Willful Impenitency, Sermon · Part 8
Having ſhewed you that except your beliefe of this point be rooted in your hearts, yee can never be humbled;
FIrſt, becauſe hereby you excuſe your ſelves from all your tranſgreſſions beſides originall.
Nay ſecondly, yee excuſe your ſelves for your originall ſin too.
Nay thirdly, you make all your ſinnes to be nothing but infirmities, invincible infirmities.
Nay fourthly, you commend your ſelves more then God.
Nay fifthly, you block up the way to the throne of grace.
Nay ſixthly, you caſt all the blame upon God.
Firſt, becauſe you lay the blame upon nature.
Secondly, becauſe you caſt the blame on temptations.
Thirdly, becauſe you lay the blame on the times.
Fourthly, becauſe you lay the blame upon the Commandement.
Nay ſeventhly, you finde fault with all the dealings of God.
Oh take heed then of theſe baſe pleas and pretences; for
That I may interpoſe foure or five particulars unnamed.
Firſt, this ſame pleading is the cauſe why you are lazy and idle in the uſe of the meanes; namely becauſe yee ſuffer your hearts to plead, Oh wee cannot do thus. We cannot beat downe this evill; why did the unjuſt Steward refuſe honeſt labour to worke for his living. J cannot digge ſayes hee, Luke 16.3. therefore hee refuſed to labour; ſo this is the cauſe why yee pray no more, and reforme no more, &c. Yee ſet your hearts thus to pleade, I cannot do it; This is the reaſon why yee are backward to labour; how know yee what may be done if yee would buckle to labour? but alas, J cannot do it ſay you; and therefore yee are dead and dull and ſluggiſh to every good Ordinance. Shake off theſe lazy hearted pleas, otherwiſe yee'l never buckle to labour.
Secondly, this ſame pleading brings up an ill report upon piety and godlineſſe; generally men thinke religion is ſo irckſome, and holineſſe is impoſſible. Wee cannot be Saints, and wee are not able to be ſo holy; theſe pleas bring an evill report on Religion. Like the ſpies that brought an evill report upon Canaan. Num. 13.23. What ſayes the Text in the verſe going before? we be not able to get it, ſay they, verſe 31. this made the reſt of the people thinke hardly of their going into Canaan; they generally thought it was to very little end. Oh they were not able to winne it; ſo yee bring an evill report upon the Heavenly Canaan, the fleſh is too ſtrong, the divell too ſtrong, temptations too ſtrong, and its impoſſible to grapple with them all, wee are not able to get maſtery. I ſay this brings up an evill report on Religion, yee diſcourage one another. I cannot get quickning, and I cannot deny my ſelfe. Yee bring up an evill report upon theſe duties, and yee are guilty of the evill report that goes up and down.
Thirdly, this ſame pleading is a murmuring against God. q. d. why d…es God give mee ſuch Commandements, that I cannot obſerve? Why does he charge mee to root out a luſt that I cannot root out? this is to murmur againſt God. Like thoſe murmuring Diſciples in the Goſpell, when they were told they muſt feed upon Chriſt, and as the body feeds upon meate, ſo your ſoules muſt feede upon Chriſt; this is a hard ſaying, who can heare it ſay they? Christ conſtrued this ſpeech to be murmuring, Joh. 6.60.61. Wee cannot do this, and this is ſo hard we are not able to do it. The Text ſayes it was murmuring, when Jeſus knew in himſelfe that his Diſciples murmured at it; that pleading of a cannot was a murmuring. So when thou grumbleſt on this manner I cannot walk thus, I cannot believe thus, &c. this is to murmur againſt God, nay this will bring thee to Apoſtacy at laſt, if thou ſuffer thy heart to plead thus. May be now thou art a forward profeſſor, yet beeſt thou never ſo forward, and favoureſt any luſt, and I cannot give it over, I cannot root it out, &c. I ſay this will breake thy neck at the laſt, if thou doſt not looke to it. So it was with thoſe forenamed Diſciples, they were very forward Profeſſors, for they were the Diſciples of Chriſt ſayes the Text; yet thoſe Diſciples, they went away back and walked no more with Chriſt, verſ. 66. their pleading of their cannots, drove them to Apoſtacy; they went away back. So thou wilt goe away back, and fall into Apoſtacy if thou ſuffer thy heart to ſtand pleading of cannots in this manner.
