The Profit of Godliness, Sermon 16 – Title page 4
Serm. 16. Preached February 16. 1661.
CHAP. XXXI.
THere is no difficulty in these words, only it is in the Greek foreign, which we translate, after that, it properly signifies, For the time to come, do with the Tree what thou pleasest, cut him down as soon as thou wilt; for the time to come I will have no more to do with him, I will have no more care of him: hence I note,
If the long sufferance of God,Obser. and the powerful means of grace shall not make men to bear fruit, then no more intercession shall be made for them, but they shall be cut down.
1. My Text informs us, that Christ the Vine-dresser will make no more intercession for the continuance of Gods patience and the means of grace, he will never speak one word more to the Master of the Vineyard, Lord, let him alone another year also, and I will digg about him and dung him; if Christ interceded not, ye are undone.
2. The Ministers may make intercessions for them, because they know not when the day of grace is expired; yet God will not hear their prayers for them. Jerem. 15.1. The Lord said unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people; cast them out of my sight: that is, if those two holy men should stand and intercede for this people, yet I would not hear them, as I have done in former times: the most righteous, fervent, praying Ministers shall not prevail with me for them: cast them out of my fight like vile and abominable persons.
3. They shall pray for themselves Lord, spare me, and shew mercy to me, and I will be a better man; but all their cries and prayers for themselves shall not be heard, Prov. 1.28. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but the shall not find me, for that they hated knowledge, and did not chuse the fear of the Lord: you would not hear me inviting you to repentance; now I will not hear you praying for mercy; you hated the knowledge of God, you despised grace and holiness; therefore I will despise your prayers: you slighted mercy offered; now I will despise your prayers for mercy.
For proof that such persons shall be cut down; consider Prov. 29.1. He that is often reproved, and hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. That man that goes on in the hardness and impenitency of his heart under the means of grace, sudden and remediless destruction shall come upon him; you shall have more proofs and instances in the further handling of the Doctrine.
CHAP. XXXII.
SECT. 1.
LET me now in the first place explain what this cutting down is. There is a threefold cutting down of unfruitful persons.
I. There is a spiritual cutting down of them: this judgement is spiritual and insensible, therefore it is more terrible in it self, though not to the party himself, nor to others, spiritual judgements are double judgements. This cutting down is many wayes effected.
1. Either by withdrawing the means of grace from them, when God shall remove the Gospel, Ordinances, and Ministry from a people. Isai. 5.5. And now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard, I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and breaks down the wall, and it shall be trodden down, and will make it a desolation; that is, I will remove all mine ordinances from them, and will have no more care of them, but let lusts and Devils tread them down. Thus did God cut down the Jewish Church: that very Paradise in the world is now become an howling wilderness: and thus God hath cut down the seven Asian Churches by removing the Candlestick from them, Rev. 2. & Rev. 3.
2. Or by withdrawing the power and efficacy from the means of grace; that all the means of grace shall do a man no more good than the application of warm cloaths doth to a dead Carcass: Men shall stand in the Vineyard under Gospel ordinances, but the Preaching thereof shall be to them a favour of death: the things that belong to their peace shall be hidden from their eyes; the Word shall fall upon them like rain upon Rocks, and soften them no more then rain doth soften the rocks: they shall relish no more sweetness in Gods ordinances, then in a dry chip; the word of God shall no more terrifie them, than thunder doth a deaf man; they shall willingly and wilfully make light of all Gods counsels and invitations.
3. God will give them up to their own lusts, imaginations, and vile affections: Oh! it is sad when wicked men do walk after the imaginations of their own hearts, and obey their vile affections t yet such men may be at length converted: but when God shall judicially give them up to their own vile affections, when God in wrath and vengeance shall say to a man; Let him that is filthy, be filthy still, Let him alone, let him that is wicked be wicked still, let him alone, let him walk on still in his abominable wayes: woe to the soul from whom God thus departeth.
4. By shutting them up in unbelief and impenitency: all wicked men are unbelievers and impenitent; yet still there is hope, that they may in time believe and repent; but when God shall judicially shut them up in unbelief, then they shall never believe, they shall never repent: the figg-tree could never bring forth fruit, because Christ had cursed it, saying, never let fruit grow on thee; so such men being cursed of God never let faith and repentance grow on them, never let them come to the knowledge of the truth, Isa. 6.9. Go and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not, see ye indeed, but perceive not: (1.) Ye shall indeed hear the word, but ye shall not understand, nor believe what you hear, nor be converted by the word: this shall be Gods judgement upon you, I will give you up to an hardened, unb…lieving and impenitent heart: ye shall be in chains of unbelief and impenitency here, and in chains of everlasting darkness hereafter.
