Willful Impenitency, Sermon · Part 2
7 Demonſtrations to prove this.
1 Demon 1 The wicked think they have power to repent.1. The wicked thinke they have power, and yet they will not doe according to their thoughts. What's the reaſon, they preſume to repent another time, but becauſe they thinke they have power? what's the reaſon, they hope to repent on their death beds, but becauſe they thinke they have power? or at leaſt that they are able to beg power of Chriſt Jeſus. Now by their own thoughts God will convince them,Pro. 6.10. All the free wil mongers the reaſon why they do not repent, is becauſe they will not; out of their own mouth will God condemn them. that they do not give over their ſinnes, becauſe they will not; like the ſluggard yet a little more ſleepe, yet a little more ſlumber, yet a little more folding of the hands to ſleepe; the ſluggard, he thinks he can riſe time enough, and do all his buſineſſe e're night, though he lie a little longer, and therefore does he preſume to lie a while longer; So thou art loth to come out of thy ſinnes yet▪ time enough yet thinkſt thou, thou haſt ſecret thoughts thou art able to ſhift for Heaven afterwards, tuſh an unhappy youth may make a good old man, and a young Saint an old Devill. Hence it is that the whoremaſter he can plead, did not David commit adultery too? as though he could yet up againe as well as he; the drunkard, was not Noah drunk? as though he were able to repent as well as he.Luke 23.40. The Theife on the Croſſe did not he repent at laſt gaſpe? as though he could ſhift as well at laſt; ſo they thinke they can leave of their ſinnes for a need, and therefore the reaſon why they do not, is onelyonly becauſe they will not. He that thinks he hath a hundred pound of his own in his purſe, and yet will not give a poore body a halfe penny: what's the reaſon he will not open his purſe to give? becauſe he cannot? No, he thinkes he hath it and can; but he will not; ſo the reaſon why thou art not reformed, is, thou wilt no….
2. Demonſtration, becauſe thou doſt not ſo much as trye whether thou canſt or no. 2 Demon. 2 They wil not try.Therefore thou doſt not ſticke at a cannot, but a will not; when a maſter bids his ſervant carry a ſack of Corne to the Mill, I cannot ſayes he; but cant you try ſayes his Maſter, cannot you go about it? no he will not try; why then he is wilfull; if his maſter ſhould ſee him ſwetting and ſtriving to carry it, it were ſomething, then he would ſay he ſtuck at a cannot; but when he will not be at the paines to try, he ſtickes at a will not. So thou ſtickſt at a will not, thou doſt not every da… in arenam diſcendere ſweat at good duties, thou doſt not ſtudy and labour every day how to ſhun all temptations, and prevent all thy ſinnes, thou doſt not go about the cleanſing of thy Family, the purging of thy Houſe, thou wilt not go about it, and therefore the reaſon is, becauſe that thou wilt not. Nay its all one whether thou haſt power yea or no.Tentantes ad Troiam pervenêre Graeci. Theo. To what end ſhould God give thee power? for thou wilt not uſe it. Nay how doſt thou know but when thou goeſt about it, thou mayeſt meet with, though ſome power? but thou wilt not try; cut down thy drunken ſigne, and trye, never let drinking and ſwilling be in thy houſe and trye, ſet up conſtant holy conferences and trye; frequent Prayer in thy Cloſet and trye, &c. But I have tryed againe and againe, and yet it will not do; every day try though, ſi crebro jacias, alias aliud jeceris, though thou haſt thrown the Dye a hundred times, yet next time may be thou ſhalt throw a good caſt; But thou wilt not try. I would have healed Babell, but ſhee would not be healed. The field of the ſlothfull is all growen over with Thornes, and Nettles had covered all the face thereof, and the ſtone wall thereof was broken down, Prov. 24.31. whats the reaſon he hath not a good crop? becauſe the ground would not beare it? no, how does he know? he will not try, hee will not plow it and harrow it, and weed it and manure it, and ſow it, he will not try, therefore tis becauſe hee will not.
