A Christian Library, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
§ 1. BUt what is the reason, why men make no more use of these Predictions of this warning? but that as neer as can be computed, one of two are lascivious or voluptuous; two of three drunkards, (…n Gods account;) nine of ten cruel & unjust persons; nineteen of twenty swearers; twenty nine of thirty Athiests; thirty nine of forty ignorant wretches; forty nine of fifty covetous; ninety nine of an hundred open, or secret enemies to the power of Religion, and contemners of holinesse: For certainly what God in these three particulars hath revealed in his Word, cannot be unknown to any among us, that hate not the light; for every house almost hath a Bible, and Christ hath continued his Gospel amongst us now, neer upon an hundred years, with such supply of able Ministers, that no Nation under Heaven may compare with us.
§ 2. I might give you many reasons of this, as that they were born stark dead in sin, and they thank God they are no changelings; that they, are as good as their Fore-fathers, or those among whom they live, and they neither desire to be better nor wiser; yea, it were a ridiculous singularity so to be: That the custome of sin hath brawned their hearts, and blinded their minds. That they do as Satan their God, 2 Cor. 4.4 and Father, Ioh. ….44. and King, or Prince, Eph. 2.2 would have them to do: That they will either not hear the Word; (for I think I may say, that one half of the men and women in the Kingdome come not once a year within the Church-doors, I mean the poorer sort that do not know they have soules: It were good, they were compelled to hear the Word preached, for the wicked, like sullen children, would not forsake their play for their meat, but for the Rod of Correction: And many Saints in heaven might now confess, that they had not known God, but for the Laws. First, compulsory means brought them to the feast, whereof once tasting, they would never leave it; Compel them to come in, &c. Luk, 14.23.) Or if they do hear the Word and understand it in some measure, they will not apply it to themselves: That they will not receive the truth in love, that they might be saved, & are therefore given over to strong delusions to believe lies: That they will not by any means that Christ can use, understand & be converted, and saved; therefore they shall not understand, nor be converted, nor saved, Isai. 6.9, 10. Matth. 13.15. That they harden their own hearts, whereupon their hearts are more hardned: That because they will not regard nor retein God in their thoughts, God gives them over to a reprobate minde, Rom. 1.28. That because they will not take the Spirits counsel, the Spirit gives them up to walk in their own counsels, Ier. 9.14. That they wil believe Satan rather then God, therefore God delivers them up to Satan, so to be deluded, that the light of the glorious Gospel shall not shine unto them, 2 Cor. 4.3, 4. Eph. 2.2. 2 Thes. 2.9, 10. 1 Tim. 4.7. That they are not as they ought, and as it was in the Primitive times cast out of the Church, and all Christian society by excommunication, as dirt into the street, 1 Cor. 5.4, 5. 1 Tim. 1.20. Rom. 16.17, 18. 2 Thes. 3.6. 1 Tim. 6.5. 2 Tim. 3.5. That they do as their flattering False Prophets teach them: That they think they have as good hearts, as the best; and therefore follow that deceitful guide: That they are not ver…t in the Scriptures, at least they understand not the spirituality of the Word; nor have they the Spirit to convince them of sin: But I have largely handled these …pon other occasions; wherefore I will passe them, and onelyonly give you this one, and I pray, minde it.
§ 3. Wicked men (and such are all natural, and unregenerate persons, whether loose Libertines, or rich worldlings, or civil Iusticiaries, or formal hypocrites, or profound humanists, or cunning Politicians,) are so blockish and void of spiritual understanding, that they will not believe what is written, till they feel what is written; nothing will fully confute them but fire & brimstone: Sin shuts their eyes, and only punishment can open them. Nor will they once think of Heaven, till with that rich man they are tormented in the flames of hell: but even that rich man that had so little care of his own soul during life, when he was in hell-torments, took care for his Brethrens, not out of charity, but because as he had by his perswasion & ill example, bin the occasion of their greater sin; so they by continuing in those sins, should be the occasion of his more grievous torment. But had he bin so wise, as to have believed Moses & the Prophets report of hell, he needed never to have come into it: The common case of all that come there. They will not believe what Moses & the Prophets, Christ and his Apostles tell them, touching the truth, justice, and severity of God, in punishing sin with eternal destruction of body and soul, and the necessity of obeying his Precepts, until they shall hear Christ say unto them, Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, Mat. 25.41.
