Discourse of Excuses, Treatise · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. The Common Sin of Excuſes.
OUr firſt Parents having eaten the ſowr Grape, their own and their Childrens Teeth have been ſet on edge, ſtill hankering after forbidden Fruit. And as if Sin and Excuſes were Twins, as Eſau and Jacob, holding each other by the heel, we ſtill run after the Taſte of the Tree of Evil, to the Fig-tree, to borrow ſome Leaves to make an Apron, and think if we get into the Thicket of Excuſes, and can ſay All hid, that we may ſay All's well; not remembring the Voice we ſhall hear in the Cool of the Day, (the Evening of our Life▪ Adam where art thou? This is a great and fore Evil which hath tainted our Nature, and is the remain of that firſt poyſon wherewith the old Serpent in Paradiſe infected our firſt parents.
Excuſes have firſt ſhut us out of Paradiſe, and now obſtruct our way to Heaven: The great Supplanter then took away our Birthright, now our Bleſſing. Excuſes obſtruct our way to Heaven, being ſtill a Block or Bar in our way thither. Whenſoever God calls to a Duty, Excuſes are a Block to hinder Obedience, that we cannot go forward: When God calls again from Sin, Excuſes are a Bar to hinder Repentance, that we cannot go backward. But all the way to Hell is thick ſtrew'd with Excuſes, and under covert of them moſt deluded Souls (as Ahab in his Diſguiſes once) run confidently and fearleſly upon their certain and unavoidable ruine.
Our Bl…ſſed Saviour, in that Parabolical Scheme, Luke 14. 16, 17, 18, 19. doth, as in a Map. ſet down how all the Race of Mankind is tainted with this Evil.
A certain man made a great Supper, and bade many; and ſent his Servants at Suppertime to …y to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready: But they all with one conſent began to make Excuſes. The firſt ſaid, I have bought a piece of Ground, and muſt needs go ſee it, I pray thee have me excuſed. Another ſaid, I have bought five yoke of Oxen, and I go to prove them, I pray thee have me excuſed. And another ſaid, I have married a Wife, therefore I cannot come.
I pray thee have me excuſed, and I pray thee have me excuſed, is the anſwer of them all in effect.
In which Scripture you may, as in a Map, ſee on the one ſide, the kindneſs of God to Man; on the other, Mans unkindneſs to God, and to himſelf: In the one, Gods rich Grace diſplaied; in the other, Mans vile Ingratitude deſcribed; Gods care of Mans Salvation, Mans careleſneſs. What could God do more to make them happy? He provides, invites, waits, ſends out again. What could they do more to make themſelves unhappy? They put off all by evaſions, and ſhifts, and ſubterfuges. St. Matthew Mat. 22. 5.hath it, They made light of it.
Here you may ſee the nature of that ſin we are about to diſcourſe of, Excuſes. 2. The univerſality of this ſin, They all with one conſent began to make Excuſes; as if they had laid their Heads together, and reſolved there would none of them go. 3. The particularity, yea ſingularity of this ſin; not a man of them to ſeek of his Excuſe: The firſt had his Excuſe; the ſecond, his; the third, a third: So many men, ſo many Excuſes. It is the ſin of all, it is the ſin of every one; whence this ſhall be our Obſervation, upon which this Diſcourſe ſhall run, viz.
"It is the General ſin of the World and of thoſe in the Church too, All and every Mans ſin, to ſlight and reject the Grace of God, and to endanger their own Eternal Salvation, by a company of fair and ſpecious in ſhew, but indeed ſlight, vain, and frivolous Excuſes.
It is the ſin of the World. Wo to the World becauſe of Excuſes. It is the ſin of the Church. Wo to the Church, and to many that are called to partake of rich Goſpel-grace, which they reject and make void by Excuſes. It is the moſt common ſin of the World.
Divide the World into three parts: The firſt and beſt is the leaſt, of ſuch as gladly receive the Goſpel, and ſay with Samuel, Speak Lord, thy Servant heareth, 1 Sam. 3. 10. or with St. Paul, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? A little Flock of theſe, there are but few of them.
2. There is a far greater and worſe number of them, that in ſtead of accepting, ſhew foul contempt of the Goſpel, which breaks out in their oppoſition and perſecution of it, as in that Parable akin to this appears, Mat. 22. 6. The remnant took the ſervants, and intreated them ſhamefully and ſlew them. A Remnant, but a vile and very great Remnant of prophane Perſecuters and Oppoſers.
But the greateſt though not the worſt) part, is of our Excuſe-makers. It is not ſaid, they all with one conſent came in. All are not Accepters. Nor all with one conſent perſecuted and oppoſ…d; but the Remnant: Too great a Remnant too. All are not Perſecuters: But all with one conſent made excuſe. All are Excuſe-makers; all guilty here, more or leſs.
A ſin it is in which the moſt godly ſometimes have been faulty, as well as the moſt wicked: Abraham, Sarah, Moſes, Jeremy, as well as Cain Saul Judas.
The moſt ancient of ſins, and the Firſt-fruits of the firſt ſin. When Adam and Eve had eaten that forbidden Fruit, the next thing was to frame an excuſe. Haſt thou Gen. 3. 10, 11, 12, 13.eaten of that Tree, Adam? The Woman that thou gaveſt me. Haſt thou eaten, Eve? The Serpent beguiled me, ſaid ſhe. Doſt thou hide thy ſelf from me, Adam? I ſaw I was naked, ſaid he again. Nothing but Excuſes, and ſo ſin upon ſin. Cain the firſt born of Adam, when he had ſhed his Brothers blood, thinks to put it off with an Excuſe, Am I my Brothers keeper? But Gen. 4▪ 9.it is wonderful to obſerve what ado the Prophet had with Saul, after he had ſo groſly tranſgreſſed the Commandment, to get him ſpeak that hard word Peccavi: But one while he pleads innocency; he had ſpared the Cattel indeed, ſome of them; 1 Sam. 15. 13, 15, &c.but it was for Sacrifice, and they were fat ones: Then would he caſt it upon the People, then upon his Fear. No owning, but excuſing his ſin; till Samuel told him downright, he was rejected for his halting and diſobedience.
Excuſes are the moſt general and prevailing ſin of the World; the Peccatum in deliciis, the ſin that is made moſt of by Simple and Gentle, High and Low; none but cheriſh and harbor it: The greateſt Perſons, as Saul a King; greateſt Politicians, as Jeroboam; and the ſimpleſt Swain. The Sluggard hath an excuſe to ſpare his pains, A Lion is in the way: And take any Prov. 26. 13.one without his excuſe, and call him a very poor Man indeed. What the Prophet noteth of the Idolater, he that is ſo empoveriſht Iſa. 4…. ….that he hath no Oblation, yet ſeeketh a piece of Timber that will not rot to make an Idol of, and then applauds himſelf when he hath done; I may ſay of the pooreſt and ſimpleſt: None ſo poor, but he ſeeketh to get ſome rotten Excuſe or other, of which he makes an Idol to quiet his clamorous, and otherwiſe unſatisfied Conſcience. Saul had his Excuſe for diſobedience, 1 Sam. 15. 15. After for his going to the Witch: Jeroboam, 1 Sam. 28. 15. 1 Kings 12. 28.an Excuſe for his Calves in Dan and Bethel; the Jews, for ſtoning of Chriſt had an Excuſe at hand, Joh. 10. 33. and another for Crucifying of him▪ We have a Law, and by our Law he ought to die, Joh. 19. 7.