Twenty Sermons, Sermon 10
PSAL. CVI. 24.
—And believed not his Word.
I Have ſpoken to this Text in one Sermon already, as you may remember; in it I took notice of two Branches:
Firſt, Iſraels horrible ingratitude, in theſe words, They deſpiſed the pleaſant Land; and that I finiſhed laſt day.
Now I come to the ſecond Branch of the Text, that is the ground of their ingratitude, in theſe words, They believed not his Word. What word? They believed not the Promiſe that God had made unto them, that he would beſtow the Land of Canaan upon them; nay, God did not only promiſe it, but he ſware unto Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, Gen. 50.24, And Joſeph ſaid unto his Brethren, I die, and God will ſurely viſit you, and bring you out of this Land, to the Land which he ſware to Abraham, to Iſaac, and Jacob. But becauſe the Spies forſooth came and told them: Oh, there are walled Cities, and Giants, and Anakims to fight with, and it is impoſſible for you to get poſſeſſion of the Land; therefore they believed the Spies, but they would not believe God; they believed the report of thoſe that told them of the Giants, but they would not believe Gods Report, they would not believe Gods Promiſe. So the Doctrine I ſhall commend to you from this ſecond Branch of the Text, is this:
Doct. One main Reaſon why men do undervalue the Heavenly Canaan, and ſo come ſhort of it, is their Ʋnbelief.
Look as it was with the Children of Iſrael, here ſpoken of in the Text; the ſin that made them deſpiſe and undervalue the Land of Canaan, and ſo were debar'd and ſhut out of the Land of Canaan, was their Unbelief: as the Apoſtle ſhews expreſly, Heb. 3. ult. So we ſee they could not enter in, becauſe of unbelief. So here, One main reaſon why men undervalue the Heavenly Canaan, and ſo come ſhort, or are deprived of the Heavenly Canaan: it is their Unbelief. Men believe lyes, but they will not believe the Truth; they believe the Devil, who is a lyar, and tells them they may come to Heaven with a wet-finger, and therefore they may live as they liſt; but they will not believe the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, that tells them, Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it, Matth. 7.14. They believe the father of lyes, but they will not believe him that is the God of Truth; who ſays, Strive to enter in at the ſtrait gate; for many I ſay unto you, ſhall ſeek to enter in, but ſhall not be able, Luke 13.24. They believe the report of Satan, but they will not believe the report of the word of God, which tells us expreſly, 1 Pet. 4.18, And if the righteous ſcarcely be ſaved, where ſhall the ungodly and ſinners appear? They will not believe that Doctrine (which you may remember) proved out of Heb. 4.1, Let us therefore fear, leſt a promiſe being left us of entring into his reſt, any of you ſhould ſeem to come ſhort of it. Where I ſhewed you, that the life of a Chriſtian is a life of fear: and that in matters of Soul-concernment, Chriſtians ſhould not only be very jealous of themſelves, but of others alſo. I alſo ſhewed you, that it is poſſible for many that are profeſſors of the Truth, or true Religion, to come ſhort of Heaven; and that it is poſſible for many that are confident that they are in a ſtate of grace, to come ſhort of Heaven; and that it is poſſible for many to come very near to Heaven, and yet to come ſhort of Heaven. But men will not believe theſe Truths: now their Unbelief is the cauſe why they ſlight Heaven, and ſhall be deprived of Heaven. For the better Explication of this Doctrine, there are two things I ſhall open to you:
Firſt, What this Unbelief is, that makes men ſo undervalue the Heavenly Canaan.
Secondly, Why this Unbelief is ſuch a great and grievous ſin, ſo dangerous and deſtructive, that it deprives men of that Heavenly Canaan.
Firſt, What this Unbelief is that makes men ſlight the Heavenly Canaan: For anſwer to this, you muſt know there is a twofold Unbelief:
There is a Negative
And There is a Poſitive
Unbelief.
Firſt, There is a Negative Unbelief; and that is the ſin of Pagans and Heathens, that never heard of God, nor of the Goſpel of Jeſus Chriſt; they believe not, becauſe they know not: they know not God, Rom. 10.14, How ſhall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? This is the ſin of Pagans: this ignorance it excuſes in part, though not in whole; their ſin is not ſo great by far, as the ſin of thoſe that do profeſs the Goſpel; yet their Negative unbelief is a ſin, becauſe Gods Commandment is, That we ſhould believe on the Name of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, 1 John 3.23, And this is his commandment, that we believe in the Name of his Son Jeſus Chriſt. But this is the Negative unbelief: this concerns not us, but it concerns thoſe that know not God.
Secondly, There is a Poſitive Unbelief; and this is, when men are ready to diſtruſt Gods Power, and his Providence, and his Promiſes; or, when we do not ſo fiducially reſt upon them, as to obey the Goſpel. This is a Poſitive unbelief; this is the ſin which is ſo dangerous. Now you muſt know this Poſitive Unbelief is twofold:
Firſt, Temporary.
