forsaken and left of God He beheld the City and mingled his Lamentations over it with his Tears Saying O! Jerusalem Jerusalem if thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy Day the Things which belong unto thy Peace but now they are hid from thine Eyes He knew how deplorable the Condition of such Persons must needs be and what was due to so great a Calamity or he would not have lamented it with Tears He knew the aggravation of their Guilt and the Severity of the Divine Justice and the Value of Immortal Souls and the Depth of Misery into which such guilty sinners are sinking he perfectly knew these Things or he would not have bestowed Tears upon this Occasion And which yet is most * See Mr. How 's Redeemers Tears Pag. 149. Dreadful to consider when Persons are becomâ— incurably Obstinate and Impenitenâ— unto Perdition the Redeemers Teaâ— may Express his Compassion but wilâ— not abate their Misery or asswagâ— their Torment They that have rejected and dispised his Mercy and trampled upon his Blood shall yeâ— have his Tears of Compassion Thâ— former would have saved them buâ— the latter only bewails their Folly and their Misery what they have losâ— because they would not be saved They neglected God's season and he departed Hosea 5.6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord But they shall not find him He hath withdrawn himself from them So John 8.21 Theâ— said Jesus again unto them I go my way and ye shall seek me and shall dy in your sins Whither I go ye cannot come It is impossible for me to describe the Horrour of their Case with whom Matters are come to this Issue That God resolves to let them alone to give them up into the Hands of their own Counsels to leave them to their own Hearts Lusts to the Dominion and Tyranny of their vile Affections and Inclinations that they shall be holden in the Cords of their own Iniquity and without further Instruction or Restraint Prov. 5.22 23. in the midst of their Folly be left of God to go astray When because they would not be purged they shall not be purged till the Divine Fury be made to rest upon them God will let them Alone and say if they will go on to treasure up Wrath against a Day of Wrath e'ne let them do it If they will harden their Hearts if they will dye if they are so intent upon their own Ruin as that they refuse my counsel and slight my Reproofs and resist my Spirit and hate to be Reform'd let them take their Course let them walk in the Ways of their own Heart and in the Sight of their Eyes let them prosecute their own foolish Choice I will do nothing to hinder it My Gospel shall not instruct and heal them My Spirit shall not to any good purpose longer strive with them that which is the Savour of Life and the Power of God unto salvation unto Others shall have a deadly Savour unto them No words can express the Horrour of such a Case And such a Case is possible but we have no certaine Rule given us whereby to determine our Judgment concerning any particular Person so as to enable us to say positively This is the sad condition of such a Man or such a Woman But because many fear it is their own Case and the Person who by a Letter desired me to preach on this Subject is afraid lest Things may already be come to this Issue I will not now close without some Application And Passing over several Uses that may be made of this I shall hence take Occasion to Exhort to three Things First To take heed not to pass a definitive Sentence against your selves concerning the state of your own Souls as to this Judgment Secondly However to apprehend the Danger of approaching to it if you are under any ill Symptoms of that kind and beware of those Things that have a Tendency to so sad a Doom Thirdly Diligently to improve the Means you are yet under by the Warnings of the Word convictions of Conscience and the Motions of the Divine Spirit that you may Effectually prevent it That as it is not your Case for the present it never may be so First Take heed of passing a definitive Sentence against your selves in this matter There is a Time even with the Impenitent and Unconverted when God may move their Hearts more strongly unto Conversion than afterwards And when such a Time is over with thee thou mayest be apt to think that God hath utterly Abandon'd and Forsaken thee and be ready to conclude Thy Day of Grace is past In this Sense it may be past with many long before their Death and yet their state not be irrecoverable This is like enough to be the Case of many of you present but you need not thereupon question but you shall be accepted of God if you are now willing to return to him You have no ground to question whether Christ will receive you if you are willing to come to him or whether pardoning Mercy may be had if you penitently forsake your wicked ways and turn to the Lord with all your heart Men that formerly had some Motions and Helps to Repentance which they