Twenty-Nine Sermons, Sermon 18 – Title page 21
THE TIME OF GODS GRACE Is limited.
GEN. 6. 3.
The Lord ſaid, My Spirit ſhall not alway ſtrive with man, becauſe he is but fleſh, and his dayes ſhall be a hundred and twenty yeares.
IN this Chapter is continued the Hiſtory of the decay of the World, wherein is deſcribed Gods purpoſe of deſtroying mankind; in which are theſe two parts:
Firſt, the meritorious deſerving Cauſe, wherein God gives an account what he doth, how inexcuſable the world is, and how juſt God is; unto the. 14 verſe.
Secondly, a direction unto Noah to make an Arke; where we may ſee, that God in his judgement remembers mercy.
The meritorious deſerving cauſe is deſcribed, firſt, from the quantity of thoſe perſons in thoſe evill dayes; a great many, verſe the firſt; men began to multiply in places populous; where there are ſome good, there are many bad.
Secondly by the quality of thoſe perſons; the Sons of God, when they ſaw the daughters of men, the ſonnes of God (viz.) the posterity of them that maintained Religion, they began to be careleſſe and carnally confident; they did looke after the profits and pleaſures of this life, and then it was high time for God to enter into Judgement.
Thirdly, by the kind of ſinne; They lusted after unlawfull Marriages &c. and the root of this was originall corruption; the Imaginations of mans heart, were onelyonly evill, and that continually. verſe 5.
Theſe words, are a Proclamation of Gods purpoſe, to bring it to an end; in which are four things.
Firſt, the Lords complaint in theſe words, The Lord ſaid.
Secondly, the proclamation it ſelfe in theſe words, my Spirit ſhall not alwayes ſtrive with man.
Thirdly the reaſon, becauſe he is but fleſh.
Fourthly, the limitation of the time, a hundred and twenty years; in which time if they repent, I will repent; but if they will not, my Spirit ſhall not alway ſtrive. As if the Lord had ſaid, I have tried all concluſions and uſed all means, partly by Mercies to allure them, partly by Judgements to terrifie them; partly by my word to recall them, and by all meanes poſſible to bring them to my ſelfe, yet they remaine incorrigible; I now am reſolved to ſtrive with them no more.
From the words thus opened there will naturally ariſe theſe two points.
Firſt, that the Lord of Heaven and earth doth ſtrive mightily with a companyDoct. 1. of poore Rebells; and all to bring them unto himſelfe, but on this I intend not to inſiſt.
The ſeond is this, viz. that there is a time when God will ſtrive with men …o more, and that in this life; The ſcope of this aimes at the whole world; but what is ſaid in generall, may alſo be ſaid in particular. Well then, there is a time in this life, and not when we are dead and gone; for then it is certain there is no more comming unto God; but, in this life there is a time when God will ſtrive with men no more, neither for their good here, nor for their everlaſting happineſſe hereafter. For, unto every thing there is an appointed time. Eccleſ. 3. 1. Now the Lord calls lovingly to allure us; but there will come a time of, Goe ye curſed; the good Spirit of mine which thou haſt abuſed, ſhall never come to thee more; this is a marvailous troubleſome truth: yet moſt true; for men now will have their wills, and God muſt be at their leiſure, and come (forfooth) when they pleaſe. They will live as they liſt, doe as they liſt, and God muſt ſhew mercy on them as they liſt, and when they liſt &c. So there is a time when God will ſtrive; but when that time is gone, God will ſtrive no more.
To make this plaiue I will lay downe theſe ſix things;
Firſt, I will let you ſee that it hath been ſo by Teſtimonies of Scripture.
Secondly; I will ſhew in or after what manner God deals with a ſoul in giving it over. page missing theſe faſhions, leave off cards and dice &c. ſaies the Spirit of God, and whatſoever is of evill report: yea, but I will not; for what will Sir John and my Lady ſay then? Turne you unto me ſaith the Spirit of God; no I will not, ſaith the ſtubborn walker. Put him on in a good courſe, yet he will not walk therein; ſpeake the truth ſaith the Spirit of God, for all lyars ſhall be turned out: yea but not yet, I have got thus much wealth by lying, and I will not yet leave it.
