The Natural Mans Case, Part 1 · Sermon 12
SERMON, XII.
EPHES. 2. 12.
—Having no hope—
WE come now to the third Queſton, which is this (Que.) Queſt. 3.What is the reaſon (ſeeing the Scripture ſayes that a wicked man hath no hope) that of all the men in the world, wicked men doe nouriſh greateſt hopes for heaven in their hearts?
Anſw. In reſolving this Queſtion, I ſhall Anſw.lay you down five falſe pillars or props, Five falſe props of a wicked mans hope.that doe bear up and nouriſh the hopes of wicked men, and as I name them to you, I ſhall ſhew you the rottenneſſe, and deceitfulneſſe, and inſufficiency of them, for any man to build hopes of heaven upon.
1. The firſt prop that wicked men doe build hopes of heaven upon is this, becauſe they have committed but ſmal ſins in their life time, and becauſe they have not run out into the commiſſion of ſuch groſſe and ſcandalous ſins in the world as other men have, therefore ſay they, ſurely we have ſome ground to hope for heaven; it is true, we are ſinners, but my ſins are but ordinary ſmall ſins and frailties, they are not ſinnes of a double die, juſt as the Phariſee ſayes, Lord I thank thee that I am Luk. 18. 11.not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican, becauſe he was not as bad as other men, therefore hee thought he had a right and title to heaven, becauſe they are not as bad as the worſt, therefore they think themſelves as good as the beſt; now I ſhall ſhew you the weakneſſe and rottenneſſe of this pillar for any man to build hopes of heaven upon, and that in theſe five particulars.
1. You that make this a ground to build hopes for heaven upon, let me tell you thus much, that there are many men in the world that have kept themſelves from great and crying ſins, and yet remain in an unconverted eſtate: for inſtance, you may ſee this in Paul, in Phil. 3. 6. he tels us, That according to the Law he was Phil. 3. 6.blameleſſe, there was no command of God in the let t… of it, that he was guilty of the breach of, he was no ſwearer, nor lyer, nor ſtealer, nor drunkard, nor adulterer, &c. he was guilty of no great and groſſe …, and yet Paul he had nothing to plead for heaven for him, if he had not had the righteouſneſſe of Jeſus Chriſt to plead for him. Sayes the young man to Chriſt, What Mat. 19. 18, 19, 20.ſhall I doe to inherit eternall life? Chriſt tels him that he ſhould not do any murther, nor commit adultery, nor ſteal, nor hear falſe witneſs, honor thy Father and Mother, and love thy neighbour as thy ſelf; the young man anſwered and ſaid, all theſe things have I kept from my youth up: and Jeſus looked upon him and loved him, and pitied him, that ſuch an ingenuous and blameleſſe man as he was ſhould yet go to hell; this man did not break the Law of God in the letter of it, but yet he went away ſorrowfull, when Chriſt bad him go & ſell all that he had and give to the poor, the young man went away ſorrowfull, for he had great poſſeſſions; then ſays Chriſt, How hardly ſhall a rich man enter into the Kingdom of heaven! and ſo the proud Phariſee that boaſted himſelf over the poor Publican; yet this man went away juſtified and not the other.
2. You that make ſmall ſins a prop to build hopes of heaven upon, it may be though your ſins are little and ſmall, yet what they want in bulk and magnitude, they may make up in number; and many ſmall ſins are more dangerous then one great ſin, many ſmall ſcars upon the heart with a penknife is as bad as a thruſt with a ſword: it may be with thee in this regard, as it is in Arithmetick, many ſmall duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page figures, amount to a greater ſum, then a few great figures do, four ſmall figures make a greater ſum then three great figures, ſo many ſmall ſins will do thee more harm then a few great ſins? if what your ſins do want in bulk and magnitude, you make it up in their number and multitude, you are as liable to damnation as if you had committed great and crying ſins; though you have not committed adultery in your life time, yet it may be you have had many ſinfull and unclean thoughts in your heart; and though you have not been guilty of murder, yet it may be you have had many revengefull thoughts in you, which is as bad as murther and ſo of any other ſins.
3. You that plead exemption and freedom from great ſins, to be a prop to build hopes for heavē upon, know thus much; that ſmal ſins are more capable of great aggravations, then great ſins are, as I ſhall ſhew you in theſe 3. particulars, wherin ſmal ſins do admit of greater aggravations then great ſins.
1. Smal ſins are committed moſt commonly with more complacency and leſſe reluctancy, then great ſins are; unclean thoughts do pleaſe the heart and tickle the fancy, and content the minde of a man, and are committed with a great deal more complacency & delight, and leſſe reluctancy; who would ſtrain at a gnat? Now it layes your ſouls upon more guilt when you commit the ſmalleſt ſins with delight and contentment, and ſatisfaction, then if you did commit great and groſs ſins, if you labor to reſiſt them, and ſtrive againſt them.
