The Sinners Last Sentence, Chapter 38
CHAP. XXXVIII. If God ſhould omit his care of us a moment, we are undone. And if Chriſt had omitted the leaſt in our Work of Redemption, we had been loſt irrecoverably.
9. COnſider, if God ſhould omit his care of thee, and neglect thee as often as thou omitteſt his Service, and neglecteſt him; nay, if he ſhould withdraw his poſitive Providence from thee one moment, what would become of thee? thy Body would be turn'd into a dead loathſome Carkaſs, and thy Soul would be haled by Devils to Hell fire. Is it not more juſt that God ſhould neglect thee, than that thou ſhouldſt neglect him? and hath he not much more reaſon to neglect thee a moment, than thou haſt to neglect him days, and moneths, and years? He hath no Obligation to thee, thou haſt thouſands to him. All he doth for thee is mercy, meer mercy; not only beyond but contrary to merit: All he requireth of thee, and all thou canſt do for him, is Duty, and that which the greateſt Juſtice calls upon thee for. Now if thou art unwilling to be neglected by God, why ſhouldſt thou not be as unwilling to neglect God? Is thy ſafety of greater concern than his Glory? or muſt thy Pleaſure be prefer'd before his? Wilt thou not make that golden Rule of Chriſt the rule of thy actions with men, to deal with them as thou wouldſt have them to deal with thee; and wilt thou deal otherwiſe with the bleſſed God? Muſt he remember thee at all times, in all conditions; keep thee night and day, leſt any hurt thee, ſupport and ſupply thee every moment, and thou forget him days without number? Is this fair or honeſt dealing?
Reader, Let me tell thee, upon him thou liveſt, by him thou moveſt, and from him thou haſt thy Being. Thou canſt not think, or ſpeak, or act in the leaſt, if he ſhould ſuſpend his care of thee; thine Eyes could not ſee, nor thine Ears hear, nor thy Mouth taſt, nor thy Hands or Feet move, if his Providence doth not concur to them. If he ſhould but with-draw his manutenency, and the hold he hath of thee for the ſmalleſt pittance of time, thou wouldſt drop into the bottomleſs Pit. The flames do not depend more on the Fire, nor the ſtreams on the Spring of water, than thy Life, and all thy Comforts for this and the other World do upon God; and wilt thou provoke him to leave thee? He hath ſaid, with the froward he will ſhew himſelf froward, Pſal. 18.26. That he will walk contrary to them that walk contrary to him,Lev. 26.24. and that he will forſake them that forſake him, and pay men in their own Coin;2 Chron. 15.2. and wilt thou venture him any longer? Others have felt the truth of thoſe threatnings, and doſt thou think to go unpuniſhed? Surely if common ingenuity will not move thee to remember him night and day, who remembreth thee with Loving-kindneſs every minute; yet the Divine Severity may fright thee from forgetting him, leſt he forget thee for ever. Believe it, if he leave thee, Wrath, and Death, and Hell, and Damnation, and Devils will ſoon find thee. Thou canſt now depart from him, by thy neglect of his Worſhip, and be merry and chearful notwithſtanding; but if once he depart from thee, though but for a moment, thou art undone eternally. Woe be to thee, when I depart from you, Hoſ. 9.12. Thy Friends, and Relations, and Creature-Comforts may depart from thee, and it may be well with thee; but if the Fountain of thy Life, the God of thy Health, the Father of all Mercies depart from thee, woe will be to thee. Heaven and Earth cannot make him bleſſed, or hinder him from being extreamly curſed, whom God leaves and forſakes. Alas, if the Heavens omit to give us its ſhowers, or the Sun omit to diſpenſe its influences, or the Earth omit to yield its increaſe; where are we? what can we do? how lamentable is our condition? Thoſe Perſons that were purer than Snow, that were whiter than Milk, that were more ruddy than Rubies, or than poliſhed Saphires, their Viſage is blacker than a coal: They are not known in the ſtreets, their Skin cleaveth to their Bones, it is withered, it is become like a ſtick, Lament. 4.7, 8. The Children and the Sucklings ſwoon in the ſtreets, Lam. 2.11, 12. But if our caſe be ſo woful, when Creatures omit their accuſtomed kindneſs to us, what will it be if God ſhould omit his care of us?
