The Necessity of Serious Consideration and Speedy Repentance, Part 2 · Section 5
SECT. V. The Second Danger of DELAY.
AS it is a dangerous thing to drive off our Repentance, in hopes that we may have time enough hereafter to repent in: So is it altogether as dangerous upon another account, Because we know not, if we have an hereafter, whether we shall repent in it, or no. I have already mention'd some things, which may disable us to repent hereafter; but besides this, it may well be fear'd, that we may be also as unwilling, and every way as much indisposed to repent hereafter, as we are now. Is there not as much reason now to move us to keep the Commandments of God, as ever there will be hereafter? Is he not the same God now, that he will be then, one and the same, unchangeable for ever? Are not our Obligations, and our Dependances on him the same? And is not the danger of dying impenitent, the same now, that it will be then? What reason then can we have to hope, that if the consideration of these things will not move us now to Repentance, it should prevail more with us hereafter? How difficult, or how easie soever the Duty may now seem to us; or whatever it is that now affrights us from it, or encourageth us to delay it: we have little cause to think that it will become more easie by delay; that we shall meet with fewer difficulties the longer we drive it off, or fewer temptations to defer it still longer. Nay, 'tis very certain, that the longer we delay, the difficulty daily more and more increaseth, and very probably, so will our unwillingness too; for 'tis not very likely, that we shall be more willing to set our selves about a harder work hereafter, seeing we dare not venture on it now that it is much more easie. Would to God all impenitent Sinners could be brought to consider this; That all the good they do themselves by delaying their Repentance, is to make it every day harder for them to do a thing, which they must do, or else they perish. That we may be convinced of this folly, let us observe but these few things. 1. That the Causes of Delay will hereafter be the same, and as forcible upon us, as now. 2. That the Work will hereafter be greater. 3. Our Strength for it, is like to be less. 4. Our Time to do it in, will be shorter. 5. Our Assistances are like to be fewer. And, 6. Our Impediments and Discouragements are like to be more. And when all this hath been well thought on, we cannot but see, that though all that time, which we very groundlesly presume upon, should be granted us; yet cannot we be sure that we shall, nay, we are more sure of the two, that we shall not make so good use of it, as we may do of the time which is present.
1. Look what Causes we think we have at present to delay our Repentance till another time; the same, or more, and more powerful to work upon us, are we like to have hereafter; and it is like to be as hard, or harder then not to be tempted to delay, than now it is. Is it now a careless, negligent and unconsidering temper of mind that is the cause of our delay? And is it not likely, the longer we delay, that this same supine and regardless temper will be the more fixed and confirm'd? What is it that we think will alter it? The Temper we are of is such, as admits of none, or very slight thoughts of any such future alteration of it; these thoughts consist not with such a careless and inconsiderate temper, as we suppose to be the cause of our delay. However, such a change of it hereafter is not to be depended on. What makes men more careless and secure in their sinful Courses, than long impunity and forbearance? He that was a little afraid to venture on sin at first, lest he should be punish'd for it, and lest the Wrath of God should light suddenly upon him in some severe judgment; and he that was at first somewhat ashamed to sin, and unable to conquer his natural Modesty, or to endure the reproaches of his natural Conscience: after he has with some strugling broke through these bars of fear and shame, the further he ventures forward, the farther he leaves them both behind him. When the sin is become customary, and yet he finds that he suffereth nothing by it; he is the more emboldened to continue in it. The longer he escapeth what at first he was afraid of, the less apt is he to fear it; and the more hope he hath to escape it still. The prosperity of fools destroyeth them, Prov. I. 32. How, but by making them the more careless and resolute to go on in the ways wherein they thrive, as we find it by daily experience in all sorts of Sinners? Because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed; therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil, Eccl. VIII. 11.