SECT. 2.
II. THere is a corporal cutting down of unfruitful persons by death; as Ananias and Saphira were destroyed by sudden death, Act. 5. So was Judas who had lived under Christs Ministry for the space of three years, and brought forth no fruit: it is Beza's observation, that the Syriack reads those words in the foregoing verse [Why cumbreth it the ground?] Lema chai quare viveret dilata excisione? foreign Bez. annot. in loc.Why should he live? why is his cutting down deferred any longer? and it is conceived upon rational grounds, that though the day of a mans grace may be passed before the day of Gods patience be expired, so that a man may and doth live, yet when the determinate time of Gods long-sufferance is gone, then he sends some sickness or other accident to take men out of the world, not permitting those that are without the Church to cumber the world any longer; and those that are within the Church, not to cumber either the Church or the world any more. And as there is a determinate measure and fulness of grace to which the godly do arrive, then death cometh and transplanteth them into heaven; so there is a fulness of sin to which wicked men shall come, then death translates them into hell: and untill their sins be full, God forbears to cut them down, and means are used for their conversion: but when their sins are full, there is a period of Gods patience toward them, and then God in wrath takes them out of the world: and know ye that some mens measure of sins is sooner filled up then others; hence it is that some men are sooner cut down then others: we see how some wicked men do not live out half their dayes, and other wicked men live a longer time: but be assured, as soon as the appointed dayes of Gods long-sufferance are expired, God will then cut them down by death, and no means, no prayers shall prevent it: but men see this cuting down to be common to the fruitful and unfruitful trees, and therefore do not much regard it, though there is a vast difference between their cuting down by death.
SECT. 3.
III. THere is an eternal cuttng down of unfruitful trees, Gods destroying them with an everlasting destruction: after he hath cut down their bodies, he destroys their souls in hell, Matth. 3.10. and now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewen down, and cast into the fire. The axe is laid] which noteth Gods present forbearance of cuting them down: it is laid to the root of the Tree,] it is not laid to the branches, nor to the body, but to the root; noting the final destruct on of the tree. When a tree is stocked up by the root, nulla spes repullulandi, there is no hope of its growing again: it is said it is hewen down.] which noteth the certainty of that mans final and irrecoverable destruction: and is cast into the fire.] which noteth the horrible and tormentous destruction of the soul immediately after death, and both of soul and body at the day of judgement. Thus was Judas cut down: no sooner had death separated his soul from his body, but his soul went to his own place, Act. 1. that is to Hell, for Hell is the proper place and inheritance of the wicked: therefore wicked men are called children of Hell, heirs of Hell, where they must burn to millions of ages: Oh what is the fuel of Hell-fire, but the souls of fruitless and impenitent persons? and who are they that are in the most fiery dungeons in hell? (for there are some Furnaces which the wrath of God causeth to be heated seven times hotter then other) even they are cast into them who have had more riches of patience and long-sufferance, and more means of grace than other persons. Thus you see what is meant by cuting down.
CHAP. XXXIII.
I Will yet add three propositions more by way of explication of the point
Prop. 1 This Doctrine is to be understood of such who have enjoyed all means, which tend to make them bear fruit: Gods Ministers (as our Saviour saith in the Parable Mat. 11.17.) have piped and daunced, mourned and lamented over a froward and perverse generation, they have endeavoured to allure them to repent by Evangelical mercies and offers, and to drive them to repentance by l…gal threatnings, but all their labour was in vain.
Prop. 2 It is meant of such who have enjoyed the powerful means of conversion for some long space of time: for three years, saith Christ in this Parable: that is, for some years they have been earnestly invited to repent, and warned to bring forth fruit, that they may escape the damnation of Hell.
Prop. 3 It is to be understood especially of such, who have had more than ordinary patience, who have had a large space to repent. They deserved a former cuting down, but there was effectual mediation made for them: Gods mercy prevailed with his justice to let them alone one year more, but all proved in vain: they turned the long sufferance of God into wantonness, and grew harder and more obstinate under all the means of grace. As the longer the Sun warmeth and shineth on the earth, the harder it grows: so it is with these men, the longer they live under the means of grace, the more obstinate they are in wickedness.
CHAP. XXXIV. The Reasons of the Point.
