The Sinners Last Sentence, Chapter 40
CHAP. XL. Arguments againſt ſins of Omiſſion. God delights chiefly in our doing good; and our opportunities for doing good will quickly be gone.
13. COnſider, God takes moſt pleaſure in our poſitive Holineſs. It's true he is pleaſed to ſee men deny ungodlineſs and worldly luſts; but nothing to that pleaſure which he takes in ſeeing them live righteouſly, ſoberly, and godly in this preſent evil World. He likes ceaſing from evil, becauſe it's agreeable to his Word; but he likes better doing of good, becauſe it's more conformable to his Will, Iſa. 64.5. Thou meeteſt him that rejoyceth and worketh righteouſneſs. Thou meeteſt him with the riches of Mercy, who worketh what is good with alacrity. If he come to thee, thou wilt not caſt him away; nay, thou wilt run to meet him, and embrace him. As the Father of the Prodigal ran to meet his returning Son, Luke 15. And as one at odds, but willing to be reconciled, tells us, He will meet his Oppoſite half-way. And I may ſay of Gods meeting a Soul that worketh Righteouſneſs, as God tells Moſes; Behold, Aaron thy Brother comes to meet thee, and when he ſeeth thee, he will be glad at his heart. Behold, thy God and Father cometh to meet thee, and when he ſeeth thee, working Righteouſneſs, he will be glad at his heart; nay, ſo glad, that the diſadvantage of a mans Country ſhall not hinder him of this kindneſs, Acts 10. And Peter ſaid, I perceive now that God is no Reſpecter of perſons; but in every Nation, he that feareth God, and worketh Righteouſneſs, is accepted of him. God proclaimeth to all the World, That he delighteth in ſuch a mans way, Pſal. 73.23. and therefore his Word which he hath given us for our Rule herein, is called his good and acceptable Will, Rom. 12.2. And the reaſon is, becauſe ſuch perſons are moſt like God, therefore they have moſt of his love and delight. God is a pure Act, and ſo cannot but approve of them that are active. He is ever at work, Joh. 5.17. Hitherto my Father worketh, and I work. And its righteouſneſs he is always working, The Lord is holy in all his Ways, and righteous in all his Works, Pſal. 145. He is good, and doth good; ſo that thoſe who are poſitively holy, do moſt reſemble him, and ſo do moſt delight him. We all take moſt pleaſure in thoſe Children that are our exacteſt Pictures. Reader, art thou negatively holy; Canſt thou ſay, I am no Drunkard, no Glutton, no Adulterer? thou mayſt ſay this, and be like the Devil, for the Devil himſelf may ſay as much. Canſt thou ſay, I am no Thief, no Swearer, no Blaſphemer, no Sabbath-breaker, no Trader with falſe Weights or falſe Meaſures, no Bearer of falſe witneſs againſt my Neighbour? A Beaſt may ſay as much, and thou mayſt be free from theſe ſins, and yet like a Beaſt. But if thou liveſt in the love and delight of the bleſſed Majeſty, doing his pleaſure, this is to be like an Angel, Pſal. 103. And doing good to others, this is to be like God, and this is that which takes his heart. Common humanity is much affected with one that aboundeth in goodneſs, and is rich in good Works; therefore the Apoſtle tells us, That for a good man poſſibly ſome may even dare to die, Rom. 5. The reaſon of which is, becauſe the people of the Jews were divided into three ſorts of Perſons; there were Reſhagnim, or foreign, the wicked or ungodly, thoſe who lived without the Worſhip of God, and walked in prophane courſes; there were alſo Tſidikim, or foreign, the juſt or righteous, men of rigid righteouſneſs, or ſevere innocency; and Chaſidim, or foreign, the good and liberal, men of large Hearts and open Hands, to do good to others; who as publick Conduits, are of publick advantage in the places where they live. Now ſaith the Apoſtle, Scarcely for a righteous man; that is, for a man of auſtere Juſtice will one die; but for a good man, a man full of good works, one that is bountiful to others, and uſeful in his Generation, a man would even dare to die. Humanity is ſo taken with doing good, that a man can be contented almoſt to die for ſuch; much more muſt goodneſs it ſelf, and the Fountain of all Goodneſs be affected therewith. He tells us, That he is a God who executeth Kindneſs, Judgment, and Righteouſneſs: For in theſe things I delight, ſaith the Lord. Both in doing them my ſelf, and ſeeing them done by others, Pſal. 11. ult. Mich. 6.8.