Is the cause of our delay a secret root of Atheism or Infidelity, a disbelief of God, and of his Word? The longer we go on in any sin, the more likely are we to be harden'd in our unbelief. For whilst we hold on offending God, and disobeying his Word; and yet find, that notwithstanding all his terrible threatnings, he doth not seem to take any notice of us, but letteth us alone, and stretcheth not out his hand to execute vengeance upon us; we are apt to take as little notice of God, as we foolishly imagine he taketh of us; and because we continue to do these evil things, and God keeps silence, we conclude the more confidently, either with the Fool, Psal. XIV. 1. That there is no God: or with another as foolish as he, Psal. L. 21. That he is altogether such an one as our selves. The prosperous Sinner is apt to say in his heart, God hath forgotten; he hideth his face, he will never see it. He contemneth God; he saith in his heart, thou wilt not require it, Psal. X. 11, 13. The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Iacob regard it, Psal. XCIV. 7. To such a brutishness doth our continuance in sin ordinarily bring us!
Is it an unwarrantable presumption of the greatness of God's Mercy, or of his unwearied Forbearance, that is the cause of our delay? And is it not then too natural to men of this presumption, to presume still the more confidently, the longer God forbeareth them? Certainly he that delayeth at first, presuming on that patience, whereof he hath yet had comparatively but little experience; will be the more apt to delay still longer, after he hath long experienced the patience, and long-suffering of God.
Is it the love of our sins wherewith we are bewitched, so that we are not able to part with them, and therefore delay our Repentance? And what reason have we, if we now love them so well, to think, that we shall not love them as well hereafter, as now we do? What can we imagine should bring us out of love with sin more then, than now? We may not be able to commit some sins hereafter, which now we commit; but I see not, why we may not have the same love for them hereafter, which we have now. Nay, I see, that usually it is so; and that few sins are less loved for becoming habitual. The more we practise them, the more we love them; and the longer we have tasted the sensual sweetness of them, the less can we endure to be without them. And if our Inclinations and Tempers so alter with our Age, that some juvenile sins do not relish with us as they were wont; yet we do but change them for others; and we are as averse from goodness, and as much inclin'd to evil as ever. The Sins which suit with all ages of man, we commit with as much greediness as ever, and as things which by custom are become natural; and we sin even as we eat and drink; being as unable (as it seems to us) to live without the one, as without the other. And though, it may be, some sorts of Sins grow stale, and we find hereafter no temptation to them; yet is there one thing, which, the longer we delay our Repentance, grows still the more strong; and that is an inordinate self-love; and the less we have been used to deny our selves in the things we love, the harder still shall we find it to do so. We have been used to humour our selves, and to feed corrupt Nature in all things which it craves; and then it's all a case, how the Appetite changes as to this or that sin; seeing what it desires, it must have; and we have lost all power to resist it. But these things 'tis needless to prove, being too notorious to be denied. Only they ought to be more consider'd, that when we think well how there will be hereafter as many temptations to delay, and as powerful too, as there are now; we may discern our folly in delaying our Repentance now, in hopes to repent hereafter.
2. But this is not all; for we shall certainly find, that the longer we delay, the greater will the work be. And then, whatever the causes be that now persuade us to delay it, they are more likely to persuade us to delay hereafter than now. If they can prevail with us to neglect a necessary work, when 'tis less; they will more easily prevail, when the very greatness of the work seems enough of it self to dishearten us from going about it.
