The Way to Heaven Discovered, Religious treatise · Conclusion
But now, if after all theſe earneſt knockings, long waitings, and powerfull ſtrivings: if after all theſe invitations, removing ſtumbling-blocks, anſwering objections, callings, waitings, beſeechings, and intreatings, after this day of grace is over: then to thoſe ſouls that come not in; Chriſt doth change his voyce, & doth proteſt that none of thoſe ſouls thus invited, ſhall ever taſt of his Supper. Luk. 14. 24.
Nay, he ſaith, Though they call, he will not anſwer, Prov. 1. 28. And, if they ſeek him they ſhall not finde him, ver. 26. He will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their feare commeth, Mat. 23. 37. I would have gathered you together (as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings) and ye would not: 38. Behold your houſe is left unto you deſolate. And then if ye would, he will not, &c.
Jer. 7. 16. Pray not for this people, for I will not heare ſaith the Lord; Iſa. 65. 12. Therefore will I number you to the ſword, and ye ſhall bow downe to the ſlaughter, becauſe when I called yee did not anſwer; when I ſpake, ye would not hear, but yee did chuſe that wherein I delighted not.
Iſa. 66. 4. Therefore will I chuſe out their deluſions, and I will bring their feare upon them, becauſe I called, and none would anſwer; I spake, and they would not heare.
Jer. 7. 13, 14, 15, 16. Now therefore becauſe ye have done all theſe evill things, ſaith the Lord, and I roſe up early, and spake unto you, but yee would not hear me, neither when I called would ye anſwer, Therefore, &c. I will caſt you out of my ſight as I have caſt out all your brethren; Therefore pray not for this people, I will not anſwer, &c.
Obj. But (if any may then ſay) Why Lord wilt thou not heare us? (thou haſt manifeſted thy ſelfe, that) thou art mercifull.
Anſw. I will not heare you (the Lord may then juſtly ſay) becauſe the day of Grace (for you) is paſt, the Sun is ſet, your Glaſs is runne out, the Golden Scepter is taken in, and Repentance is a work that muſt be timely done, or whoever (men or women that have been called, and neglected their time) be utterly undone. Ye did not obey my voyce ſpoken to you by my Servant Iſaiah, in Iſa. 55. 6. Ye did not ſeek me, while I was to be found; ye did not call upon me while I was near, whereas every one whoſe heart was upright with me, did come to me in a time when I was to be found. Pſal. 32. 6. For this ſhall every one that is Godly pray unto him, in a tinſe when he is to be found. But ye did not come to me (will the Lord juſtly ſay,) &c.
1. Untill the terme of time allotted for repentance was paſt. See Heb. 3. 15. and 13. compared together.
2. Neither did ye enquire after me till the Decree came forth: Zeph. 2. 1, 2, 3. Now my fierce anger is comming upon you, &c.
3. It ſhall be more tollerable for Sodom and Gomorrah then for you: Mat. 10. 15. and Mat. 11. 24.
Good had it been for you, if ye had never been born, or (at leaſt) if ye had not been invited, or waited upon by me.
4. Ye ſought not unto me, untill ye had abuſed my patience, ſo as to weary me, ſo as that I could bear no longer. Jer. 15. 6. Thou haſt forſaken me ſaith the Lord, and gone backward, therefore will I ſtretch out my hand againſt thee, and deſtroy thee; for I am weary with repenting. Jer. 44. 22. So that the Lord could no longer beare, becauſe of the evill of their doings.
5. They did never heartily ſeek to me, untill I had ſaid, none of thoſe which were bidden ſhould taſt of my Supper, Luke 14. 24. and ſworn, ſurely they ſhall not enter into my reſt, Pſal. 95. 11. and therefore, Depart from me ye curſed into everlaſting fire, prepared for the Devill and his Angels, Mat. 25. 41.
