The Sinners Last Sentence, Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX. The Condition of men only Civil is unſafe and ſad.
5. IF Chriſt will condemn men at the Great Day for ſins of Omiſſion, for not relieving the Poor and Afflicted: It may inform us, That the condition of men meerly civil, and negatively religious, will be woful at that day. Why? Becauſe Chriſt will command them to depart from him into everlaſting fire. Ah how dreadful will it be to take an eternal Farewel of the Lord of Life, the God of all Grace, the Well of Salvation; and to enter into a ſtate of Death and Wrath, and that for ever. If the righteous ſcarcely be ſaved, where ſhall the Sinner and Ʋngodly appear? 1 Pet. 3. By Sinner, I ſuppoſe, is meant the ſcandalous man, who liveth in Commiſſion. It's ſaid of Mary Magdalen, who had been guilty of notorious Enormities, Luke 7. For ſhe is a Sinner. And it's ſaid of the Publican, (whoſe whole Tribe was infamous for Extortion and Bribery) That he was a Sinner. He is gone to be a Gueſt to one that is a Sinner. By Ungodly, as the very word foreign ſignifieth, is meant one that liveth in Omiſſions, one that liveth without the Worſhip of God; i. e. without the Love and Fear, the Acknowledgment and Adoration of this God. Worſhip is that high Honour and Solemn Reſpect that the Creature owes to God: Not to give him this, is ungodlineſs. An ungodly man is one that doth not ſeek God, nor truſt God, nor obey God; that doth not own him in his Mercies as his Father and Benefactor, nor in his Judgments as a wiſe Maſter, that would by Chaſtiſements make him partaker of his Holineſs. Now if the righteous ſcarcely be ſaved, where ſhall the ſinner and ungodly appear? If there be a difficulty in the Salvation of the Righteous, there is a neceſſity of the damnation of the Sinner and ungodly. If the Righteous get ſo hardly to Heaven, the Sinner and Ungodly muſt ſurely be caſt into Hell. Where ſhall the Sinner and Ungodly, thoſe that are guilty of theſe Omiſſions and Commiſſions, appear? They muſt appear ſomewhere, but they can appear no where with comfort, or without unſpeakable horrour. Where ſhall they appear? before God? why, they hate his Being, deſpiſe his Dominions, ſlight his Love, diſobey his Laws, and indeed ſeek his Life; and can they appear before him? Can they look for a ſmile from his Face, who loath him perfectly? or can they ſtand before his Frowns and Fury? Do they know the weight of his Hand, the killing-darts of his Eye, and the Power of his Anger? No ſurely, they cannot appear before him. Thou, even thou art to be feared, and who may ſtand when thou art angry? Where ſhall they appear? Shall they appear before Chriſt the Judge of Quick and Dead? Before him, who ſometimes invited them earneſtly to come to him, and intreated them affectionately to accept of him, and life with him. Shall they appear before him? It's his Call which they have deſpiſed, and his Commands which they have violated. It's his Blood which they have trampled on, and his Spirit whom they have grieved. They are his Members whom the Sinners have oppreſſed and wronged, and his Children, and Spouſe, and Body, which the Ungodly have neglected, and not relieved. O how glad would they be if the Rocks would cruſh them to pieces, that they might be deliver'd from the wrath of the Lamb, Rev. 6.15. Their ſevere Sentence which may make every Ear to tingle, and Heart to tremble, that hears it, will proceed from his mouth; Then ſhall he ſay unto them on his left hand, Depart from me ye curſed into everlasting fire. But where ſhall theſe Sinners and Ungodly appear? Shall they appear before the Saints? Alas, with what face can they behold them, whoſe Perſons they have impriſon'd, whoſe Eſtates they have plundered, whoſe Profeſſion they have derided, whoſe Names they have abuſed, and whom they have often wiſhed out of the way, and thought the Troublers of the Family, and Town, and Country where they lived? If the Saints plead it muſt be againſt them, for they cannot but as Juſtices agree and concur with the Sentence of the Judge as righteous and juſt.
But where ſhall they appear? Shall they appear before the Law? No, that condemneth them for the leaſt Omiſſion, for the ſmalleſt Commiſſion to Hell fire; they are the Prohibitions of the Law that the Sinner hath tranſgreſſed, and they are the Precepts of the Law that the Ungodly hath not obeyed; and therefore the Law curſeth them both to the uttermoſt. The Law enableth Sin to bind over the Tranſgreſſor of it to the Wrath and Curſe of God: Hence it's ſaid, The ſtrength of Sin is the Law.
But where ſhall they appear? Shall they appear before the Goſpel? No, their Omiſſions have moſt relation to the Goſpel. They have not believed the truth of it. They have not embraced the goodneſs of it. They have not obeyed the Precepts of it. They rejected the tenders of Pardon and Life made to them in the Goſpel, with frequency and fervency. They would not come to their Phyſitian to be healed of their mortal Diſeaſes. Though he came to them and offer'd his help freely, and aſſured them of effectual and ſpeedy recovery, if they would be directed by him; yet they rejected the Counſel of God againſt themſelves; therefore the Goſpel will condemn as ſurely and more ſorely than the Law.Heb. 2.2, 3 Joh. 3.19. If the word ſpoken by Angels was ſtedfast, and every Diſobedience received a juſt recompence of Reward: How ſhall we eſcape, if we neglect ſo great Salvation.
And again, Of how much ſorer puniſhment ſhall he be thought worthy?
But where ſhall they appear? Shall they appear on Earth? Surely there will be no Earth then for them to appear in. That Earth which they ſported ſo much in, as Leviathan in the waters, and which they were fond of, and delighted in, will be burnt up with fire, and conſumed with fervent heat.
But where ſhall they appear? Shall they appear in Heaven? Can an unſanctified heart enter into the Holy of Holies? No. Without holineſs no man ſhall ſee the Lord, Heb. 12.14. An impure Eye cannot behold ſuch an infinitely pure Object. When Angels (ſeated in Heaven as their Habitation) once loſt their purity, they ſoon loſt that place. Heaven could not bear them; 'tis not as Noahs Ark, to take in all ſorts, Clean or Unclean. Into it can in no wiſe enter any thing that is Ʋnclean, Rev. 21.27. Neither could they bear Heaven. Thee ſpiritual delights of that Coeleſtial Court became unſuitable to their polluted Natures. The rareſt Dainties and moſt curious Delicates are altogether unſavoury and unpleaſant to an aguiſh and diſtemper'd Palat.
But where ſhall they appear? If they cannot appear before God their Maker, before the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, before the Saints. Before whom ſhall they appear? If they cannot appear before the Law, before the Goſpel, before what ſhall they appear? It muſt be in Hell, before Devils and damned Spirits, with them to lodge and dwell for ever. Ah, the Great Day is called The terrible Day of the Lord Jeſus; and it will be a terrible Day indeed to theſe meer Civilians.
It is called the Day of Perdition of ungodly men. It's to others a Day of Conſolation. Lift up your Heads with joy, for the Day of your Redemption draweth nigh. A Day of Promotion, It's your Fathers pleaſure to give you a Kingdom, Luke 12.32. Joh. 17.24. A Day of Reſt from all their Labours, and Sorrows, and Sufferings, bodily or ſpiritually, Rev. 14.13. But it's the Day of Perdition of Ungodly men. They who live without God here, muſt live without him for ever; and this fartheſt, utmoſt, endleſs departure of the Creature from God, who is the only Life and Heaven of him, will be a Death and Hell with a witneſs. God will be God at that Day in the account of the worſt of men, though he be their laughing-ſtock and ſinning-ſtock at this day.
Though theſe ungodly ones ſit aloft here in the Courts of men, and who but they; Yet the Ʋngodly ſhall not ſtand in the Judgment, Pſal. 1.5. At the Great Day when they ſhall be judged, 1. They ſhall be aſhamed, they ſhall not ſtand, i. e. not hold up their heads with joy, but hang down their heads with ſhame, Dan. 12. Some ſhall ariſe to ſhame and confuſion of face. 2. The Ʋngodly ſhall not ſtand in the Judgment, i. e. they ſhall not be juſtified. When they ſhall be tried for their Lives and Deaths, for their endleſs unchangeable ſtates, they ſhall be caſt and condemned. When all Adams Poſterity ſhall make their perſonal appearance before the God of the Spirits of all Fleſh, to receive their eternal doom; and when the Judge of Quick and Dead cloathed with his Majeſtick Robes of Glory, accompanied with an illuſtrious train of Angels, ſhall ſit down on the Judgment Seat, he ſhall pronounce a Sentence of Condemnation on all ungodly Ones. If thou Lord ſhouldst mark Iniquity, O Lord, who ſhould ſtand, Pſal. 130.3. i. e. If thou Lord ſhould obſerve exactly the beſt mans heart and life, and accordingly deal with him, not one man could be juſtified. Who ſhall ſtand; i. e. righteous at thy Bar. 3. The Ʋngodly ſhall not ſtand in the Judgment; i. e. they ſhall not conquer, when they ſhall be impleaded and accuſed by the Devil and the Law at that day. An Army foil'd, is ſaid not to ſtand before their Enemies. And again, An Army beaten is ſaid to fall before their Adverſaries, Dan. 11.25. And the Conquerors are ſaid to ſtand, Epheſ. 6.13 The Devil will bring his large Bills of Indictments into the Court againſt the Ungodly, for he is foreign, 1 Pet. 5.8. A Court-Adverſary and the Law will ſecond the Devil, and joyn with him in his Accuſations; the Sinners Conſcience will joyn with both, and aſſent to the truth of their Indictments. The Ungodly will have no Advocate to plead for him. Chriſt that ſometimes offer'd him that kindneſs, will now plead againſt him, and ſo he muſt needs fall and be conquer'd by his Enemies.