Let us then consider, how much greater a work it will be to repent hereafter, than now. First, It is very certain, that the longer we have neglected to learn the will of God, the more we have to learn. And the longer we have neglected to do the Commandments of God, the more we have to do. The longer we stay before we repent, the more sins we have to repent of. He that hath long since begun his work, and hath made a considerable progress in it, will not hereafter find so much to do, as he that hath done nothing at all of it, but hath then all to begin. All those Omissions and Neglects we have been every day guilty of, come then to be repented of; as well as the things which have been neglected and omitted, as far as 'tis possible, to be done; and all this labour had been saved, had we repented, and done our duty in due time. We every day sin, even though we do all that we can to avoid it; (which yet we seldom do) and every day we ought to repent of the sins of the day; and therefore till we repent, every day much increaseth the labour of Repentance, because every day adds to the number of our sins to be repented of. And our delay to repent, when we have sinned, is one of the greatest sins of all; and every day's delay is such a new sin added to that of the former day. And indeed, so long as a man delayeth his Repentance, he doth nothing else but heap up sin upon sin; and every thing he doth, is full of sin. And what a task doth he thus make himself, to repent of all these sins hereafter? Yea, every Conviction that we have sinned, and ought to repent; and every purpose, and resolution, and thought of repenting, not speedily put in execution, is an aggravation of our guilt, and makes our sins the more sinful, the less excusable, and more hardly pardonable; because 'tis a sign, that we go on in sin against Knowledg, against Conscience, against the good Motions of God's Holy Spirit, and against the Rebukes of our own Hearts; the delay is throughly wilful, and sin is freely chosen; and thus our sins become as great as can be, and are a striving against Conscience, a resisting and grieving of the Spirit, a quenching of its holy Motions, and a daily fighting against God, or a resolute maintaining our ground against him. And must not all this make Repentance a much harder work, than otherwise it might have been? How much easier is it to pluck up two or three weeds daily in a Garden, as we perceive them shooting forth; than to weed one that, through neglect, is quite overrun with them? And to how much better purpose too were it so to do? For by that means, the good Plants have liberty to thrive and flourish; whilst by neglect all that's good is choaked up, and rarely turns to any advantage. So much easier is it, and to far better purpose and advantage to repent early than late. When one hath gone on but a few steps in a wrong way, and will not then turn back, because he thinks it too much pains for him to do so; how much more unwilling is he like to be to go back again, when he is gone on many miles? He that is afraid to encounter two or three Enemies at present, will hardly be so stout afterwards as to set upon an Army of many thousands: especially when by his delay he hath given them time to strengthen themselves. And this is the second thing that we are here to consider, that by our delay we suffer our sins to grow not only in number, but in strength too: and as it is easier to repent of a few sins than many; so must it needs be a far harder task to conquer many sins in their full strength, than a few, and weaker too. Every one knows by woful experience, if ever he have attempted to get the mastery of his sin, what strength every sin gains in us by our long accustoming of our selves to it; and how much easier it is to leave off the practice of any sin, after but once or twice committing it; than after that by frequent committing of it, it is become habitual, and in a manner natural to us; and, when we have by custom brought our selves to that pass, that we seem to our selves to stand in as much need of our sin, as we do of our food and raiment, and can as little be content without it. 'Tis easie to pluck up a tender Sprout of the first or second years growth; but this, by letting it stand and grow, is every year harder and harder to do; and at last, when 'tis become a strong Tree, impossible for the strongest man to do. 'Tis easie to quench a small spark that's but just taking hold of the Thatch; but 'tis not so easie to extinguish the fire, when the whole House is on a flame. It may be no difficult matter to cure a little Sore at first; but it will be more hard to do it, when by delay 'tis grown into a hollow and filthy Ulcer; and hardly possible, if it come to a Cancer, or a Gangreen. How strange a thing is it then, that we should delay our Repentance, the only cure of a diseased and ulcerous Soul, till by delay we become almost past possibility of being cured! Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the Leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil, Jer. XIII. 23.
