The Wedding Supper, Sermon 10
The Tenth Sermon.
Matth. 22.13.14.
Then ſaid the King unto his Servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and caſt him into outer darkneſs; there ſhall be weeping, and gnaſhing of teeth. For many are called, but few are choſen.
THeſe verſes now read unto you (as hath been formerly ſhewed) do contain in them, the Commiſſion given by the King, for the execution of that unworthy profeſſor, that was gotten in among Gods People, and had no Grace in his heart: which is the third particular, firſt noted to be in this laſt head. viz. The proceeding of the Lord againſt the unworthy Gueſt.
We have ſpoken already of his charge; and that, both of the matter of it, that he came into the marriage without a wedding garment; and alſo of the manner of the Lords dealing with him, calling him friend by an Irony. As i… the King ſhould ſay, Friend, what make you here? I ſee you pretend to be one of mine; but how is it that you come in hither not having a wedding garment?
We have alſo ſpoken, Secondly, of his Conviction, and he was ſpeechleſs.
Thirdly, We have begun to ſpeak of his execution, out of theſe verſes now again read unto you. In which we have noted
Firſt, The Commiſſion it ſelf in the 13. verſe.
Secondly, The ground or reaſon of it, ver. 14.
Again in the Commiſſion, we have obſerved, and fully handled, the circumſtantial part of it; And are now (the Lord aſſiſting) to proceed, and to ſpeak of the ſubſtance of the Commiſſion, out of theſe words, Bind him hand and foot, &c.
Wherein two things are ſet forth.
Firſt, The manner of his puniſhment: bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and caſt him into outer darkneſs.
Secondly, The condition of this poor wretch under his puniſhment, ſad enough, wofull enough, in theſe words, There ſhall be weeping and gnaſhing of teeth.
We will begin with the manner of his puniſhment, laid forth under a continued Metaphor, taken from the manner of dealing uſed among men with groſs and heynous offenders, who being found guilty, are manacled, fettered, and ſeparated from the ſociety of men, and caſt into ſome dark dungeon, there to lie and dye, and never to come out thence again.
Under which words, Chriſt ſets forth the future condition of all wicked men and women; to wit, that they ſhall be caſt into Hell, where they ſhall lie weeping and wayling, and gnaſhing of teeth, not only as long as the Sun and the Moon endureth, but as long as God ſhall be God.
… three degrees of miſery, is this puniſhment of ungodly men here deſcribed unto us.
Firſt, Bind him hand and foot, that is, Tye hi… faſt, chain him up, let him not eſcape by … means.
Secondly, Take him away, that is, carry him hence from my gracious preſence: Let him never ſee my face more, nor come among my ſervants; Let him never ſit with my pretious Saints more; Separate him from the communion and ſociety of my faithfull ones; Depart thou curſed cateiffe, (ſaith God) thou caredſt not for my people, or mine Ordinances, on Earth: and therefore now thou ſhalt not be troubled with them.
Take him away, and caſt him into outer darkneſs; Here is a third degree of miſery. Let him go like a Caſtaway, as he is, as one good for nothing; caſt him away: For men do not uſe to caſt that away which is good for any thing. But here is an aggravation of this third degree of miſery, caſt him into outer darkneſs, that is, into Hell. Into (outer) darkneſs; that is, out from God, and out from his Church; For, with God is light, and in his Church is light: But out of Gods preſence, and out of the Church, is darkneſs.
Note. Therefore note by the way, That To be caſt out of the Church here, is a degree of that outer darkneſs that ungodly men ſhall be caſt into hereafter. So ſome underſtand …. 8.12. Many ſhall come from the Eaſt …nd from the Weſt, Calvin.&c. But the children o… the Kingdom ſhall be caſt out into outer darkneſs; that is, Gentiles ſhall become Members of the Church; and the Jews, called the children of the Kingdom, becauſe they were ſo then, ſhall be exiled, and caſt into a dark and dead frame of Spirit, as uſually ſuch are, as are juſtly excommunicated, if Gods phyſick work not with them to their humiliation and repentance.
Now, We will gather ſome ſhort leſſons, from theſe particulars thus opened.
And the firſt ſhall be,
Doct. That ungodly men ſhall not eſcape puniſhment.
The Reaſon is, becauſe they are bound as it were hand and foot. God hath ordained Bands and Chains to bind wicked men withall; They are bound with a threefold Cord which is not quickly broken; Beſides the Chains and cords, which God binds wicked men withal, to Hell torments, there is a threefold Cord to bind them with in this life.
