The Greatest Sinners Exhorted and Encouraged, Application
ƲSE. Let it be a word of earnest Exhortation. Oh that every Sinner would be perswaded to do as the Doctrine sayth, To turn from his evil way, and to do it Now without Delaying.
Consider 1st. The Sinner that will turn Now shall be happy. Whatever thy Sins have been, suppose they were never so many, or never so great, if thou dost turn now, God will pardon thy sins and save thy soul. It may be that there is some sinner that has secret fears and Questionings with himself, If I should turn from my evil way, would God accept of so great a sinner as I have been? I Answer, If thou wilt turn now, I do assure thee in His name, God will accept of thee. For His Word saith, Behold now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of Salvation. 2. Cor. 6. 2. Now, Now, is your time to turn to God if you would find Acceptance with Him, or desire to be saved. If thou dost not turn now, just now, its more than I or any man living can assure thee that ever thy soul shall be saved. Where do you find in Scripture that He that turns to morrow, shall be accepted? Boast not thy self of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. The Apostle says in the 3d Chapter to the Hebrews, To day, if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts. And again to day, and a third time to day. But he that will harden his heart against the voice of God in his Word calling him to Repentance to day, it may be will think of Repentance when it is too late.
Consider. 2. That no man ever repented him that he turned to God too soon, but every man in the world either has or shall be sorry that he turned no sooner. There never was an Instance of a man truly converted, who wished had not been converted so soon. There have been some that have turned from Sin in their youth, yea, in their Childhood; ask any such, doe you repent of your early Conversion, they will say no, but we wish we had turned a great deal sooner. Austin, I remember saith, Nimis sero Te amare caepi! Alas O Lord, I began to love Thee later than I wish I had done. And there is no unconverted sinner in the world, but he will one day wish that he had turned from his evil wayes sooner. If ever the Lord give him Repentance unto life, then will he be sorry in his heart, that he was so long before he had any saving acquaintance with God and with Jesus Christ. Paul speaketh sorrowfully of his late Conversion. 1. Cor. 15. 8. And last of all he was seen of me, as of one born out of due time. He was troubled to think that he had lived so many years in the world before he knew Christ Or if a sinner shall be so unhappy as to dye in his evil way, he will for ever wish, when it is too late, that he had hearkened to the Call of the Gospel requiring him to turn Now. Prov. 1. 28. Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer, they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. When the day of Grace is past, and when the day of life is spent and gone, Sinners will reflect upon themselves with infinite anguish, and say, What Fools were we that did not turn from sin in time, but now the sun is set, and the day is become dark over us for ever. Had we sought after Reconciliation with God sooner, we might have obtained it: but Wo and Alas for us, now it will never be.
Consider 3. In other matters men are unwilling either to delay, or to be delayed. There is many a poor foolish sinner, that if he does but hear of a Play to be acted, or any thing which is a matter of sport and pastime, he 'll be early at it: He will not let slip the time, but rather be too soon than too late. But when he is called upon to look after the Salvation of his own soul, he puts that off from day to day, as if that could never be too late. In worldly matters, especially if they be of moment, men have so much wisdome as to dispatch them out of hand. It was said of Boaz when an affair that did greatly concern him was to be issued, The man will not be at rest until he hath finished the thing this day. Ruth. 3. 18. And yet as to the work of Repentance, and making their peace with God, than which nothing can be of greater Concernment, Sinners can be at rest from day to day; nay, from year to year, tho that work be not finished, nor so much as begun: How sad is it to consider! You cannot bear Delayes from others, yet must the great God bear Delayes from you? If any of you should command his servent to do such a work presently, but he sayes hee'l take his own time and not yours, how would you bear it! But when God commands you to turn now, will you take your own time and not God's to doe it? You cannot bear delayes from God himself: If men be in any distress, they are ready to say, Lord make hast to our help! Hear us speedily! Make no tarrying; Why then when God calls to you to turn from your evil way, make hast and make no tarrying. If any amongst you should be in grievous tormenting pain, and should cry unto God for help, but he should put you off, and say, Twenty or thirty years I'le consider about the matter; how impatient would you be! And will you then say to God, I'le turn from my evil wayes 20 or 30 years hence, whenas the Lord saith, Do it NOW.