3. As our work by delay grows greater, so our strength for such a work, grows less; and that makes it still harder. The more sick a man groweth, or the longer he lieth under his Disease, the weaker he groweth too, and the less strength he hath to help himself. Tho we are all corrupt enough by nature; and as we are so of our selves, by much too weak to conquer any Lust without the help of supernatural Grace: yet our giving way to our natural corruption, and our indulging our selves in our own weaknesses, makes us still weaker and weaker. He that exerciseth not his strength, by degrees loseth it. And he that instead of resisting his Enemy as well as he can, layeth himself down at his feet to be trod upon, will find that he hath then less strength to raise himself up, than he had at first to stand his ground. In like manner, he that, instead of making what defence he is able, stands still, and lets his Enemy give him wound after wound as long as he will; if he have a mind to save himself at last, may find that he hath not strength enough left him, either to fight, or run away. In three things principally a man's natural strength to withstand a temptation to wickedness, or to change an ill Custom for a better, may seem to consist, 1. In the conduct of natural Conscience. 2. In the vertue of deliberate Consideration. 3. In the hope of Success. But by delaying our Repentance, we lose more and more of this strength daily.
First, Though our Natures be strongly biassed towards Evil, and we do mightily of our selves incline that way; yet is there such a thing in us as the light of Nature; whereby we see, in many things, that we go wrong, and walk so, as it very much misbecometh us to do. We yet retain some Principles of Morality, and natural Notions of Good and Evil, Honesty and Dishonesty, Decency and Indecency, which are not quite erazed, nor worn out. And our Consciences are ready to check us for doing contrary to our Nature, and to reproach us with the unreasonableness and shamefulness of acting some evil things. But when we long neglect to heaken to our Reason, and to obey the dictates of it; yielding to our brutish Affections, and giving them the sole command of us: we by degrees forget we have any such thing as Reason to direct us, and our Consciences fall asleep, having nothing to do; our unruly Lusts ruling us in every thing. We can see nothing unhandsome in what we are fondly in love with, nor can we any more be ashamed of what we have long accustomed our selves unto; especially when we find we are not alone in any of our sins, but find Companions enough to embolden us in any wickedness. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush, Jer. VI. 15. The Sinner, after a little time, begins to think it a piece of bravery to be impudent, and to glory in his shame; and nothing must be thought unreasonable, or undecent, that he hath a mind to do. Thus our foolish Hearts are more and more darken'd, and our Conscience seared as with a hot iron, 1 Tim. IV. 1.
And when it is so with us, that our Reason bears no sway for the tyranny of our Lusts; there can be no help from Consideration, because there can be no such thing to any purpose; this being the proper work of Reason uningaged by affection, and at liberty to do its office. Or if sometimes Conscience be a little startled upon any occasion, and begin to be restless, and set our thoughts on work a-while; yet alas, the condition, which by delaying our Repentance we bring our selves into, is so sad and frightful, that we cannot indure to think much of it; but presently turn our thoughts another way, and busie them about something more pleasant to us. Indeed most of us have learn'd well enough, how to keep our selves from all serious Consideration of either the unreasonableness, shame, or danger of our sinful ways; being always so busie about the Affairs of the World, or our Vanities, or in making provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof, that we are seldom at leisure to think much on any thing else.
Lastly, By long continuing in our sins, and giving way to our Lusts, we give them so much the mastery and dominion over us, that when at any time we are able to consider a little in what a wretched State we are, and begin to have some thoughts of getting into a better; we find our selves so fast hamper'd by them, and that they have taken such strong hold of us, that an extraordinary strength is necessary to break loose from them. Hereupon our Courage quite fails us, and we have no hopes at all, that ever we can be able to recover our selves out of the snare, wherein we have suffered our selves to be so much intangled; all our spirits therefore sink down into Despair; and we are not willing to labour (as we fear) in vain, or to disquiet our selves any longer, about what we imagine past all help. O that we could be brought in time to Consider, how by delay we are apt to be perfectly infatuated, and as it were, inchanted, having no use of Reason or Consideration; no Courage left us to attempt our Freedom, or Hope to obtain it; but lye in our slavery without any Sense of our vile Condition, and without either Wit or Strength ever to come out of it.