What thinkeſt thou, Reader, of this motive to good Works, wouldſt thou not delight the heart of God? How long haſt thou by thy Omiſſions grieved him, and is it not yet time to rejoyce him? How often haſt thou diſpleaſed him? how many millions of times? and wilt thou not now pleaſe him? Thou daily ſeeſt, that though he hath no Obligations to his Creatures (but the contrary) he doth them good, and gives them food and fruitful ſeaſons, and fills their Hearts with gladneſs. And wilt thou not do thy utmoſt to glad his Heart, who hath above all apprehenſions obliged thee? Truly, he doth not deſerve the name of a rational Creature, who doth not above all things ſeek to pleaſe his Maker; and there is no way hereunto like abounding in well-doing. Therefore the Apoſtle begs for the Coloſſians, That they may be filled with the knowledge of his Will. Why? that they might keep their Light in a dark Lanthorn, or have it as men wear a Glaſs-eye, for ſhew, and not for uſe; or that men might be able to talk the more of Religion, and the things that appertain thereunto? No, That ye might walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleaſing, foreign, to his whole liking and delight, that ye might pleaſe God. I, but how may this be done, he preſently tells us how, That ye may walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleaſing, being fruitful in every good work. There is no ſuch way to pleaſe God, as fruitfulneſs in every good Work. It rejoyceth the Huſbandman to ſee his Trees laden with fruit, to ſee his Fields cover'd over (as the Pſalmiſts phraſe is, Pſal. 65. ult.) with Corn, and to ſee his returns anſwer his Coſt. And it rejoyceth the bleſſed God, to ſee an Heart that hath long lain fallow, and been barren, full of faith, and love, and humility, and heavenly-mindedneſs, and all the fruits of Righteouſneſs; and ſo a Life that hath been idle and unprofitable, abundant in acts of Piety, Charity, and the like. David, who ſerved the Wills of God in his Generation, he of all men was the man after Gods own heart.
14. Conſider, thou haſt but a little time to do good in, therefore it concerns thee to ſet ſpeedily upon it, and to be diligent at it. Alas, how ſhort is thy whole Life, from the Womb to the Tomb; It's but a ſhadow that fleeth away, and continueth not; a Vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vaniſheth away, it's nothing, Job 14.2. James 4.14. Pſal. 39.6. And how much of this time is gone, hath been ſpent as a tale that is told, impertinently, and to no purpoſe, in doing nothing, or in doing that which is worſe than nothing, Pſal. 90.9. How ſhort that time is that remaineth God only knoweth; for thy time is in his hand, not thine own; ſurely then it behoveth thee to redeem the time, to make the moſt of it, and whilſt thou haſt it, to improve it for the doing of good, O Friend, haſt thou loyter'd ſo long; is thy work ſo great, thy day to work in ſo ſhort; and yet is it not time to beſtir thy ſelf? Is death at thy door? art thou within a ſtep of eternity, within the view of the other World, and yet wilt thou not up and be doing? Can any aſſure thee of ſtanding in the Vineyard another year; nay, another monethmonth; nay, another day; and is it not yet time to be fruitful? Doſt thou not ſee that as Labourers are ſent into the Vineyard at all hours, ſo they go out of the Vineyard at all hours. Thou oweſt a debt to Nature, to the God of Nature; the day of payment is not expreſſed, therefore it may be demanded at any time. Reader, though ſome fruit falls from the Tree by reaſon of its maturity; yet how much more is blown off, or cudgeld off, whilſt it is green? Do not thine eyes ſee Coffins and Graves of all ſorts and ſizes? And wilt thou be as the ſilly Beaſts, who though the Butcher come one day to the Field and fetch away one, another day and fetch away another to the ſlaughter; yet thoſe that remain neither miſs them that are gone, nor dread their own deſtinies. O Friend, what doſt thou think to do, when time is gone, and death comes? wilt thou ſtop the Sun of thy Life in its career? Will it hear thy Voice, and obey thy Command? Or wilt thou call to Time, as Iſraels General did to the Sun; Stand ſtill, that I may be avenged of all my Senſuality, and Idleneſs, and Pride, and Impenitency, and all my ſpiritual Enemies, which have robbed me of God and Heaven? Do you imagine Time will be at your beck? Or are the apprehenſions of the King of Terrors, and of a dreadful Day of Judgment, and of an amazing Eternity, no whit rouſing or awakening to thee?
