Twenty-Nine Sermons, Sermon 2 – Title page 2
A SERMON OF M. WILLIAM FENNERS at Maidſtone.
PROVERBS 1. 28.
Then ſhall they call upon me, but I will not anſwer: they ſhall ſeek me early, but they ſhall not find me.
THere is a good Engliſh Proverb among us, that he that neglects the occaſion, the occaſion will neglect him. Solomon wiſely begins his Proverbs with it: for he bringeth in the wiſdome of his Father in theſe five particulars.
Firſt, making a generall Proclamation in the 20. verſe, Wiſdome crieth without, ſhe uttereth her voice in the ſtreets. He compareth God unto a Cryer going up and down the City from ſtreet to ſtreet, and from door to door, crying his commodity, even the richeſt that ever was, which is a Chriſt, a Chriſt for redemption, a Chriſt for ſanctification, a Chriſt to enlighten thoſe that walk in darkneſſe, and in the ſhadow of death. Ho, every one that thirsteth, here is a Chriſt for you.
Secondly, here is a mercifull reprehenſion, in the 22 verſe, O ye fooliſh, how long will ye love fooliſhneſſe, and ye ſcorners take pleaſure in ſcorning? Fooliſh indeed to be without Chriſt: fooliſh to be without grace, fooliſh to chafer away our ſouls for ſin, How long ye ſcorners, will ye take pleaſure in ſcorning? will you ſtill perſiſt in your wickedneſſe, and never have done with your ſins? will you never turn back again, but damn your ſouls for ever? O ye fooliſh, how long will ye love fooliſhneſſe?
Thirdly, here is a gracious exhortation in the 23. verſe: turn you at my correction, lo, I will pour out my mind unto you, and make you to underſtand my words. As if he ſhould ſay, Do you not ſee how you are going a pace to confuſion; and that the way you take, leadeth unto deſtruction? turn ye therefore, turn ye back again, for there is a Chriſt behind you: O turn ye; for if ye go on in your ſins, you periſh for ever.
Fourthly, here is a yearning promiſe made unto the world, in the end of the 23. verſe, Lo, I will pour out my ſpirit unto you, and cauſe you to underſtand my words. As if he ſhould ſay, Return back again with me, and you ſhall have better welcome than you can poſſibly have if you go on in your ſins: the Devil will never let you gain ſo much by your living in your luſts, as you ſhall do by repentance for them, and forſaking of them. For behold, I will prour out my ſpirit upon you, whereby you ſhall be farr greater gainers than you ſhall be by your ſins.
Fifthly, here is a gratious threatning againſt the world, even all thoſe that have loytered out the day of grace. As time and tyde will ſtay for no man, no more doth the day of grace: Becauſe I have called, and you refuſed; I have exhorted, but you have not regarded; I have denounced judgements againſt you for your ſins, but you have hardened your hearts; now a day of woe and miſery ſhall come upon you, a time of vengeance and deſolation ſhall over▪take you; there will a day come wherein there will be weeping, and crying, Mercy (Lord) mercy; but I tell you beforehand what you ſhall truſt to: let this be your leſſon, now I call, and you will not hear; now I ſtretch out my hands, but you will not regard: you ſhall ſeek me early, but you ſhall not find me: and ſhall cry, but you ſhall not be heard.
The words are underclapt againſt all thoſe that procraſtinate their repentance, and returning home unto God, wherein note, firſt, the parties them ſelves that do prolong this day of grace, they: that is, they who when God cals on them, will not hear; when God invites them by his mercies, patience, and forbearance, by his Miniſters and ſervants, by his corrections and judgement, by all fair means and foul means; yet withſtand the means of grace, they are the men, they ſhall call, but God will not anſwer.
Secondly, here is their ſeeking after God? they ſhall call upon me.
Thirdly, here is their earneſt and diligent ſeeking after God; they ſhall not only call, but ſeek too, and not only ſeek, but ſeek as to labour to find: nay they ſhall ſeek me early: even ſtrive to go about it with all haſte, and flye to repentance, but they ſhall not find me.
Fourthly, here is the unſeaſonableneſſe of the time of their ſeeking, then: that is a demonſtrative, then; even a time which the Lord appoints at: as if he ſhould ſay, you ſhall ſee then theſe men will be of another mind, then they ſhall be glad to be converted, then they ſhall be glad to come out of their ſins, then they ſhall be glad to get grace, and ſeek reconciliation with God: but alas! they ſaw not this then, but God foreſaw it well enough; then ſhall they call, but I will not anſwer, they ſhall ſeek me early, but they ſhall not find me.
Laſtly, here is the fruſtration of their hope, which hath two things in it. Firſt in regard of themſelves, in regard of the flaw in their ſeeking, it being not aright. Secondly, in regard of the Juſtice of God, who rewards every man according to their works, But I will not hear them. Whence obſerve this point of Doctrine.
Thoſe that will not hear when he calleth them; God will not hear them, when they call unto him. Thoſe that will not hear the Lord when he calleth upon them by the miniſtery of his Word, and voyce of his Spirit, the Lord will not hear them, when in their miſery they call upon him.