4. As by Delay our Work grows greater, and our Strength less; so our time is every day shortned; and tho we have both more to do, and less Skill and Ability to work, yet have we less time for our work. The more time we have already sinned away, the less we are sure is behind to Repent, serve God, and provide for our Souls in. Tho we may know how much we have had already to an ill purpose as we have abused it, yet we know not how little, or whether any at all, will be granted us for a better. We are sure, That what is yet to come, cannot be very long, because so much is already gone; and yet put both together, were it possible, all would have been short enough for the work we had to do in it. Now if a work be so great, that it cannot be done perfectly, and as well as it should be done, tho a man take the whole day to it, is it not a madness to drive it off, hoping it may be done well enough in one or two of the last hours of the day? He that hath the lost time of many Years to redeem, had need to ply his business very close indeed, if he hope to do it in a few days. Can we think that our corrupt hearts and minds will be throughly changed and cleansed, all our sinful desires and affections quite altered, our whole Conversation reformed, every evil habit broken off, every lust mortified, and the whole man renew'd, all Graces acquired, Sanctification compleated, and every necessary Duty perform'd all on a sudden, in a moment of time? If the work be so easie, and so little time will serve to do it in, the more is our Shame and Guilt both, and the less excusable are we, that we have done all no sooner, having had so much time already to do it in.
And yet supposing all might be done in so little time, and we might repent sufficiently and savingly, of a long wicked life, in some small part of it towards the end; it ought to be considered, That a little time will hardly be enough for a man to try and be well assured of the Sincerity of his Repentance; and yet we know, that if it be not since…e, it will do us no good; and till we know it is sincere, it can afford us little Comfort. He that repents earliest, shall now and then meet with Temptations to doubt whether he hath sincerely repented or no; and it will cost him some pains to search into his own heart, and to make himself in any good and comfortable measure sure of it. And to find this, is the only thing that must be the comfort of his old age, and the sweetness of his Dying thoughts. But he that defers his Repentance to the later part of his Life, if then he may Repent unto Salvation, yet may he find the time much too short for him very comfortably to assure himself that he hath done so indeed; and therefore though he may Repent, possibly he may not be able so well to know it, as not to go out of this World with many fears and doubts, and much uncomfortable distraction of thoughts about it. And though this may possibly be the case of some, who have lived a life of Repentance; yet is it not a thing a man would choose, or that he should not do what he can to prevent, as I am sure he that delayeth his Repentance doth not. He that lives well, may through the tenderness of his Conscience, and jealousy of himself, die somewhat uncomfortably; but he that lives ill almost as long as he lives, I think must needs do so, if he be not so dozed or stupified with his disease, that he cannot be sensible that he is a dying; or else have the favour of some extraordinary Revelation, which such an one of all men hath least reason to hope for.
5. For he that long delayeth his Repentance, hath reason enough to fear, that he shall have less Assistance hereafter for this great work, than now he may have. All the helps we can hope for, come from the Holy Spirit of God, without whose special Grace we shall never do any thing that is acceptable to him, or available to our own Salvation. We are too weak of our selves to cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit, and to perfect Holiness: It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Now that man must have a strange measure of unreasonable confidence, that thinks he hath the Grace of God at his Command; and can make himself sure to have it just when he shall call for it; or that the longer he hath rejected it, the greater measures of it should be bestow'd upon him. Is this the way to oblige God to be more liberal of his Grace unto us hereafter, to turn his Grace already given us into wantonness? Is to Dishonour him as long as we can, the best way to assure us of his help in time of need? What is it then, whereby any one can possibly provoke God to withdraw or withhold his Grace from him? What needs any one care how he lives, if he can be sure of Grace enough to save him at any time before he die? And if he cannot be sure to have Grace enough at any time when he pleaseth before he die, how dare he delay his Repentance any one day of his life, lest he should die before the next day? Certainly that person that delayeth his Repentance in expectation of Grace, when he sees his own time to call for it; hath a confidence grounded on something else than the Holy