The True Way to the Tree of Life, Part · Section 3
III. Direction.
COnsider often with all Ser…usness, D Natural Man, That living and dying in this thy Sinful and wretched Condition of Nature, thou … utterly lost both Body and Soul for evermore: And caust not expect any other portion after this present momentary Life, than everlasting Torments in unquenchable Fire with the Devil and his Angels. Compare diligently, Ephes. 2. 1, 2, 3. Luk. 13. 3. 5. and Ioh. 3. 36. with Mat. 25. 41. to the end. Luk. 16. 24. Iude 7. Math. 9. 43, 44. As was formerlylIn the close of the I. Direction. intimated.
Here therefore, O Sinful and wretched Natural Man, I beseech thee let these 2 things sink deep into thine heart, viz.
1. That, Thou living and dying in this thy Natural State, shalt certainly perish both Body and Soul in Everlasting torments in Fire Prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Math. 25. 41. For,
1. If thou livest and diest in thy Natural State of Sin, Thou livest and diest Without Christ and without Hope, Eph. 2. 1. 2. with vers. 12. Christless and Hopeless. And therefore Hopeless, because Christless: For Jesus Christ is our Hope, i. e. The sure foundation of all our Hope of Salvation, 1. Tim. 1. 1. What? Christless? How then canst thou be saved? Who ever was, or can be saved without Christ? Act. 4: 11. 12. And Hopeless too? yes. For, who can once expect or look for Salvation by Christ, without Hope?
2. If thou livest and diest in thy Sinful and wretched state of Nature, Then thou livest and diest a most Cursed Creature, Gal. 3. 10. and A Child of wrath, even as others, Eph. 2. 1. 2. 3. what? Cursed? For what? For that thou continuest not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them, Gal. 3. 10. because thou doest not perform, as is thy duty, perfect, perpetual, personal obedience to all things in Gods Law, which, nor thou, nor any meer man since Adam's Fall, could ever perform. (2:) To what art thou cursed? 1. To pains of Loss and Sense, Mat. 25. 41. Depart ye cursed—There's pains of Loss. Depart from Christ, from the only Redeemer, Gal. 3. 13. From the only All-sufficient Saviour, Heb. 7. 25. From the one only Mediator betwixt God and man, 1 Tim. 2. 5. From the only way unto the Father, Ioh. 14. 6. From the hope and consolation of Israel, &c. 1 Tim. 1. 1. Luk. 2. 25. Oh! who can so depart from Christ, and that for ever, and not be cursed? 2. To pains of Sense: Depart into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels. What, into fire? What is more sharp and tormenting to the Sense, then fire? Into everlasting fire? Then no hopes of relaxation or deliverance thence, after millions and ten thousand millions of years, &c. Everlasting, kills the soul. Oh! who can dwell with everlasting burnings? Into everlasting fire prepared? Prepared by God. Tophet is ordained of old,—he hath made it deep and large, the pile thereof is fire and much wood, the breath of the LORD like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it, Isa. 3. 33. And if God have prepared it, whose wisdom, power, justice, wrath, &c. are infinite, how dreadful is that Preparation! No men, Angels or Creatures, can make such Preparation. Prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Oh what a dreadful preparation must that needs be! What? To be everlastingly racked with the Devil and his Angels; the worst of all society? To be everlastingly tormented in fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels? What an aggravation will this be of these infernal fiery torments? No torments in the world like these torments. (3.) And by whom art thou, and shalt thou be thus dreadfully cursed? By the glorious and living God, in his Word, Gal. 3. 10. And by the Lord Jesus Christ, at the great day, Mat. 25. 41. O dismal, soul-damning Curse! What Natural man, so dying, can escape it, or endure it? Whom God and Christ curseth, they are cursed; whom God and Christ blesseth, they are blessed indeed.
3. If thou livest and diest in thy sinful and wretched state of Nature, Thou wilt be eternally shut out from God, Christ, and all the Blessed Saints and Angels, unto the Devil, his Angels and Reprobates; from Heaven, to Hell; from light, to darkness; from joy, to grief; from mercy, to misery; from happiness, to unhappiness; from life, to death; from all good, into a conflux of all evil. Compare Mat. 18. 3. Ioh. 3. 3, 5. 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. Gal. 5. 19, 20, 21. with Mat. 23. 33. Rev. 21. 8. Mat. 25. 41, 46.
II. That, There's weighty cause why these thoughts and Considerations should strike deep into thy heart, and dwell there. For,
1. This Life is the only season and seed-time of grace, for obtaining of salvation, and preventing of damnation. Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation, 2 Cor. 6. 2. Now is the time of repenting, turning to God, believing in Christ, of laying up for our selves treasures in Heaven, &c. Act. 17. 30. Eccl. 12. 1. Mat. 6. 20. Therefore to day if thou wilt hear his voice, harden not thy heart, Heb. 3. 7, 8, 15. Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou g…est, Eccl. 9. 10. As the Tree falls, to Heaven or Hell, so it will lye till the last day.
