The Sinners Last Sentence, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. The reaſons of the Sinners privative Puniſhment.
Thirdly, I Proceed to the Reaſons of this Doctrine, and ſhall name but two:
1. Wicked men in the other world ſhall be ſentenced to depart from Chriſt, becauſe of their wickedneſs or unworthineſs of his preſence. The Judge himſelf gives this Reaſon in the Text, verſ. 42, 43. For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat, &c. Sin is the great Wall of Partition between God and his Creatures: Evil cannot ſtand in thy ſight, neither canſt thou behold the works of Iniquity, Pſal. 5. They muſt loſe the light of his Countenance, who never minded the light of his Commandments; the holy Jeſus cannot abide the Company of unholy Creatures. Shall the Throne of Iniquity have fellowſhip with thee? No, it may not, it cannot, Pſal. 94.20. It's contrary to his Honour, who hath threatned their baniſhment from him; and it's contrary to his Nature, who hates their Company.
If God depart from his own people in this world in part, and for a time, it is for their ſins. Your Iniquities ſeparate between me and your Souls, Iſa. 59.2. Thus they are the Cloud that interpoſe between the Soul and the Sun of Righteouſneſs,Iſa. 44.22. and hinder the light of his Favour from ſhining on us. Job knew and acknowledged this, in Job 13.24, 25, 26. Why hideſt thou thy Face? Thou writeſt bitter things againſt me, and makeſt me to poſſeſs the ſins of my youth. And if wicked men depart totally and eternally from God in the other World, it is for their ſins. Depart from me ye Workers of Iniquity, I know you not, Matth. 7.23. Luke 13.27. Departure from Chriſt is the Wages which the Workers of Iniquity earn. Deeds of darkneſs merit utter darkneſs.
Wicked men now deſire Chriſt to depart from them. They beſought him to depart out of their Coaſts, Matth. 8. ult. But what is now their Pleaſure, ſhall then be their Puniſhment. He will go from them, who bid him be gone; and hide his Face for ever from thoſe who turn their backs upon him in time. He that prepares for Sinners the Torments of Hell, will not beſtow on them the Joys of Heaven.
2. Becauſe of their unfitneſs for the preſence of Chriſt. A carnal heart cannot ſavour a ſpiritual Heaven. The vitiated nature of man cares not for the pleaſures joyn'd with the holineſs of the Coeleſtial Paradiſe. When Angels kept not their firſt Eſtate, they left their own Habitation, Jude, verſ. 6. As ſoon as they loſt their primitive Purity, they loſt the place of their Glory and Felicity. When once they turn'd haters of God and Holineſs, of their own accord they forſook Heaven. Diſtemper'd Palats cannot relliſh the choiceſt Dainties. How can the wicked delight in God (which is the Heaven of Heaven) who have in them a predominant enmity againſt him, Heb. 12.14. Follow after holineſs, without which no man ſhall ſee the Lord. It's holineſs that makes the Soul ſit and meet for Heaven, Col. 1.12. Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light. The Blind are as capable of ſeeing, and the Deaf of hearing, and the Dead of eating and drinking, as wicked men are of ſeeing God as he is, and hearing the melodious Songs of Saints and Angels, and of feeding of the Tree of Life that groweth in the midſt of Paradiſe, and of drinking of the pure Water that floweth from the Throne of God and the Lamb. If the Tabernacle on Earth, wherein are the Saints of God, and holy Inſtitutions of Chriſt, and the Divine Worſhip, for four or five hours in a week, be a Priſon to earthly carnal men, ſurely the Temple in Heaven, wherein is the holy One of Iſrael in the greateſt manifeſtion of his holineſs, holy Angels, perfect Spirits, pure Service of the bleſſed God, without interruption or ceſſation, would be a Purgatory, yea an Hell to them. Communion with God is impoſſible (in natura rei) without conformity to him, 2 Cor. 6.14. They tell a broad lye, who ſay, They have fellowſhip with God here, and walk after their own luſts, 1 Joh. 1.6. He that ſaith he abideth in him, ought himſelf alſo to walk even as he walked. Our delight in God is ever proportionable to our deſires of him. Now wicked men deſiring above all things the abſence, yea the dethroning of God; can never take any delight in his preſence, though they ſhould be admitted thereunto.
If ſuitableneſs be wanting, that which is never ſo excellent is no way joyous or pleaſant to us. All Creatures delight only in what is ſuitable to their natures. Barzillai refuſed the pleaſures of Davids Court, becauſe they were ſo unſuitable to an old man, that they would be no pleaſures to him; he could not taſt their Meat, nor hear their Muſick. So all the delights of the Coeleſtial Court would be no delights (becauſe of their unſuitableneſs) to ſinful ſenſual natures. Ungodly men could not relliſh the ſpiritual Dainties at the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb, nor hear with pleaſure the heavenly Quire ſinging the Song of Moſes and the Lamb. I grant that wicked men are naturally capable of Heaven, as they are rational Creatures; but they are morally uncapable, as they are predominantly carnal and ſinful; ſo they want that holineſs which ſhould prepare, and diſpoſe, and fit them for Heaven.