Secondly, Total, or Final.
Firſt, There is a Temporary unbelief; and this is that which may befall even Gods own Elect, they may be under unbelief for a while. True, it is poſſible for an Elect Child of God, to be under an act of unbelief, though he cannot be brought into a ſtate of unbelief; for you muſt diſtinguiſh between theſe two: between a ſtate of unbelief, and an act of unbelief. A Child of God may be under an act of unbelief: ſo you know was Godly Zachariah (Elizabeth's husband), he was under an act of unbelief: And behold, thou ſhalt be dumb, and not able to ſpeak until the day that theſe things ſhall be performed, becauſe thou believedſt not my words, which ſhall be fulfilled in their ſeaſon, Luke 1.20. And Thomas, one of the twelve Apoſtles, he was under an act of unbelief, when he ſaid, Ʋnleſs I ſhall ſee in his hands the print of the Nails, and put my finger into the print of the Nails, and thruſt my hand into his fide, I will not believe, Joh. 20.25. So were all the reſt of the Apoſtles under an act of unbelief for a while; therefore our Saviour when he was riſen again, he upbraided them (the Text ſays) with their unbelief, Mark 16.14, After he appeared to the Eleven as they ſate at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardneſs of heart, becauſe they believed not them which had ſeen him after he was riſen. This is a Temporary Unbelief.
Secondly, There is a Total or Final unbelief, and that is the ſin of thoſe that live in a ſtate of impenitency, and abide in that condition; thoſe that abide in their unbelief, until the wrath of God abides upon them. You ſee what this unbelief is: a diſtruſting of Gods Power, and Providences, and Promiſes; and that not for a time, which may be the condition of a Child of God; but when it is a Total and Final unbelief. That's the firſt thing for Explication.
Secondly, By way of Explication; it may be demanded, Why is this ſuch a dangerous and deſtructive ſin, that it does debar men of this Heavenly Canaan? I ſhall give you theſe three Reaſons of it.
Firſt, Becauſe you muſt know it is a ſin that robs God of his Glory. Look, as by believing we do moſt of all honour God; for by this we ſet to our Seal that he is true, John 3.33, He that hath received his Teſtimony, hath ſet to his Seal that God is true. By believing, we give him the honour of his Truth, and Faithfulneſs, and Mercy, and Goodneſs, and Power. Thus Abraham by believing, gave glory to God, in Rom. 4.20, He ſtaggered not at the Promiſe of God through unbelief; but was ſtrong in faith, giving glory to God. So on the contrary, by unbelief we diſhonour him in a high degree: nay, in the higheſt degree that can be named, becauſe we make him a Liar, 1 John 5.10, He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witneſs in himſelf; he that believeth not God, hath made him a Liar, becauſe he believeth not the Record that God gave him of his Son. Now what greater reproach or diſhonour can be caſt upon a man of worth, than to give him the lye? Unbelief therefore is a bold ſin; it ſteps into Gods Cabinet, as I may ſay, and it robs him of the choiceſt Jewel that he hath; namely, his Glory: which he hath ſaid, He will not give to another, Iſa. 42.8, I am the Lord, that is my Name, and my Glory will I not give to another, neither my praiſe to the graven Images. The glory of God, it is nothing elſe but the reputation that God hath in the World. Take away Gods glory, and the reputation that he hath among the Sons of men, then (with reverence be it ſpoken) he is little worth in the eyes of men. Now Unbelief is that that robs God of his Glory.
Secondly, Unbelief is ſuch a dangerous deſtructive ſin, becauſe it is the firſt ſin that ever was in the World. As it is the mother of all other ſins, ſo it was the firſt ſin whereby the Devil got entrance into the heart of man. I know there is a diſpute amongſt Divines, What was the firſt ſin our firſt Parents were guilty of, whether Pride, or Unbelief? without all doubt it was Unbelief; for God told our firſt Parents expreſly, Whenever they did eat of the Tree of life, they ſhould die the death: as ſure as they lived, they ſhould die; but the Devil he goes and tells them, You ſhall not die. Now mark: they believed the Devil, more than they believed God; Unbelief therefore was the firſt ſin that ever was committed in the World: and as it was the firſt ſin whereby the Devil got entrance into the heart of man, ſo may it be ſaid to be the root and mother of all other ſins; therefore ſays the Apoſtle, Take heed, Brethren, leſt there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God, Heb. 3.12. Look as Faith may be ſaid to be the Mother of all other Graces, becauſe Faith lets in Jeſus Chriſt into the Soul, and ſo purifies the heart: Act. 15.9, And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by Faith: it applyes the purifying-blood of Jeſus Chriſt: So on the other ſide, Unbelief may be ſaid to be the mother of all other ſins, becauſe it keeps out Chriſt, and keeps out Grace, and polutes the heart, and defiles it, and makes it no better than a Den for Satan to lodg in. It is a good obſervation of an eminent Divine, whom for honour ſake I mention, namely, Doctor Sibs: Look as the firſt return of the Soul to God, is by Faith; ſo the firſt departing of the Soul from God, is by Ʋnbelief; for, from thence comes a departing to other ſins; and ſo unbelief being encreaſed, the rent that is made between God and the Soul, the eſtrangement between God and the Soul, is ſtill made wider and wider; and ſo the Soul departs further and further, and is ſtill departing, and departing from one ſin to another, till at laſt it comes to hear that fatal and final ſentence, Matth. 