; a God that cannot clear the Guilty. Now that Soul that goes on in its ſinful Courſes, and yet hopes to find Favour with God, and to go to Heaven at laſt, doth think that God is not ſo holy and pure a God as indeed he is, or that he is not ſo Juſt as he is; either that he hath not Power to be Revenged upon Sinners, or not ſo juſt a Will and ſteady a reſolution to be revenged upon ſuch as go on in their Courſes of Ungodlineſs, as indeed he hath. Now conſider with they ſelf how great a ſin it muſt be, either to deny the Purity and Holineſs of God, or the Power and Juſtice of God: The Preſumptuous Sinner ſaith, God is not of ſo pure Eyes, but he can abide Iniquity; a Sinner may dwell in his ſight: whereas God could not be God if he could not be Juſt, or not be Holy and Pure: Holineſs is a piece of Gods Glory, he is not only Glorious in Majeſty, but he is alſo Glorious in Holineſs. 2. And as the Juſtice and Purity of God is Impeached by Preſumption, ſo his Truth is alſo Impeached: The Preſumptuous Sinner doth in effect ſay, The Scripture is a Lie and a Romance: for the language of his heart is directly contrary to the language of Scripture, that ſaith, ſuch and ſuch Sinners ſhall never enter into the Kingdom of God, but ſhall have their portion in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimſtone: He ſaith I am ſuch a one, yet I ſhall enter into the Kingdom of God, I ſhall not have my portion in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimſtone. What is this but either to deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God, or to deny that which is contained in them to be truth; and ſo to make God a liar; who is a God that cannot lie? Judge you how great an Iniquity this muſt be. And if the Impeachment of a Mans truth be counted ſuch a violation of his honour, that he knoweth not how to put it up, but is ready to revenge it with a Stab; what ſhall God do, who cannot lie? So that three eminent Attributes of God, Purity, Juſtice, and Truth, are all of them queſtioned, impeached, or denyed, by the Preſumption of a Sinner. And Preſumption is not only a Tranſgreſſion of the Law of God, but containeth in it a ſecret Impugning of the Divine Nature; and transformeth God into a being that is not Pure and Holy, at leaſt not ſo Pure and Holy, but it can abide Sin well enough, that either cannot or will not be revenged upon Sinners; that can declare one thing and do another.
2. Secondly, The magnitude of any Sin is well taken and judged, from the Revelation of Divine Wrath againſt it. And it is but juſt and equal to judge that the greateſt Sin, againſt which God doth moſt ſeverely reveal his Wrath. As to this we ſhall need look no further then the Text, which I have made the foundation of this Diſcourſe, Deut. 29. It is the Preſumptuous Sinner that is ſpoken of, v. 19. That heareth the words of the Law, and the words of the Curſe annexed to the violation of the Law, and yet bleſſeth himſelf in his heart, and ſaith, I ſhall have peace, though I walk in the Imagination of my Heart, and add drunkenneſs to thirſt. Now what ſhall the Righteous God do to ſuch a Man? v. 20. The Lord will not ſpare him, but then the Anger of the Lord and his Jealouſy ſhall ſmoke againſt that Man▪ and all the Curſes that are written in this Book ſhall be upon him; and the Lord ſhall blot out his name from under Heaven, v. 21. And the Lord ſhall ſeperate him to Evil out of all the Tribes of Iſrael, according to all the Curſes of the Covenant that are written in this Book of the Law. What is poſſible to be added to that Commination? What can be more ſeverely ſpoken? So as if we may judge of the greatneſs of a Sin, by the greatneſs of the Curſes that are annexed to him that committeth it, we have all the reaſon imaginable to judge Preſumption one of the greateſt degrees of ſinning, by which it is poſſible that a Sinner ſhould provoke God.
2. A Second thing which I offered to your conſideration was, the danger of Preſumption, as to theſe things; Preſumptions (as your reaſon will tell you in other things) are very dangerous in three Caſes; and ſuch all wiſe Men will take heed of.