neglected and misimproved and obstinately resisted may be so given up to their Obstinacy as never to have such Motions more and so on that Account the Day of Grace may be past with divers But such Persons are hardened in Sin and hate an Holy Life oppose serious Godliness and the Means of their Recovery c. But the Day of Grace is never so past in this Life with any Man as that he shall not be accepted and pardoned if he do truly repent Therefore for a penitent returning Sinner to fear his Day of Grace is utterly past or that his Repentance if it be true does now come too late This is to contradict the whole Tenour and Scope of the Gospel Your Case may be more dangerous than that of most others and yet not Irrecoverable Be sure it is not if you have not sinn'd that Sin which can't be pardon'd which in the general I firmly believe no man is guilty of who is afraid lest he hath been or is so guilty Our Obstinate continued forsaking of God is the great sign of our being forsaken of him And where that is not the Case you should not Judg so concerning your selves or others And even where it is so for the present the Grace of God may be rejected for many years and yet we may hope that some Persons may afterwards be converted by that Grace which before they rejected So that we cannot tell what God will do as to particular Persons Neither would it be any advantage for us to know if such and such be so far forsaken of God as that they shall never be recovered but continue in their Obstinacy and Impentiency to the End of their Days God
Mr John Shower Of The Day of Grace OR A DISCOURSE Concerning The Possibility and Fear of its being Past before Death SHEWING The groundless Doubts and mistaken Apprehensions of Some as to their being finally Forsaken and left of God With the Dangerous Symptoms and Approaches of Others to such a sad State In Four SERMONS From Psalm LXXXI 11 12. By JOHN SHOWER London Printed for Abraham Chandler and to be Sold by John Butler in Worcester 1694. TO THE READER THe following Sermons were preacht-at the Earnest Desire of an unknown Person sent me in a Letter expressing a more than ordinary Concern and Fear lest the day of Grace should be past and the Holy Spirit finally departed so as to Return and Strive no more Many Upright Christians after aggravated Backslidings or under Great Temptations or in deep Melancholy are apt to conclude thus hardly of themselves Such as these I have endeavour'd to Convince that this is not the state of their Case or ever like to be I have also shown who have reason to Apprehend themselves in Danger of this Judgment in the Text. For 't is possible and more than possible that after long Resistance and Obstinacy God may Judicially let Men Alone and give 'em over Though their Lives be prolonged they may be sealed up to Wrath and reserved to Judgment Four Generations filled the Measure of the Amorites Sin though five past before they were destroyed And though Pharoah's time expir'd 't is thought at the Sixth Plague God upheld and harden'd him principally by suffering him to harden himself till the Tenth was past The sins of Jerusalem and the Jewish Nation were full at the Murder of the Messiah but they were not destroyed till forty years after I must Confess that we cannot tell positively when this is true concerning any particular Person Nor is any man bound to believe it concerning Himself but is alway obliged to believe that if he do truly Repent he shall find Mercy For though God may prescribe Limits to his own Grace we ought not to bound it Shall any man say Divine Patience hath waited on me or on such a one so long it can wait no longer Such Despair â—f Grace while in the use of God's Appointed Means is very Insolent Presumption You are obliged as a Thing highly grateful to him to Hope in his Mercy In short whatever your Doubts and Fears are if you firmly purpose to go on in the Way which leads to Life if you will not turn a side from following the Lord if you Resolve Come what will of it I will never give over praying seeking striving wrestling c. Let him do what he will with me I 'le not desist I 'le run after him I 'le fly to him I 'le call upon him as long as I live c. A Blessing from the Author and Purchaser of all Grace may be undoubtedly expected by such a one Prov 8.34 Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my Gates waiting at the Posts of my Doors For whoso findeth me findeth Life If you hear him and wait * Dr. O. Meditations and Discourses of the Glory of Christ applyed to Vnconverted Sinners 8º p. 18. saith Dr. O though you have not yet Admission but are kept at the Gates and Posts of the Doors yet in the Issue you shall be Blessed The rule in this Case is Hos 6.