4. Let Sinners sadly Consider Whom they Gratifie, and whom they grieve by delaying their Conversion. They please their greatest enemy, and displease their best Friend. You cannot gratifie your Adversary the Devil more: who is it that saith to you, Wilt thou think of turning from thy sins? it will be soon enough for that hereafter. No one but the Devil or such as are stirred up by him, will suggest such a thought unto thee. He knoweth that if he can but perswade thee to delay thy Conversion a while longer, he shall make sure of thy soul. He alwaies tells sinners either that it is too soon for them to turn unto God, or else that it is too late. If he should see thee in earnest about that matter, he would say it is too late now: But as long as thou art careless about it, he saies it is too soon; thereby hoping to perswade thee to delay until it be too late indeed, and then he will deride thee for thy Folly. So that if a man would study to gratifie the Devil, he could not do it more than by Deferring his repentance. But then, whom doe you greive thereby? All the good men that know thee are grieved for thee: thy nearest Relations are so if they fear God. It may be thou hast a Godly Father, or a godly Mother: They are grieved to see that thou dost continue still in thy natural unconverted estate. And the Angels of Heaven are grieved by thee. There is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repents, Luk. 15. 10. So that Sinners who delay their Repentance hinder the joy of Angels. And that which is yet sader is, thou grievest the heart of God by thy delaying to turn again from thy evil way. The Lord (to speak of Him after the manner of men) thinks the time long, and is grieved that thou shouldst slight his Calls, and disregard his Commands for so long a time. He saith, Wash thine heart from wickedness,—how long shall vain thoughts lodge in thee? Jer. 4. 14. And again wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be? Chapt. 13. 27. Yet again, hear another Scripture, How long will it be, e're they attain to innocency? Hos. 8. 5. How long! When? How long? The Spirit of God is grieved by thy long delayes. He looketh upon thy Delayes as Refusals and flat Denials. He saith thou art unwilling to return, and that, thats the reason of thy delaying so long. This must needs grieve and provoke Him. And why wilt thou displease that God who hath been so kind to thee?
Consider 5. The Infinite danger which is in mens Delaying their Conversion. Every Sinner had need make haste about this matter, because a little Delay may cost him his Life. The Angel said to Lot (Genes. 19. 17.) Escape for thy Life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain lest thou be consumed. So I say to thee, O sinner, don't stay in thy present estate, but make hast to Christ as for thy life, lest if thou lag & linger the fire of Hell take hold on thee suddenly, and thou be consumed. 'Tis a dangerous thing for a man to deferr his Repentance tho but for one day. One days delay may cost a man the Life of his soul. When Michal told David, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain, He went and fled and escaped. 1. Sam. 19. 11, 12. Thus O Sinner, If thou dost not turn from thine Iniquities this day, it may be to morrow thou shalt be slain. So that it is a very dangerous thing for any man to put off his Repentance a day longer: because of the uncertainty of life it is so. When once Death has given the fatal Blow, it's too late for the Sinner to think of turning and making his peace with GOD. Isai. 38. 18. They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The Sinner whose Body is gone down into the pit of Death, and whose soul is gone down into the pit of Eternal Darkness, cannot hope that he shall ever be Converted, or that ever his soul shall be saved. And who knoweth how soon the Arrow of Death may strike him! The Thunder-bolt of Death may kill thee before another morning. Then turn from thy sins now. I have diverse times put you in mind of an Expression of that famous Minister of Christ, Mr. Bolton, who would sometimes say, I would not be in my unconverted estate again one day, tho I might have all the world for it, lest happly death should come upon me that day, and so my immortal soul be lost for ever. And it is a dangerous thing for men to delay their Conversion, because the longer they delay it, the more unlike are they ever to be converted. Sinner it is possible and most probable that now or never is thy time to repent in. The longer thou dost delay, the more unwilling and the more unable to turn art thou like to be. For Satan will get faster hold on thy soul; and the longer he has held his Possession the more difficult will his Departure be. We read of one in the Gospel, that the Divel was cast out of him with exceeding Difficulty, and when it was asked how long is it ago since this came to him? Answer was made, of a child. Mar. 9. 21. Thus where the Divel has a long time held his possession of a soul, its a hard matter to get him out. And SIN as well as Sathan will have deeper rooting and stronger hold on the soul, if Conversion be delayed. The sins of men are like Bonds upon their souls, It was said to Simon Magus, Thou art in the bond of iniquity. Now the longer men continue in sin, the stronger do they make that woful bond: they will find their souls so fetter'd in the bloody chains of sin, as that it will be a wonder if ever they get loose Jer. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the Leopard his spots? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil. Can it be? it would be strange if it should: Such a thing will be a kind of a Miracle. The sinner is in a grave: Every Sin he doth commit is as it were another stone cast upon that grave which will make his Resurrection the more difficult. And there is infinite danger in mens delaying their Conversion, lest God should say of them as He did of the old world of ungodly ones, who deferred their Repentance. Gen. 6. 3. My spirit shall not alwayes strive with man. Or as it was said of Jerusalem, Ezek. 24. 13. Because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. It may be thy delayes may provoke God to inflict spiritual Judgments upon thee; to give thee up to judicial Blindness and Hardness of heart. There is a most awful passage in the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah, which Scripture is often mentioned in the New-Testament, to shew that Sinners under the Gospel are greatly Concerned in it, Viz. that Chapt. 6. 10. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed. If God should say of thee, There's such a sinner, I have a long time called upon him by the Ministry of the Word, to turn from his evil way, but he has deIay'd his Repentance from one year to another; therefore I am now resolved that he shall never be converted, and that my Word for the future shall have no other effect upon him but to harden his heart and aggravate his eternal Condemnation. I say, if God should thus resolve concerning thee, He would be just, and thou for ever miserable. O tremble lest thy sinful delayes should provoke the Lord to say of thee, as He did of the barren Fig tree Mat. 21. 19. Let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever.
Consider, 6. How many souls have been eternally ruined by delayes. We read of Felix what Convictions and what an awakned Conscience he had under Paul's Preaching: He had sad thoughts with himself that except he did repent, and turn from his Intemperance and his unrighteous way, it would go ill with him at the day of Judgement; But Delayes proved the Ruin of his soul: He said go thy way for this time, and when I have a convenient season I will send for thee. Act. 24. 25. And thus it is with most of them that perish under the Gospel. There are few men that live under the powerful dispensation of the Gospel, but they have Convictions: They know they must repent of sin, but they purpose to do it hereafter; and so by deferring the matter, their souls are eternally ruin'd e're they are aware. Hell is full of delaying Sinners. The Devil has not a greater stratagem to ruin souls by than this. He that will never repent while to morrow, will never repent at all. Therefore the Devil's great Design is, to perswade the Sinner still to deferr his Repentance until tomorrow, that so it may never be.
Let these Considerations awaken every one that is in a State of Sin, Now to turn and live. There are some of you that have continued a long time in a natural unregenerate estate: Perhaps you have lived in the world, 30, or 40, or it may be sixty years, and in an unconverted estate to this day. It is time to seek the Lord. 'Tis high time for you to consider your wayes and to look about you. Think not with thy self, I'le repent when I come to lye down upon my sick bed. How dost thou know that thou shalt lie upon a sick bed at all? It may be some sudden Stroak will take thee out of the world, and where will thy soul be then? Or if thou shouldest be visited with Sickness, thats no sutable time to repent in. perhaps thou wilt then lie unto God with thy mouth, and flatter him with thy lips. Sick-bed-Repentance is very seldome true. How often do we see, that Sinners on sick beds make fair promises, to God and man, but when they are recovered they become as bad or worse than ever they were before. Yes, and it may be then thou wilt cry out, it is too late now. Did you never hear of a man who delaying his Repentance till he came to lie upon his sick bed, when he was told he must repent of sin, replyed, all too late: and when he was exhorted to pray unto God for pardon of his past transgressions, he made the same reply, All to late! If I had hearkned to this Counsil sooner, it had been happy for me, but all's too late now! If thou delayest thy Repentance till then, perhaps this will be thy bitter Cry when thou shalt feel thy departing soul going into the other world.
And You that are young, Remember what the Scripture saith, Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits. Exod. 22. 29. I besheech, I exhort, I charge every soul of you, who are yet in your sins, that you Turn NOW. Say not, but then I must never see merry day more. Suppose that were true; Is it not better to live a mournful life in this world for a short time, and then to be in fulness of joy, and to have pleasures for evermore, than to live a short life and a merry, but afterwards thy soul to smoke for it in the ever-burning lake? I have read of a man who when he lay on his Death-bed, uttered this Expression, I have enjoyed the pleasures of Sin for a short season, and now I must be in torment for it, for more than millions of millions of ages. Oh consider of it. And remember also, that no man has any true joy or solid Comfort, in any thing until such time as he hath turned from his sins, and made his peace with God, through Jesus Christ.