Fourthly; Such as have a common, baſe, vile and contemptible esteem of the Goſpell and Miniſters thereof. They mocked the Miniſters till the wrath of God broke out againſt them, and there was no remedy. 2 Chron. 36. 16. A Miniſter cannot be plaine but wicked men will abuſe him in their hearts. I called and cried ſaith Wiſedome, but you ſet at nought all my counſell. Prov. 1. 24, 25. and going away they make a tuſh at it. I, ſaith one, Maſter Miniſter, you mette with mens hearts to day, but I beleeve yours is as bad as anothers, elſe how could you have hitte them ſo right? ſee what the Spirit of God ſaith of ſuch, Iſa. 22. 21. In that day did the Lord call to weeping &c. the text told them of a judgement, and nothing to be expected but miſery: but they make a tuſh of it, and ſay, Come, we ſhall all die, ergo let us eate and drink and be merrie while we may; the Miniſter tells us we ſhall all to hell, then let us have the other pot and the other pipe, if it muſt needs be ſo. Oh my beloved, can the God of heaven indure to be thus diſgraced in his Goſpell and Miniſters? Another ſayes, care I what the Miniſter ſaith? I will goe and drinke at every Ale-houſe, and ſee whether theſe judgements will come or no.
Now I come to the fourth thing, which is the grounds of it, (viz.) Why the Lord in this life doth give men over, and ſtrive with them no more. This truth is troubleſome, and curſed hearts cannot abide it.
The grounds of this point ariſe from theſe two Attributes of God, his Juſtice and his Wiſedome.
Firſt, from the Juſtice of God, God is a juſt God; and is it not juſt that thoſe who have rejected him, that he ſhould reject them? I have called, but you anſwered not. Jer. 7. 13. &c. Now as it is juſt with God to fulfill every word that he hath ſpoken, and to fulfill all his promiſes to the faithfull, ſo is it juſt with God to bring judgement on them that have ſleighted him, and to fulfill all his threatnings.
Secondly, From the Wiſedome of God and his long-ſuffering; and this is becauſe his compaſſious faile not: elſe, the firſt day of our ſinning had been the firſt day of our rejection; yea it is his goodneſſe that we have any favour; but Oh our God is a wiſe God. A man that knocks at the dore, if he be wiſe, will not alwaies lie knocking, if none anſwer: he gives over and goes away; ſo the Lord knocks at our hearts by mercies to allure us, by judgments to terrify us: yet he can find no entrance. Is it not wiſdom then to be gone? Why ſhould I ſmite you any more, ſaith God? Iſa. 1. 5. As if he ſhould ſay, tis to no purpoſe: I know not what to do with you: with you it is wiſedome to give over, when there is no good to be done on you: What could I have done more for my Vinyard &c? Iſa. 5. There is no wiſe man that will alwayes water a d…y ſtake. And do you think that God wil alwayes be ſending Paul to plant, and Apollos to water? No, our God is a wiſe God, and our mercifull God is a juſt God: you that will have your wayes and wills, take them, and get you to hell and periſh everlaſtingly.
Now in the fi…t place we come to the Objections.
Object. 1.Some ſay, If we ſhall be damned, then we must be damned: if we ſhall be ſaved, then we ſhall be ſaved; why then neede we pray and keepe ſuch a quoile as the Miniſter ſpeaks of?
Sol.Secret things belong to the Lord, but revealed things to us, and to our children. Deut. 29. 29. ergo doe thou uſe the meanes, and be thou humbled according to the word of God, and thou ſhalt be exalted according to the word of God: ſee what God hath ſaid to thee in his word: for neither I, nor thou, nor the Angels of heaven can tell what the will of the Lord is concerning thee, if not revealed in the word.
Object. 2.Another ſaith, Why do you limit God? you take too much upon you, you ſons of Levi. The Lord ſaith, At what timy ſoever a ſinner doth repent, &c. yet will you limit God?
Sol.Tis true, at what time ſoever a ſinner doth repent: but thy heart may be given over, as Rom. 2. 4, 5. &c. and what if thou then liveſt twenty years or more, and have not a heart to repent?
Object. 3.Another ſaith, But I hope my time is not paſt: for the Lord hath given me a tender heart.
Sol.Hath he ſo? it is well, and wilt thou then harden it? thou mayeſt repent when it is too late; and ergo I tell thee, that good and holy deſires are joyned with honeſt endeavours: neede makes the old wi…e trot, as we ſay; ſo a ſoft heart will make thee uſe all good and honeſt means.