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know Are you in the way of knowing Christ in the use of means hearing the Word and Sincere Endeavors in Holy Duties though you cannot yet attain unto any Evidence that you have received him have closed with him nay tho you question whether ever he will Receive you Nothing can Râ—ine you but giving over the way wherein you are for then shall you know if you follow on to know the Lord. These Discourses are printed almost verbatim as preacht which I hope will rather promote than lessen their Vsefulness unto Such who are most like to read 'em and to whose Case they are most suited The Day of Reckoning is near Death and Judgment are at hand May I then find mercy of the Lord Give an Account of my Stewardship with Comfort And be found in Christ to the Glory of God Beg it for me as I do and shall thy profiting by this and all the many other Helps to further thy Salvation J. S. Four SERMONS ON Psalm LXXXI 11 12. The First Sermon Psal LXXXI 11 12. But my People would not hearken to my Voice and Israel would none of me so I gave them up to their own Hearts lusts and they walked in their own Counsels THE Jews have a Tradition that at stated times of the year God doth lament and complaine over their ruined Temple at Jerusalem that Temple that was once the Seat of his Glory and the Place of his special Residence for so long a time Their own Value and affection for it made them fondly imagine that God himself could not behold its Ashes and Dissolution without Resentment Not considering that the Wickedness of the People called by his Name and entrusted with the Priviledges of his House had provoked his most righteous severity to lay it waste This was a weak and groundless Fancy of the carnal Jews We have other Measures whereby to Judge of the blessed God We are fully assured that his Thoughts are not as ours in such matters That it is a far sadder spectacle in his Eye to behold the Hypocrisy and Carnality of those that worship in his Temple than to see it laid in Ruines a far more dismal sight to behold the offers of his Grace refused and slighted to have the Invitations of the Gospel and the glad Tidings of Peace rejected by those who can be saved no other Way and who must perish if they neglect this great Salvation To see Multitudes of such continue under the Power of sin willfully choosing the way of Destruction and hardning their own Hearts against all the gracious Methods of their Recovery This in the Judgment of God who Judgeth Righteous Judgment is by far the more astonishing and deplorable Object For we never read of God's complaining of any Thing so much as of this And how often and in what passionate Expressions doth he complain of the Obstinacy Unteachableness and Wilfulness of the Jews his ancient People Oh that they were wise O that they would consider how long will you not be purged when shall it once be why will ye dye c. And the Prophet Isaiah introduceth Christ and his Apostles complaining to the like Purpose Who hath believed our Report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed Isa 53.1 This was that which our compassionate Redeemer resented even unto Tears concerning Jerusalem in the Dayes of his Flesh when he beheld the City and wept over it saying O that thou hadst known even thou in this thy day the Things that belong to thy Peace c.
not guilty of the most barbarous Injustice and Cruelty against the People of God Had he not for many years opprest and inslaved them were not He and his Subjects resolved to destroy those whom God resolved to preserve c. He is three times said to have hardned his own heart Exod. 8.15 32. And chap. 9.34 Tho â—e had sufficient means of Conviction â—y Aarons Rod swallowing up those of â—e Magicians 7 Exod. 1.2 And by the Magicians being non-plust in their Art â—oncerning the Judgment of Lice Exod. â— 18 And they themselves were â—mitten with Boils Chap. 9.11 12. And now and then Pharoah had some Relentings chap. 9.27 10. chap. 16.17 So the Jews in our Saviour's Time concerning whom the like Expressions are used John 12.40 They were such as hated the Light as would not accept of Christ or his Forerunner the Baptist but said of both that they were possessed of a Devil In this Case we may use the Apostles Expression Is God unrighteous who taketh Vengeance Rom. 3.5 God forbid Here indeed is very dismal Severity but there is no shadow of unrighteousness This being premised we may consider First What these Lusts of Mens Hearts are Secondly What it is to be given up Judicially to them The Lusts of our Hearts unto which some are given up by God may Comprehend the false Imaginations and undue Conceptions of Things that are framed in the Soul concerning God and our selves Sin and Duty Happiness and Misery c. And our Irregular Desires and Inclinations with all the wicked Projects and Contrivances of the Soul concerning the gratifying and fulfilling the Lusts of the Flesh the Lusts of the Eyes and the Pride of Life Now for God to give up any Men to these Lusts so as not to hinder them from walking in their own Councels is not