1. Where the Good expected, or the Evil we expect an immunity from, are of a very high and important Nature: A Man may venture to Preſume of a Victory in a Caſe at Law, where if he be overthrown he may loſe 40, 50, 100 l. in ſuch Caſes he will ſay he knows the worſt of it, if he be miſtaken it is but a money matter, it is but the loſs of ſuch and ſuch a ſum of money; but a man will not do ſo where his life is in danger; he will there look for ſufficient grounds to hope he ſhall eſcape his Enemies charge: Chriſtian, the concern we are ſpeaking of, is not the concern of thy Eſtate, 'tis not the concern of thy Life, it is the concern of thy Body and Soul to all Eternity; it becomes thee as thou art a Reaſonable Creature here, to beware of preſuming, or building upon the ſand of inſufficient grounds. Thy Soul, thy Eternal well or ill Being, is the concern of thy hopes here, if they be w…ll bottomed thou art happy for ever, if they be ill bottomed thou art undone for ever: It is not triffling, nor flattering thy ſelf here, Eternity depends upon it; thou art a Creature ordained to an Eternity of Bliſs or Miſery; it is about this thy hopes is exerciſed: O Conſider of what import this good or evil is.
2. Preſumptions are very pernicious, when a due care might in time be taken to prevent the Evil, or obtain the Good: Only Preſumption of the needleſſneſs of care hindreth. In Law Preſumptions are never admitted for proof, if more poſitive proof can be had; a man in pleading might ſpeak for a Sinner, building upon Preſumptuous Hopes, if he could come to no other; but this is not the Caſe of any Soul: We indeed cannot come to one Soul in our Congregations, and ſay to him, or to her, Thou art Elected and ſhalt certainly be ſaved; but neither can we come to any one Soul and ſay, Thou art a Reprobate and ſhalt certainly be damned: Any Soul for ought we know, lies fair for Heaven (eſpecially ſuch I mean as are within the boſome of the Church, and in whoſe ſtreets Chriſt is Preached. We indeed, conſidering the courſes of Sin in which many live, can come to them, and tell them, In this ſtate wherein you live at preſent, and according to that courſe of life which you at preſent follow, you can have no good hope that God hath forgiven your Sins, or that you ſhall ever come into the Kingdom of God: But what you may do, what change may be made in your hearts, what alteration or reformation in your life, that we cannot tell: Now Men and Womens Preſumptions hinder the uſe of thoſe means, by which they might make their Calling and Election ſure; they ſay, They have their life in their hands, therefore they are not grieved (as the Prophet ſpeaketh) though in another caſe, Iſaiah 57. 10. They ſay with the Church of Laodicea, Rev. 3. 17. That they have need of nothing, when in the mean time they are Wretched, and Miſerable, and Poor, and Blind, and Naked; and therefore it is, they look no further after the Eternal Concerns of their Souls: they do not buy of Chriſt Gold tryed in the fire, that they may be rich, and white Rayment, that they may be Cloathed, and that the ſhame of their Nakedneſs may not appear.
3. Thirdly, thoſe preſumptions are dangerous, which lead into a deſtructive error, which cannot be amended when diſcovered. If a man hopes without ground that he may get an Eſtate by ſome way, by which it is not to be got; he may by his preſumption be a loſer of time, and a loſer in ſome part of his Eſtate: but yet when he ſeeth his error he may correct it, he may redeem his time, he may recover his Eſtate. But to preſume for a good, as to which, if our expectations fail, they fail for ever; and of a deliverance or immunity from ſome evil, wherein if our expectations fail, we ſhall be irrecoverably immerced in that evil. This no Wiſe Man will do. It is true in our preſent caſe it is not ſo: While there is life there is hope, That man or Woman that hath hatched up preſumptuous hopes that he is in favour with God, that his Sins are pardoned, and he Eternally ſaved, may examine the grounds of his hopes; if he finds them inſufficient, he may acquit them, and uſe means to obtain a good hope through Grace. But dying preſumptions, they are deſperate; for ſaith Solomon, Eccleſ. 9. 10. There is no device, no work, no knowledge, nor wiſdom in the grave, whither we are going. Pſal. 49. 8. For the Redemption of the Soul is precious, and it ceaſeth for ever. As the Soul leaves the Body, ſo it ſhall be with it as to Eternity. It was a deſperate preſumption of the fooliſh Virgins to come knocking and crying, Lord open to us, when the door was ſhut, Matth. 25. and for thoſe mentioned, Matth. 7. 12. that will in the Great Day ſay unto him, Lord, Lord, have we not prophecyed in thy Name, and in thy Name have caſt our Devil, and in thy Name done many wonderful work…? To whom he will ſay, v. 13. I never kn…w you, depart from me you workers of Iniquity. Take heed of carrying on preſumptuous hopes to a dying hour.