Do ye think, ô ye rebellious ſouls, that I would have caſt the Angels out of Heaven for one ſin, and ſpare you who are guilty of ſo many millions of ſins? did not one ſin make Saul loſe his Kingdome? and Eſau his Birth-right? And how can ye eſcape, ſeeing ye have judging your ſelves unworthy of eternall life, in neglecting ſo great ſalvation?
I am ſure I have waited upon ſome of you ten, twenty, thirty, fourty, fifty years (or upwards) ô ye ſtout-hearted ſinners, that are far from righteouſneſs.
O ye damned ſouls, I will ſet your ſins in order before your ſight, with the number, nature, aggravations, and circumſtances, that ye may be your own Judges, and ſo deſpaire with Cain, and hang your ſelves with your Couſin Judas.
Are ye come now it is too late to my Supper, without a Wedding Garment? Go mine Angels, binde them in chains and caſt them into utter darkneſſe, where there is weeping and gnaſhing of teeth, Mat. 22. 12. 17. For, they have forſaken me the fountain of living waters, and have digged themſelves pits, even broken pits that can hold no water. Jer. 2. 13.
If ye would then (if ye could) give all the world to recall one day againe, that ye have miſpent, ye cannot have it: your ſins againſt mercy will bring the greateſt miſery, ye have ſpun fair threads in going on from folly to folly, untill ye are ripe for eternall miſery, from which there is no redemption, for ſin and puniſhment are linked together: Ye have been wicked, and ye muſt be tormented.
Oh condemned ſouls! Did ye never read that in all ages I have ſeverely puniſhed ſin in mine own people, in Covenant with me, and as dear to me as the apple of mine eye; and yet think ye that I would ſpare you? did ye never read Mat. 12. 36. That, For every idle word that men ſhall speake, they ſhall give an account at the day of Judgement. And do ye think to be freed, who are guilty of the breach of every command?
1. Conſider to your torment, That whereas I have promiſed to pardon the ſins of my people; ſo I have pronounced that your ſinnes ſhall not be pardoned, Iſaiah 22. 14. Surely, this iniquity ſhall not be purged till ye dye, ſaith the Lord God of Hoſts.
Ezek. 24. 13. Becauſe I would have purged thee, and thou waſt not purged, thou ſhalt not be purged from thy filthineſſe any more, till I have cauſed my fury to reſt upon thee. See Heb. 10. 29. and Numb. 15. 31.
2. Whereas the Lord is able to bring in the mercy promiſed to his people (as we have held forth at large) ſo he is able to bring all the plagues threatned upon all unbelievers, Mat. 10. 28. to deſtroy ſoule and body.
3. And whereas the Lord is mindfull of the mercies promiſed to his people, ſo he is as mindfull of the judgements threatned againſt his enemyes. See Eccleſ. 8. 12, 13.
4. Whereas he is faithfull to do all that he hath ſaid for his people, ſo he is as juſt in pouring out the vialls of his wrath upon obſtinate ſtout-hearted ſinners. 1 Sam. 3. 14.
5. Whereas the Lord hath covenanted to, and with his people, to aſſure them that he will not faile them; ſo alſo hath he entred into Covenant with all unrighteous people, that he will eaſe himſelfe of them his adverſaries, and avenge himſelfe on his enemyes, Iſaiah 1. 24. and bring upon them all the curſes of the Covenant, as in Deut. 29. 21.
6. Whereas the Almighty God hath ſworn that he will make good all things to his people in Covenant with him, and withhold no good thing from them; So he hath ſworne, that the iniquity of thoſe wilfull oppoſers and neglecters of him ſhall never be purged with Sacrifice nor Offerings for ever, 1 Sam. 3. 14. Yea, The Lord hath ſworne in his wrath, that they ſhall never enter into his reſt, Pſal. 95. 11.