Fourthly, this is the ſawſieſt excuſe of all excuſes, many ſinners excuſe their own ſelves, but there is more mannerlineſſe in all their excuſes; I pray thee have mee excuſed ſayes one. I have bought five yoake of Oxen, and I pray thee have mee excuſed; ſayes the other, I have bought a purchaſe, I pray thee have mee excuſed. Theſe though wretched excuſers and turned out from all mercy, yet they were ſomewhat more mannerly; but I cannot come, ſayeſt thou; I have married a Wife, and J cannot come, Luke 14.20. this is a moſt ſawcy excuſe, thou telleſt Chriſt in plaine termes, I cannot come, q.d. yee may even ſave your labour to invite, for this is the ſhort and long, as we ſay, I cannot come. This I put in only by the by.
I ſhewed you ſome of the deceits of the heart in pleading theſe cannots.
Firſt, How it lies unto God.
Secondly, how it dallies with God.
Thirdly, how hereby it puts off the word.
And then I ſhewed you the ſtrong reaſon we have to be humbled under theſe will-nots.
Firſt, becauſe heere cheifly lies the pride of the heart, not in mens Cannots, but in their will-nots, Jer. 13.17.
Secondly, here lies cheifly the hardning of the heart, Ex. 9.34.35.
Thirdly, here lies cheifly the ſtubborneneſſe of the heart, Deut. 21.18.
Fourthly, here lies chiefly the greateſt deſpiſing of the Commandements of God, Levit 26.15.
Fifthly, now to go on, here lies the reaſon why Divines ſay that the converſion of a ſinner is a harder worke then the Creation of Heaven and Earth; for thus they do reaſon. When God created Heaven and Earth, hee had nothing to reſiſt him; as hee had nothing to helpe him, (he made all of nothing) ſo he had nothing to reſiſt him. There was but one difficulty in the creation of Heaven and Earth; but in the converſion of a ſinner there be two difficulties.
Firſt, here is the ſame difficulty that was in creation, for God makes a Convert of nothing; he had nothing to helpe him, not one thought, not one deſire, not one good inclination, and therefore the Scripture calles it a new creation;Note. whoſoever is in Chriſt is a new creature, 2 Cor 5.17. that is, is created anew. And therefore, there was nothing praeixiſtent, no not one thought, all the thoughts of men are onelyonly evill, and that continually. So there is the ſame difficulty, that was in the Creation of Heaven and Earth; and then
Secondly, there is another difficulty more then there was in the Creation; for as there was nothing praexiſtent to helpe, ſo there was nothing to reſiſt. But here is ſomething to reſiſt, the will it reſiſteth; now the Cannot does not reſiſt. No, the beſtowing of the new powers is no more then another Creation. But the changing of the will is more then another Creation; for the will it reſiſteth, yea and it ſets all the ſoule a reſiſting. Carnall reaſon reſiſteth, carnall deſires they reſiſt, all the ſoule it reſiſteth; and the greateſt reſiſtance of all is the reſiſtance of the will; for the will is the utmoſt ſtrength of the ſoule. And therefore here lies the infinite difficulty of the converſion of a ſinner, namely in the turning of the will; it requireth more power, then was required to the creation of Heaven and Earth. God puts himſelfe forth more when hee converteth a ſinner, then when hee created a World; and therefore the Scripture calles the day of converſion of mens wills, the day of his power. Thy people ſhall be willing in the day of thy power, Pſal. 110 3. In the day of thy power; marke; its called a day of Gods power, when hee converteth a people to be willing. Why? becauſe the will did reſiſt him;Note. nay God had his owne ſelfe to reſiſt him, anger ſteps in his way to reſiſt him. Convert him not Lord, his