3 Demon. They refuſe the help which God offers.3. Demonſtration, God offers thee many good motions of power, I will helpe thee and I will inable thee, and thou wilt not be helped, God caſts in theſe good motions and thou caſts them out. Stand ye in the wayes, and ſo, aske for the old paths and walke therein, and ye ſhall find reſt to your ſoules, but they ſayd we will not walke therein. O do but aske for the good way and labour to walke in it, Jer. 6.16.I'le helpe you and aſſiſt you, but we will not ſay they. I ſet watchmen over you, ſaying, hearken to the ſound of the Trumpet, but they ſayd we will not hearken, verſ. 17. This is plaine Engliſh as we ſay, you will not, ye have preaching every Sabbath and every weeke, but ye will not; God ſends you good motions every day and houre, but ye will not; when a beggar will not be helpt, why does he ſtarve? what becauſe he cannot chuſe? no, he ſtarves becauſe he will ſtarue. O ſayeſt thou, I do heare the word and I cannot heare it better. I do pray dayly and I cannot pray better, &c. thus thou retorteſt upon God, as the unprofitable ſervant, Lo, there, Mat. 25.25thou haſt that is thine; Lo, here's the beſt fayth thy ſpirit helpes me to, here's the beſt obedience, that thy power inabled me to, &c. Lo, there thou haſt that is thine, thou helpeſt me with no more. I was not able to do better, quo ore potes hoc dicere? ſayes Gualter, with what face canſt thou ſay thus? is this all that God hath offred to inable thee? ah thou wilfull creature; The Lord hath offred to helpe thee to a thouſand times more, but thou wouldſt not be helped.
4. Demonſtration,4 Demo. And will not uſe the power wch he hath given. God hath not only offred thee power to do more, and thou wilt not take it, but alſo given thee more power and thou wilt not uſe it, & therefore the reaſon why thou doſt not, is becauſe thou wilt not; God hath given thee one talent of power at the leaſt, why doſt thou not put it out to the merchandizers and occupy with it? foreign ſayes Chry. The power that God hath vouchſaft thee is thy talent. Why didſt thou not imploy it to the utmoſt? every Sermon gives thee new power,Prov. 17.16. a new price? ſo every good counſell gives thee a new power; what art thou better? every bleſſing thou haſt had, gives thee a new power, wherein are thou purer? does God give thee but eyes, thou haſt more power to glorify him, then he that hath not, &c. Every mercy helps thee with new power, but wherein doſt thou uſe it? God hath given thee good memory, how haſt thou ſtuft it? meanes and maintenance: how haſt thou honoured God? why, &c. thine own conſcience accuſeth thee, thou haſt waſted his goods, waſted them upon belly and back, which have devoured more thoughts then ever his worſhip could have; thou haſt waſted them upon thy credit in the World, and thy pleaſure, and thy luſts, and thy fleſhly deſires. How is it that I heare this of thee?Luke 16.2 Thou ſhalt heare one day of this diſmall watchword, give account of thy ſtewardſhip, for thou mayſt be no longer ſteward. What doſt thou talking of thy want of power? I could not do thus, and I could not do that; where are my goods that I lent thee? give account for thy memory. Lord, I remember this and that Tale, this and that Bawble; thou evill and unprofitable ſervant thou, and why couldſt thou not remember my Commandements as well? give account for thy wit. Lord I have contrived buſineſſes, bargaynes with it, I have jeſted, quirped, been merry with it; thou evill and unprofitable ſervant thou, why wouldſt thou not be witty for God and for the good of thy ſoule? &c. God hath given a great deale of more power then ever thou bringeſt to act, and therefore thou art wilfull.
5. Demonſtration,5 Demon. They grow worſe by the means the more power thou haſt to repent, the more thy will is againſt it. The more meanes that God doth vouchſafe, the more Preaching, the more knowledge, the more reproofes, the more inlightnings, the more power thou haſt to repent, Bern.the more thy will is againſt it. Bernard ſayes ſuch a one is a perverſe man, that God is feigne to ſay to, quid faciam tibi? what ſhall I do unto thee? O Ephraim what ſhall I do unto thee? for thy righteouſneſſe goes away like the dew. Hoſ. 6.Hoſ. 6.4. 4. The more meanes thou enjoyeſt, the more thy righteouſneſſe goes away; one would thinke the more the Sunſhine of the Goſpell ariſeth, the more your righteouſneſſe ſhould encreaſe, it goes the more away; like the dew, the more the Sun riſeth, the more it vaniſheth away; like many of you the more preaching you have the farther ye are off, a man might be acquainted with you heretofore, but now that you have been ſoundly rebuked for your ſins, the further you flie of; nay ſome of you that were ſomewhat forward hertofore, are mockers now; ſome of you that were ſomewhat towardly heretofore, are more coveteous and Waſpiſh, and Paſſionate, and Worldly, like the weeds the more they are pluckt up the more they doe grow, or like the Earth the more it is waſhed the dirtier it proves, ſo the more means ye have to be inabled to good, the wilfuller ye are.