to be supposed as if he gave his approving Consent that they should obey these Lusts Not that he gave them leave to sin or approved what they did in serving divers Lusts but that which is chiefly comprehended in it is First That such Persons are cast out of Gods special Protection and Care and so are exposed to wander and go astray Hos 4.16 To walk as a Lamb in alarge Place and so are more easily assaulted and Overcome by the Devil who seeketh whom he may destroy Secondly That they are left of God under the Dominion and Power and Tyranny of their own Lusts He that 〈◊〉 filthy let him be filthy still Rom. 22. â—1 He that heareth let him hear and he â—â—at forbeareth let him forbear for â—hey are a Rebellious House Ezek. 3.27 So â—hat the Restraints and Checks â—hat they were formerly under by the Motions of his Spirit or by External Providence should no â—onger hinder them in the Prosecution of their Lusts Mar. 4.11 Joh. 12.34 Eze. 24 13.16 4. Hos 4.14 They shall not be smitten any more nor their way hedged up with Thorns The Spirit of God shall not strive with them any more at least not to such a Degree as formerly Nay further we read of Mens being given up after sins against Light unto a * Rom. 1.28 29 30 31. Reprobate unteachable Mind to vile affectiâ—ons to unnatural Lusts Yea delivered up to * 2 Thes 2.11 strong Delusions of Satan that they may believe Lyes that they may be damned But remember this is an Act of Justice and Righteousness in God for the Persons thus given up are describâ—d to be such as would not receive the Truth in the Love of it That there is such a Judgment as this besides the Express Testimoniâ— of Scripture is manifest by sad Experience For what tolerable account can be otherwise given of the Generality of professing Christians with whom the sence of Duty the Honour 〈◊〉 Christ the Interest of his Kingdom have so little Influence to a conscientious governing their Hearts anâ— Lives Yea how else is it That notwithstanding Mercies and Judgments notwithstanding providential warning and gracious Calls notwithstanding many Convictions and Resolutions and good Beginnings notwithstanding many severe Rebukes for pasâ— Backslidings and some Experience how evil and bitter a Thing it isâ— and hath been to forsake God that yet in Despite of God and Conscience and all these Obstacles in their way many have forsaken the Way of Righteousness and wallowed againe in the Pollutions of the World after they had escaped it And whatever Hazard they run by it whatever Difficulties they meet in their way whatever Methods have been used to recover and save them yet on they will go and from a seeming Zeal for God and Godliness and constant dayâ—â— Exercise of the principal Duties of Religion in their Families and Closets â—hey come at last to live without any â—f these in the total Neglect of such Duties and in allowed Practises of Drunkeness Uncleaness and Unrighteousness with the Contempt of the Means of their Conversion and a secret Enmity against the true Interest of Christ in the World and against the serious Profession and Power of Godliness My Friends The Case of such Apostates and the more common Degeneracy of many Others after good and hopeful Beginnings who have sinned themselves into a quiet peaceful Conscience or rather into stupidity and Hardness of Heart notwithstanding the Dayly Commission of great Abominations the deplorable Case I say of such Persons and the Frequency of such Cases makes it manifest that there is such a Thing as mens being left of God and given up to their own Hearts Lusts But remember I call it a deplorable Case not an irrecoverable one For I do not think as to all such Persons that their Day of Grace is past that the Things of their Peace are so hid from their Eyes that it is impossible for them to be renewed to Repentance There are Degrees of Gods forsaking Men there is a total and there is a partial Obduracy and Hardness of Heart But I shall speak more of this afterwards We should Secondly Consider by what Method God does for the most part proceed to inflict and Execute such a Judgment as this But Thirdly For the present let us briefly consider the Severity and Terrour of this Judgment According to the Degrees of this Punishment inflicted on any so is the Wretchedness of their Case in Proportion to be estimated For a Man to be totally left to the Hardness and Obduracy of his own Heart there is no Judgment in this World so severe and therefore sayes * Owens Dominion of Sin Page 73. Dr. Owen it is never Executed but towards those that are habitually and obstinately wicked and do out of choice harden themselves in their sins You may Consider the Dread and Horrour of such a Judgment by reading Prov. 1.23 Heb. 10.26 c. Very much may be gathered from Luke 19.41 42. Where we have 〈◊〉 most significant Representation of such a dismal Case in our Lords affectionate Bewailing of the Misery of Jerusalem as
