The Danger of Being Almost a Christian, Chapter 6 – Chapter 7
CHAP. VI. Shewing the reaſons why men ſo far perſwaded go no further.
QƲ. How comes it to paſs that men thus far perſwaded go no farther?
As it is a wonder that men go ſo far as ſome do without grace; ſo it is as ſtrange a thing, that being brought ſo far, they ſhould ſtop here; but this is
Firſt, from Satan; he labours to blinde their eyes, that they ſhould not ſee the things that belong to their peace; but if he cannot keep them in a groſs darkneſs, and in a total neglect of Heaven, then he hath a hundred ways to couzen them, and to bring them to compoſition, and to perſwade them to half it with God; if he cannot keep them where they are, yet he will make them ſit down in the mid way to Heaven; he knows that he that underbids ſhal buy the truth no more then he that never cheapens it. He knows Chriſt hath ſet the price upon it, and he that vvil not give all that he hath for the kingdome of Heaven, ſhal as ſurely loſe it, as he that wil give nothing. He that wil keep one ſin, or deny one command of Chriſt to ſubmitt to it, ſhall thereby be excluded as well as he that yeelds in nothing to Chriſt; the devill does labour therefore to hinder awakened ſoules from comming up fully to Chriſt; when he cannot hinder them from doing ſomething, he wil perſwade them to keep the right hand, or to ſpare the right eye. If they will take their lamps, yet he wil not ſuffer them to take oyl for their veſſells; and this way Satan couſins not a few, who cannot be tempted to ſitt ſtill, yet are eaſily kept from preſſing forward to the mark.
Rea. 2 From their conſciences. Conſcience having attained its end which was peace, the man ſits down. It was nothing, but trouble of conſcience at firſt that makes ſuch men ſtirr, and now, by doing ſomething, having obtained a little peace, they ſay, ſoul, thou haſt enough; they never act in religion beyond neceſſitie; nor goe further then the terrours and feares of conſcience will drive them; and theſe are oft times removed without grace, and they ſit down without Chriſt. I ſhewed you in the former how the devill did hide from them the extent of their duties, and the latitude of Chriſt commands, that ſo they might not attempt to goe farther then h… might conſent unto, with ſecurity to his own intereſt in them, having cozened them into a good opinion of themſelves & miſ-repreſented the work of grace, and the change which is wrought in them; they think all is wel, and conſcience is in a great calme, and this being once aſleepe againe they ſettle upon their lees; the dregs which are yet left are not purged out; for all the motions of man which proceed from no other principle then the feares of death & hel, carry a man no farther then to ſeeke his own peace; the conſcience is wounded, and if the man can lick that whole again, hee is quiet; but if the will were wrought upon he would not ſet down till he were perfectly changed.
Reaſ. 3. may be from their own corruption. Being awakned by the word they begin to ſtirr under the ſenſe of the danger, and being convinced of the truth they receive it with joy, and like Herod do many things, til it comes to ſome peculiar corruption, and there they are ſtopped; there is ſome darling luſt or other that they cannot leap over; they march like Jehu furiouſly vvith a ſeeming zeal for God, til they come to the golden Calves of Dan and Bethel, and they cannot pull theſe down; ſome luſt, ſome intereſt, ſome advantage hinders them from following of Chriſt fully, and had they but grace in their wils ſutable to the light in their underſtandings, they would be Chriſtians indeed, as in the caſe of Jehu, 2 King. 10.25, 29, 30. The young man in the goſpel goes on very chearfully, and bids fair for Heaven, as one that was reſolved to have it upon any termes, Mat. 19.20. What lack I yet? He ſeems to be vvilling to give more for Heaven, then all had yet given, and to do more, then yet he had done, as if all that God had required in the law had been too little, and too low a price for glory; but when Chriſt makes a propoſal to him which met with his darling ſin, which was the love of the world, he goes away ſorrowful. This man that was ſo near the kingdome of Heaven in all appearance, leaves it behind him for the love of one corruption; this is the caſe of every haif-Chriſtian; one Iuſt or other hinders them, (though they ſeem to run wel) and parts Chriſt and them for ever.
Reaſ. 4. From the meanes they live under; they may live under a fawning and flattering Miniſtry, who vvil perſwade them that the ſmoak is a fire, and the ſpark is a flame, that cry peace, peace where there is none, healing their vvounds ſleightly, and daubing them vvith untempered mortar, Ezek. 13.10. How many are there that go to Hel in peace, whom their Miniſters canonize here for Saints? how many are careleſs of themſelves, by reaſon of their Miniſters conſidence, who wil ſalute his people by the name of beleevers, as if he knew their place in Heaven? This makes them think they live high, when indeed 'tis he that preaches low, and that all is wel, becauſe he never ſhewed them how ill it is. Men preach the work of converſion by halves, they ſearch not their people to the quick, they come not neer the conſciences of their hearers, neither do they labour to do it; if they can cloath their matter in ſilken and ſoft language that may pleaſe the ears of their people, and gaine applauſe amongſt them, they think all is wel; and it is no vvonder if they think as they do, and thus both go down ſlumbering into hel.
Reaſ. 5. May be in reſpect of God, and that in a four-fold account.
1. In reſpect of his Juſtice, he puniſhes their diſobedience to their former light, by vvith-holding of light from them, Rom. 11.28. and becauſe when they had but little they were not faithful with that, therefore God wil truſt them but with little; it is juſt vvith God to puniſh the abuſe of natural light and gifts, by a with-holding of ſupernatural.
2. God doth it to ſhew his ſoveraignty; grace is abſolutery his own; he ows it no man, but gives it to whom he pleaſeth; he denies it to the inlightned and convinced, and to him that is almoſt a Chriſtian, he refuſeth to the Scribes and Phariſees, and gives it to Publicans and harlots, Mat. 21.31. that men might know that he wil do what pleaſeth him with his own.
3. That he might ſhew what the will of man is, and how vain a thing when left to it ſelf. God wil have us to ſee that it is not of him that willeth, or of him that runneth, but of God which ſheweth mercy, Rom. 9.16. If it lay in the wil of man, doubtleſs men ſo far perſwaded would turn to God.
4 God orders it ſo, that he might be admired, 2 Theſ. 1.10. in them that beleeve, that they that are ſaved may ſee its wholly from God, when the people of God ſhal ſee thoſe that followed them ſo cloſe in profeſſion, that they tread upon their heels, and perhaps in parts and common gifts exceeded them, when they ſhal ſee theſe ſtanding on the left hand, and themſelves on the right, they wil then eaſily ſee what it was that made them to differ, they wil then cry out, grace, grace, and admire the wiſdom of God.
CHAP, VII. The firſt Ʋſe of the Doctrine.
USE 1. This ſpeaks terror to thoſe that are not at all perſwaded to be chriſtians. If thoſe that are almoſt chriſtians are like to fal ſhort, what wil become of thoſe who are ſo far from being chriſtians, that they have onelyonly the name, and nothing elſe? that have not the ſhew and appearance of being ſuch? what wil become of the prophane, the Drunkard, the Swearer, the Scoffer, the Sabbath-breaker, and the unclean, of him that is ſo far from carrying oyl in his veſſel, that he hath none in his lamp? if thoſe that in the judgement of many paſſe for righteous, ſhal miſcarry, what wil become of thoſe whom all men brand with the name of wicked & ungodly? If ſome ſhal be ſent to hel from the ſociety of the Saints, who went ſo far, that they were not diſcerned by the ſtricteſt profeſſors, as the fooliſh Virgins: what wil become of them, that are the companions of the wicked, that eat and drink with the drunken. If God deal thus with the green tree that hath leaves, yea and ſome fruit, becauſe his fruit is ſowre, or not ripe: what wil the Lord do with the tree that is dryed up, and hath neither fruit nor yet leaves? ſurely God wil bind theſe up in bundles, and caſt them into everlaſting burnings. O conſider with your ſelves, you have heard how far a man may go, and yet be but almoſt a Chriſtian; are not many of you convinc'd that you fal ſhort of theſe, and that you come not neer thoſe vvho yet ſal ſhort of the mark of the high calling? if theſe ſhal periſh vvho go beyond you; hovv can you poſſibly eſcape that come not up to them? ſurely this muſt needs convince many of you, that your coudition is ful of palpable and manifeſt danger; Ile not ſpend time to reaſon out the miſery of your condition, nor to convince you concerning theſe things, for you carry up and down with youthe vvorm vvhichwhich gnaws you already. The Drunkard and the Swearer I am perſwaded, is condemned of himſelf; but I ſhal haſten to addreſs my ſelf to another ſort of people vvho are ready to be more quiet then you, and to pleaſe themſelves in hopes that it is not ſo bad vvith them as vvith others, vvhen perhaps it is vvorſe with them then all the reſt.
I ſhal now turn my ſelf towards thoſe who would be accounted Chriſtians, and do in a meaſure and degree more or leſs comply with the ways of God.