Behold, here is the portion of all filthy dreamers, Jude ver. 8. (Loe here is the reward of all) Raging waves of the Sea, foming out their owne ſhame, wandring Starrs, to whom is reſerved the miſt of darkneſſe for ever, Jude 12, 13. Loe theſe are thoſe naturall bruite-beaſts made to be taken, and deſtroyed; Speaking evill of the things that they underſtand not, and ſo ſhall utterly periſh in their own corruptions. Theſe are thoſe wells without water, clouds that are carryed with every tempeſt, to whom the miſt of darkneſſe is reſerved for ever. 2 Pet. 2. 12. 17. &c. Ye Serpents (ſaith Chriſt) how can ye eſcape the damnation of Hell? Mat. 23. 33.
The Lord in Scripture giveth a man a name ſuitable to his nature. The Scripture calleth them, Lyons for their fierceneſſe, and Bears for their cruelty, and Dragons for their hideouſneſſe, and Doggs for their filthineſſe, and Wolves for their ſubtileneſſe: In a word, the Spirit of God ſtyleth them, Scorpions, Vipers, Thornes, Bryars, Thiſtles, Brambles, Stubble, Duſt, Chaffe, Dirt, Droſſe, Smoak, Scumme: Loe here are your titles of honour, O ye great ones that ſtand ſo much upon your gentility, and look ſo big to jet up and down the Streets, Iſa. 23. 9. The Lord of Hosts hath purpoſed to ſtayne the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.
Oh ye that fare deliciouſly every day, ye muſt goe to Hell with your Brother Dives; Oh ye that adorne a ſtinking carcaſe with the beſt aray, and Lord it over your brethren; ye are (moſt of you) the pooreſt men in the world, for all that ye thinke your ſelves rich.
A wicked man, though a Gentleman, is the pooreſt needyeſt man in the world, for he wanteth truſt in God, Chriſt, the Spirit, the Promiſes, the Covenant of grace; he wanteth peace of Conſcience, and peace with God; he wanteth acceptation and reconciliation with God; he wanteth righteouſneſſe, juſtification, adoption and redemption: he wanteth the pardon of ſinne, and power againſt ſinne, and freedome from the dominion of ſinne: he wanteth grace, (the leaſt ſpark of which is more worth then all the viſible Heaven and Earth) he wanteth thoſe Riches that periſh not, that Glory which fadeth not, that Kingdome that ſhaketh not. A man may be great and graceleſſe, with Pharoah; honourable and damnable with Saul; Rich and miſerable with Dives; uſually the worſt of men have moſt of theſe outward things; and the beſt of men, have leaſt of Earth and moſt of Heaven: and although the Saints have but little in poſſeſſion, yet they have a glorious Kingdome in reverſion; there is no Saint but he is a great Heire, Rom. 8. 17. there is but a breath between him and the poſſeſſion; what ſayeſt thou to this oh thou proud Peacock? why doſt thou ſo vaunt thy ſelfe in thine apparell? thou haſt but borrowed it, 'tis none of thine owne, and it is but the caſt garments of other creatures, and thou ſhalt be called to accompt for thy abuſing them, as thou mayeſt clearly ſee, Iſa. 3. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. And it ſhall come to paſſe, that in ſtead of ſweet ſmell, there ſhall be ſtink: and in ſtead of a girdle, a rent; and inſtead of well-ſet hayre, baldneſſe; and in ſtead of a ſtomacher, a girding with Sackcloth, and burning in ſtead of beauty, &c. Though at preſent thou haſt Honours, and Riches, and Pleaſures, and Friends, and Power, and ſo doſt Lord it over thy fellow-creatures; and ſo (like a ſoole) doſt not conſider, that this night thy ſoule ſhall be taken from thee: if thou knoweſt thy ſelfe, thou wouldſt know that thou art the pooreſt and needyeſt beggar in the world; And thoſe whom thou diſdayneſt and deſpiſeſt as beggars, are Kings and Princes, and the greateſt Heirs, as Rom. 8. 17.