The Greatest Sinners Exhorted and Encouraged, Part 3 – Question 1
To Direct and Help you here,
1. Practise that great Duty of Self-Examination. Look into thy heart and way, and see if there be not some sin, which thou must of necessity turn from, or dye for it. Some, their Sins are so notorious that they ca'nt but know that they live in sin. Swearers, Sabbathbreakers, Drunkards, unclean persons and such like, they cannot but know that they must Repent or perish. But then there be others, who are of a civil, blameless Conversation before men, and these are more apt to be deceived. But search thy heart, and perhaps thou wilt find that Sin reigns there. It may be there is some sin of Commission which thou livest in, which thy heart delights in. Or some sin of Omission, perhaps thou dost live in the Neglect of Prayer from day to day, Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our waies, and turn again to the Lord. If men would search impartially, they would be more likely to turn. Alas many do not turn, because they think that work is done already; whenas they have turned only from some sins, and not from all. Take heed lest some secret unknown sin which thou art unwilling to see prove the ruin of thy soul. O for the Lords sake be not deceived: And therefore examine your own hearts and estates before the Lord.
2. Set your selves to consider seriously of those things wherein your souls, and everlasting estates are concerned. Sinners are apt to put off all good Exhortations, by saying, they cannot convert themselves. True, but you may use the meanes; of which Serious Consideration is none of the least. You may Consider and Ponder of things between God and your own souls if you will; and who knoweth but that the effect of it may be Conversion. David mentions this as the reason of his Turning into the wayes of God. Psal. 119. 59, 60. I thought on my wayes and turned my feet unto thy Testimonies: I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commandments. If men would think, belike they would turn. Serious ConConsideration would cause them to make haste and not delay their Repentance. The sinners in Samaria persisted in their evil way, why? it is said, They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness, Hos. 7. 2. If a Sinner would goe alone and consider in his heart that God has taken notice of all his sins, and will one day Call him to an account for every one of them, without Repentance; it may be that would awaken him so, as that he would immediately turn from his evil way. Oh that you would go alone, & think with your selves, every one of you that are yet in your sins, If I should dy this night what would become of my poor soul? If a sinner would but consider the danger that he is in; and that his immortal soul is hanging over the mouth of Hell only by the rotten thread of a frail life, if that break, (as it may the next moment) down falls his soul into the Bottomless pit. I say, if sinners would but consider this, they would surely make as great hast out of their sins, as ever Lot did out of Sodom.
3. In the Lord's Name and strength, take up a firm Resolusion now to turn from sin. There are many that have faint purposes that way, but they do'nt come up to a full Resolution. Austin in his Confessions acknowledgeth that it was so with him: He had thoughts of turnTurning from his evil way, but still put it off, until GOD came in mightily upon his heart, as he read that Scripture Rom. 13. 11, 12. Now it is high time to awake out of sleep, the night is far spent the day is at hand, &c. And then he said, Why not NOW Lord? I have thought with my self many a time, I would turn from my evil way, sometime hereafter, but why not now Lord? and from that hour he was fixedly and for ever resolved against every sin.
O let thy heart within thee resolve so too. And therefore resolve now upon Prayer to God that it may be so. Resolve to continue praying as Ephraim did, Turn thou me O Lord, and I shall be turned.
There shall be a Day of Judgement.
MATTH. X. 15.
It shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgement, than for that City.
IN this Chapter we have both the Commission, and the Instructions which the Apostles received from the Lord Jesus Christ, when they were first sent forth to preach the Gospel. The Lord instructed them unto whom they should first go and make a tender of the Gospel: Only to the Jewes, and not to the Gentiles, until such time as it would be seen whether the Jewes would accept thereof or no. In the preceding verse the Lord directs them how they should behave themselves totowards such as would reject them and their Doctrine, viz. that they should shake off the dust of their feet against them; and we find that in after times the Apostles practised accordingly. Act. 13. 51. Whereby they declared that they looked upon such Persons tho' Israelites, as prophane and as abominable as any Heathen, and therefore such as they would no more hold Communion with; but that they would go away from them, and carry the Gospel to others who would give it a better Reception. The Jewes looked upon the very earth or dust which was brought out of Heathen Lands to be impure, yea, as unclean as the Ashes of a dead Carcase which they might not touch. Hence by shaking the dust of their feet against them, they would signifie that they were such Sinners as did defile the very ground they trod upon, and so as abominable as any Heathen.