Canſt thou believe a dark night of Death a fit time to trim, and adorn, and attrire thy Soul in, for the love and embraces of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Now God gives thee a day, but of how many hours, whether longer or ſhorter, thou canſt not tell. Thy life is fleeing away, Time's Chariot moves ſwiftly: Yet a little while the Light is with thee, walk while thou haſt the Light, leſt Darkneſs come upon thee, Joh. 12.35. Two things eſpecially occur in theſe words, 1. Now thou haſt time, yea opportunity, make much of it, improve it to the utmoſt; Walk while thou haſt the Light. God allots thee a due time for bringing forth: Hence it's Obſervable, That God gave the Figg-Tree three years to bear in; other Trees, as the Olive and Nut-Tree required more time, but ſo ſucculent a Plant as the Figg-Tree needed no more; nay, ſaith A Lapide, If the Figg-Tree bear not the third year, it will never bear. God never expected Brick without allowing Straw, nor requires his Rent before Quarter-day, or the time of payment comes. 2. Thy time, or at leaſt thine opportunity is very ſhort; therefore work much in a little time, whilſt thou haſt the Light; Yet a little while the Light is with thee, a little while and the Light will be taken from thee. A little while, and the light of Life; a little while, and the light of means, and helps, and ſeaſons of Grace will be taken from thee. And what then? truly, then darkneſs will come upon thee, (a dark Grave will be the receptacle of thy Body, and a dark Dungeon will be the receptacle of thy Soul, if thou now loytereſt,) and darkneſs is no fit ſtate, nor a dark night a fit time to walk or work in.
Darkneſs is dreadful, and every thing ſeems more frightful in the night. If a mans houſe be on fire in the night, that he hears the noiſe and ratling of the flames, ſeeth no way of eſcape for himſelf, his Wife, and his Children; O in what a plight is he? he ſtands naked in his Chamber, at a loſs what to do, he is full of horrors and terrors, to be conceived by none but himſelf. How pale is his Countenance, and how heavy his Heart, when he ſeeth the flames ſeizing his Chamber, when they come near his Body; he is almoſt drown'd to death with grief and ſorrow before he is burnt to death with the flames. So it is, when the night of death ſurpriſeth the Loyterer, that hath neglected the doing of good, when Conſcience is in a flame about his ears, and frights him with the fore-apprehenſions of the unquenchable burnings, and with cutting reflections upon his former negligence and unprofitableneſs; the man is quaking and trembling, not knowing what to do: Is that a time to put on the Armor of Light, when he is putting off his natural Life? Is a dark night of fear and amazement a time to ſeek God in, or to work out his own Salvation? Ah Friend, it is too great and weighty a work to be done in an inſtant, and the poor Sinner is too much aſtoniſhed to ſet about it. If the fear of a danger gone, and over, kill a Nabal, and make his heart like a ſtone; what will the fear, the certain knowledge of wrath, of the wrath of a God, of the everlaſting wrath of a God to come, do to a poor Sinner? O Friend, make uſe of time while thou haſt it. Work the work of him that ſent thee while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work, Joh. 9.4.