§ 4. And indeed for want of this fore-wit, the wisest worldlings, as Balaam and Iudas, and the rich man in the Gospel, and the Scribes and Pharisees, and all Atheists, are in Scripture-language stiled fools, and the wisdome of the world called foolishnesse, twelve times in one Chapter. Read 1 Cor. 1. and Chap. 2. Nor can there be so sure a signe to distinguish between a wise man and a fool. A wise man (saith Bernard) fore-sees the torments of hell, and avoideth them; but a fool goeth on merrily until he feeleth them, and then sayes, I had not thought. True, many wicked men are taken to be wise, and in some sense are so, they have enlightened heads, and fluent tongues, as had Balaam, & Iudas, and Paul before his conversion, and the Scribes and Pharisees; but their hearts remain dark and foolish, as is plain by Rom. 1.21, 22. Ioh. 3.10. Whence even the wisest of them are called by our Saviour fools and blinde, Matth. 23.16, 17, 19, 24, 26. and 27.3, 4, 5. 2 Pet. 2.16. And indeed what is that wisdome worth, which nothing profits the owner of it, either touching vertue, or happinesse? So that you may take this for a rule, They that have but a shew of holinesse, have but a shew of wisdome.
§ 5. Men of the world believe the things of the world, they believe what they see, and feel, and know; they believe the Lawes of the Land, that there are places and kindes of punishment here below, and that they have bodies to suffer temporal smart, if they transgresse, and this makes them abstain from murther, felonie, and the like; but they believe not things invisible and to come; for if they did, they would as well, yea much more, fear him that hath power to cast both body and soul into hell, as they do the Temporall Magistrate that hath onelyonly power to kill the body; they would think it a very hard bargain to win the whole world, and lose their own souls. But if visible powers were not more feared then the invisible God, and the Halter more then Hell (natural men being like beasts, that are more sensible of the flash of powder, then of the bullet,) the world would be over-run without rage. Or,
§ 6. Secondly, they believe the Devil and the Flesh, that prophesie prosperity to sin, yea, life and salvation; as the Pope promised the Powder-Traitors; for though men do the Devils works, yet they look for Christs wages; and there is scarce a man on earth but he thinks to go to heaven; yea, the Devil and sin so infatuate and befor many, that they can even apply Christs passion, as a warrant for their licentiousnesse, and take his Death as a license to sin, his Crosse as a Letters Pattent to do mischief; So turning the grace of God into wantonnesse: As if a condemned person should head his Drum of Rebellion with his Pardon, resolving therefore to be evill, because he is good: which is to sin with an high hand, or with a witnesse, and to make themselves uncapable of forgiveneesse. And yet wretched and senseless men, they presume to have part in that merit, which in every part they have so abused; to be purged by that blood, which now they take all occasions to disgrace; to be saved by the same wounds, which they swear by, and so often swear away; to have Christ an Advocate for them in the next life, when they are Advocates against Christ in this: And that Heaven will meet them at their last hour, when all their life long, they have galloped in the beaten road towards Hell.
§ 7. The Devil makes large promises to his; but ever disappoints them of their hopes, as he did our first Parents: You shall die saith God; You shall not die at all, saith Satan: Yea, you shall be as Gods, saith he, when his drift was to make them Devils. Yet the Devil was believed, when God could not be credited. Diabolus mentitur, ut fallat; vitam pollicetur, ut perimat, saith Cyprian. And ever since our first parents, gave more credit to Satan, then their Maker: Our hearts naturally have been flint unto God, wax to Satan; so that Satan may in a manner triumph over Christ, and say, I have more servants then Christ ▪ & they do more for me, then his servants do for him: and yet I never died for them as Christ hath done for his: I never promised them so great reward, as Christ hath done to his, &c.
§ 8. Well may these men think they believe the Gospel, as the Jews (who persecuted Iesus, and sought to slay him) thought they believed Moses writings, Ioh. 5.38, 39, 46, 47. But it's altogether impossible, as Christ (who knew their hearts better then themselves) affirmes of them: for certainly they would never speak as they speak, think as they think, do as they do; if they thought their thoughts, words, and deeds should ever come to judgement.
Did men believe, that neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Swearers, nor Railers, nor the Fearfull, nor Vnbelieving, nor Murtherers, nor Sorcerers, nor Liars, nor no unrighteous persons, shall inherit the Kingdome of Heaven; (as the Scripture expresly speaks,) but shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death: They durst not continue in the practice of these sins, without fear, or remorse or care of amendment. As for instance, If Lots sons-in-Law had believed their Father, when he told them from God that the City should suddenly be destroyed with fire & brimstone, and that by flying they might escape it, they would have obeyed his counsel. Or if the old world had believed, that God would indeed, and in good earnest bring such a flood upon them as he threatened, they would not have neglected the opportunity of entring into the Ark before it, was shut, and the windows of heaven opened; much less would they have scoffed, and flowted at Noah, while he was a bulding it. So if men did firmly believe what God speaks of …ell, it would keep them innocent; make them officious; they would need no intreaty to avoid it. Men love themselves well enough to avoid a known pain; yea, there would be more fear, and danger of their despair, then of their security. And the like of heaven; if men but believed, what fulness of joy, and what pleasures are reserved at Gods right hand for evermore, for them that love, and serve him in sincerity, Psal. 16.11. they would be more obedient upon earth.