3. The Third Thing which I under this Head offered to your Conſideration, was the multitude of thoſe Souls that (ſo far as we can judge) ſplit upon this Rock. It is a great piece of Wiſdom to take warning by the harms of others. The Scripture tells us, that, Without Faith and Holineſs none ſhall ſee God. Heb. 12. 14. It telleth us 21. Rev. 8. That the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, the murderers, and the whoremongers: and ſorcerers, and idolaters; and all liars, ſhall have their part in the Lake which burns with fire and Brimſtone; which is the ſecond Death. It ſaith, 1 Cor. 6. 9. Know you not, that the unrighteous ſhall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate perſons, nor abuſers of themſelves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, ſhall ever enter into the Kingdom of God. We own theſe Scriptures to be the Word of God, we ſee, we hear of perſons dying daily, who we know lived in theſe, ſome of theſe Sins, and never gave any viſible Signs of Repentance and Reformation. What did they die without hope? No they hoped to be Saved, and it may be died with Confidence they ſhould be Saved. What was, what could be the ground of their hope, but either God made them, and they hope he will not deſtroy them: Or Chriſt dyed for all. Or though they had their failngs, yet they have done ſuch or ſuch good works. Or they were Members of the Church: Or they have asked God Pardon. Or they ſay they are ſorry for their Sins, and have been abſolved, and received the Sacrament, or ſome ſuch things as theſe? O dreadful! Is Eternity to be adventured in this Manner? Preſumption (Sirs) ſlayeth its Ten thouſands. Oh that it might not ſlay any Soul that heareth me this day. Let this be a Second piece of Advice, in order to the avoiding this Rock.
3. Thirdly, Poſſeſs your Souls of the Difficulty of getting to Heaven, and the ſmall number of thoſe that ſhall be Saved. I ſay firſt the Difficulty of getting into Heaven. You have it confirmed to you from him who came from Heaven, from the Boſom of his Father, on purpoſe to reveal his Fathers Will in the Caſe; Matth. 7. 14. Strait is the Gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to Eternal Life, and few there be that find it. Oh what an eaſie thing do Papiſts make it to get to Heaven? What an eaſie thing do ſome others make it too? But whoever makes it eaſie, makes God a Lyar. Chriſt hath ſaid, Strait is the Gate, and narrow is the way. If being Baptized, If Confeſſing Sins in the Ears of the Prieſt, and taking Abſolution from him, if living all your Life in Senſual Satifactions, then crying, Lord Receive my Soul, when you die, and Receiving the Sacrament, will bring men to Heaven, Oh what an eaſie thing it is to be Saved? But if a man muſt Believe in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, if he muſt deny himſelf, and take up the Croſs and follow Chriſt, if he muſt keep under his body and bring it in ſubjection to his Spirit; and alſo bring his Spirit in ſubjection to the Will of God. If he muſt forget what is behind (as St. Paul did) and preſs on to what is before, unto the price of the high Calling; if he muſt Watch and Pray, and Strive and