25, Depart thou curſed wretch into everlaſting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Well therefore may Unbelief be ſaid to be the Mother of all other ſins. Unbelief and Apoſtacy are very near akin: Unbelief may in ſome ſenſe be ſaid to be all diſobedience. The ſame Greek word that ſignifies unbelief, ſignifies alſo diſobedience, Col. 3.6, For theſe things ſake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of unbelief, or children of diſobedience. And well may it be ſaid to be the Mother of diſobedience: for what ſin is there ſo groſs and grievous, that an unbeliever will not run into? If a man believe not the threatnings, he will practice no good: For example, if a man do but believe that terrble Scripture, Rev. 21.8, But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and Murderers, and Whoremongers, and Sorcerers, and Idolaters, and all Lyars, ſhall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimſtone, which is the ſecond Death. If a man did believe that Scripture, durſt he be a Coward to betray the Truths of God? God ſpeaks of the fearful ones in that ſenſe, to be cowardly Chriſtians: did he believe this? durſt he be ſuch an abominable wretch, to run into ſuch abominable blaſphemies (which are not to be named) which are belched out againſt God in theſe days? Durſt he be an Idolater, a Lyar, a Swearer? certainly he durſt not; but he does not believe the Threatnings of God. If a Tyrant ſhould threaten any of you with the Rack, or Strapado, which would break your bones: Oh, what terror and trembling would take hold of you! how would you fall down at his feet, and ſeek his face and favour! yet that Tyrant could take away nothing but a poor, miſerable, mortal life: But the great God of Heaven, he threatens Sinners with the puniſhment of loſs: the loſs of his preſence, of his favour, of fellowſhip with him in Glory; nay, he threatens with the puniſhment of Senſe, thoſe unconceivable tortures and torments in Hell for ever, to all Eternity; and yet Sinners do not tremble at this great God, they do not fall down and ſeek his face and ſavour; What is the reaſon? becauſe they believe not. If ſo be a faithful man, that was never yet known to break his word, and a man of a great Eſtate, that was able to make good his promiſe; if he ſhould promiſe any of you an Inheritance of two or three hundred by the year, you would believe that man on his word, and you would ſeek to pleaſe him, you would prize his favour; but now the great God of Heaven and Earth, that was never yet known to break his Word: he tells you of an heavenly Inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, reſerved in Heaven; and yet do you not ſeek to pleaſe him, or prize his favour or obey him? what's the reaſon? Becauſe you believe not his Word. So the truth is, unbelief is the Mother of all diſobedience. That's the ſecond Reaſon.
Thirdly, Unbelief is a ſin thus dangerous and deſtructive to the Soul, becauſe God hath provided more Antidotes and Remedies againſt this ſin of unbelief, than againſt any other ſin, to cure this ſin of Unbelief.
Firſt, God hath given us his Word, which is a moſt faithful Word: Heaven and Earth ſhall paſs away (ſaith our Saviour) but my words ſhall not paſs away, Matth. 24.35.
Secondly, God hath given us his Promiſes. Now all his Promiſes are ſure and certain, Yea and Amen; God is faithful, and will make good his promiſes, 2 Cor. 1.20, For all the promiſes of God in him are Yea, and in him are Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
Thirdly, He hath given us his Covenant: and this Covenant is ſure and ſtedfaſt, and ordered in all things, an everlaſting Covenant, ſealed with the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, and cannot be altered, 2 Sam. 23.5, Although my Houſe be not ſo with God, yet he hath made with me an everlaſting Covenant, ordered in all things, and ſure: for this is all my Salvation, and all my deſire, although he make it not to grow.
Fourthly, He hath given us his Oath, Ezek. 16.8, Yea, I ſware unto thee, and entred into a Covenant with thee, ſaith the Lord God, and thou becameſt mine. Now an Oath you know is the ſtrongeſt bond of aſſurance between man and man. And the Apoſtle ſpeaking of the Word of God, and of the Oath of God: that they are two immutable things, wherein it is impoſſible for God to lye, Heb. 6.17, 18, Wherein God willing more abundantly to ſhew unto the Heirs of the Promiſe, the immutability of his Counſel, confirmed it by an Oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impoſſible for God to lye, we might have a ſtrong conſolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope ſet before us. As it is impoſſible for God to die, becauſe he is life it ſelf; ſo it is impoſſible for God to lye, becauſe he is Truth it ſelf.