Thus the Lord dealt with the people in Ezekiels dayes; the Lord called them to repentance and obedience: but when they ſtood out; and neglected the opportunity of grace, and ſeaſons of converſion, ſee how God deals with them: though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them (ſaith the Lord.) When men have gone beyond the time of Gods mercy, and out▪rowed the tyde of Gods forbearance, and will not returne, the Lord ſets it down with himſelfe, that his wrath ſhall return upon them, he will no longer forbear they had a time wherein the Lord did pity them, and offered grace, and mercy unto them, but they neglecting this ſeaſon, and withſtanding this proffer of grace; God reſolves with himſelfe they ſhall never have it again. There was a time wherein God did pity them, but now he will not pity them any more; twenty five years he called unto them, and ſought to bring them home; but becauſe they ſtood out and refuſed, the Lord ſaith, I will love Ephraim no more.
Beloved, there is a double day, a white day, and a black day; there is a day of ſalvation; Iſa. 49. 9. this is the day in the which the Lord ſaid to the priſoners, Come forth: and to thoſe that lye in their ſins, repent and beleeve. Now if any man will come forth and humble his ſoul before the Lord, let him come and welcome, for it is a day of ſalvation. But there is another day of damnation, which is a dark day, a black and a duskie day, wherein the Lord will viſit the ſinnes of the world, and revenge the quarrell of his Covenant. Hoſ. 9. 7. The day of viſitation is come, yea the day of recompence; the people ſhall know it; the Prophet is a fool, and the ſpirituall man is mad. Beloved, we are fools, and all the ſpirituall men under heaven are mad, that lay not this day to heart. For the day of the Lord is a day of viſitation, and all the world ſhall rue it, though now men ſleep in ſecuritie. If once merciemercy be rejected, and God turn away his ear from a man, then grace ſhall be no more, the door of life ſhall for ever be ſhut up againſt him: and when once this day comes, he hath loſt his own place, and deprived himſelfe of eternall happineſſe.
Now there are three reaſons of this point, the firſt is the law of retaliation, of rendring like for like, which is the juſteſt law that can be made with man, for to give unto every man according to his works, to make him take ſuch as he brings (as the Heathen calls it) to give a man quid for qu…. Now if God call upon thee, and thou wilt not hear; it is righteouſneſſe with God, yea equity with God (that is more) that when thou calleſt on him, he ſhould not hear thee. For thus runs the tenor of Gods Word, Prov. 28. 9. He that turns away his ear from hearing the Law, euen his prayers ſhallbe abominable. He that turns away his ear from Gods Law, God will turn away his eare from his prayer. He that turns, it is ſpoken in the preſent tenſe, that is, he that now turns away his ear, his prayer ſhall be abominable (in the future tenſe) that is, the Lord marks what maſter or ſervant, what father or mother, what husband or wife, what man or woman it is, that turns away the ear of his head or the ear of his heart, from hearing his will, and obeying of his Commandements, the Lord takes ſpeciall notice of it, and ſets it down in his Calendar, and records it in his Memoriall; keeping a ſtrict account thereof: as if God ſhould ſay, Well, is it ſo: I now call, and will not this man or that woman anſwer? Do I now ſtretch out my hands; and will not they take care to obey me? Well, let them alone (ſaith God) there is a day coming, that I ſhall be a hearing of them, times of ſorrow and miſery will take hold of them, and then they in their affliction will cry unto me, but I will not hear; they will beg for mercy, but I will not regard: they will ſeek me early, but they ſhall not finde me.
It was one of the Articles of high Treaſon brought in againſt Cardinall Woolſey, that he had the pox, and a ſtinking breath, and yet durſt come into the Kings preſence: So it ſhall be an Article againſt thee of high treaſon before the King of heaven, if thou come into his preſence with the ſtinking breath of thy ſins, living in thy luſts and wallowing in thy filthineſſe, all thy prayers are but as ſo many ſtinking breaths in the noſtrils of the Lord; and every dutie that thou performeſt unto the Lord, ſhall be as ſo many Articles of high treaſon againſt thee, to condemne thee, becauſe thou liveſt in rebellion, and a Traitor againſt God.
His prayer ſhall be abominable: he doth not ſay, I will turn away mine ear from hearing his prayer, which turns away his ear from hearing my law (that is the true expoſition of the words) no, but, like for like is ſometimes injuſtice: for if a man ſhould ſtrike a Magiſtrate a box on the ear, it were not juſtice for him to give him another: for, it is a greater ſin to ſtrike a Magiſtrate than any other common perſon; and therefore a greater puniſhment the Law requireth: So God doth not ſay, he will turn away his ear from hearing his prayer, but will ſerve him in a worſe kind, he will count it abominable, yea abomination, (in the abſtract) it ſhall be loathſome, yea lothſomneſſe it ſelfe in the worſt manner. Galat. As a man ſoweth ſo ſhall he reap, if thou ſow ſparingly; thou ſhalt ſparingly: if thou ſow a dull ear to Gods Word, thou ſhalt reapa…dull ear from God to thy praier: for God will reward every man according to his works.
Secondly, becauſe of the time of Gods Attributes, both mercy and juſtice,Motive 2. page missing
VAIN THOUGHTS ARRAIGNED At the Barre of Gods JUSTICE. SET FORTH In a SERMON preached at Linton in Kent. By that Reverend and Faithfull Miniſter of Gods Word, WILLIAM FENNER, B. D. Sometimes Fellow of `Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, and late Paſtor of Rochford in Eſſex.
London, Printed by E. T. for John Stafford.