Fight, and give all diligence to make his Calling and Election ſure, then Sirs it is no eaſie thing. Chriſt judged it no eaſie thing, St. Paul judged not ſo, and is it not ridiculous for any to think that God ſhould ſend his own Son to die an accurſed Death, to purchaſe atonement and reconciliation with God; that he ſhould ſweat drops of Blood and powre out his Blood on the Croſs, and be put to cry out, My God, My God, Why haſt thou forſaken me? and after this a Sinner living in the Church, and knowing and hearing of this, ſhould think it ſo eaſie a thing to get into favour with God, and obtain the Application of this Blood for the pardon of Sin, and ſo great a mercy as Eternal Life. Brethren let none deceive you, it is either no eaſy thing to get to Heaven, or the Scriptures are not to be believed, nor Chriſt to be believed, that Chriſt in whom we alone hope for Salvation; thoſe Scriptures which we own as the Revelation of the Will of God to us concerning our Salvation, and all thoſe holy ſervants of God before us, who ſpent their time in Faſtings, Watchings, Prayers, Mortifying their Members, and in all Examples of an Holy Life, and in the conſtant owning and profeſſion of the Truth unto death; were deceived and miſtaken, and lived and died as fools. Let men write and talk what they will, poſſeſs your Souls of the Difficulty of being Saved, you will find them to be at laſt in poſſeſſion of a great and uſeful Truth.
2. Yea and Secondly, Poſſeſs your ſelves of the Truth of that which you have upon the ſame credit, That there are but few that ſhall be Saved; Matth. 7. 14. One pronounced that Queſtion to our Saviour, Luke 13. 23. Lord are there few that ſhall be ſaved? He replied unto them, v. 24. Strive to enter in at the Strait Gate, for many I ſay unto you will ſeck to enter in, and ſhall not be able. It is a Truth that there are but few will be ſaved, and he who obſerveth what conditions of Salvation the Scripture hath made, and conſidereth the lives of moſt, will ſee it muſt be true. But our Saviour in that anſwer teacheth us the true uſe we ought to make of that Notion: Not to conclude that we ſhall not. For who hath aſcended into Heaven, to bring us news from thence whoſe Names are or are not written in the Book of Life? Or who can tell who will repent and believe in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt? 2. Not to deaden us to Duty; and make us ſay then it is in vain for us to do any thing, for we ſhall not be ſaved, do we what we will (no Scripture ſaith ſo) but to quicken us, if we be in a ſtate of Ignorance, Unbelief and Impenitency, to Strive to enter in, to give diligence to make our Calling and Election ſure. For tho it be true, That in light matters that are of no great concernment, Difficulty diſcourageth indeavours, yet in things that we cannot be without and be happy, where our well being is highly concerned, Difficulties (eſpecially not appearing to us inſuperable) inſtead of deadening, quicken us to the uſe of utmoſt Indeavours. Live therefore in the daily view and apprehenſion of the Difficulty of getting to Heaven, and under the daily thoughts of what God hath revealed, That there are but few that ſhall be ſaved.