2. Thou committeſt ſmall ſinnes with more ſecurity, and leſſe penitency, then great ſins; when a man commits a great and ſcandalous ſin, he is ſenſible of what he hath done, and layes it to heart, and is aſhamed of it and muſt repent of it, or elſe it will be a ſhame to him all his life long; but he can venture upon a ſmall ſin, & never be troubled at it, nor grieved for it, he can cōmit a ſmal ſin with a great deal of ſecurity, & impenitency, ſo that hereby they do the ſoul more wrong then great ſins.
3. You are apt to run into ſmall ſinnes with more frequency then you commit great ſins, for they are ſo open to the reproof of the Word, and ſo obvious to the eyes of all men, that you cannot find opportunities to commit them ſo often, whereas ſmall ſins you commit again and again, and one day after another, and a thouſand times in one day, and yet never take notice of them, and therefore this may convince you, that your exemption from great ſins, can be no ſufficient ground to build your hopes for heaven upon.
4. You that build your hopes for heaven upon this ground, becauſe your ſins are none of the greateſt, let me tell you, that the ſmalleſt ſins that ever you committed in all your life time, without repentance on thy part, and ſatisfaction on Chriſts part, will forever keep thy ſoul out of heaven, if you repent peradventure you ſhall be pardoned, the ſmalleſt ſins cannot be forgiven, without the bloud of Chriſt to waſh them away, for without the ſhedding of bloud there is no remiſſion: and thus I have ſhewed the inſufficiency and deceitfulneſſe of the firſt prop that wicked men do build their hopes for heaven upon, we come now to the ſecond.
2. But ſayes a wicked man, I have heard and read of thoſe, that have committed far greater and more crying ſins then ever I have been guilty of, and yet they hoped for heaven, and are gone to heaven, and therefore why ſhould not I hope for heaven as well as they? I read of David that committed Adultery, and of Noahs drunkenneſſe, and Pauls perſecuting Chriſt, and Peters denying of him, and divers others, and yet theſe men are gone to heaven, and why may not I as well as they? Concerning this plea of wicked men I ſhall give you theſe three things by way of anſwer.
1. You that make this a ground for your hope, you do pervert the end for which God hath recorded the examples of his ſervants in Scripture, for God did not record them there, to be a provocation to thee to goe on preſumptuouſly in ſinning againſt him, but meerly to be a reſtraint and caveat to keep thee from falling into the ſame ſins, which they did; if Noah, and Lot, and David, and Peter, &c. ſuch holy and excellent men as theſe, had their failings, and did commit great and groſſe ſins, oh then let me take heed leſt I am overtaken, and fall into the ſame ſins; this is the uſe that we ſhould make of the failings of other man, as in 1 Cor. 10. 11. All 1 Cor. 10. 11.things are written for our example, to admoniſh us upon whom the ends of the world are come, 1. Tim. 1. 16.and in 1 Tim. 1. 16. ſayes the Apoſtle, Iobtained mercy, that I might be an example to all that ſhould hereafter beleeve in Jeſus Christ.
2. You that make the ſins of other men, that have obtained mercy, to be a ground to build your hopes of heaven upon, let me ask you this Queſtion; you that do fall into the ſame ſins with Noah, or David, or Peter, do you repent with them too? it is true, Noah did fall once into the ſin of drunkenneſs, but yet the Scripture records this of him, that he was an upright man in his generation: and ſo David, though he did once defile his bed, yet afterwards he repented of it, and made his couch to ſwim with tears for it: ſo Peter after he had denyed Chriſt, he went out and wept bitterly for it; but I ſay, what is all this to thee, that doeſt make a trade of ſin, and fall into groſſe ſins every day, time after time, and yet never mourn and grieve for them, as David did for his ſin, nor weep bitterly for them with Peter, what plea can this be for thee, to encourage thee to hope for heaven?
3. Know this further, that a godly man may fall into the ſame ſins that others fall into, for the matter of them, but not for the manner, now it is the manner of falling into ſin, and not the matter of it that dams a man; it is true, Noah did fall into the ſin of drunkenneſſe, but I ſhall diſtinguiſh Noah from any wicked drunkard in the world, and that in theſe five particular conſiderations, as
1. Noah was drunk, but it was before he did know that wine would make him drunk, and if you read the ſtory you ſhall finde, that there was never any wine drunk till that time, for Noah did then begin to be a husbandman, and did plant a Vineyard; but now there is never a one of you but doe very well know that wine and ſtrong beer and the like, will intoxicate you, and yet you will not refrain from exceſſe in drinking; there is a great deal of difference between you and Noah.