Fifthly, Becauſe he hath given us his Seal alſo: he hath given us his outward Seal, which is the Sacrament, both the Sacrament of Baptiſm, and the Sacrament of the Lords Supper; he hath given us alſo his inward Seal, which is the Witneſs and Teſtimony of his own bleſſed Spirit, ſealing us up to the day of Redemption.
Sixthly, He hath given us Experiences; former Experiences, and latter Experiences: the Experience of all the Saints that have gone before us, Pſalm 22.4, Our Fathers truſted in thee; they truſted, and thou didſt deliver them. So in Pſalm 34.6, This poor man cryed (ſpeaking of himſelf) when he was in as low a condition as ever he was in: (ſcrabling on the ground, and feigning himſelf mad, 1 Sam. 21.13,) ſays he, This poor man cryed, and the Lord heard him, and ſaved him out of all his trouble; Therefore others will be exceeding glad, when they hear how graciouſly he hath dealt with them. So in Pſalm 9.10, They that know thy Name, will put their truſt in thee; for thou Lord haſt not forſaken them that ſeek thee. Now God hath given us experiences, he hath given us all theſe Antidotes and Preſervatives againſt unbelief; hearken therefore, O Unbeliever! Well, If thou do not believe, thou muſt periſh everlaſtingly; God remains faithful, and cannot deny himſelf, 2 Tim. 2.13, If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himſelf. But if thou do believe and periſh; if thou do believe, and yet art damned: then God hath broken his Word, and broken his Promiſe, and broken his Covenants, and broken his Oath, and broken the Seals of his Covenant; which is as impoſſible, as for God to ceaſe to be God. You ſee God hath provided ſo many Remedies and Antidotes againſt Unbelief, therefore unbelief is ſuch a dangerous and deſtructive ſin. It is obſervable, when our Saviour came to his own Countrey, that was Nazareth, and preach'd to his own Country-men, and did Miracles among them, they believed not; The Text ſays, Mark 6.6, He marvelled becauſe of their unbelief. You do not read he marvelled at other ſins: as Ignorance, Hypocriſie, Pride, Covetouſneſs, &c. but our Saviour marvelled at their unbelief. Oh, when men ſhall ſin againſt the Word of God, and the Promiſe of God, and the Covenant of God, and the Oath of God, and the Seal of God: Heaven and Earth may ſtand amazed at their incredible incredulity. Thus you ſee the Point opened.
For the Ʋſe and Application of the Point.
Firſt, By way of Examination: I beſeech you to bring your hearts to the Touch-ſtone, and ſee whether you be guilty of this ſin of unbelief, yea, or no. I know every one of you will be ready to plead, Not guilty; Oh, we do believe the Word of God, and pity we ſhould live, if we did not believe the Word: But let me tell you, This is an inward, ſecret, lurking ſin, therefore not eaſily diſcerned. But that you may know whether you be guilty of this ſin or no, I will give you theſe four plain undeniable Scripture-Evidences; the Lord make you your own Judges in this particular.
Firſt, When men do ſlight the invitations of Jeſus Chriſt, ſlight the proffers of his Grace, it is a token there is unbelief in the bottom: for where Faith is once wrought in the heart, there is inſtantly and readily a cloſing between Chriſt and the Soul: there is a ready cloſure, as there is between the Load-ſtone and the Iron: When Jeſus Chriſt ſays to a poor ſinner, Come to me, though thou art weary and heavy laden; the Believing Soul cloſes preſently with Chriſt, and anſwers, Come thee, Lord; I, I will creep to thee upon my hands and feet: When Chriſt ſays to it again: Do this, or Do that; the Soul ſays again, O Lord, give me ſtrength to do what thou commandeſt, and command what thou wilt. But now, when you find in you a backwardneſs to entertain Jeſus Chriſt in your hearts, this is a certain and undeniable evidence of your unbelief; and is not this your ſin? Alas, alas, let Jeſus Chriſt be tendred in the Miniſtry of the Word from day to day; let him be proffered in the ſweeteſt anſt ſofteſt terms of Perſwaſions and Exhortations; let Miniſters uſe their beſt Art and Arguments to woo, entreat, invite, and beſeech you to accept of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, as he is tendred to you in the Goſpel; and yet alas, we poor Miniſters can get no audience; I ſpeak of the moſt of you, not of all: ſcarce one of ten, ſcarce one of a hundred, will hearken to this Goſpel-invitation, to come unto Jeſus Chriſt, and to ſubmit to him, and to take him upon Goſpelterms. Our Saviour complains, in John 5.40, And ye will not come unto me, that ye may have life. Though I would give you life, a life of Righteouſneſs, a life of Grace, a life of Glory, Yet you will not come to me; that is, You will not believe in me: you will not embrace me; you will not ſubmit to me; you will not ſolace your Souls in me. Let the World call, and you run ſtraight: let the fleſh call, and you obey it ſtraight in the luſts of it; nay, let Satan call, and you readily hearken to him; but you will not hearken to me. Juſt ſo may the Miniſters of the Goſpel at this day complain, Lord, Thou ſendeſt us upon this Errand, to bring Sinners in to thee: thou ſendeſt us upon the ſame Meſſage Abraham ſent his Servant, to get a Wife for his Son Iſaac: Abraham gave his Servant Rings, and Jewels, and Bracelets, to beſtow upon her that would be Wife to Iſaac. So our Lord ſends us with Rings, and Jewels, and Bracelets: we have many Motives and Arguments to invite Sinners, and to perſwade and draw them: But Lord, we can do no good in our Miniſtry; we tell men of the unſearchable Riches of Jeſus Chriſt; and what an unvaluable portion they ſhall have in him, but they will not believe; Lord, Who hath believed our Report? Now, when there is a ſlighting of thoſe invitations and proffers of Goſpel-grace, it is a certain token of Unbelief. And that's the firſt Sign or Character of Unbelief.