Firſt, The Cord of Gods Decree. Jude's Epiſtle, ver. 4. Who were before of old ordained to this condemnation. All the men on Earth, or Angels in Heaven, are not able to break this Cord. There is alſo a bleſſed Cord which the Saints are bound with, Rom. 8.30. Moreover, whom he did predeſtinate, them alſo he called: and whom he called, them alſo he juſtified; and whom he juſtified, them alſo he glorified.
The uſe that we may make of it is to bleſs God if we ſind we are not bound with that chain that the wicked are bound with: but with that fore-appointed for the Saints.
The ſecond Cord to bind men, is that, Mat. 18.18. Whatſoever ye ſhall bind on Earth, ſhall be bound in Heaven. This Church binding is the ſecond, with which men are bound. And for my part, I would not lie under the juſt cenſure of a well-ordered Church, for the whole World.
The reaſon is, becauſe the Scriptures being true, whom the Church binds on Earth, God binds in Heaven.
There are three acts in this binding; God acts firſt and laſt, and the Church in the middle. God acts firſt in giving rules to his Church to walk by. The Church acts by thoſe rules which God hath given; and are like Levi which knew not father nor mother. And this acting of a Church, carrieth more in it then the reproof of one Godly man, though a publick Preacher) becauſe of the Authority which the Lord hath given to his Church. And then thirdly, God acts in confirming in Heaven what the Church regularly doth on Earth.
There is in the Church, uſe of ordinary and common brotherly admonitions and exhortations; with this Cord the People of God bind one another to the Lord. So, Heb. 3.12. Take heed brethren, leſt there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it called to day, leſt any of you be hardned through the deceitfullneſs of ſin. And therefore all the People of the Lord ſhould look upon this work as a duty: and when it is performed, it ſhould be looked upon as a mercy from the Lord to tie us cloſer to him. Beſides this, ſometimes the unruly are to be warned, and deſired to forbear from communicating with the People of God. This is as it were the trial of Leproſie: We uſually call it ſuſpenſion from the Lords Supper: and it hath its uſe as a cord to bind men to the good behaviour, or to diſcover their Spirits.
But in the laſt place, Fulk on 1 Cor. 5. Sect. 3. Rhem. Teſt.there is excommunication, which is to be done by the officers of th… Church, as in the name of Chriſt, ſo in the name of the Church and People, to avoid confuſion. I had rather call it a binding then a cutting off; Becauſe it is an Ordinance of the Lord to be uſed for the good of an offending brother. 1 Cor. 5.5. That the ſpirit may be ſaved in the day of the Lord Jeſus. And we find that it was ſo, by Gods bleſſing to the inceſtuous Corinthian, 2 Cor. 2.6, 7. Sufficient to this man is this puniſhment (or cenſure) which was inflicted of many. foreign.So that contrary wiſe, ye ought rather to forgive him, & comfort him, leſt perhaps, ſuch a one ſhould be ſwallowed up with over much ſorrow. This is a ſtrong Medicine, by which a fallen brother groſly, and that is hardned in his ſin, may yet be recovered. And if it do not, then he is thereby bound over to everlaſting burnings. Tis true in ſome ſence they are ſaid to be cut off from the Church; namely in a threefold reſpect.
Firſt, Perk. Caſes of Conſcience. 3. Queſt. of the 8. c.They are excluded from Communion with the Church by the cenſure of the Church.
Secondly, From God; for what the Church rightly doth on Earth, God doth in Heaven; If the Church bind on Earth, God binds in Heaven, (and ſo for Looſing alſo.)
Thirdly, In regard of themſelves for a time; they are cut off, becauſe they want the power and efficacy of the ſpirit, untill they be throughly touched with repentance, and begin as it were to live again. Take heed ye that are bound with this Cord of God and his Church, and labour to be unbound again.
There is a third Cord, wherewith men are bound even in this life; and that is the Cord of Conſcience; As this unworthy Gueſt here was bound, he had not a word to ſay for himſelf. He was bound hand and foot; he was haltered (as it were) that he could not ſtirr. So Judas was ſo haltered with the Cord of his Conſcience, that he could not chuſe but halter his neck too; For he went away and hanged himſelf, Mat. 27.5. This is a ſad Cord when God is pleaſed to make uſe of it. O when a mans Conſcience ſhall tell him, that he hath no part nor portion in this buſineſs, that his heart is not right in the ſight of God, (as Peter told Simon Magus, Acts 8.21.) that he is in the Gall of bitterneſs and bond of iniquity: This will be black News to that poor wretch whoſoever he be.