Seeing that God ſtrives with many, and at laſt gives over, goe thou home, and bleſſe God that he hath not dealt ſo with thee; it is enough that the Lord hath brought thee home to himſelfe; many may ſay with Paul, I was a perſecutor, I was injurious, &c. 1 Tim. 1. 14. but I received mercy; ſo thou maiſt ſay, The Lord knowes what a deale adoe he hath had with me; this heart was as hard as the neaher mil-ſtone, but the Lord in ſome meaſure hath mollified it; this heart was as proud as the devill, but bleſſed be Gods name, he would let me ſee it at the laſt; goe home and ſay, Who am I, and what is my fathers houſe, that the Lord hath brought me hither? Oh that God ſhould thus ſtoope to man! the Lord hath ſtood and knockt thus many yeares, and he might have given over, but bleſſed be his name, I have received merciemercy. I lived under the means, but that prevailed not with me: the Lord ſent ſuch and ſuch ſickneſſe, but that wrought not on me: at the laſt I went to hear a Minister, and methought that Miniſter ſpake nothing but what he ſpake to me: and then the Lord ſet conſcience on worke, and that affrighted mee. Looke to it: the Lord will either breake thy necke, or thy heart: doe not thinke to goe to heaven by good meanings: no, it will coſt thee ſomewhat more before thou come there. Another time the Lord ſet on me, and then I ſet on good duties: I would have Chriſt to juſtifie and ſanctifie me, and bleſſed be his name he was not wanting unto me in any meanes; the Lord make me thankfull &c. I tell thee thou wilt be in deede, and God ſhall have all: let the voluptuous man have his pleaſures, &c. what is that to thee ſo thou have Chriſt?
For the juſt reproofe of all ſuch as are yet in the gall of bitterneſſe andUſe 2▪ in the bonds of iniquity; there will come a time when God will ſtrive with thee no more; the old man thinks he hath time enough to repent in, and the young man thinks he needs not ſo much as enter into a Parley with godlineſſe. Eſau went away when he had eat and drunk, he eſteemed not his birth-right; I have heard ſome goe away with this reſolution, when they are married then they will live thus and thus. &c. Suffer me firſt to go bury my Father &c. Maſter Miniſter, you ſpeak well, I like your counſell; but I have a rich Uncle, and he hath no childe, and I am likely to be his heire; but he cannot abide a Puritan of all the men in the world, and if I do not humour him, I ſhall never have a Foot of his Land: let me bury him firſt; when Father and Friends are dead, then the children muſt provide for themſelves; and then they will ſeek after God and repent; and by this time they grow old, and though they cannot make ſo good a ſhew as others, yet their hearts are as good as the beſt. But ſtay a while; all is not gold that gliſters; alas poor ſouls, they were given over many years ago; this is alſo the ſin of young men and women for the moſt part, and this is the great ſin of England, the ſin of many Gentlemen and Gentlewomen; God muſt pardon when they call, and that muſt not be till they be old, and then in all poſt-haſte ſend they to and for maſter Prieſt, and he muſt bring God to them, or them to God▪ but the God of Heaven and earth cannot endure this mockerie.
For terrour to all wicked and ungodly men, woe, woe, woe, that everUſe 3. they were borne that are thus given over; and of theſe there are two ſorts;
Some are inſenſible and ſome ſenſible. The inſenſible are they who die like ſtones as did Nabal; We have many King Harry Proteſtants. Others are ſenſible, God hath opened the eye of their ſoules, and hath let them read the red letters of the Goſpell; It is a heavie thing for old friends to part, ſo Acts 20. 38. They grieved moſt in that he ſaid, you ſhall ſee my face no more; ſo when ſoule and body part, it is heavie; but when the ſoul and God part, it is lamentable; when God takes his leave never to be ſeen more, then whether thou look upward or downward, there is nothing but amazement, and aſtoniſhment. If thou look upward there is the anger of God; if downward, there is the bottomleſſe pit; if on the right hand, thou ſhalt ſee all his mercies, which could not allure thee; if on the left hand, all his Judgements which could not terrifie thee; if before thee, the black day, if behind thee, the Devils, this will be fearfull.
I remember a Story of an adulterate woman, her Conſcience pricking her, ſhe determined to repent, but God in the mean time did viſit her ſo ſore, that ſhe lay crying out, oh my time my time!
Another time, a covetous woman her Houſe being on fire, ſhe to ſave her goods, left her child in the Cradle; but a neighbour of hers hearing it crie, tooke it away; ſhe afterwards remembring her child, ran about crying, Oh my childe, my childe, and would not be comforted.
So when the fire and indignation of the Lord breaks out, if not now, yet at the laſt day it will; then the parties againſt whom it breakes, will crie, Oh my ſoul, my ſoul, what will become of thee my ſoul? It had been better I had never been born; for neither Mercies, Judgements, nor the Word could allure me; oh, woe is me.
Now the condition of ſuch is miſeracle in three reſpects.