Secondly, When men undervalue Chriſts Perſon, and Portion; this is a token of unbelief. We tell men of the Beauty of Chriſts Perſon, that he is white and ruddy; white in his Innocency, and ruddy in his Paſſion, the choiſeſt of ten thouſand, Cant. 5.10: and that there is nothing in him but brightneſs, and ſweetneſs, and beauty, and fulneſs, and all ſufficiency, yet men believe it not; They ſee no beauty in him, why they ſhould deſire him, Iſa. 53.3. Nay, What is thy beloved more than other Beloveds? ſay they, Cant. 5.9. So when we tell men of the invaluable portion they ſhall have by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, thoſe unſearchable Riches, the riches of his Merits, and the riches of his Spirit, and that rich and royal Redemption, and that they ſhall have whatever their hearts can deſire; we tell them of this, they ſhall have a portion of grace, Jeſus Chriſt will give them grace for grace; for every grace in himſelf, he will give them part of it: by his Wiſdom, they ſhall be made wiſe; by his Holineſs, they ſhall be made holy; he will give them a portion of Glory, a Crown of Eternal glory to them that love him: but becauſe they ſee not this Portion, this Crown of glory, they will not believe it, they will not believe further than they ſee, they are all for preſent pay: Demas hath forſaken me, having embraced this preſent world: They will have good things for the preſent: as for future expectations, they regard them not. Where there is an undervaluing of Chriſts perſon, or portion, there is a great deal of unbelief.
Thirdly, When men are ſecure and fearleſs, it is a certain effect, and ſign, and ſymptom of unbelief: for Faith breeds fear, Heb. 11.7, By Faith Noah being wanned of God, of things not ſeen, as yet moved with fear, prepared an Ark, to the ſaving of his houſe: by the which he condemned the World, and became heir of the righteouſneſs which is by Faith. Faith makes men fear: But now when men do nto ſtand in awe of God, of the great God, that is within us, without us, above us, about us: when we do not walk as in his eye, nor walk as in his preſence; when men do not ſtand in awe of the Word of God, and ſay with David, Pſalm 119, 161, Princes have perſecuted me without a cauſe, but my heart ſtandeth in awe of thy Word: As if he ſhould ſay, I more ſtand in awe of thy Word, than of all the Princes of the World. When men are ſo over-awed by the Word of God, as that they dare not ſin againſt God; for the Word of God ſtands as a Schoolmaſter ſtands with a Rod in his hands over a Boy, ſo that he dare not act any untowardneſs. When men are not over-awed by the Word, but they ſin and ſpare not, they ſin and grieve not, this is a token of their unbelief: they do not believe God is Omniſcient, Omnipreſent; they do not believe his Juſtice, they do not believe his Truth. Where men are thus fearleſs and ſecure, it is a plain token of their exceeding great unbelief.
Fourthly, A fourth Sign of unbelief, is this: when men profeſs one thing, and practice another thing: when their practice croſſes their Profeſſion, this is a certain token of reigning unbelief. Let me give you ſome inſtances: For example, You profeſs God to be your Soveraign Lord, and King, and Law-giver, and that you have but one Law-giver, which is God; and that he has power to ſave and to deſtroy, James 4.12, There is one Lawgiver, who hath power to ſave and to deſtroy. And you profeſs, That he can do whatſoever he pleaſeth in Heaven and in Earth, and among all the Inhabitants of the Earth: and that none can ſtay his hand, none can ſay unto him, what doſt thou? Dan. 4.35. You profeſs this God to be your Soveraign, yet for all this you make no bones of flighting his Authority: you dare flight the Authority of this Law-giver, and make no bones of breaking his Commandments. You can break the firſt Commandment by Atheiſm, impenitency, hardneſs of heart, lukewarmneſs, unthankfulneſs: You can break the ſecond Commandment, by neglecting, or miſ-performing the duties of Gods Worſhip and Service: You can break the third Commandment, by not honouring God, by not glorifying God; you do not ſanctifie and honour his Name, in his Word, in his Works, in his Providences, in his Ordinances, in his Mercies. You make no bones, I ſay, of breaking his Commands. Thus you profeſs one thing: you ſay, that the Lord is your Lord, your Law-giver; but you practice another, when you ſlight his Authority, and break his Commands. See how angrily our Saviour ſpeaks, Luke 6.46, And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I command you?— Again, You profeſs you believe the threatnings of God, ſuch dreadful threatnings as theſe: Ʋpon the wicked he ſhall rain ſnares, fire and brimſtone, and an horrible tempeſt: this ſhall be the portion of their Cup, Pſalm 11.6. So Pſalm 68.21, God ſhall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy ſcalp of ſuch a one as goeth on ſtill in his treſpaſſes. You profeſs you believe theſe threatnings, but yet notwithſtanding your practice croſſes your Profeſſion: for, let a Miniſter come and thunder theſe threatnings in your ears: yea, let a Miniſter come and ſpit fire and vengeance in the face of Sinners, yet notwithſtanding, they do no more tremble than the ſeat they ſit on. It were well if ſome Snners had but as much fear as the Devils have (James 2.19.) for they believe the threatnings of God, and fear them, and know they ſhall be accompliſhed to the uttermoſt.