hath * Mr. How 's Redeemers Tears pag. 82. not made it any Man's Duty to believe this concerning himself nor to beleive it concerning any other particular Person Some of those whose Hearts were once as hard as yours who slighted Christ as much and as long as you have done who dispised many awakening Warnings who refused and turn'd their Backs upon many Invitations and Calls of the Gospel and resisted the Spirit of Grace for a long Time have afterwards been made the Triumph of the Power Love and Grace of God Therefore don't pass a definitive Sentence against your selves To pass a Judgment upon our State and to believe it concerning our selves is to nullity the Gospel and to make it impossible for us to Repent and Believe which God hath made to be our Duty It is a sinful prescribing limits to the Grace of God to say It hath waited on me so long it will it can wait no longer Secondly However Apprehend the Danger of the present Case if you are under any such Symptoms as have a Tendency to so severe a Judgment as this is It may be you have sinned your selves into hardness of Heart that you are not affected with the Word Preached as formerly that you do not find such Impressions by it that the Operations of the Spirit with the Word that were formerly strong do now seem to cease You are not so affected with the Evil of Sin with such hearty Sorrow and bitter Repentance as formerly tho thy sins be most highly aggravated And are little affected with the sins of others you are more senceless stupid and secure under the Guilt of great Provocations than formerly And this notwithstanding some Tokens of God's Displeasure by afflictive Rebukes of Providence It may be you have taken up with a fruitless barren empty Profession of Religion for a long Time joyn'd with the Neglect of the inward Spiritual Part of Godliness Mortification of Sin Watchfulness over your Hearts Government of your Thoughts Passions and Sences c. And have gone on in a formal Course and Round of some external Duties without Heart or Life or Quickning and this contrary to your Convictions Resolutions and repeated Promises c. This case is exceeding sad and sinful and God only knows where it will Issue if deep and timely Repentance do not awaken you You ought to apprehend it to be indeed a very provoking and dangerous Case but not quite desperate Nay let me go further Secret Prayer it may be hath been neglected for a Time or performed with so much coldness that you now Tremble to think how low you are sunk Or which is much worse it may be you do not Tremble The Power of Conscience is in a great measure lost both in restraining from Sin and in checking for it You can now more easily stifle Convictions rebel against Light and venture upon a known sin indulge a secret Lust and allow your selves those Things from day to day which formerly you could not without sharp Rebukes of Conscience And such Preaching and such Helps as did once startle awaken and quicken you have now little or no such Effect This is indeed unspeakably dismal O! how low are such fallen how difficult how sorrowful must be the awakening and Recovery of such Backsliders What can be said to such Persons and why should they not fear the Judgment of this Text lest God give them up to their own Hearts Lusts I am so far from discouraging such a Fear that I would by all Means awaken it Therefore I say it would be Just with God to cast thee off and God would be Righteous if he reject thee utterly if he forsake thee for Ever if he never strive with thy Heart more if Never Providence or Sermon do thee good more This would be Just But at the same Time let Hope be intermingled with Fear there is much Cause to Fear but there is none to Despair the one is a Duty and the other a Sin And if the Consideration of your sin and Danger begin to melt and mollify your Heart then know that Christ came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance and mercy may yet be had he takes pleasure in them that hope in his Mercy it is by hope we are saved Therefore aggravate your sins and the grounds of your Fear and the Danger of your perishing to Eternity But don 't sit down in Despondency don't yeild your selves to perish without striving to prevent it Fall down before his Mercy-Seat study the Nature and Promises of the Covenant of Grace and fly to Christ according to the general Invitation and Call of the Gospel to that End Thirdly if your Hearts begin to melt and move within you who have apprehended your selves in Danger of this Judgment if you are yet under the strivings of the Spirit as your very Sollicitude and Fear about it and Desire of Assistance doth Imply then I would beseech you to set presently to work out your Salvation with all Diligence Let not the Dictates of an awakened Conscience be hush'd and silenc'd Cherish and obey the holy Motions of the Spirit Let not your present Convictions and Resolutions