The Sinners Last Sentence, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Three diſtinctions about ſins of Omiſſion.
2. I Shall ſpeak more particularly, and explain theſe ſins:
1. By theſe diſtinctions.
2. By their agreement with, and difference from ſins of Commiſſion.
Firſt, Theſe ſins of Omiſſion are to be diſtinguiſhed in regard of ſubſtance, manner or meaſure.
1. When a duty is omitted in regard of the matter of it, as when men pray not, give not to the Poor, hear not the VVord, &c. theſe omit the ſubſtance of the Duty. Of ſuch as thoſe God complains, There is none that looketh after God, Rom. 3.11. And again, They will will not hear the Law of the Lord, Iſa. 30.9. And he that turneth away his Ears from the cry of the poor, he alſo ſhall cry himſelf, but ſhall not be heard, Prov. 21.13. Theſe are moſt deeply guilty before God. They ſhew their utter contempt of him, and openly manifeſt it to others; when they omit to relieve the Poor, to pray in their Families, or to attend publick praying and preaching; hereby they are ſcandalous and offenſive. They grieve the godly, Rivers of tears run down mine eyes, becauſe the wicked forſake thy Laws, Pſal. 119. and they harden the wicked. VVhen ungodly men ſee others neglect all Religion, they are encouraged in their Atheiſm and Irreligion; and preſuming others are wiſe, and that themſelves ſhall fare as well as others. As it was ſaid of thoſe, Ezek. 13.21. ſo it may be ſaid of theſe; They ſtrengthen the hands of the wicked. Again, theſe are guilty in all reſpects; they who offend in the matter of a Command, by neglecting the Duty it ſelf in the ſubſtance thereof, offend in the manner and meaſure alſo; but they who offend in the manner and meaſure, may not offend in the matter.
2. VVhen the omiſſion is in regard of the manner of the duties performance; As when men do pray, but they pray not uprightly, with the heart, Jer. 12.2. Thou art nigh their mouths, but far from their reins. Nor earneſtly, with their whole heart, and with all their heart, and all the powers of their Souls, as the Precept is, Jer. 29.13. and that Prayer to which the Promiſe is annexed, James 5.16. But pray (as if they pray'd not) formally, and cuſtomarily, and careleſly; ſcarce hearing themſelves, and no wonder then if God hear them not; they pray not reverently, with the aw of God upon their Spirits, but are raſh in their words, and irreverent in their hearts, Eccleſ. 5.1, 2. So when men give Alms, but do not give chearfully, with a free, willing, ready heart; For God loves a chearful giver, 2 Cor. 9.17. Nor ſeaſonably, when it may do moſt good, Prov. 3.18. Say not to thy Neighbour, Go and come again to morrow, when thou haſt it by thee. So when men hear the Word, but hear not awfully, in the fear of God, as in the preſence of God, Acts 10.33. We are all here preſent before God, to hear all things commanded thee of God: Neither hear believingly, giving their aſſent to what they hear, and applying it to their own Souls. The Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it, Heb. 4.2. Theſe, and ſuch like, though they are not guilty of omiſſion, in regard of the matter of a Duty; yet they are guilty of omiſſion, in regard of the manner of it; though they do the thing commanded, yet they do it not as it is commanded, and ſo are guilty of the breach of a poſitive Law and Command.
3. When the omiſſion is in regard of the meaſure of the Duty; As when a man gives Alms, but not anſwerable to his Eſtate; though God hath filled his Belly with hidden treaſures, and waters of a full Cup are wrung out to him, and he is able to give pounds to poor indigent Families, he puts them off with a few pence, or at moſt ſhillings, this is an omiſſion in regard of the meaſure. God expects charitable Contributions from men anſwerable to his Bounty to them, 1 Cor. 16.2. Ʋpon the firſt day of the week let every one of you lay by him in ſtore, as God hath proſpered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. According to the meaſure of the Divine Mercy to us, ſuch ſhould be the meaſure of our Charity to others. According to the ſeed thrown into the Earth, is the Crop return'd by the good ground. Therefore to make ſcanty Returns, when we have large Receipts, is a ſin of omiſſion: So when men pray, but not with that frequency which they might and ought. The Command is, To pray contiuually, to pray without ceaſing, to pray evermore.