wilfulneſſe hath anger'd thee; Juſtice ſtept in to reſiſt him, ſave him not Lord, his ſinnes have diſhonoured thee. Nay, he had his mercy to reſiſt him; mercy ſteps in, Lord hee hath abuſed mee, ſave him not. Indeed had a ſinner yeilded as ſoone as hee ſinned, mercy would not reſiſt him; but mercy had bee dealing with him, and hee abuſed all mercy. And therefore hee had mercy to reſiſt, nay and wiſdome one would thinke to reſiſt too, what a wilfull foole? pitty him not Lord. There is no reaſon hee ſhould be pitied, if hee will periſh let him periſh. I ſay in the converſion of a ſinner, as there was nothing to aſſiſt him, ſo there was all to reſiſt. The will does reſiſt him, nay God had himſelfe as I may ſo ſpeake to reſiſt him; yea, and mercy to reſiſt him; it was not ſo in the Creation of Heaven and Earth. The creature had never provoked God not to create it; but the ſinner hath provoked God never to convert him, ſo that now God muſt have power over himſelfe if hee meane to convert him. Oh then what infinite reaſon haſt thou to be humbled; thou reſiſteſt God, as Stephen told the Jewes, you have alwayes reſiſted the Holy Ghoſt, Acts 7.51. ſo thou haſt reſisted Gods ſpirit, yea, thy will does reſiſt him, and that is the ſtrongeſt thing to reſiſt in the World. His word comes to convert thee, and thou doſt reſiſt his motions, his mercies, his corrections, his ordinances and all holy meanes to convert thee, thou doſt reſiſt them; nay his ſpirit contendeth within thee, and thou d…ſt reſiſt him.
I gave you five things to conſider, what it is to ſticke at your wil nots. I beſeech you conſider yet further,
Firſt, If you will not, Gods Miniſters have diſcharged their duties, and have left your blood on your owne heads; they can goe no further if you will not: the Groome can but carry the Steed unto watering as we ſay, if he will not drinke he cannot helpe it; ſo they can't helpe it, your blood lies upon your owne heads, they have diſcharged their duties. When Abrahams ſervant objected, and how if the woman will not? Abraham he anſwers, if the woman will not be willing, then thou ſhalt be cleare from my oath. Gen. 24.8. So Lord, how if they will not? may we ſay, nay if they will not, let them chuſe, thou art cleare; the Lord hath ſworne us to preach, and teach, and exhort, and reprove, and invite you to grace; but if we doe ſo, and you will not, we can't helpe it, your blood is on your owne heads; wee have diſcharged our oath and our duty, we would be glad that you would; but if now you will not, we have diſcharged our duties. Nay,
Secondly, if you will not, the Goſpel hath delivered its errand, yee are guilty of your owne everlaſting perdition; the Goſpel hath delivered its meſſage, and this is the meſſage, Whoſoever will, let him take of the water of life freely, Revelat. 22.17. This meſſage hath been delivered to you often; its the laſt exhortation in the whole Bible: Note.like one in the evening of the market, he is even about to take downe his ſtanding; I have told you my loweſt price, if you will have it, take it; if not, chuſe, I muſt be gone. So this is the end of Gods booke; as if he ſhould ſay, I am even a cloſing up my booke, ſpeake quickly, if yee will, come, and welcome; but if not, I am gone. If yet you will not, you will not ſubmit; nay but you will have your luſts, and your ſtomackes will not come downe, you will not ſtirre a jot beyond your painted civility and formality; you will not be more conſcionable then you have been, nor frequent holy duties more then you have done: nor get more holineſſe then you have done, then if Will will have will, Will muſt winne woe; the Goſpel hath delivered its meſſage.
