The Greatest Sinners Exhorted and Encouraged, Part 2 – Proposal 2
For Direction here.
1. See thy absolute need of Christ. Without this no one will come to him. For men are naturally averse to nothing so much as to this, so that they will not come to Christ, except sense of extream necessity compel them to it. Will a man that thinks himself well, run to a Physician for help? The whole have no need of a Physician but the sick. Mat. 9. 12. But if men see their absolute need of Christ, then they'll be willing to go to him. When the sons of Jacob saw themselves like to perish by the Famine, they would go to Joseph for bread, that they might live and not dye. An Israelite when he saw the Avenger of blood pursuing of him, was made willing to betake himself to the City of refuge. Behold sinner, the Avenger of bloud is at thy heels! if thou dost not make haste to the City of refuge, hee'll duplicate page duplicate page overtake thee and slay thy soul. Know that without Christ, thou hast a soul within thee that must perish to Eternity. If thou hadst been guilty but of one sin in all thy life, thou must lye and dye for ever under the wrath of God, if Christ save thee not. But what wilt thou do then having been guilty of so many and great sins? thou canst not save thy self. all thy own Righteousness, all thy Prayers, Sorrows, Tears, if thou couldst weep Seas of blood cannot save thee. Nay Heaven and earth cannot save thee without Christ. None but Christ can deliver from the Wrath to come.
2. Beware of those things which will keep thee from closing with the Lord Jesus Christ. Inordinate affection to the world, keeps many a man from Coming to Christ: So it was with the young man in the Gospel, his heart was so set upon the world that he neglected to close with Jesus Christ. Thus in the Parable they that were bidden to the Wedding of the King's, son but would not come; what hindred them? Mat. 23. 5. they went their way one to his Farme and another to his merchandise. Again, Love to some Sin, keeps men from Closing with Christ. Joh. 5. 44. How can you beleeve, which receive honour one of another? If a man has a lust of Pride which he loveth, a lust of Drunkeness, a lust of Uncleaness, or any other lust which he loveth so as not to be willing to part with it for Christ, how can he believe? And evil Companions keep man a soul from going to Christ. The Scripture therefore saith, Forsake the foolish and live. Prov. 9 6. And again, Arise from the dead, (h. e. come away from thy dead Companions in sin,) and Christ shall give thee light. Ephes. 5. 14. Why do not Young men come to Christ, when the Gospel calls them? Alas some of them have thoughts about it, but this or that vain Companion hinders them. As ever thou dost desire an Interest in Christ, or Salvation by Him, thou must break off thy Companionship with those vain persons that will prove the Ruin of thy Soul.
3. When thy Heart is made willing to part with All for Christ, venture thy soul upon Him. Let this Scripture him that cometh to me, I will in no, wise cast out encourage thee. Many of the Elect of God have at their first Conversion been much encouraged by it. Cast thy self and soul into the armes of the Son of God. Venture all thy everlasting Concerns upon the Lord Jesus. Remember how it was with the Leprous men whom we read of 2. King. 7. 4. They said one to another, why sit we here until we dye, if we sit still here we dye; and therefore come. let us fall unto the Host of the Syrians, If they save us alive we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but dye. So think with thy self, If I sit still and keep at a distance from Christ, I shall certainly dye, if I goe to him, I shall but dye, and it may be I shall live, therefore I'le venture and goe to Christ. Resolve as Esther did, If I perish I perish (said she) yet I'll go into the Kings presence. so say thou, I'll go to the Son of God, and if I perish, I'll perish lying at his feet: Nay, then thou shalt never perish.
4. Be often Coming to Jesus Christ. Is not thy heart dead? goe to Christ to quicken it. Is not thy Spirit too often out of Frame, go to Christ to help it. There are many that complain, they know not whether they have true Faith or not; The best way in the World to put it out of Question, is to goe to Christ again, and give thy self up to Him. By often Beleeving, a Christian shall feel in his Heart that he doth believe. By often comComing to Christ, and rolling thy self upon Him, Thou wilt see thy self in the Armes of the SON of GOD for ever.
O then Come to Him, and He will in no wise cast thee out.
SINNERS ought to Repent NOW.
Jer. 25. 5.
They said, turn ye again NOW every one from his evil way.
THis Chapter contains the substance of a Sermon preached by the Prophet Jeremie, Wherein he declareth that Destroying Judgments were coming upon the Jews: and mentions the reason of it, namely, Because of their Impenitency and obstinacy in Sin. That they were obstinate in their evil way, appeared by their Refusing to hearken to the good Counsils and Admonitions of those whom God had sent to them. And this evil was aggravated,
1. In that they had been a long time spoken to. The Prophet tells them, that at the day when he delivered that Sermon, He had himself bin preaching to them three and twenty years, and all that time urging them to Repentance, but they would not regard what was spoken to them in the Name of the Lord, ver. 3. this was great contumacy.