Which muſt include at leſt frequent, i. e. daily prayer, each Morning and Evening; but ſome men pray, but it's only at certain ſeaſons, now and then, by fits and ſtarts: Some pray only upon the Lords-Days, as if they had liberty all the working-days to be Atheiſts, and neglect the owning of the great God. Others pray only under ſome Affliction; and as Patients to their Phyſitian, never go to God, but when they cannot tell what to do without him. So the Jews, In their Affliction, they will ſeek me early, Hoſ. 5.15. When he ſmote them, then they ſought him, but their heart was not right with him, neither were they ſtedfaſt in his Covenant, Pſal. 78.34, 37. Unevenneſs of Pulſe argues a diſtemper'd Body, ſo doth unevenneſs in Duties a diſtemper'd Soul. In their trouble they will pour out a prayer. When troubles are on them, they will make bold to trouble God, and call him up for their help. God expects frequency of Application to him every day, and greater frequency of thoſe that have more time, and fewer Obſtacles and Impediments than others. Now the putting God off with Applications to him, and Acknowledgments of him once a week, inſtead of every day, and much under Affliction, inſtead of doing it in all conditions, and at all ſeaſons; or putting him off with Morning-Prayer only, inſtead of Morning and Evening-Prayer, or with Family-Prayer only, when we ſhould alſo pray in our Cloſets daily; theſe are ſins of Omiſſion, in regard of the meaſure of the Duty.
Secondly, Theſe ſins of omiſſion are either partial or total.
Total omiſſions are, when men wholly neglect the Duties commanded, as when they altogether caſt off Praying, and Hearing, and giving Alms, and examining their own hearts; Pſal. 14.3, 4. They are all gone aſide, there is none that doth good: They call not upon God. A man may read the Word Atheiſt in the fore-heads of theſe men. They carry about them where-ever they go the ſign and mark of Condemnation. They pleaſe themſelves poſſibly that they do not abound in ſcandalous ſins of Commiſſion, not conſidering that they may be guilty of ſelf-murther, as well by ſtarving or not feeding their Souls, as by ſtabbing or poiſoning their Souls.
2. Partial Omiſſions are, when men do ſometimes perform the Duties commanded, but not with that conſtancy which they ought, Job 15.4. Thou caſteſt off fear, and restraineſt prayer before God; i. e. Thou impriſoneſt Prayer, and doſt not afford it the liberty it formerly had: It was wont to appear every day openly, but now it is kept in, and ſhews it ſelf but ſeldom.
Thirdly, Sins of omiſſion are diſtinguiſhed into external or internal omiſſions.
1. External Omiſſions are a neglect of the outſide (as I may call it) of the Command.
2. Internal Omiſſions are the neglect of the inſide of the Command: We muſt know, that in every Command there is an Extra and an Intra, an Out-ſide and an Inſide, ſomewhat that concerns the Hands & Converſation, ſomewhat that concerns the Heart and Affections. As for example, In the Fourth Command of ſanctifying the Sabbath, there God commands us to ſpend the whole time of his day (except ſo much as the works of Neceſſity and Mercy call for) in religious Exerciſes, and the Duties of his own worſhip, as Praying, Reading, Hearing, Singing, &c. Now the bare performance of theſe Duties is the out-ſide of the Command, and he who doth them (though cuſtomarily) obeys the Command literally,; but the ſanctifying the Name of God in theſe Duties, and the performance of them with Reverence, Humility, Faith, Love, Joy, according to the ſeveral duties, and ſeveral parts of them, is the inſide of the Command; and he alone that performeth theſe Duties in ſuch a manner, obeyeth the Law ſpiritually. The neglect of the former is an external Omiſſion, for which God threatens Families and Nations: Pour out thy wrath upon the Heathen that know thee not, and upon the Families that call not upon thy Name, Jer. 10.25. They who will not deprecate the wrath of God, muſt feel it; and they who will not intreat his Favour, muſt go without it. So the not caſting the inceſtuous Perſon out of the Church, was an external omiſſion, 1 Cor. 5.2. The neglect of the latter, i. e. of performing Sabbath-Duties in the forementioned manner, is an internal omiſſion. Thus God complains of his people, that though they pray'd, and poſſibly made long Prayers, yet God counts their prayers as no prayers, for their internal Omiſſions: There is none that calleth upon thy Name, that ſtirreth up himſelf to take hold of thee. They put up (it may be) ſome lazy Petitions, but they pour out no hearty Deſires: Nay, God curſeth men for doing his work negligently, Jer. 48.10. Curſed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully.