The Whole Duty of a Christian, Chapter 29
CHAP. 29.
1. §. Secondly, he hath a worse and more dangerous delusion then this. For if he see a man convincd that he is nothing so as he ought to be, (that he may keep him still impenitent) he will say unto him, Trouble not thy self with these things; dost thou not know that God is mercifull, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners? witnesse the Thief upon the Crosse who was heard, and saved by him at the very last hour; and upon this ground a world of men in a carnal presumption go on to destruction, without ever bethinking themselves; for say they, Let the worst that can come, repentance at the last hour, and saying, Lord, have mercy upon me, will make all even, otherwise God is not so good as his word; who …aith, At what time soever a sinner repenteth, &c. But let the argument be well scann'd, and this will be …ound as sottish, deceitful, and dangerous as the other; wherefore that Satan, (who is alwayes a liar) may not by his cunning delusions gull you of your souls, and plunge you into everlasting horrour; consider with me in the first place, that as God is mercifull, so he is also just, and true, and speaks as he meanes in his Word; yea, he is truth it self, and his Word is the ground and touch-stone of all truth; wherefore If any spirit or an Angel from Heaven crosse the written Word, we are to hold him accursed, Gal. 1. 8, 9. Now we shall finde, that salvation is not more promised to the godly (in any part of the Bible, Old Testament or New then eternall death and destruction is threatened to the wicked, as you may see, Iohn 5. 28, to 47. Heb. 12. 29. Deut. 4. 24. and 29. 19, 20. 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. Gal. 5. 21. Revel. 21. 8. 2 Thess. 2. 12. Ier. 16. 13. Matth. 7. 13, 14. & 25. 34, 41. Iames 2. 13. I Iohn 3. 6. Luke 13. 24. 1 Pet. 4. 18. yea, God hath sufficiently manifested his justice and severity already in punishing sin, and pouring vengeance upon those that have provoked him, as upon the Angels, our first Parents▪ and all the race of Man-kinde; upon the old world▪ upon whole Monarchies and Empires, upon whole Nations, Cities and Families, upon divers particular persons, as upon Pharaoh, Nada…, and Abihu, Chora, Dathan and Abiram with their 250 Captains, and many thousand of the Children of Israel, upon Hamam aud Balaam, Saul and Doeg, Absalom and Achi…ophel, Aha… and Iezabel, S…enacharib and Nebuchadnezzar, the two Captains and their fifties, Herod and Iudas, Ananias and Saphira, with a world of others; yea, how severely hath he dealt with his own children when they sinned against him? viz. with Moses, and Aaron, and Eli, who w…re in singular …avour with him; yea with David, a man after Gods own …eart, and that after his sin was remitted; and lastly, with his own Son, that no sin might go unpunished, which may make all impenitent persons tremble; for if God were so just and severe to his own Son, that nothing would appease him but his death on the Crosse, how can the wicked his enemies look to bespared? and if Gods own Servants, who ar… as dear and near to him as the apple of his own eye, or as the signet on his right hand, suffer so many and grievous afflictions here, what shall his adversaries suffer in Hell? But because thou shalt have nothing to object, wilt thou believe Christ himself, whom thou thinkest came to save …ll indifferently▪ if thou wile, turn but to Matth. 25. and he will tell thee, that at his comming to J…dgement he will as well say to the disobedient, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the Devil and his Angels; as to the obedient, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdome of heaven prepared for you from the foundation of the world, vers. 34, 41. Again, lest any should be over-confident, he tels all men plainly, that the gate of heave… is so strait that few shall finde it, Matth. 7. 13, 14. and that many shass s…ek to enter thereat, and shall not be able, Luke 13. 24. And that many are ca…ed, (viz. by the outward ministery of the Word) but …ew chosen, Ma…th. 20. 16. & 22. 14. Sad predictions for such as apply Christs Passion as a warrant for their licentiousnesse, not as a remedy; and take his Death as a license to sin, his Crosse as a Letters Patent to do mischief. O that men would seriously think upon these Scriptures, together with that, 2 Thess. 1. 7, 8, 9. where the Apostle tels us, that the Lord Iesus shall come the second time in flaming fire, to render vengeance unto them that know him not, and that obey not his Gospel, 1 Pet. 4. 18. where the Holy Ghost tels us, that even the righteous shall s…arcely be saved. And Deut. 29, 19. to 29. where God tels us expresly, that he will not be mercifull unto such as flatter themse…ves in an evill way; but that his wrath and jealousie shall smoke against them, &c. and that if we will not regard nor hearken unto him when he calls upon us for repentance, he will not hear nor regard us, when in our distresse and anguish we shall call upon him for mercy: but even laugh at our destruction, and mock when our …ear commeth, Prov. 1. 24. to 33. and that he will recompence every man according to his works, …e they good or evill, Revel. 20. 13. & 22. 1…. Rom. 2. 6. Ezek. 7. 4, 8, 9. & 9. 10. & 11. 21. & 16. 43. but this is the misery, and a just plague upon our so much formality and prophanenesse under our so much means of grace, there be very few men that make not the whole Bible, and all the …ermons they hear, yea the checks of their own consciences, and the motions of Gods Spirit utterly ineffectuall for want of wit and grace to apply the same to themselves; but to go on.
2. §. Secondly, we shall finde that though Christ in the Gospel hath made many large and precious promises, yet there are none so generall which are not limited with the condition of faith, and the fruit thereof un…eigned repenta…ce, and each of them are so tied and entailed, that none can lay claim to them but true Believers which …epent, and turn from all their sins to serve him in holinesse, without which no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 12. 14. and 5. 9. Mark 16. 16. John 3. 36. Isa. 59. 20. Neither was it ever heard that any ascended into Heaven without going up the stayes of obedience and good works, that any have attained unto everlasting life without faith, repentance and sanctification, for even the Thief upon the Crosse (whom you ignorantly alledge) believed in Christ, and shewed the fruits of his faith in acknowledging his own sin, reproving his fellow, and confessing our Saviour Christ even then when his Apostles denied and forsook him, in calling upon his name, desiring, and confidently trusting by his means and merits to have everlasting life. And indeed, the very end of Gods electing, and of Christs redeeming us was, That we might …e holy, Ephes. 1. 4. Matth. 19. 17. and therefore he bindes it with an Oath, That whomsoever he redeemeth out of the hands of their spirituall enemies, they shall worship him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of their lives, Luke 1. 70. to 76. 1 Pet. 2. 24. they therefore that never came to be holy were never chosen, never redeemed; other Scriptures to this purpose are many, see onelyonly, Tit. 2. 12, 14. 1 Pet. 2. 24. Matth. 19. 17. nor ought any indeed to call upon Christ, or once to name him with their mouths, except they depart from iniquity, 2 Tim. 2. 19. Neither doth the Thiefes example make any whit for the comfort of procrastinators; for First, we read not that ever he was outwardly called untill this very hour; Secondly, though there was one saved at the last hour that none might despair, yet there was but one that none should presume; and millions who had lesse iniquity have found lesse mercy. Thirdly, the Thiefes conversion was one of the Miracles, with the glory whereof our Saviour would honour the ignominy of his Crosse. Again, Fourthly, the Thief was saved at the very instant of time when our Saviour triumphed on the Crosse, took his leave of the world, and entered into his glory. Now it is usuall with Princes to save some hainous Malefactors at their Coronation, when they enter upon their Kingdomes in triumph, which they are never known to do afterwards, which circumstances being rightly considered, together with the wonderfull change so suddenly wrought in him, as I shewed before, his example will yield little encouragement to men of thy condition; nor was his sudden conversion ever intended in Gods purpose for a temptation, and yet by Satans policy working upon wicked mens depraved judgements, and corrupt hearts in wresting this Scripture, it hath proved (by accident) the losse of many thousand souls, and take heed it prove not thy …ase; to which end let not Satan any longer bewitch you, so to think upon Gods mercy, as in the mean time to forget that he is also just and true; and so much for answer to those two objections, which Satan findes more prevalent then all the rest he is able to invent.