become abortive for want of Meditation and Prayer and advising with your Ministers and Judicious Faithful Friends Especially take heed of extinguishing the Sentiments of an awakened Conscience by new Guilt and fresh Transgressions While Conscience is thus at Work your Conversion is more probable and hopeful now than formerly If you quench not the Motions of the Spirit and provoke him to leave you If you will but hearken to his Voice and follow his Counsel and not again harden your Hearts If you would now earnestly implore and thankfully entertaine and carefully improve his holy Influences Is it not of highest Importance that you do so without Delay When your Breath is in your Nostrils and the Day of your Life and your Day of Grace may both be ended before to morrow Morning Should not the Kindness of God overcome you That Mercy is offered â—o such returning Backsliders should 〈◊〉 not be a melting transporting Thought for such as you to consider â—hat Christ invites you to come to him â—f you are weary and heavy laden and â—romises Rest Read Judges 10th the â—atter End for your Encouragment where God having delivered his People and they yet forsook him it is said â—hat he would deliver them no more but â—id them go to the Gods they had â—hosen But they cryed to him and â—urned from their evil Ways and his â—oul was greived for them and he did â—eliver them They cryed heartily Lord â—o unto us what seemeth thee good only deâ—ver us so do you in like Manner and â—here is yet Hope Go in â—ecret and â—ell him that it is the Desire of your Souls now to return to him beg his â—anctifying Spirit with utmost imporâ—unity plead the Vertue of the Blood of Christ say unto him Lord do with â—ne what thou
afterward by the Apostle Paul when he was testifying against the obstinate Infidelity of the Jews at Rome Rom. 11.8 We may therefore clear the Righteousness of God in this matter by considering the true Account and Character of Those whom we find in Scripture or believe by Experience to have been given up to their own Hearts Lusts The Wickedness of Pharoah was risen to a very provoking height before God is said to harden him which was not till after the sixth Plague The impenitent Cananites had 430 Years before God gave them over and their measure was full Josh 11.19 This therefore as it is one of the severest Judgments so it is one of the last This also may admit of Degrees with reference to several Persons For there is a partial as well as a total forsaking of God and being forsaken of him There are some who sin against their Light and refuse the Grace of the Gospel and may for a time be forsaken and left of God and yet his Spirit afterwards strive again Whereas with others he may never strive more However in all these Cases there is great Provocation that does precede so that we may say with the Apostle Is God unrighteous that he taketh Vengence Rom. 3.5 3. I would also premise That the Holiness of God must be cleared as well as his Justice Though he give them up to their own Hearts Lusts it is not by a consenting approving Act with reference to the sins they afterwards commit much less that God inclines their Hearts to sin or infuses or suggests evil to them It is not that He gives them Indulgence and Leave with his Consent and Approbation to serve and fulfil any of those Lusts The spotless unchangable Purity of the Divine Nature which hates every sin cannot consist with this He cannot be tempted with Evil neither tempteth any man to evil Therefore such Expressions as Ezek. 20.39 As for you O House of Israel thus saith the Lord go you now every one and serve his Idols Such Expressions must be taken in an Ironical sense That is Go see whether the Objects of your Trust and Confidence can save you in a time of Calamity Go to the Gods that you have served and see whether they will help you for I will not It is like the Expression Matth. 26.46 Sleep on now and take your Rest for behold he cometh by whom the Son of man is to be betrayed I desired you to watch with me but you would not and that season is now past Sleep on now if you can When Satan blinds the Minds of men he doth it by strengthening of their sin he doth it by sinful suggestions and the like But the Blessed God doth not thus give men up to sin No such Darkness can come from the Fountain of Light These things being premised let us Consider some of those steps by which God preceeds in this matter as Scripture Reason and Experience may direct us Though after all there is a Depth in these Judgments of God which none are able fully to Explain 1. When God forbears to Afflict and to restrain men from sin by the Rod of Correction and the Rebukes of his Providence Or doth not sanctifie such Rebukes for their Reformation We little think whither we should wander if God did not hedg up our ways with Thorns Hos 2.6 7. If he did not by his Providence make a Wall that we should not