Nay,
Thirdly, if you will not; the blood of Jeſus Chriſt hath done that it came for: it came to tender you mercy upon very eaſie termes; to offer you grace and pardon, and ſalvation and Heaven, and all upon very free coſt. If you had rather that ſinne ſhould be your maſter, then that Chriſt ſhould be your maſter; if you will not hearken and obey, I ſay the blood of Chriſt hath done that which it came for; and your ſoules ſhall know yee ſhall be worſe offered: you have knowledge of the truth, Chriſt hath offered you very faire, and you cannot but know it, and yet you will not ſubmit to it; aſſure your ſelves you ſhall be worſe offered: for next to your wil nots, comes Chriſt leaving you deſolate. As Chriſt told Jeruſalem, I would, but you would not; what followes? Behold your houſe is left unto you deſolate, Mat. 23.37.38. So Chriſt would, and you would not; he he hath given you gracious offers, but you will not: therefore you may look to be worſe offered, your ſoules to be deſolate. Nay,
Fourthly, If you will not, yee murder your own ſoules; when a man hath murdred himſelfe, the Coroner comes and he does ſit on him, and he enquires and he examines, and who hath murthered this man? and when he findes that it was himſelfe that did murther him, ſo he concludes, and that man is branded for murthering of himſelfe; ſo you murther your owne ſoules. The Jewes their ſoules were all murdred; well, when the Coroner ſate on them, he concluded they had murdred themſelves: O Iſrael thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelfe, Hoſ. 13.9. So if the Coroner ſet on thee, its moſt certaine he ſhall finde thou haſt murdred thine owne ſelfe; O what a company of you is there, your ſoules are quite murdred; one in one ſinne, another in another; who hath murdred theſe men? not God, he was ready to helpe them: not the Miniſter, he did uſe all meanes to ſave them; he hath not been wanting to teach them and exhort them. No, your own ſelves have murdred your ſelves; you would be carnall, and you would be proud, and you would not lie downe to the word: when the Coroner ſits on you, he muſt neceſſarily conclude, you have murdred your ſelves; your owne wils have condemned you.
You remember what exhortations we gave you. As ever you regard mercy to humble your ſoules, we told you the firſt queſtion Chriſt askes, is, if yee be willing, as he ask'd the blind man, what wilt thou? Luke. 18.41. if thou beeſt not willing, hee'l never take thee in hand: the ſubjects of the kingdome of grace muſt be willing. Chriſt will never come into a ſoule, where his will may be affronted by another;Caelum non patitu… duos ſole…. Heaven cannot beare two ſunnes, nor one hearts two wills: if thy will be not crucified, and made agreeable to Chriſts, Chriſt cannot dwell in thy heart; there would be two contrary wills in one heart; and this cannot be: if Chriſt come; he will have theſe and theſe luſts turned away, which thou wouldeſt faine keepe; he will have this done and that done, and thou wilt not: two contrary wills can never ſtand together. No, if thy will be contrary to Chriſt, Chriſts Will, wil be contrary to thine; if thy will be to do that which will offend him, his Will will be to doe that which will vex thee; If ye will walke contrary to me, I will alſo walke contrary to you, Levit. 26.23.24. No, no, your wils they muſt bow, or Chriſt wil not take you in hand; the wil is the general preſuppoſition of all the whole goſpel: Note.the ſumme of the whole Goſpel is this, to deny a mans ſelfe and take up Chriſts croſſe and ſo follow him; now ſee the wil is preſuppoſed as ready; if any man wil come after me, let him deny himſelf, &c. Luke. 9.23. ne're a commandment of the goſpel, ne're a promiſe, ne're an one paſſage but preſuppoſes the wil; Chriſt will not open his mouth except thy will be brought downe.
An awakening hint, for …here deemed of the Lord.A few words to you that are the redeemed of Lord, and ſo Ile make a concluſion of all. I pray God ſmite home this point into your hearts; for though your wils be tamed and ſubdued in regard of the wicked, you doe not ſtand out as they doe, nevertheleſſe obſerve you this point: ther's many a Canaanite that remaines ſtill in our boſomes, that we may thanke our owne wils for not rooting out. We doe not put our ſelves forth ſo much as we might, nor labour in the Lord ſo ſeriouſly as we might, nor walk ſo cloſe as we might; oh beloved theſe theſe ſame wil nots doe us all the miſchiefe that ever is done us. For
Firſt,Note. Wee never ſinne againſt goſpel but onelyonly upon wil nots; indeed we ſinne againſt the law in every of our cannots, but we never ſinne againſt the Goſpel, but onelyonly in our wil nots. The goſpel requires nothing of a believer, but that which it gives him, and therefore we never ſinne againſt the goſpel, but onelyonly in our wil nots: this is the voice of the goſpel foreign if any man will, Iohn. 7.17. Oh then let us ſtirre up our ſelves, ſhall we ſinne againſt goſpel? and ſin againſt mercy?