Thirdly, You profeſs that you believe the Promiſes: I, that you do: I, but what Promiſes do you believe? You believe the Promiſe of Eternal life, becauſe you believe Jeſus Chriſt will be your Saviour: I, but do you believe the Promiſes (for example) for this life: Do you believe, if you ſeek the Kingdom of God, and his Righteouſneſs in the firſt place, all other things ſhall be caſt into the Bargain? Matth. 6.33. Again, Do you believe that Promiſe, Pſalm 34.10, The young Lions do lack and ſuffer hunger: but they that ſeek the Lord, ſhall not want any good thing. Do you believe the Promiſes for this life? let that be judged by your Covetouſneſs, by your carking carefulneſs: that diſtracting, dividing care, that divides the mind from it ſelf. See what the Prophet Iſaiah ſays, Iſa. 28.16, He that believeth, ſhall not make haſte: He therefore that does make haſte to be rich, does not believe; He that makes haſte to be rich, ſhall not be innocent, ſaith Solomon, Prov. 28.20. You therefore that make ſo much haſte to be rich: you that make ſo much buſling in the World: wherefore is this craving, carking, whining after the things of this life? It is a certain undeniable evidence of your diſtruſting Gods Providence and Promiſes: and let me tell you, You that will not believe him for the Body, you will never believe him for the Soul; You that will not believe him for your Eſtates and Children, you will never believe him for your Eternal Salvation; You that will not believe him for a Cruſt, you will never believe him for a Crown: And yet you ſay, you believe his Promiſes, that you do.
Fourthly, You ſay, you believe in the mercy of God for pardon: I, but when once Satan comes to ſhake your confidence but a little, when you lie but under any temptation; when God ſeems to hide away his face from you, though never ſo little, in the day of your fears and ſtraits: then you are ready to queſtion, whether you are the Children of God, or no? whether there be any thing of God in you, or no? you are ready to ſay then as Sion did, Iſa. 49.14, The Lord hath forſaken me, my Lord hath forgotten me; my way is hidden from the Lord, and my judgment from the Almighty. It may be you may come to that condition, to ſay with Cain, My puniſhment is greater than I can bear, my ſin is greater than can be forgiven, Gen. 4. God will never forgive ſuch great ſins as mine are. You ſay, that you believe in the mercy of God; but when it comes to the trial, it will be found no ſuch matter.
Fifthly, Again, You ſay you believe a day of Judgment, this is one thing you profeſs; I, but your practice is quite contrary: for, did you believe it ſeriouſly, then you would paſs the time of your ſojourning here in fear, 1 Pet. 1.17. Did you believe it ſeriouſly, then you would be affected with it, as that ancient Father was: Whether I eat, or drink, or whatever I do, methinks I hear the Trumpet ſounding in mine ears, Ariſe ye dead, and come to judgment. If you did believe the terror of the Lord, 2 Cor. 5.11, certainly then you would exerciſe your ſelves to have Conſciences void of offence, both towards God and men, Acts 24.16.