2. Noah was drunk, but he did not proclaim his drunkenneſſe, but the text ſayes he went into his tent and ſlept, he was aſhamed Gen. 9.of what he had done, but now you proclaim your ſin, and ſwear, and ſtare, and commit many other ſins in your drunkenneſſe.
3. It is true, Noah was drunk, but you never read that he was drunk any more then once, but you are drunk again and again, one day after another.
4. Though he did once fall into this ſin, yet for the ordinary courſe and practiſe of his life, he was an upright man in his Generation, whereas it may be your ordinary and frequent practiſe is drunkenneſſe.
5. Noah was an aged man, and in this regard his age might call for more wine and ſtrong liquor to chear up his ſpirits, then young people do want; ſo that all theſe conſiderations do little mitigate, and allay Noahs fault, though it be not wholly excuſable.
An ſo likewiſe David he committed the ſin of adultery, he wallowed in an unclean bed, but yet his ſin likewiſe may admit of ſome extenuation and excuſe, as
1. David when he came up to the houſe top, he little dream't to have ſeen a naked woman there, which was a very great temptation to him, but it may be ſome of you do ſeek occaſion, and contrive and plot how you may commit ſuch a ſin.
2. David did fall into this ſinne neither but once, you ſhall commonly finde that godly men fall into great ſins but once, they take warning by the firſt tranſgreſſion, and ſeldome fall into the ſame ſinne again, but now it may be you live in unclean thoughts and actions all your life long, and therefore this can be no prop for your hopes.
3. Though David did fall into this ſin, yet he did not continue in it long, for it was but nine moneths between Nathan the Prophets coming to David, and telling and reproving him for his ſin, and the time that he fell into it; but alas ſome of you it may be are Adulterers of nine years ſtanding, there are many amongſt us that are old adulterers, and yet never had a melting and ſorrowfull heart for their ſins, that never wept as David did, nor mourn as he mourned.
And ſo Peter he fell into a ſin of denying his Lord and Maſter; but,
1. He was reſolved, and did verily purpoſe before, to have confeſſed and not to have denyed him, and yet when the Damſell came to him, and told him, that he was one of thoſe that were with Chriſt, & Peter conceiving it may be that they would have put him to death and crucified him, as well as Chriſt, upon this ſodaine ſurpriſe (which was a very great temptation to him,) he denyed Chriſt, And
2. Though he denyed him thrice, yet afterwards he did confeſſe him as often as he denyed him, for when Chriſt asked him, Simon Peter loveſt thou me, he anſwered Chriſt three times, Lord thou knoweſt that I love thee.
3. Peter denyed Chriſt, but yet afterward he went out and wept bitterly for it, and therefore his obtaining mercy can be no ground for your hopes, that never yet repented of any of the ſins you have committed, and thus you ſee that the falling of theſe three godly men into great ſinnes can be no prop to bear up your hopes for heaven.
I ſhall now ſhew you more particularly that though the godly do fall into ſinne, yea even the ſame ſinnes for the matter of them, as you do, yet they do not fall into them in the ſame manner, As
1. If a godly man fall into ſin it is unwittingly and unawares; in Gal. 6. 1. ſayes the Apoſtle, if any man be overtaken with a fault. A godly man he runs away with all the ſpeed he can from a ſin and temptation, but ſometimes it overtakes him againſt his will, but now a wicked man he runs after ſin, and overtaketh it, he ſins with ſet purpoſe of heart, He plots miſchief Pſal. 36. 4.upon his bed, and ſets himſelf in a way that is not good.
2. A godly man fals into ſin ſometimes, but it is with reluctancy and oppoſition, the Spirit ſtriveth againſt the fleſh; there is an oppoſing, and ſtriving againſt ſin, they are not like cowards, but will fight as long as they can hold their weapon in their hands, but now wicked men they commit ſin with greedineſſe, with delight and complacency, without any reluctancy at all.
3. Every ſinne that a godly man committeth, maketh him more carefull and watchfull for the time to come: thus it was with David, Pſal. 38. the title of it, compared with Pſal. 39. 1. The Pſal. 38.title of Pſal. 38. is called a Pſalm of David to bring to remembrance, the ſubject matter of this Pſalme was to bring Davids ſinne to his remembrance, and having ſpent this, in remembring his ſins, in the firſt words of the next Pſalme, ſayes he, I have ſinned, Pſal. 39.but I will take heed to my wayes, that I offend not with my tongue, after he had called to remembrance his ſins paſt, then he reſolved with himſelf to ſtrive againſt them in time to come. A godly man never fals into a ſin once, but he fears to fall into the ſame ſin ever after.