Firſt, becauſe if God forſake thee, all forſakes thee; when thou lieſt a dying, thou ſendeſt for the Miniſter and thou wouldeſt faine have a word of comfort from him; but alas if thou doſt not receive comfort from Heaven, how can the Miniſter comfort thee? If thy outward Eſtate faile, Friends may help; but if they faile, there is a God in Heaven, and he will help; but if he go away, then all help is gone.
Secondly, when God goes, reſtraining grace goes; this was Sauls caſe, and you may obſerve that ſuch as have been enlightened and fall away, fall into one of theſe three ſinnes; either into the hands of the world, and that is their Maſter, or elſe into the ſinnes of uncleanneſſe, or into the ſpirit of malice to perſecute them that are holy.
Thirdly, if God leave us, then common protection leaves us; we are left to the clutches of all things, both in Heaven and earth; your houſes are left unto you deſolate. Matth. 23. 38. All the creatures are up in armes againſt us; the ſtiles we goe over, look up to Heaven, and ſay, Maſter ſhall we break his neck? the Horſe we ride on, ſays, Maſter ſhall I throw him down to deſtruction? thou knoweſt that he hates thee and thine. So the aire we breath in, and all Creatures, are readie, when the Lord gives the watchword, to lay us in the goal. Conſcience will witneſs againſt us; oh what will become of ſuch men? I will tell you, either the world heales them up; or elſe ſome carnall companion ſaith, you have been a good neighbour, you have kept a good houſe amongſt us &c. tuſh, tuſh, man, it may prove a lye for all this; I but the Miniſter tells me ſo; piſh, piſh, as if all were true the Miniſter ſpeakes. I but the Scripture ſays it; Is all true that is in the Scripture? the Lord have mercy upon us; and thus like fooles they build with untempered morter; therefore, I exhort all ſuch as are yet in the gall of bitterneſſe, to liſten to what I ſay.
Redeeme the time, yeild to the motions of Gods Spirit, and bleſſe God for Mercy offered unto you in the meanes, and if any affliction be laid on you, intreatThe Authors Exhortation. the Lord that he will doe you good by it. If thy Conſcience ſpeake, or the Spirit work, doe as Joſeph did, who got him into a corner and there wept his belly full; ſo intreat the Lord that he will breake the Heavens and come downe on thee to thy comfort; put not off till thou art old. A gentleman will not alwayes wait at the gate; neither ſay thou as Felix to Paul, I will ſend for thee at another time, but ſay with Samuel, Speak Lord for thy ſervant heareth.
Meanes.
Firſt, conſider the fearfull condition of ſuch as are given over; Suppoſe one ſhould come from▪ Hell with the fire about his eares, you would aske, what is the newes? the cry is, my time, my time. Oh my people ſayes the Miniſter. Oh my Miniſter ſayes the People. The young man cries, oh my time. Doe not make a tuſh at this, leſt thou ſay, the word was preached, but I ſcorned it; the ſpirit ſaid this is the way, walk in it; the means of grace was ſent unto me, but I refuſed MercieMercy, and now for ever I am in Hell to be tormented.
Secondly, conſider the great danger of putting off; If thy will be ſtubborne to day, it will be worſe to morrow.
Thirdly, conſider the time, 1. Pet. 4. 3. It is enough for the time of our life we have lived, that we have wrought the works of the Gentiles, let us live no longer in ſinne; it is too much that you have reſiſted the Goſpell ſo much; ſay then, oh that the Lord would break this heart of mine.
Fourthly and laſtly, though God ſhould be calling and egging you all the day long; yet your lives are but ſhort, and therefore crie out with the Pſalmiſt, teach me O Lord to number my dayes that I may apply my heart unto wiſdome; do not ſay it is too late, as one did once ſay of Prayer, doe you thinke that I can pray now, which never prayed in my life? I am ſure it will be too late when God comes to Judgement; for then the Divell will ſtand on tip toe, and ſay, what, doſt thou now thinke to goe to Heaven? the Lord did waite on thee untill he was weary; but here is a company of Drunkards, I did but hold up my finger, and they preſently followed me. Heaven came down to them, but they would none of it, they could not hear of that ear, and would you now go to heaven? Therefore goe now, for the Lord Jeſus Chriſts ſake, and when MercieMercy is offered, refuſe it not, but bleſſe God for it.
A SERMON FOR Spirituall Mortification, Delivered By WILLIAM FENNER, Miniſter of the Goſpel, ſometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, and late Lecturer of Rochford in Eſsex.
London, Printed by E. T. for John Stafford.