2. This present life of thine (which is the only seed-time of grace and salvation) is most frail and short. Thou hast here no continuing City; happy wert thou, didst thou by faith unfaigned seek one to come. A City that bath foundations, whose builder and maker is god, Heb. 3. 13, 14. with 11. 9, 10. We are all strangers before God, and sojourners, as all our Fathers were, 1 Chron. 29. 15. Man born of a woman, is but short of dayes, and full of trouble, Job 14. 1. Mans Life is of no long computation, at most, in ordinary dispensation, but 70 or 80 years, Psal. 90. 10. And what's that to eternity? Thy Life is but a few years, Job 16. 22. Moneths of number, Job 14. 5. A f…w and evil dayes, Gen. 47. 9. An Hirelings day, which at most is but 12 hours, Iob 14. 6. As nothing, before God. Surely every max at his best estate is altogether vanity, Selah, Psal. 39. 5. O, with what pathetical similitudes doth the Holy Ghost represent the vanity and brevity of mans Life! Mans Life here is but a vapour, appearing and disappearing, Iam. 4. 14. A wind, that blows and goes, Iob 7. 7. A flower, that flourisheth and fades, Psal. 103. 16, 17. Iob. 14. 2. A fable or tale told, almost as soon forgot as told, Psal. 90. 9. A flood, speedily flowing night and day, never returning, Psal, 90. 5. A watchin the night, but 3 hours long, Psal. 90. 4. A sleep, insensibly gone, Psal. 90. 5. A shadow, or show, without substance and reality, Iob. 14. 2. Psal. 39. 6.
Such is thy Life, O Natural man, thy day spends apace, thy night hastens wherein thou canst not work. Up and be doing: The journey to Heaven is a long and difficult way; to fit thy self for Heaven is a great work. Lose not an inch, a moment of time, lest it be too late. This day is thy flourishing, to morrow may be thy funeral: So it was with that graceless fool, Luk. 12. 20. This night thou sleepest in thy bed, ere many nights come thou maist sleep in thy grave. And then, if thy heavenly work be not done, thou art eternally undone.
3. Thy Death is sure, Heb. 9. 27. Iob 14. 5. 2 Sam. 14. 14. The dismal winter doth not more certainly pursue the summer and autumn, the darksome night not more infallibly and speedily drive away the day, then thine unexpected Death will thy momentany Life. Thy Death is then most certain, and most uncertain thing in the world: most certain that it will come; most uncertain when, where, how, it will come upon thee. Thy last day is concealed from thee, that every day it may be expected by thee. mLatet ultimus dies, ut observentur omnes dies. August. Hom. 13. p. 441. B. Tom. 10. Basil. 1569.Be alwayes in readiness for God and Christ, lest Death surprize thee, and so thou be shut out with the 5 foolish virgins, and the impenitent thief, Mar. 25. 10, 11, 12. Luk. 23. 39, 40, 41.
4. Upon thy Death, O Natural man, Gods impartial judgement, and infernal torments, will immediately pass upon thy soul, Heb. 9. 27. Luk. 16. 22, 23, 24. And upon both body and soul at the great day of the LORD, Mat. 25. 41, 46. 2 Thes. 1. 7, 8. And Oh how intolerable, incurable, and undeterminable will they be! as hath been intimated.
5. Finally, It were a thousand pities, that thy precious and immortal soul, O' Natural man, should ever come into that place of torments. For, 1. Was not thy sould a spark of immortality, which no mortals nor meer creatures can possibly kill and destroy? Mat. 10. 28. 2. Was not thy soul, in its first Creation, the principal receptacle and subject of the blessed Image of God? Gen. 1. 26, 27. 3. Is not thy soul still the seat of all thy reason, understanding, sense, motion, strength, beauty, &c. and the very rise and guide of thy whole body, without which it is no better than a dead, senseless, helpless, useless, worthless, organized lump of earth? 4. Is not thy soul thy most precious jewel, of more true worth and invaluable consequence to thee, then any thing in the world, then the whole world besides? Christ who best knew the souls true value, said; What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mat. 16. 26. And wilt thou hazard this thy precious soul unto infernal torments for ever, for a few rotten pleasures of sin for a season?
Now then, O Natural man, think seriously of all these things. Dost thou believe them? Canst thou really be perswaded in thy conscience, that, living and dying in this thy Natural state, infernal torments for ever and ever will inevitably be thy portion? And is this a condition for thee to rest in? Is this a state wherein thou canst rejoyce, that art every day in danger to tumble headling into Hell? Is there so small a distance betwixt thee and Death eternal, even a short span or moment of a temporary life, and wilt thou not yet come out of Egypt? O, amend (saidnDum potes emenda, dum tempus habes clama ad omnipotentem Deum, dum datur spacium luge, dum licentia est paeniteas, festina dum potes, dum anima versatur in corpore, dum adhuc vivis futurum remedium require tibi prius, quam te profundum absorbeat Pelagus, & prius qu…m te malignus rapiat infernus, ubi nulla datur indulgentia, ubi nullus regreditur ad veniam. De qua paena pius nos Dominus eripere dignetur. Aug. de Sanctis Serm. 40. p. 1249, &c. Tom. 10. Basil. 1569. Augustine) while thou canst; cry to God Almighty while thou hast time; lament while thou hast space; repent while thou hast leave; make hast while thou canst, while thy soul is in thy body, while thou livest seek out for remedy, before the huge deep swallow thee up▪ and before that woful Hell snatch thee away, where there is no indulgence, whence none return to receive remission. From which punishment the gracious God vouchsafe to deliver us. So he, pathetically.