A godly man though he fals into ſin ſometimes, yet he will at length get the upper hand of ſin; though for the preſent he be not able to grapple with ſin, yet he will overcome it at laſt, Grace will out grow ſinne, and get the victory over it; and thus I have ſhewed you the ſecond prop that wicked men build their hopes for heaven upon; we come now to a third and that is this;
If you beat them off from the two former, then they flie to the mercies of God; Oh ſay they, God is a very mercifull God, and I hope he that made me will ſave me, and that I ſhall goe to heaven as well as other men, and the like. Now I doe not deny but the mercies of God is the chiefeſt prop under heaven, that a man can build his hopes for heaven upon, but here I ſhall ſhew you the rottenneſſe of this prop likewiſe in four or five regards, and that the mercies of God in generall are no ſufficient ground at all, to build thy hopes for heaven upon, unleſſe thou canſt lay claim to the mercies of God in particular, for if you build your hopes upon the mercies of God in generall,
1. The Devils and damned ſpirits may then hope as well as you.
2. The common and outward mercies of God can be no good prop, to build hopes for heaven upon, unleſſe you can lay claime to the ſaving and diſtinguiſhing mercies of God; the common outward mercies of God wicked men may have, for God is good to al, and his tender mercy is over all his Workes, the Devils ſhare in the common mercies of God as well as others; but theſe generall mercies of God are no prop to build hopes for heaven upon, unleſſe you can build upon the ſaving and diſtinguiſhing mercies of God, as David prayes, Shew mercy unto me O God, (ſayes he) with the mercy which thou beareſt to thy own childeen; it muſt be electing, redeeming, ſanctifying, and ſaving mercies that you muſt build your hopes for heaven upon.
3. The generall mercies of God can be no ground of your hopes, unleſſe you have an intereſt in Jeſus Chriſt: for God is cloathed with greatneſſe, and terrour, and dread, and wrath out of Chriſt; there is nothing to be looked upon but anger and wrath in God without Jeſus Chriſt. There were two lawes that God did make concerning the Mercy-ſeat.
1. The High Prieſt was not upon pain Lev. 13 4.of death to come to the Mercy-ſeat, unleſſe he brought incenſe with him; now what does this ſignifie to us? why, it repreſents the interceſſion of Chriſt, that as Aaron was not to come to the Mercy-ſeat without incenſe, ſo neither can we goe to the Throne of Grace to beg mercy from God, with any hope of audience or acceptance, unleſſe we carry incenſe with us, which is the Lord Jeſus Chriſt to plead for us.
2. Aaron was to ſprinkle the Mercy-ſeat with bloud; which typifies to us, that we are not to expect mercy from God, but as we have an intereſt in the bloud of Chriſt.
4. To you that build your hopes for heaven upon the mercies of God in generally, let me tell you that God is not prodigall of his ſpeciall mercies, as to beſtow them upon all the world, but only upon a ſelect number of men: he will have mercy Luk. 1. 50.onelyonly on them that fear him; as for the wicked thoſe that run on in their ſins, the Lord ſayes himſelf, that though he hath made them yet he will have no mercy on them; the mercies of God in generall are no ſufficient props to build hopes for heaven upon.
Ob. But here me thinks I hear ſome kind Object.of people ready to object againſt me, and ſay, What, doe you go about to beat us off from our hopes of heaven? would you bereave us of our hopes and drive us into deſpair?
1. To this I anſwer, that all you that Anſw. 1.have good and well grounded hopes for heaven, I would not for all the World, ſtagger your hopes; but as the great windes doe commonly root up, and blow down the ſmaller ſhrubs, but doe ſettle and root the ſtronger Oakes the faſter into the ground; ſo I would have all that I have ſaid this day concerning the vain & deceitfull hopes of wicked men, to confirm and eſtabliſh your hopes and make them grow ſtronger and ſtronger.
2. God forbid, that this ſhould be in my heart, to drive any of you to deſpair; doe not think that my aim in what hath been ſaid is to make any of you fall into deſperation, but to keep you up and prevent you from falling into preſumption, which is the more dangerous errour of the two, becauſe where the rock of deſperation hath ſplit thouſands, the rock of preſumption hath ſplit its ten thouſands.
3. My intention in what hath been ſaid, is not to make you caſt away all your hopes for heaven, but only your falſe and ill grounded hopes; I would have you to pull down all your tottering hopes, and to build them upon a more ſure foundation; Jeſus Chriſt himſelf being the chiefe corner ſtone.