Scripture, Far be it from us to limit the infinite Goodness of God. His Mercies as well as his Iudgments are unsearchable, and his ways past finding out. Extraordinary favours may be granted to some, but are not to be relied on by any. I hope God doth give Grace at last to many who have long refused it; but I know not where he hath promised that he will offer it again to them that refuse it when 'tis offered. If therefore he that delays his Repentance in hope of Grace to Repent hereafter, meet with the Grace he hoped for, he hath cause to be extraordinary thankful for an unpromised Mercy ▪ but if any one expect to have such an extraordinary Mercy, he hath great reason to be humbled for so groundless a presumption. For this is not the ordinary method of saving Sinners, which God hath made us acquainted with: and certainly he makes too bold with God Almighty, that expects he should bring him to Heaven by any other way than by that which he hath pointed out unto him to walk in; or who hopes for that assistance which he never promis'd, refusing to make use of that which he hath assured him of if he will now accept it. God hath said, that whosoever hath, or makes good use and improvement of the Grace already given, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: But whosoever hath not, or makes not a wise improvement of what God hath given, to the Donor's Glory and his own Salvation, from him shall be taken away even that he hath, Matth. XIII. 12. God ordinarily, as well as justly, leaves such men to grow worse hereafter, who are not willing to grow better now. He withdraws his Holy Spirit from them, who have long resisted and grieved him. They who are not now willing to recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil, having been taken captive by him at his will, are deservedly left in the slavery they delight in. God saith unto them, Hearing ye shall hear, and not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive, Matth. XIII. 14. He leaves them to Satan to blind their eyes, and harden their hearts, lest they should be converted, and Christ should heal them, Joh. XII. 40. What a madness then must it be to delay our acceptance of the Grace which is now freely tender'd unto us, in hope of having it tender'd to us again, when we think it a fitter time for it; when God hath declared that we do thereby provoke him to withdraw his Grace from us for ever, and never to make us another offer of it so long as we live.
6. Lastly, Our Impediments and Discouragements are like to be more and greater the longer we delay: As a stone that's tumbling down the hill, the longer it continues rouling downwards, goes with the greater force, and is more hardly stopped; so our own corrupt inclinations, the longer we give way to them, carry us on with the more earnestness in the old beaten paths of Sin towards Hell beneath, and the more difficult is it for us to recover our selves. Our old acquaintance and brethren in iniquity, the longer we continue in their Society and Friendship, cling so much the closer unto us; and use all their art and power to hold us fast; so that 'tis always harder to break from them. The Devil, who before emboldened us to rush headlong upon any wickedness, without any check, or restraint of Conscience, now fills our heads with fears and jealousies, that our case is already become desperate; and he that before persuaded us it was too soon, now persuades us 'tis too late to think of providing for our safety. The longer we continue in our folly, the more foolish we grow; and the less capable of being taught how to grow Wise unto Salvation. And the wickeder we have been, and the more shamfully we have behaved our selves, the more ashamed we grow to confess, that we have so long been mad, and base, and brutish, and to change our course of life for that which we have so long scorn'd as foolishness. There are so many restitutions, reparations, satisfactions, and confessions to be made to our injured Neighbours; so much humbling of our selves, and Pardon to be begged both of God and of all men whom we have offended; there is so much more pains to be taken and diligence to be used in redeeming our mis-spent time, and fitting our Souls for Heaven, that very few who have lived long in wickedness, have courage to venture upon, and go through all this. Besides, there are not very many persons who by living long have less business, or fewer cares and troubles upon them of one sort or other; however, they have thereby more bodily infirmities, and usually less vigour, and activeness of mind. And how then can any one judg it fit to delay a most necessary duty, which might before have been done with less disturbance, to such a time as this, when we cannot hope for fewer hindrances and discouragements than we formerly had, if we find not many more, as is not unusual? From all this, I suppose, it must now be very plain to every one▪ That as we are not sure of any time at all hereafter to Repent in, so neither can we be sure if we shall have time, that we shall Repent in it. Nay, I think 'tis plain enough, that it is more likely of the two, that we shall not.