2. Their Obstinacy was yet more aggravated, in that God had told them of their sins, and what would be the Consequent thereof, not only by Jeremie, but by many other Prophets. ver. 4. the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the Prophets, rising early and sending them; but you have not hearkened, nor enclined your ear to hear. The Lord speaketh after the manner of men, and sayth his heart was upon it, (as a man whose heart is engaged in business will rise early to see it done; thus God did earnestly endeavour) to reclaim them from their evil wayes, but they would not hear, tho Prophet after Prophet was sent unto them for a long time together. This argued great hardness of heart, to contemn such persons, as the holy prophets were, and not one of them, but many of them, yea all of them.
The words which have been read, express the Summe of the Doctrine taught by the Prophets, viz.
1. That every man should turn from his evil way.
2. That men should not delay that work. They did not only say, Turn, but turn NOW. The Doctrine therefore at present to be insisted on is,
DOCT. That every sinner unto whom the word of the Lord cometh, is bound to turn from his evil way, and that NOW without delaying.
The Explication and Confirmation of this Truth may be expressed in 4 propositions, all which are Comprehended in the Doctrine delivered.
Propos. 1. Sin is an evil. In the Scripture sin is often compared to a way, It is therefore said in the 1st. Psalm and the 1st. verse Blessed is the man that standeth not, (h. e. that remaineth not) in the way of sinners. h. e. in Sin, which is the way that sinners delight to abide in. Hence men are said to walk in sin, Eph. 2. 2, And to go on therein, Psal. 68. 21. And it is an evil way: Wisdome saith, The evil way doe I hate. Prov. 8. 13. h. e. the way of sin: which is also called the way which is not good, Psal. 36. 4. Sin is said to be an evil way especially in 2 respects,
1. In that men thereby go from God the Chief Good. That which leads men from God the chief Good must needs be an evil way. Now is this true of Sin. Men by Sin turn from God; and the more they sin the further doe they goe from God. Jer. 2. 5. They are gone farr from me. A sinner has bin doing nothing else but departing from God all his dayes; so that there is an infinite distance between God & him. Eph. 2. 13. You were sometimes farr off. h. e. farr off from God, and from Heaven. And the longer a man liveth in sin, the greater is the separation between God and his soul. For his back is turned upon God. Jer. 32. 33. They have turned to me the back and not the face. And therefore the longer a sinner shall goe on in his present way, the further will he be from God and from Heaven, and from all Happiness. Sin then is an evil Way. It appears to be so,
2. In that it is a way which if continued in, will bring to misery at last. All men look upon Punishment as evil: Now Sin if it be not turned from will certainly be punished at last. Jer. 2. 18. Know therefore and see, that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God. Bitter Punishments are sometimes inflicted on sinners in this world. Temporal Judgments on the Bodies, Estates, Names, Families; and spiritual Judgements on the Souls of sinners use to follow upon the going on in sin. To be sure if sin be not turned from, it will end in death. Rom. 6. 22. The end of these things is death. Hence sin is compared to a way, because it leads men to destruction. Prov. 7. 27. Her house is the way to Hell, going down to the chambers of death. Hell is an undesirable place; therefore Sin which is the way thither, must needs be an evil way.
Propos. 2. Every sinner hath a way of Sin. That's implyed in the Text, when it is said, Turn you every man from his evil way. Every man that is in a state of Sin and unregeneracy, does walk in some way of sin or other which he must turn from. This is the Difference between a Regenerate and an Unregenerate man; A Regenerate man may indeed fall into into sin, but then hee's out of his way which he useth to walk in. Psal. 119. 128. I hate every false way. And in verse. 101. he sayes, I have refrained my feet from every evil way. Hence Sin is said to be unto the Lord's people, a way not cast up. (i. e. not frequented) Jer. 18. 15. Never since the world began did a godly man walk in that way. There's a difference between sinning and having a way of sinning. There is no man that doeth good & finneth not, and there is no good man that has a way of sinning. Psal. 139. ult. See if there be any way of wickedness in me. But every unregenerate man has a way of wickedness which he chooseth to goe in. A Way of sin implieth a Track a Course of Sin; when a man shall make sin his Trade: so 'tis with every ungodly man. He is a worker of iniquity. A committer of Sin. a Doer of it Joh. 8. 34. Some sinners live in more Sins than one: In Pride, in Drunkeness, in Uncleaness, and all at the same time. Serving divers lusts. Tit. 3. 3. But every sinner has at least one Sin, which he loveth and liveth in, and will not be perswaded to forsake that evil way. It is sweet in his mouth. He spares it and forsakes it not, but keeps it within his mouth. Job. 20. 13. A Hypocrite may go farr: He may fore-go many sins (as Herod did) yet there is some sin or other which is an evil way that his soul is going to destruction in.