Secondly, We can never diſpleaſe God but onelyonly upon wil nots. I ſpeake onelyonly upon Gods people; we can never ſtaine our acceptance with God, but onelyonly in our wil nots; though we cannot but ſinne in our prayers, but ſinne in our duties, but ſin in every thing that we doe▪ yet this does not ſtaine our acceptance with God, nor blemiſh it one whit, when God hath our wills: for if there be a willing minde, it is accepted according to that which a man hath, and not according to that which a man hath not, 2 Cor. 8.12. But when God would have us mend this, and we will not; and reforme that and we will not; we let ſecurity and ſloth breake in to our wils, here and here onelyonly doe wee deſpleaſe our good God, this is a maine thing to conſider; is there but one thing wherein we may diſpleaſe God, and ſhall we not take heed of that!
Thirdly, Conſcience can never condemne us but onelyonly upon wil nots; when a child of God ſinnes, and he cannot otherwiſe chooſe, his conſcience can never condemne him. A child of Gods cannots, be they never ſo many, nay if they were millions more then they are, they never hinder ſincerity; ſincerity is rooted onelyonly in the will, it is our wil not that is the breach of ſincerity, and therefore here onelyonly the conſcience condemnes; does our conſcience reproach us in our wayes? let us thanke our wil nots for this; have we little peace? it is becauſe o' the rebellion of our wil nots. Ah, ah, this is an infinite evill, for it hinders our comforts, it hinders our boldneſſe of acceſſe to the throne of Gods grace, it hinders our patience, and every good duty, this does us infinite hurt; it ſtabbes to the heart, and wounds our very ſoule, when our conſcience affordeth little peace, O it hinders very grievouſly; all this is long of our wil nots, becauſe wee will not be ſo carefull and ſo circumſpect as we might.
Fourthly, God can never be angry with us but onelyonly upon wil nots; its true as long as a man is not in Chriſt, all the ſcore ſtands, and God is angry for all; but God is angry for nothing but wil nots in his children, as Nehemiah ſaies of Gods people in Judah, they would not heare, therefore God gave them up into the hand of the people of the land, Nehem. 9.30. God is not angry with his people for cannots, but onelyonly for their wil nots; it is for our wilnots that God does not ſo goe out with our Miniſters, nor ſo quicken his word to your hearts.Note. It is for our wil nots that he threatens our land, and beginnes to abridge us of our ſpirituall food, and ſhewes ominous ſignes of his departing away from us, and are wee not even ſicke unto death for theſe Will nots? We complaine of our deadneſſe, and what trow wee is the cauſe, but our wil nots? we complaine of our corruptions and of the leaneneſſe of our ſoules, and whom may we thanke, but our wil nots? we might grow more then we doe, what lets us, but our wil nots? What makes ſome of us goe downe the winde? as we ſay; but becauſe we will not ſtand on our guards. Theſe, theſe, brethren, theſe wil nots of ours, are the reaſon why God is provoked againſt us. O let us put forth our ſelves, and ſhake of theſe wil nots, leaſt anger breake out, and there be no remedy; for ones crooked ſervant to be ſtubborne, it is but his kinde: but for ones childe to be ſtubborne, this angers the father indeed.
FINIS.
ERRATA.
PAge 9. line 4. for yet read get, p. 44. l. 15. blot out then, p. 55. l. 18. for charme, r. c…urne, l. 19. for charmer, r. churner, p. 61. l. 34. r. will, p. 63. l. 8. r. hath, p. 66. l. 1. for thoſe from, r. from thoſe, p. 68. l. 4. for couſe r. courſe, p. 81. l. 16. for minius r. minus, p. 81. l. 22. for fourthly r. thirdly, p. 82. l. 24. for way r. away, p. 86. l. 8. for …pight r. upright, p. 87. l. 9. for avide r. avoide, p. 88. l. 27. for the lacke r. of the lacke, l. 28. blot out thereof, p. 89. l. 23. for deede r. …eede, p. 103. l. 22. for yet r. get.
End of the text · William Fenner, Willful Impenitency (1648)