Friends, you are crank and merry; but look o… this cooling carde; ye are farr on to the …a…ing of this ſad ſtory told by your conſciences to you, that ye are the Enemies of God.
And note hereupon, that men come not to be bound with this Cord by and by: they uſually come to a high degree of ſin firſt. They do the ſame things, and commit the ſame ſins for which they judge others. They deſpiſe the riches of [Gods] goodneſs, and forbearance, and long ſuffering; They have hard and impenitent hearts; in a word they ſin with a high hand againſt Conſcience; and begin to be careleſs and fearleſs and deſperately ſecure: And then commeth this …ord of the Lord, this whip of Conſcience; Judas his Cord I may call it. Read 1 Theſ. 5.3. For when they ſhall ſay peace and ſafety, then ſudden deſtruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they ſhall not eſcape. Such fellows come in ſometimes among the People of God, to make a faction, and to do miſchief. But though hand joyn in hand, the wicked ſhall not go unpuniſhed. Prov. 11.21. But they are bound together to be the Servants of ſin, ſhall be bound with Cords which ſhall not be broken. It is ſtoried of Julian the Apoſtate, That, after all his wicked behaviour againſt the Chriſtians, he was ſtrock (in a battle) thorow the left arm, into the ſhort ribbs, with a … or Javelin: in pulling which out and caſting it into the air with his blood, he uttered theſe blaſphemous words (being bound with this Cord of Conſcience I am now ſpeaking of) Thou haſt overcome me O Galilean. Zoſimus. lib. 6. cap. 2. and Theod. lib 3. cap. 25.
The ſecond particular is in theſe words, Take him away. Hence obſerve,
Doctr. That it is a great puniſhment to be ſeparated from God, and from the comfortable ſociety of Gods People.
It will be a principal part of the puniſhment of ungodly men hereafter, to be turned out, to be bid to depart, and get packing from God and his People. Mat. 7.23. Depart from me ye that work iniquity. Mat. 13 ver 30 a…d 41. The tares muſt be bound in bundles, that is, as Chriſt himſelf expounds it, the Angels ſhall gather out of his Kingdom, all things that offend, and them that work iniquity. They muſt out of Gods Kingdom, there is no place for them, they muſt depart. And ſo ver. 49. of that ſame chap. The Angels ſhall come forth, and ſever the wicked from among the juſt… And Mat. 25.32. And he ſhall ſeparate them one from another, as a ſhepherd divideth the ſheep from the Goats. and ver. 41. He ſhall ſay to them on the left hand, depart from me ye curſed, &c. they muſt depart; upon which place (ſaith one, whom I heard many years agone) Methinks, I hear theſe Caſtawayes pleading, and begging, to this effect. O Lord, If we ſhall not ſit down with Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, in thy Kingdom; if we ſhall not ſit on thrones; yet let us ſtand in thy ſight, though but at the door, or let us but peep into the preſence of thy People. No (ſaith God) depart, ye ſhall not ſee my face, get out of my ſight: Ye ſhall not ſtand in the congregation of the righteous; Ye ſcorned them once. ye ſhall not be troubled with them now; Depart. Yet may theſe poor wretches ſay, if we muſt needs depart thy preſence (O God) and be thruſt out from thy People; yet remember, we are thy creatures O Lord, and bleſs us before we go; No (ſaith God) depart ye curſed: Away with my curſe upon your back. Why yet Lord (may they ſay) ſend us to ſome ſilent Corner, where we may lie only under the paena damni, or diſſolve us to nothing out of which we were taken. No; that ſhall not be granted neither, Depart into fire. Happy ſhould they be if they might ceaſe to be: but they muſt depart into hell torments. Part is this all. Heare one imaginary petition more to ſet forth the truth of the future condition of ungodly men, Lord, how long? Lord, how long? Let it be but a thouſand years (may they ſay) or if that cannot be obtained, yet but as many years as there be ſtars in heaven, drops in the Sea, ſands on the ſhore or under the Seas; and let us come out then. No; It is everlaſting fire. (O rocky heart tremble!) But yet once more. Muſt we depart, and be accurſed, and be in fire, and that eternally? Yet Lord (may they ſay) let us have a little good company to help wear along that which ſhall be without end. No; Depart from me ye curſed into everlaſting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Ye could not abide good company when ye lived on earth; ye ſhall have Devils inſtead of them now. God ſhall be glorified in his Saints, becauſe they received his teſtimony: but ye would not; therefore ye muſt not be their Companions. Ye accounted them a burden to you, the off-ſcowring of all things; ye would not joyn with them, ye caſt them out of your Counſels, not only wickedly, but unjuſtly, yea againſt all reaſon: Now ye ſhall never have the comfort, honour, or happineſs to ſee one of their faces more. Devils, and Reprobates (ſuch as your ſelves) ſhall be your companions, for the increaſe of your eternal torture and torment.