Sixthly, You ſay, you believe that there will be a Reſurrection of the Body: and yet notwithſtanding you carry your ſelves here upon the Earth, as if ſo be there was no account or reckoning to come. Some may be can live, (I am even aſhamed to ſpeak it), they can live as if they had no God to ſerve, and no Souls to ſave; as if there would never come a day wherein they muſt appear before their Judg. I remember the ſpeech of Saint Paul to King Agrippa, Acts 26.27, King Agrippa, Believeſt thou the Prophets? I know (ſays he) that thou believeſt. But I may ſay to many an impenitent, unregenerate, obſtinate, perverſe Sinner (Oh that there were none ſuch in this Congregation; I may ſay to many ſuch Sinners) Believeſt thou the Word of God? Believeſt thou the Threatnings of God? I know thou believeſt them not. If thou didſt believe the Commands of God, Oh then thou wouldeſt ſay with Saint Paul, What wouldeſt thou have me to do, Lord? Acts 9.6, Teach me the way of thy Statutes, O Lord, and I will walk in it, and I will keep it to the end, Pſalm 119.33. If thou didſt believe the Threatnings of God, then thou wouldſt be in the ſame condition that David was in, Pſalm 119.12, My fleſh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgments. If thou didſt believe thoſe dreadful Threatnings, thou wouldſt be in the ſame condition with the Prophet Habakkuk; My belly trembled, my lips quivered, rottenneſs entred into my bones, and I trembled in my ſelf, Hab. 3.16.— If ſo be thou didſt believe the Promiſes, Oh, thou wouldſt embrace them, thou wouldſt ſuck and be ſatisfied with thoſe Breaſts of Conſolation, Iſa. 66.11. It is ſaid of the Patriarchs, They ſaw the Promiſes after off, and embraced them, Heb. 11.13. But now, when thou ſayeſt, thou believeſt the Commands of God, and yet never obeyeſt his Commands: thou ſayeſt, thou believeſt his Threatnings, and yet never trembleſt at any Threatning; thou ſayeſt, thou beliveſt the Promiſes, and yet art no way thereby encouraged to a more active, and fruitful, and chearful walking with God: then thy Belief croſſes thy Profeſſion. And this is a certain and undeniable Evidence of Unbelief: the Lord awaken ſome of you, and convince you, and ſend you home to your own hearts, to ſee how deeply you ſtand guilty of this ſin my Text ſpeaks of: for if there be not reigning unbelief in many of you, for my part I do not underſtand the Scripture.
I ſhall cloſe with a word of Exhortation.
Is it ſo, That Ʋnbelief is one main cauſe why ſo many men deſpiſe and undervalue that Heavenly Canaan, and are debar'd from that Heavenly Canaan? Then I have a twofold Exhortation to tender to you: The
Firſt is to thoſe that are Regenerate.
Secondly: To thoſe that are Unregenerate.
Firſt, To thoſe that are Regenerate: And my Counſel to you, is this, Oh do not mourn for the dregs of this ſin that yet remain in you: there are dregs of Unbelief, even in thoſe that are true Believers. That man or woman that is not ſenſible of the dregs of this ſin in him, I ſay, then he is a ſtranger to his own heart. In Heb. 13.5, ſays the Apoſtle, Let your Converſation be without Covetouſneſs, and be content with ſuch things as ye have; for he hath ſaid, I will never leave thee, nor forſake thee. There you have a Promiſe, He hath ſaid; Who is it that hath ſaid it? The Great God of Heaven and Earth, that can make it good; How hath he ſaid it? how? with the greateſt earneſtneſs or aſſeveration that ever Promiſe was made; for he that hath skill in the Greek Tongue, ſhall find there five Negatives in that one Promiſe, foreign, I will not forſake thee; that is not enough: but ſays God, Be aſſured, I will not forſake thee: no, no, no, no, I will not forſake thee; ſo many No's, therefore be aſſured. As if the Lord ſhould ſay it as the greateſt Aſſeveration, and with the greateſt earneſtneſs, that ever we read of any Promiſe made with. Yet, let me tell you (and it is what you will find by your own experience), Though in time of proſperity it is an eaſie matter to preſume: yet in time of adverſity, it is a hard matter to believe this Promiſe; when we come into ſtraitneſs, to ſay, God will not leave me nor forſake me, he will not leave me in the Bryars: nay, though you and I have had experience of Gods faithfulneſs to this day, we had experience of his faithfulneſs when we were in our Mothers womb. As a learned man once ſaid, If a man ſhould live to the days of Methuſelah: if he ſhould live a thouſand years, he could never have that experience of Gods power, and tender mercy to him, as he had when God preſerved him in his mothers womb, and took him out of his mothers belly. We have had experience of Gods preſerving us then: and we have lived upon him ever ſince, ſome twenty, ſome thirty, ſome forty, ſome fifty years; all this time God did never leave us, nor forſake us: yet if we be in ſtraits, we find it a very hard matter to believe that one Promiſe, I will never leave thee, nor forſake thee. Oh therefore bewail, and bemoan the dregs of Unbelief: cry out with that good man, Lord, I believe; I would believe, help my unbelief. That is the firſt Exhortation.
Secondly, I have an Exhortation to thoſe that are in a ſtate of unbelief, unregenerate, impenitent wretches that go on in ſin, and will not be reclaimed, that ſlight the invitations of Jeſus Chriſt, and the proffers of his Grace. My Counſel to you is this, and I have but two words of Counſel to tender to you:
Firſt, Be ſenſible of this ſin.
Secondly, Labour to get this ſin removed.