be able to find our sinful Paths that we should not be able to make Provision for our Lusts at an easy rate or have so much fewel for them as we desire My People Israel says God by the Prophet was resolved to go after her Lovers but God says I will make her return back in confusion She shall find an impassable hedge of Thorns in her way I will stop her Course I will make a Wall and a Wall as in the Original and she shall not find her Paths Tho she follow after her Lovers she shall not overtake them she shall seek them but shall not find them The like Expression you have 3. Lament 7 9. He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out he hath inclosed me with â—ewen stone Some by the Fetters of Education as they call it and are glad when they can shake them off Some by the want of Money or Interest or Power to accomplish their wicked Purposes have their Way hedged up Sometimes by bodily Pains and sickness God opens the Ears of men and seals Instruction to them that he may withdraw Man from his Purpose and hide Pride from Man Job 33.17 18. God is herein very merciful to many Young Persons especially should consider it to whom it is a Kindness to have sin made difficult to them For if they had so much Liberty as they would desire and so much Money at command as they could wish and were let alone by their Superiours to do as they please and live as they list without any check or fear of losing the favour of those on whom they depend or from whom they have their Expectation If things were thus with them they know not unto what Excess and Height of sin they should run So for Health and Bodily strength the abating of these may be a merciful Restraint from some sort of sins The very weakness of our Constitutions may be a means to save us from some kind of Temptations which others in vigorous Health do struggle with and are overcome by So for disappointments in the World Discountenance and Disgrace and other such things that are apt to humble and afflict the Mind The more of these Restraints God is pleased to take from us it may so fall out that the more Angry he therein appeares to be Especially if former afflictive Rebukes of Providence have been misimproved There being hardly a more terrible place in the whole Bible than that threatening of God Hos 4.13 14. Your Daughters shall commit Whoredom and your Spouses shall commit Adultery And I will not punish your Daughters when they commit Whoredom nor your Spouses when they commit Adultery O quanta Paena nulla Paena It is the greatest Judgment or the fore runner of that which is so when God abstains from punishing when by timely Chastisement he does not awaken to Repentance and stop sinners in their career when the way to Hell is plain and easy to them when there is no Thorn no Obstacle in the way but they may smoothly go on and walk after their own Counsels in the Paths that lead to the Chambers of Death How many Young Persons hath God been kind to by those Restraints of Providence which he takes off from others How hath he hedged and walled up your Way He hath made it more difficult for you to sin you cannot do as others without suffering more than they either in your Reputation or your temporal Interest or your Health c. And yet we find notwithstanding all this many such will
not be divorced from their beloved Lusts As one of the Antients speaks concerning Philotimus who had weakened his Constitution and impaired his Health as the Effect of his Intemperance and Riot And being told by the Physicians that if he would not forbear and presently break off his licentious Course that he must certainly lose his Eye sight There was no help for him but in a little time he would be Blind He presently answers the Physician thus Valeat lumen amicum Farewell O pleasant and desirable Light rather than not sin on as I have done I am content never to behold the Light of the Sun more Will the Blessed God think you be unrighteous if he condemn such resolved sinners to everlasting Darkness Or to give them up now to those Lusts that they are so madly set upon But where he hath Designs of Mercy to any he will not leave them to go on without Correction As many as I love I rebuke and chasten If you will not be reclaimed by one Rod you shall have another and a third and a fourth If you will not for all this turn to the Lord I will yet punish you seven times more for your Iniquities Levit. 