A word for application of this ſecond particular from the word (depart.) We may learn how to judge of them that have hearts ſeparated from Gods People and ways now; they are in Simon Magus his condition, mentioned Acts 8.21. Wicked men are the men of their delight; and this is their puniſhment already, and will bring the other mentioned in the Text; they ſhall be taken away, and caſt away; which is the next, viz. the third degree of miſery in the puniſhment of ungodly men.
Learn therefore, Doctr. That all wicked men, are a company of Caſt-aways, a ſort of good fornothings.
All that have not made God their portion, nor have the Spirit of the Son, are good for juſt nothing: and therefore, as that which is nought-worth, they ſhall be caſt away.
They themſelves, and all that they poſſeſs, though never ſo much, are under a Curſe, and ſhall be made to drink the water of jealouſie. Riches avail not in the day of wrath, Prov. 11.4. They are curſes to a wicked man, who is an accurſed Caſt-away. Curſed in the City, and in the Field, in his basket, and in his ſtore, in the fruit of his body, and of his land, the increaſe of his kine, and the flocks of his ſheep. Curſed when he cometh in, and curſed when he goeth out. Curſing vexation, and rebuke ſhall follow him in all that he ſetteth his hand unto. Deut 20.16. to the 21. ver.
For, A graceleſs man (to uſe a Country phraſe) is an unlucky fellow. It is a bleſſing properly to a godly man, that whatſoever he doth, it ſhall proſper, Pſal. 1.3. Again, a graceleſs man makes the naked creature (without an eye to the Creator) the foundation of his happineſs; like a fooliſh man that hath great ſtore of birds in his field, and becauſe they have pitch'd in his field, he accounts them all his, not conſidering that they will riſe and flie away, when he comes neer to them to take them.
So will all that wicked men have, wherein they put their confidence; when God comes to have to do with them, it will appear that they, with all that they have are good for nothing but to be caſt away.
Object. But yet, Pleaſe your ſelf with your notions (may ſome ſay) as long as you will. Theſe nothings as you call them, and theſe caſt aways, are often in great proſperity, when the godly and happy (ſo called) are in adverſity.
Sol. I anſwer, This was indeed Davids temptation, Pſal. 73.12. Behold theſe are the ungodly who proſper in the world; they increaſe in riches; and hath formerly been, and at this preſent is, even mine alſo; the ſhameleſs impudency, and yet continued proſperity of ſome among you, are both ſo continued: yet truly I do believe that Adverſity is never truly evil, nor proſperity truly good. For wicked men ſhould not have any proſperity, if it were good, nor righteous men adverſity, if it were truly evil. Here now is a place for faith, and bleſſed is he that believeth, Luke 1.
Object. But yet ſometimes wicked men are imployed by God for the good of his Church, as Cyrus was, &c. Therefore they are not altogether good for nothing, or caſt aways.
Sol. I anſwer; God makes uſe of Devils ſometimes (as of wicked men) for his own glory. But my meaning is, that no good ſhall ever come to themſelves by any thing that they do, Iſa. 10.12. Wherefore it ſhall come to paſs, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion, and on Jeruſalem; I will puniſh the fruit of the ſtout heart of the King of Aſſyria, and the glory of his high looks. So this is the ſum of all; Let wicked men do what they will, or ſeem to be uſefull to others never ſo much, or be made uſe of by God (as ſometimes they are) yet they ſhall never do themſelves good; they are Caſt-aways, they ſhall be like the chaff which the wind driveth away, &c. Pſal. 1.4. And nothing that they have ſhall proſper with them. And at laſt they ſhall be caſt away quite from God, & all (even) ſeeming happineſs into outer darkneſs, which is the puniſhment it ſelf, and comes now to be ſpoken of. Caſt him into outer darkneſs, that is into Hellfire, everlaſting fire, as it is called. Matth. 19.8, 9.
Hereupon a Queſtion may be moved, Divers reſpects.how Hell, where there is ſaid to be fire, can be a place of darkneſs, ſeeing it is the property of fire to give light; and light and darkneſs are contrary.