Reason 1 THere is nothing but equity and justice in this act of vengeance that such persons should be destroyed; yea, it is so equal, that God appeals to men to judge between him and the wicked, Isa. 5.3, 4 5. Judge I pray you betwixt me and my Vineyard: What could I have done more to my Vineyard, which I have not done? seeing I have done all th s for it: Now I will tell you, what I will do to my Vineyard. I will break up the hedge, pluck down the wall, I will lay it wast, I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. As who should say: judge I pray you whether this be not a just act of mine, to lay an unfruitful field waste? it is just that the clouds rain no more upon it: Under all these rhetorical words the Lord sheweth, it is very just for him to lay that soul waste that doth not bring forth fruit; to destroy that man for sin, who will not repent from sin; to deny grace and mercy to that man who will not receive grace and mercy when it is freely offered: to pour out his wrath on that man, who willingly abuseth the riches of his patience and long-sufferance: to hear no more prayers and mediation for him who will by no means hearken to his gratious invitations: We cannot but cry out with Mauritius the Emperour, Justus es Domine, & justa sunt judicia tua, Righteous art thou O Lord, and just are thy judgements.
Reason 2 Because such persons are hopeless, desperately and incurably wicked and impenitent under all means, and mercies, and dealings. A Gardiner will cut down the trees that are twice dead, and there is no hopes of their flourishing: and to speak after the manner of men, God himself hath no hopes of such men: it is in vain to let them live; and to delay cutting them down: the longer they live, the worse they grow; they become more desperately wicked, and more wilfully obstinate; away therefore with them, cast them into Hell, let them be as wicked as Devils: God is dishonoured by their life, and glorified by their destruction.
Reason 3 Because they are unprofitable burdens: it is better for the Church, yea it is better for the people of God; yea it is better for some wicked men, in whom there is yet some hopes, and some tendencies to goodness, that these are cut down; it is Gods reason, Cut it down, Why cumbereth it the ground? When once they are cut down, they will be no cumberance to my Ministers, my people, nor my self: they will do no more mischief if once they are cut down; whiles they stand they are very injurious to the souls of others:
Reason 4 Because God will avenge their high contempt of his most pretious mercies; he will avenge on them the contempt of his Word and of his Ministers, the contempt of his offers, calls and invitations, the contempt of his patience and forbearance: the sense of his wrath shall make them to know what mercies they have wilfully rejected, what grace they have received in vain: When God shall have cast them into hell, then they shall bewail the opportunities of salvation they have mispent, what patience they have abused: seeing God by the means of grace could not bring them to repentance, he will by the torments of hell force them to repent too late. All men shall repent, either here while repentance is of avail to their salvation, or they shall repent in hell torments; but though they could weep Hell full of tears, yet they shall be never the better.
Reason 5 Because God will gather some fruit of glory from them: if he doth not reap glory from them by their conversion, he will reap glory from them by their confusion and destruction. All the wicked shall bow to his name, Phil. 3.10. things under the earth, that is, damned Devils, and damned men shall bow to the Judge of the whole world.
CHAP. XXXV.
Quest. HEre it may be demanded, how a man shall discern whether he be spiritually cut down?
Sol.Positive and sure signs none can give, but probable signs; it is an inward judgement which others cannot discern: though the signs be certain in thesi, yet they are but conjectural in hypothesi, as applied to any person.
2. What signs I shall give, must be understood as w…th the heart of such a man continually: for there may be decayes and recoveries in one and the same; there are ebbs and flows in godly hearts: God hath withdrawn from a man, and returned to him again: it is when the spirit of God forsakes a man, as Noahs R…ven did the Ark, never returning back again. These two things being premised, ponder upon these signs.
1. When men are continually growing worse and worse in their practicals, as one said of an Emperour, He fell a bono ad mala, a malis ad vitia, a vitiis ad deteriora, from good to evil, and from evil to worse vices, and so from worse to worse: so it is when a man living under the means of grace grows worse and worse in his conversation; his leaves of outward profession do not only wither, but fall off; he is not only now and then overtaken with a fault, but he is grown customary in some gross sinful way; the case of that man is sad.
2. When a mans pretious but common gifts do much decay, and come to little; he hath not the gift of prayer which he had formerly, no love nor del…ght in prayer which formerly he had: perhaps now he is fallen from deadness in prayer to neglect, from neglect into contempt, this also is a sad sign.
3. When the Spirit of God withdraws his workings in the heart: a man hath no more such good motions, and good purposes which he formerly hath had; he feels not the strivings of Gods spirit with him as formerly; he no more heareth the voice of God behind him, crying, This is the good way, walk in it: it is a sad sign that God is cutting him down.