6 Demon.6. Demonſtration, becauſe thy cannot is a voluntary cannot;Their cannot is voluntary. A Morall impotency thou haſt wilfully brought the moſt part of thy cannot upon thee. I cannot give to the poore ſayſt thou; yea but thou hadſt it once, and thou haſt wilfully ſpent it, thou hadſt Lands and Meanes and commings in, but thou haſt ſpent it at the Alehouſe; thou haſt conſumed it on the game-houſe. Thus thy cannot is a voluntary cannot; cauſa …auſae eſt cauſa cauſati; thy will was the cauſe of thy cannot, and therefore thy will is the cauſe of thy not giving to the poore. I cannot reade ſayes one, and no marvile if I be ignorant; but thy Parents would have ſet thee to Schoole, and thou wouldſt be a trewant, therefore thou art willingly ignorant; I cannot remember a Sermon ſayes another, no wonder though I repeat it not in my Family, but forget it as I do; but thou haſt willingly ram'd it with matters of the World, or haſt weakened it with drinking, and therefore thou art wilfully forgetfull, &c. The unprofitable ſervant was curſt that had layd up his pound ſafe in a Napkin, hee did not leſſon it,Luke 19.20. Chryſoſt. nor imbezele it, but onelyonly layd it up, and yet hee was curſed becauſe he did not foreign ſayes Chryſoſt. hee was curſed becauſe he d…d not double his pound; ah the wofull eſtate that thou art in! if he were accurſed that did lay up his pound, what ſhall become of thee that doſt leſſen it? hee did not double his abilities, and therefore he was curſed; thou doſt not only not double thy abilities, but thou dost leſſen them. God hath inabled thee to do many a thing, and now thou art not able, thou haſt willingly leſſened thine ability; now then thou canſt not excuſe thy ſelfe that thou canſt not, becauſe thou haſt brought this cannot on thy ſelfe; Thou canſt not weepe at a Sermon but thou couldſt once; thou canſt not reſiſt ſuch a luſt but thou couldſt once, and thou haſt willingly brought this cannot on thy ſoule, and therefore this is all the cauſe becauſe that thou wilt not.
7. Demonſtration, may be thou canſt not,7 Demon. yea, but thou art contented with thy cannot, thou canſt not be holy and thou art contented not to be,They are contented with their cannot. thou canſt not crucify thy luſt, and thou art contented with this cannot, nay thou wouldſt not be able. Sir, I tell you how you may put up this injury if you will; but Sir you ſhall not make me put it up; I will not be directed by you, as it was with deſperate Judah, Je… 5.31.my people love to have it ſo, Thou art carnall, and thou loveſt to be ſo; were a man in the ſtockes and not able to get out, yet if he be contented to be there though he cannot get out, that is not the reaſon of his ſtaying but hee will not; thou canſt not walke humbly and holily, and thou loveſt to have it ſo, what would you have me ſo pure forſooth? So then the reaſon is becauſe that thou wilt not; if thy will were not it, thou wouldſt never be content with thy cannot; the Congregation is bad, and thou Ioveſt to have it ſo, the more cuſtome thou ſhalt have for thy Ale-houſe; like a bad Clerke of the Aſſiſes, I heard one ſpeake it my ſelfe, he was glad there was ſo many Rogues, hee had the more money; ſo ſome of you are glad there be ſo many frequenters of the Ale-bench, yee have the more cuſtome, yee love to have it ſo, ye cannot reforme the ſins of one another, and yee love to have it ſo.
The Preſuppoſitions premiſed, and the Demonſtrations prefixed, it followes now that I lay down the grounds of this neceſſary truth. (Scil.)
The reaſon why a wicked man doth not turne unto God, is not becauſe he cannot (though he cannot) but becauſe he will not.
He cannot ſay this at the day of judgement, Lord, thou knoweſt I left everey ſinne that I could, and I tooke all the beſt courſes that I could to become a new creature, but I could not. A wicked man ſhall not be able to ſay thus without lying. The man in the Goſpel that had not on the Wedding garment, could hee ſay, Lord, I was not able to go to the ſhop of the Goſpel to ſeeke one? No. He was ſpeechleſſe, Mat. 22.12. God finds out the hypocrite, though but one, and when once diſcovered hee is confounded and ſilenced with the guilt of his own wilfulneſſe.