4. Fourthly, Be frequent in the Examination of the grounds of your hope, and in the Examination have a care that your grounds have a Scripture Foundation; and that as to your Grounds from Holineſs, you conclude rather from your affections than your actions; and if at all from your actions, from the courſe of them, not from any ſingle acts; and lay more ſtreſs upon the Covenant of Grace, and the application of your ſouls unto it, than either upon your affections or actions. Here is a great deal put together in this one Direction, Let me ſhortly diſcourſe the ſeveral parts of it: 1. I ſay firſt be much in Examining the grounds of your hopes. Indeed I ſhould have firſt ſaid, Be much in whetting upon your Souls the belief of your Eternal Exiſtence: It is our want of belief of this, or attendance to the thoughts of this, which makes Men and Women ſo careleſs as to the looking after it: We had need have it rung in our Ears every Morning and Evening, Sir, Remember you are going to Eternity. If Men and Women could be brought to that paſs, that like that Ancient we read of, where-ever they are, whatever they are doing, they ſhould think they hear the Sound of the Laſt Trumpet and the Voice, Ariſe you dead and come to Judgment, they would be oftner entring into and communing with their own Hearts about the Grounds and Reaſon of their Hopes to live with God in a Bleſſed Eternity, when they ſhall no longer live in the World. But O we do not think of Eternity, we do not believe Eternity ſo fixedly and ſteadily as we ſhould. God commanded under the Law by Moſes, Deut. 6. 6, 7. That the words which the Lord did command them, ſhould be in their hearts, that they ſhould diligently teath them to their Children, that they ſhould talk of them when they ſate in the houſe, and when they walked by the way, when they lay down, and when they roſe up; that they ſhould bind them as a ſign upon their hand, and they ſhould be as frontlets betwixt their eyes, and they ſhould be written upon their Poſts and upon their Gates. What God commanded as to his Law, I would have done as to every one of our Eternal State. I would have it written upon our Hearts, that we are going to Eternity, I would have you teach it to your Children, talk of it when you ſit by your Fire-ſides, when you go out, when you come in, when you lie down, when you riſe up. I would have, Remember Eternity, wrote upon the walls of your Parlours and of your Bed-Chambers. I would have it always before your eyes; ſurely then your hearts would be often ſaying, To what Eternity am I going? Am I going to Eternnal Happineſs or to Eternal Torments? To the place where I ſhall Weep, and grieve, and vex no more, or to the place where will be nothing elſe, but Weeping, and Wailing, and gnaſhing of Teeth, and that for evermore? And you would not reſt in every ſlighty return your deceitful hearts ſhould make, flattering you with hopes of Heaven; but you would ſay, My Soul do not thou deceive me, upon what grounds doeſt thou tell me it ſhall be well with me for ever? We never think that we are ſure enough of a Debt or a little Eſtate; why ſhould we truſt in ſlighty ſeeming ſecurity for an Eternal Intereſt? And be aſſured of this, no grounds of Hope are worth any thing, but ſuch as plain Scripture juſtifieth: Eternal Life is the Gift of God, the Scripture tells ſo, and we ſhould never have thought of Eternity but for the Revelation of it in Scripture; it is therefore given according to Scripture Revelation and no otherwiſe. It is given by Chriſt to thoſe that the Father hath given him, Joh. 17. 2. We cannot ſearch the Book of God to ſee the Names of thoſe the Father hath given him, but he hath told us who are given him; John 10. 27. My Sheep hear my voice, and follow me, and I give unto them Eternal Life, and they ſhall never periſh. Thou haſt no ground to hope for Eternal Life, but from thy bearing (hearing and obeying) the voice of Chriſt, and thy following of him; but ſo many are our failings, ſuch are our ſhort and imperfect walkings, that here a good Chriſtian may have his doubts and fears, whether he heareth Chriſts voice and ſo followeth him, that he may cheriſh hopes in himſelf, that he is one to whom Chriſt will give Eternal Life: To guide you therefore, I ſay,
1. Do not take up your hopes from ſingle Actions, but from a continued Courſe of Actions. The Philoſopher tells us, That ſingle Acts will never denominate a Man Vertuous, nor yet Vicious: He is not a Drunkard, that is once overtaken with drink, but he that makes a trade of it; he is not a juſt Man that now and then doth a juſt Action, but he that in his whole Courſe giveth to every one his due; nor is he an holy Man, that ſometimes doth good Actions, Hears, Prayeth; but that Man that hath Regard to all Gods Commandements, and that at all times, in all Places, Companies, &c. There is none ſo good but doth ſome things ill (who liveth and ſinneth not?) Nor are there many to be found ſo bad, but do ſomthings good: Herod heard John the Baptiſt gladly, and he did many things, Mark 6. 20. That is the holy Man, that in the whole Courſe of his Life, applyeth himſelf to the Pleaſing of God, enquiring what the good Will of God is, and ſetting himſelf to do it, and not turning aſide there-from, though by ſome Paſſions, Corruptions, Temptations, &c. he may ſometimes be turned out of his way.