4. What power and efficacy have Ordinances now upon thy soul? What relish and sweetness dost thou now find in them? time was they were sweet to thee, now they are a burden to thee: thou art weary of them: What doth the word of God (which the Apostle calleth a two-edged sword) wound thee no more? thy heart is so flinty, that it doth not prick and pierce thy conscience: The word of God is by the Prophet Jeremiah compared to an hammer; it beats upon thee, but thou art not sensible of the knocks as formerly, and it is thus with thee at all times that thou hearest the word of God. What desires hast thou after Sacraments? and if thou dost come, perhaps thou findest no more taste in Christ exhibited then is in the white of an Egg, as Job speaks in another case: Oh when Ordinances are become ineffectual, that man hath cause to lament his condition.
5. When a man is wholly given up to his lusts, and like Ahab hath sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord; he is sins bound servant, neither will he be controlled by the word of God, but sets God and all his counsels, reproofs, threatnings at defiance, and is sat down in the seat of the scornful; this is the man whom God hath cut down with the axe of eternal destruction.
CHAP. XXXVI.
Quest. BUT how shall I know that I am a fruitful person, and shall escape this cutting down?
Resp. 1. By thy strength and spiritual activity in holy duties; thou canst run the wayes of Gods commandments: Loesae actiones arguunt laesas potentias: a dimm sight argues an indisposition in the eye, and to be thick of hearing, argues an indisposition in the ear: on the contrary, quicksightedness argues a good eye: so a sluggish, lazy, dead frame in duties, argues the heart to be naught.
2. By thy delight in holiness and holy exercises: delectatio est signum habitus generati; delight in holiness proceeds from a renewed heart, Psal. 1.2, 3. He that delighteth in the Law of the Lord, is a tree planted by the rivers side, bringing forth fruit in due season: that man is come to an high pitch of wickednesse, who makes his lusts his chiefest joy; so it is an high pitch of holinesse, when a man makes holiness his joy and glory.
3. Constancy in the waies of God; constancy is duty, and in an holy profession is a good sign, Psal. 1.3. Whose leaf shall not wither, or whose leaf doth not fall off, but is alwayes green and flourishing: when a mans leaves of duty and outward profession fall off, the heart withereth within.
4 A man may know his fruitfulnesse by his growth in grace; at first grace is but little; therefore it is compared to smoaking flax, to Mustard seed, the least of seeds, but it grows to a bigg tree: Psal. 92.12. The righteous shall flourish like a Palmtree, he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon: Palm-trees grow tall and straight; and though they be pressed down with ponderous things, yet they grow to a very great height: thus a righteous man groweth, and though he be much oppressed with affl…ction, yet he groweth.
5. He that is fruitful, is best at last; the more and the longer he enjoyes the means, the more gracious and heavenly he is, Psal. 92.14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age, and in their age when, nature decayes. They shall still be bringing forth fruit even to old age, and in their age when nature decayeth: Hypocrisie degenerates into Apostacy in old age, and Hypocri…es are worst at last: it is a sad symptome when old Professors grow downward to the earth in their cares and affections.
CHAP. XXXVII.
Use. Learn hence what to expect if you bring not forth fruit, you must expect destruction; if you are not fruit-bearing trees, expect to be cut down; either bring forth fruit, or expect to burn in Hell for ever: God will not alwayes let you stand in his Vineyard fruitless: Oh therefore to day bring forth fruit; yet thou dost enjoy patience and the means of grace, and who knoweth how soon thy day shall expire? if God should cut thee down, thy fall into Hell will be like that of Capernaum, from Heaven to Hell: How deep will thy fall into Hell be, that fallest from so great an height? all the years of patience thou hast had will be so many milstones about thy neck: all the Ordinances of grace will be so many milstones about thy neck; yea every Sermon thou hast heard will aggravate thy damnation: every Sacrament will aggravate thy damnation. I beseech you in Christs stead, whose intercession hath prevailed with God for your not cutting down, and hath obtained this sabbath, this Sermon for you, this present exhortation, that you would bring forth the fruits of repentance. Oh do not weary you Ministers intreating you, and labouring your fruit-bearing: you may weary out men, but do not weary out my God also: Do not weary Christ the Vine-dresser: Do not weary the Spirit of God striving with your hearts. Woe to that soul to whom God shall say, as once he did to his people, Jer. 15.6. I am weary with repenting, I am weary with expecting, I am weary of calling, I am weary of digging, I am weary of dunging, I am weary of inviting: therefore I will stretch forth my hand against thee and destroy thee; the destruction and damnation of such a person will be an ease to the Vine-dresser.
Victorious Violence.
Set forth in Two Sermons on Matth. 11.12.
By that Eminent and Learned Divine, Mr. Thomas Byrdall, M. A. late Minister of the Word, and Preacher at Walsall, in the County of Stafford.
LONDON, Printed Anno Dom. 1666.
Victorious Violence.
MATTH. 11.12.
And from the dayes of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.