10. Conſider, If the Lord Jeſus Chriſt ſhould omit the leaſt in the Work of thy Redemption, thou wouldſt be undone for ever. Had Chriſt been as unwilling to ſave thee to the uttermoſt, as thou art to ſerve him to the uttermoſt, what would have become of thee? Friend, Jeſus Chriſt trod the whole Wine-preſs of his Fathers Wrath alone; had he left but one drop of that bitter Cup of Divine Wrath for thee to drink, it would have cauſed thy Belly to ſwell, and Bowels to be troubled, and Bones to ake, and whole Body and Soul to ſuffer extremity of Torments for ever. When Chriſt undertook to interpoſe between thee and his Father, to ſtand as a ſkreen between thy poor Soul and a conſuming Fire, he omitted not the leaſt that was requiſite for thy good. Though it was hard work, painful work, amazing work, ſuch work as neither Men nor Angels durſt undertake; yet when thy Miſeries and Neceſſities required it, he did it. He did not omit to contend with Earth, and Heaven, and Hell for thee: He did not omit to drink of the Brook in the way, of the Cup of his Fathers Wrath, and to tread the Wine-preſs of his Anger alone, that he might obtain Favour and Life for thee. He omitted not the leaſt in point of ſatisfaction to his Fathers Juſtice, he deſired not the ſmalleſt abatement of thoſe vaſt ſums which thou thou didſt ow to the Divine Majeſty, but paid the utmoſt farthing for thee. He never gave over till all was finiſhed, till all the Tipes were verified, all the Promiſes accompliſhed, and all the Demands of his Father fully anſwered, Joh. 19.28. He omitted nothing in point of application of the Purchaſe which he had bought for Sinners. As he died to make ſatisfaction for us, ſo he ever liveth to make interceſſion for us. As he died to make his Will good, (for a Will is not of force as long as the Teſtator liveth, Heb. 9.17.) wherein he gives Pardon, and Love, and Life to his people; ſo he liveth to ſee his Will made good, that his choſen might enjoy whatſoever his boundleſs Love and Grace had bequeathed to them. He died, that he might be a legal Teſtator; and he liveth, that he might be his own Executor.
Now, Reader, did Chriſt omit nothing which related to thy Salvation, and wilt thou omit any thing that relates to his Service? Did he not ſhrink back when thy Miſeries call'd him to bear that burden which made the Earth to quake, the whole Creation to groan, and would have broke the backs of Angels and Arch-Angels, and all the heavenly Hoſt, if they had put their ſhoulders under it; and wilt thou ſhrink back from that eaſie Yoke and light Burden, which he calls thee to take upon thee? Is this thy kindneſs to thy Friend? Why doſt thou uſe him thus, as Abſalom ſaid to Huſhai. Is this thy gratitude to the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, why doſt thou ſerve him ſo? 2 Sam. 16.17.
When the moſt righteous God demanded full ſatifaction for the breach of his Law, by the Nature that had tranſgreſſed it, and reſolved, that if he had it not, the whole Poſterity of Adam ſhould periſh; when his Wrath was breaking in like a Flood to overwhelm the whole World of Mankind, and neither Man nor Angel durſt ſtand in the breach to divert this deluge of Fury, when the Knife of the Laws Curſe was even at the Creatures throat, as Abraham's at the throat of Iſaac. Thy Redeemer call'd to his Father, O Father, Father, hold thine hand, ſlay not thoſe poor Creatures; I have provided a Sacrifice, ſuch as thou wilt accept. I know that Beeves, and Goats, and Lambs are not the Sacrifices for Sin which thou wouldſt have, (what proportion hath the blood of Beaſts to the infinite demerit of Sin) but I know what Sacrifice thou wouldſt have; thou wouldſt have me to offer my ſelf upon the Croſs as a Sacrifice to thy Juſtice, (that the whole World might know the Holineſs of thy Nature, the Righteouſneſs of thy Law, and thine infinite kindneſs to thine Elect,) Well, I come to do thy Will, O God. Though the Taſk be ſo great, and the Work ſo grievous, that no other dares ſo much as touch it; and though I am wholly free, and none can oblige or compel me to it, yet I will undertake it. Now, Reader, was Chriſt ſo forward, ſo willing to obey ſuch a Command of dying a curſed, painful, ſhameful death, that he tells his Father, I delight to do thy Will, O God; and art thou ſo backward to obey his Commands, and to walk in his ways, When his ways are ways of pleaſantneſs, and all his paths are peace, Pſal. 40.6. Heb. 10.5. Prov. 3.17. Was Chriſt ſo careful and tender of thee, that he would not omit any thing needful for thy good; and art thou ſo careleſs and forgetful of him, as to omit that which is of ſuch concernment to his Glory? Friend, bethink thy ſelf, doth not thy Redeemer deſerve fairer dealings at thy hands? Heathens and Publicans would not be ſo baſe and unworthy to their Friends and Benefactors.