To which I anſwer, Fire.that the place of torment, prepared for the reprobate, hath in the Scripture divers names in divers reſpects; as in regard of the grievous pain there to be endured, it is often compared to fire; ſo Matth. 13.4.2. And ſhall caſt them into a furnace of fire: and Luke 16. ver. 23. The rich man is ſaid to be in hell in torments: and ver. 24. to be tormented in the flame. And the wrath of God, to be poured on the damned in Hell, is ſo vehemently and frequently ſet forth by fire, as that many both ancient and latter do hold and write, that there is a corporal …ſible fire there; Auguſtine, Jerome, Ambroſe, Chryſoſtom, Gregory, Tertullian, Lactantius, Cyprian, &c. And that the viſible fire of Hell ſhall after the day of judgement, puniſh the damned corporally and eternally, without quenching it ſelf, or conſuming them. Bilſon.
But I wave this. In regard of the uncomfortableneſs of a Helliſh condition, Darkneſs.it is compared to darkneſs, yea to outer darkneſs, which is moſt remote from light. Metaphoricè autem per tenehras Scriptura horrendum maerorem deſignat, &c. Calv.Calvin upon Matth. 8.12. ſaith, that by darkneſs, Metaphorically, the Scripture underſtands horrid ſadneſs, which neither in words can be expreſſed, nor in perception comprehended in this life. For in that place there is a comparing of the ſad condition the Jews ſhould be in (upon Gods departure from their Nation) with Hell; and they are threatened with outer darkneſs, that is, unſpeakable ſadneſs, in alluſion unto Hell. And ſo in Scripture light is taken for joy and fulneſs of conſolation: as Pſal. 97.11. Light is ſown for the righteous; and gladneſs for the upright in heart. And heaven is ſaid to be the inheritance of the Saints in light.
But I haſten to the Doctrine, and this it ſhall be;
Doctr. That unspeakably unconceivably, ſad and wofull will the ſtate of all ungodly men be after death.
Reaſon. It muſt needs be ſo; for God will ſute mens condition to their frame of ſpirit, and diſpoſitions here. Outer darkneſs for lovers of darkneſs; for ſo are wicked men, John 3.19, 20. Men are ſaid there to love darkneſs rather then light, becauſe their deeds are evil. Outer darkneſs for workers of darkneſs; ſo wicked works, are called works of darkneſs. Rom. 13.12. Let us therefore caſt off the works of darkneſs. And the unfruitfull works of darkneſs. Epheſ. 5.11. And have no fellowſhip with the unfruitfull works of darkneſs. And outer darkneſs for the children of the Prince of darkneſs.
And ſo on the contrary ſide, they that are the children of light here, ſhall be the inheritors of light hereafter. They that love light here, ſhall enjoy light there: For there ſhall be a ſuitableneſs of condition to the frame of Spirit and converſation here.
So the Doctrine is evident, That ſad and ſorrowfull enough, will be the eſtate of wicked men, that live in darkneſs here, becauſe it will be their portion hereafter.
Ʋſe 1 And therefore in the firſt place let it teach us, That their condition muſt needs be miſerable, that are now the children of darkneſs. The Egyptian palpable darkneſs (mentioned, Exod. 10.21. even darkneſs which might be felt) is no way comparable to the condition of the damned. So that if there were no other thing, but this diſconſolateneſs, and privation of God and all good, this poena damni: wofull will be the eſtate of wicked men, that depart this life in the dark eſtate of unbelief, or live here in the darkneſs of ſin and wickedneſs, or are in darkneſs any other way.
Ʋſe 2 I would adviſe you (God own it for his mercies ſake) to take heed (as ever you look or deſire to eſcape this ſeparation from light and comfort into outer darkneſs:) that ye take heed of all thoſe other darkneſſes in this life which are the forerunners of that. Particularly, take heed of living Prov. in the darkneſs of ignorance. The ſoul without knowledge cannot be good. Take heed of the darkneſs of unbelief, Mark 16. 1 Joh. 5. v. 12. Rom. 13.12. Eph. 5.11.He that believeth not, ſhall be damned. He that hath not the Son, hath not life; nor never ſhall; he is in darkneſs; he receiveth not the record that God gave of his Son. Take heed of the darkneſs of ſin, of the works of darkneſs, of the unfruitfull works of darkneſs, as they are called; but they are not only unfruitful to good, but very pernicious.
Laſtly, Take heed of that ſtate of outer darkneſs in this life, to wit, to be out of the Communion of the Church. They that live not in fellowſhip with Gods Church on Earth, are not like to live with them in Heaven. This is down-right; weigh it well. weigh it the more, becauſe the way is full of errors that leadeth to death.
You ſhall have what remains, in the Afternoon.