Firſt, Be ſenſible of this ſin; be ſenſible of the greatneſs of it, be ſenſible of the hainous nature of it: what? to turn the Truth of God into a Lye: what? to make the great God of Heaven and Earth a Lyar: what? to rob him of his Glory: what? to go into his Cabinet, and ſteal away his chiefeſt Jewel: Can there be a greater ſin?—Be ſenſible of the danger of this ſin, it brings imminent and unavoidable deſtruction along with it. Tremble at that Scripture, John 3.18, He that believeth not, is condemn…d already, becauſe he hath not believed on the Name of the only begotten Son of God; he is condemned: a ſentence of death is paſt upon thee, if thou be in a ſtate of Unbelief.
Secondly, My other word of Counſel is this: Oh labour, labour to get this curſed ſin of unbelief deſtroyed in you: O let this ſin be deſtroyed, or elſe thou muſt be deſtroyed: But you will ſay, How ſhall we get this ſin of unbelief cured? I will tell you, Will you hearken to me in four or five Rules? and then I have done.
Firſt, Take heed of Atheiſm; for I profeſs, we are fallen into days of Atheiſm, and all our Religion (if the Lord be not merciful to us) will end in Atheiſm; Infideliſm and Atheſm, there is but one ſtep between them: what is Atheiſm but when men will not believe there is a God? all Inſidelity ſprings from Aheiſm. But you will ſay, What, do you think we are Atheiſts? Do you think that we believe there is not a God? Let me tell you, There are Atheiſts in Opinion, as well as Atheiſts in Language: The Fool hath ſaid in his heart, there is no God; there are Atheiſts in practice, as well as Atheiſts in profeſſion; They profeſs they know God, but in works they deny him. Take heed therefore of this curſed ſin of Atheiſm.
Secondly, Would you have Unbelief removed, then learn to know more of God: to know more of his Goodneſs, Wiſdom, Holineſs, Purity, Perfection, and other of his glorious Attributes: They that know thy Name, will put their truſt in thee. I am ſure, did you but know him, you would believe in him; you would obey him, you would fear before him. I know whom I have believed, ſaith St. Paul, 2 Tim. 1.12.
Thirdly, Reſolve to practice what you do know, if you would be Believers: you muſt know that there are many things a man may believe notionally, which he does not believe practically: I ſhall give you an inſtance. There is never a one of you that hears me this day, but believes you are mortal: you believe you ſhall die, you verily believe that, as you believe there is a Sun in the Firmament: yet notwithſtanding, though you do believe this; yet many of you can live as ſecurely, as merrily and madly, as if ſo be you ſhould never drop down into the duſt; here now indeed is a notional Faith; I, but there is not a practical Faith: it is one thing to believe a Truth notionally, and another thing to believe it practically.
Fourthly, Would you have Unbelief removed? then, Oh beg, and beg earneſtly, that God would take away your hearts of ſtone, and give you hearts of fleſh: let this be your Prayer every day. Do you not remember how I opened that Text to you, A new heart alſo will I give you, and a new ſpirit will I put within you: and I will take away the ſtony heart out of your fleſh, and I will give you an heart of fleſh, Ezek. 36.26? What is a ſtony-heart, but a ſenſleſs heart, a heart ſenſleſs of ſin, and a heart fearleſs of wrath? Now, do but obſerve, that unbelief and hardneſs of heart, they ſtill go together. In Mark 16.14, Afterwards he appeared unto the eleven, as they ſate at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardneſs of heart. Our Saviour upbraids them for their unbelief and hardneſs of heart; Why are you ſo backward to believe? it is becauſe of the hardneſs of your hearts.
Fifthly, I beſeech you to meditate often of the danger of Unbelief; meditate often what will be the woful Effects and Iſſues of your Unbelief: conſider the Threatnings, the Precepts, and the Promiſes of the Almighty. In John 8.24, I ſaid therefore unto you, that you ſhall die in your ſins: for if you believe not that I am he, you ſhall die in your ſins. What? die in ſin! Oh, what greater curſe can poſſibly be uttered! To die in ſin, to rot in ſin, to come out of your graves in ſin, to be preſented before your Judg in your ſins! John 3. ult. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlaſting life, and he that believeth not the Son, ſhall not ſee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. The wrath of God abideth on him: If it were only for a few days, it might be born; I, but it will be abiding, and abiding, and abiding to all Eternity: the wrath of God will abide upon that Soul that does not believe. In a word, and ſo I have done: As God ſpeaks to the Prophet in another caſe, They will not ſee, but they ſhall ſee: I apply it thus, You that will not believe, I promiſe you, you ſhall believe; you that will not believe ſavingly, you ſhall believe deſperately; you that will not believe that God is ſo juſt, ſo ſtrict; ſo ſevere; you ſhall believe when you feel the wrath of the Almighty ſeizing upon you, never to be removed; you that will not believe now to the ſaving of your Souls, you ſhall believe as the Devils, to believe and tremble: you then will believe the torments of Hell in that day, when you feel them in that place where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnaſhing of teeth: It is better to believe theſe things now, than believe them when you feel them. The Lord work theſe things upon our hearts, that this Soul-deſtroying ſin may not be our ruin.