2. Secondly, Lay more ſtreſs upon your Affections than upon your Actions, indeed they muſt Juſtifie and Legitimate your Actions. Ends and Affections make up the form of Holineſs, and diſtinguiſh it from the good Works of the Heathens; which Auguſtine rightly called Gay and Splendid Sinnings. The Law is, Thou ſhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart: Let a Man do what he will, if it be not out of love to God, out of a deſire to pleaſe him, and a fear to offend him, it is no holineſs, it is but Oſtentation, or Self-ſeeking, or meer Moral Vertue. Let a Man fail in his Action, whether through Infirmity, or Temptation, yet if his deſire hath been towards God, if his Hearts Affections have been right, he is accepted of God; do not therefore in your Examination of this ground of your Hope, ſo much truſt to what you find you have done for God and in Obedience to his Will, as from what Principle it hath been done, to what end, with what Affection, &c. Say to your Souls, I have been an Hearer of Sermons, one that has uſed to Read, to Pray; but what hath been my Principle in it? Hath it been the fear of God? The love of God? Obeying the Will of God? Hath my end in it been the glorifying of God? This will …y your Hopes from your Holineſs, whether they be well grounded or no.
3. I added Thirdly, When you have done all, you will ſee reaſon to lay more ſtreſs upon the Covenant of Redemption and Grace, than either upon your Aff…tions, or Actions; yet not ſeperated from the one, or the other, but in conjunction with them. I will put the Caſe, that you, or I, were in ſecret examining our ſelves, What hope we have that God had Pardoned our Sins, and that when we die we ſhould go to Heaven? We reflect upon our lives, ſuppoſe the better part of our lives, and we find that although in many things we have failed, yet in the general courſe of our Actions, we have endeavoured to do in all Circumſtances what God hath commanded us; well but yet our Hearts tells us, nay the Scriptures tells us, that if what we have done, hath not been done out of love to God, out of a deſire to obey him, it is all nothing. It may be we have asked our hearts this queſtion, and they reply to us, that it hath been the command of God, and a will and a deſire to pleaſe God, that hath carrie dus out generally to our Actions; but yet we ſhall find ſo much mixture of ſelf-ſeeking, ſo much want of Affection at ſometimes; that when we have done all, if it were not for a Covenant of Grace and Redemption, we were undone. I can never enough mind you of the laſt words of David, 2 Sam. 23. 4, 5. v. 3. he tells you what God had ſaid to him, The God of Iſrael ſaid, the Rock of Iſrael ſpake unto me: He that Ruleth over Men muſt be juſt, Ruling in the Fear of God, as the light of the Morning when the Sun riſeth, a Morning without Clouds, as the tender Graſs, ſpringing out of the Earth by clear ſhining after Rain: So far he conſidereth now his Rule, now he reflects on himſelf, and findeth that he had come ſhort of this, he had not been juſt in the matters of Uriah and Bathſheba, nor in many other things; Where is then this good Mans hope? mark v. 5. Although my Houſe be not ſo with God, yet he hath made me an everlaſting Covenant, ordered in all things, and ſure; for this is all my Salvation, and all my deſire, although he maketh it not to grow. The God of Heaven hath ſaid to every one of us, the Rock of our Salvation, He that believeth, is not condemned; he hath ſaid, My Sheep hear my Voice, and follow me, and I give them Eternal Life. But I have been full of unbelief, I have been deaf to many a voice of Chriſt, in many things I have ſinned, and come ſhort of the Glory of God: I have troden many a ſtep a-wry, I hope my general aim hath been right; but I have halted and trodon ſhort, and come infinitely ſhort of my Rule; My Heart, my ways have not bin ſo with God. Where's a good Chriſtians hope then? but in this, The Lord hath made with the Son of his love an Everlaſting Covenant, well ordered and ſure in all things; a Covenant that in conſideration of the Satisfaction which he hath paid to his Fathers Juſtice, the price which he hath paid, his Righteouſneſs ſhall be reckoned for Righteouſneſs to every Soul, that upon the offer of the Goſpel ſhall receive him, cloſe with him, accept him, and in ſincerity of Heart ſhall give up himſelf to the Obedience of his Will; for this is every good Mans Salvation: and when we have done all here, the ſtreſs of our Hopes muſt lie. Yet here is no ground for Hope without Action, true Affections towards God, conjoined with ſincere Actions. The Covenant of Grace will not relieve one ill principled and looſe walking Chriſtian, tho it be the onelyonly relief for a Sincere Chriſtian, that is ſenſible of his imperfect walking with God.