In this verse there are Two Things contained,
1. A Declaration of the grievous punishment which shall come upon them that despise the Gospel. It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha than for such. Sodom and Gomorrha are instanc'd in, because they were made the most terible Example of Divine VenVengeance that ever was in the world.
2. When this punishment shall be inflicted, viz. At the Day of Judgment. Hence the words are spoken in the future Tense: 'Tis not said, it is, but it shall be more tolerable for Sodom & Gomorrha, so that a Punishment yet to come on the Sodomites is spoken of.
The Words afford unto us several Doctrines, I shall only mention Three as being the principal.
DOCT. 1. That there shall be a day of Judgment.
Doct. 2. That at the day of Judgment all sinners shall not suffer alike, but some will have a farr more intolerable Punishment than others shall.
Doct. 3. That they who have despised the Offer of the Gospel shall at the Day of Judgment fall under the heaviest CONDEMNATION.
At present only concerning the first of these Doctrines, Viz. That there shall be a day of Judgment.
For the clearing of this Doctrine, there are three things to be enquired into. 1. How it does appear that there shall be such a day. 2. What kind of day it will be. 3. The Reason why there must be such a day.
Quest. 1. How does it appear that there shall be a Day of Judgement?
ANSW. 1. The Scripture does abundantly bear witness to this truth. In the Old Testament there are many Testimonies concerning a Judgment to come. So in the Book of Psalms: as in Psal. 50. 3, 4. and 96. 13. not to mention other places. And the Prophets, in special Isaiah, Daniel, Malachi speak expresly and distinctly of this Judgment. Hence the Jews themselves acknowledge that there will be a general Day of Judgement. But in the New Testament this (as well as many other great Truths) is more clearly and abundantly made known. Yea, the Form of Judgment is there described, as in the Latter end of the twenty fifth Chapter of Matthew we may see.
2. The Light of Nature, and that Conscience which is in men, sheweth that there must needs be a Judgement to come. Conscience is a mans judgment of himself, as subjected to the Judgment of God. The Apostle sheweth that the Gentiles doe by nature the things contained in the Law; their Conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts accusing or excusing in the mean while h. e. until the day come that God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. Rom. 2. 15. 16. Before the great day of Judgment come, they are judging and impleading themselves, There is a day of judgement kept in the Conscience, which proveth that God will have a Day of Judgement for all men. If men were not to be judged by God, they would never enter into judgement with themselves. Hence there are secret, awful fears upon the spirits of Sinners with respect unto this Day: Yea sometimes in the worst of sinners. When Felix heard Paul reasoning concerning Righteousness and Temperance and JƲDGMENT to come. he trembled. Act. 24. 25. Especially when Sinners ly upon sick-beds, and Death-beds, Conscience tells them they must appear before the Judgment seat of the GREAT GOD and answer for all the evils they have done. Or if men commit any great sin, conscience tells them they must to Judgment for that sin. He that shall tell a Lye against his Conscience, or commit any such grievous sin, has that in his own breast (a Conscience) which is a Preacher of Judgement to him, because of that Sin.
3. The Providence of God does so order matters in the World, as that we may from thence conclude that there will be a Day of Judgment. e. g. He permits wrong Judgment to pass among men in the world. Guilty men are here acquitted, and innocent men are oftentimes condemned. Psal. 44. 21. Solomon did from that Consideration conclude, that things will one day be called over again, and another Judgment be passed by Him who is the Supream and righteous JUDGE of all the world. Eccles. 3. 16. Great and Heinous sinners do sometimes escape punishment, not only from men, but from the Hand of God in this world. Though some such are punished to shew there is a Providence, yet others escape to shew that there is a Judgment to come, 1. Tim. 5. 24.