5. Fifthly, If you would take heed of Preſumption, you muſt take heed of wilful ſinning againſt Light; doing any thing which your Conſcience telleth you, you ought not to do. The Nature of Man is biaſſed to propheſie and promiſe good to himſelf; none but an Atheiſtical, Sleepy, Secure Soul, that never thinks of Heaven or Hell, or what ſhall become of him after this Life, but maintaineth ſome ſecret hopes in one degree or another, that he is in the Favour of God, that his ſins are Pardoned, and that he ſhall be Eternally Saved. Now theſe hopes in the heart of a wilful ſinner, that goeth on in a courſe of known Sin, can be but Preſumptions; and therefore every Soul that thus liveth and walketh, muſt either be a Preſumptuous Perſon, or one that deſpaireth; for he muſt either have ſome Hope, or no Hope: if he hath no Hope at all, it is either becauſe he is under Deſpair, or becauſe he is an Athiſt, and never mindeth and regardeth any thing but what he ſhould Eat or Drink and Put on, and how his Poſterity ſhall live when he is dead: If he hath any Hope, it can be no other then a Preſumptuous Hope; for he hath not one line in Scripture to juſtify it. There is no peace to the Wicked (ſaith God) ſo that without cleanſing our ways, and taking heed thereto, according to the Word of God, there is no avoiding the guilt of Atheiſm, Deſpair, or Preſumption; and this is a very dreadful Meditation, but ſuch as nothing can be truer. We ſee there are but few, very few that deſpair; ſo that as Solomon ſaith, Proſperity ſlayeth the Fool: ſo it is either Atheiſm and a Careleſneſs, as to any conſideration of another life, or elſe Preſumption, that ſlayeth the moſt of thoſe poor Souls which go down into the Pit.
6. Sixthly, Be much in Prayer to God to guide you in the examining of your ſtate, and to keep you from taking up with vain Confidences; take the Example of the Man according to Gods own Heart, Pſal. 129. 23. Search me O God, and know mine Heart, try me, and know my Thoughts, and ſee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlaſting. Beg of God to give you that good hope, through grace, which he mentioneth, to beget you to a lively hope, and not to ſuffer you to pleaſe your ſelves with a Preſumptuous Hope; that as to your hopes for Eternity, it may not be to you as the Prophet ſpeaketh, Iſaiah 29. 8. As when an hungry Man dreameth, and behold he eateth; but he awakes and his Soul is empty; and behold he drinketh, but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his Soul hath Appetite.
7. Finally, Be in the Fear of the Lord all the day long; the wiſe Man ſaith, Bleſſed is he that feareth always; Prov. 28. 14. and we are you know, commanded to work out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling; Phil. 2. 12. It is true, there is a ſtate of Love, that caſteth out Fear; perfect Love caſts our Fear (ſaith the Apoſtle) and Paul tells us Rom. 8. We have not received the ſpirit of bondage again to fear; but a fear leaſt we ſhould offend God, a fear leaſt we ſhould deceive our own Souls, is an excellent guard and protection to a Soul: if it riſeth indeed to cauſe a diſtruſt in God, or a deſpair of his Goodneſs, then it is putrified, then it diſhonoureth God; and ſuch a fear ought not to be endured in a believers Soul: but there is a Cautious, Wary, Ingenious, Well-regulated Fear, that well becometh even the beſt Souls, while they are in their ſtate of Corruption and Mortality, and where they are daily incompaſſed with Temptations.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Collinges, Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts (1680)