26.18 In these Cases God doth not spare that he may spare he doth not seem to have Mercy that he may have Mercy He doth not forbear his Rod that we may forbear our sins He will not let us alone that he may not be forced utterly to abandon us He will rebuke and chasten that we may not harden our selves unto our Eternal Ruine Whenever you behold a wicked Person thrive and flourish in the World when you see him prosper in his Trade and boasting of his Riches priding himself in his Power when you see him strong and healthful surrounded with all that is desirable to flesh and blood flourishing with all variety of outward Blessings personal and family Advantages c. And â—et neglect God and wallow in all â—â—anner of carnal Impurities restrain Prayer from the Almighty in his Family and in his Closet and live like a Beast without God in the World When you behold such spectacles think of the Accomplishment of such like Scriptures where God threatens in Anger to forbear to punish such and such men This is the first Method his forbearing to afflict 2. By taking away the External Means of Knowledg and Grace or otherwise disposing of Persons so as they cannot enjoy such seasons Acts 19.9 When divers were hardned and believed not but spake evil of that way before the multitude he departed from them God continues not the outward means in such places or the persons remove into remote parts of the world where the Gospel of Christ is not known Thus when lewd and disobedient Youths have sinned against God and their Parents to that degree that they know not what to do with them they either go of themselves or are sent into the Fleet or Army or to the Indies to such Places where the Gospel is not preached And by this means men are left to walk in their own Counsels The Publick Ministery of the Word being the ordinary Means of Sanctification And so 't is no wonder if they greedily fulfill their brutish Lusts Therefore if God withdraw such a Ministery from the Place where you reside or you run madly and without a call or warrant to dwell in such places where it cannot be had I mean such a Ministery as is proper to enlighten and awaken and strive with you in order to your Conversion and your salvation it is one step to your being given over and left of God and to have the things of your Peace hid from your Eyes I wish Merchants and Traders and Parents that have undutiful Children and some Others who are resolved They will be Rich would consider this But if you have sat under a convincing lively Ministry but you begin to dislike it in that case it looks very ill Especially the more you were affected with it formerly and now disrelish it or despise it In such Cases the means of holy Knowledge and Sanctification not being continued or improved it looks fearful as to such Persons More especially if They be unaffected and unconcerned it their own Danger in these Circumstances 3. God is said to pour upon men a Spirit of Slumber and deep Sleep to suffer them to harden their Hearts and stupify their own Consciences the more by every thing they enjoy so that though the external Means be continued yet none of the divine Messages will be received nor the most useful Ministry do them any good nor the Providential goodness of God lead them to Repentance All their earthly possessions and temporal Blessings shall become snares and stumbling blocks Jer. 6.21 Therefore thus saith the Lord behold I will lay stumbling blocks before this People and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them The neighbour and his friend shall perish But this is after they have wilfully hardened themselves So it was with Pharoah when he had obstinately hardened his own Heart Exod. 7.14.8 chap. 19 32. ver After that upon his continued Obstinacy God declares that he hardened him 9. chap. 12. and 16. ver And caused him to stand up or raised him up that is kept him alive when he deserved to be cut off by a quick and sudden Destruction for this very end that he might shew in him his Power So provoking was his former Obstinacy and Incorrigibleness Thus are men the faulty Cause by chosen wilful Blindness and Hardness before they are forsaken and left of God under such a Judgment 4. Another step is God's righteous Refusal to continue that Influence of the divine Spirit with the external Means of Grace which men have abused and forfeited Without this Influence there cannot be a Day of Light and Power under the Gospel Dispensation Both which are necessary to make our day of Grace But when any People or Person have rebelled against God and vexed his holy Spirit he may cease to strive with their Hearts by any gracious Influence When he hath knocked often and they would not open such inward Motions of the Spirit as they formerly had they may have no more and so they are forsaken of God But whether totally and finally so as not to return again is more than we can say of particular Persons till the Event shew it But it is that which Men have reason to fear according to the ordinary Methods of Gods proceeding who now disobey the Voice of his Word and Spirit He might Justly withdraw the Influence of his Spirit from them and seal them up to Destruction and so it is possible their Day of Grace may be ended before they dye and their not believing or being converted will certainly follow John 12.39 40. 5. Another step is when God sends strong Delusions whereby men believe Lyes that they may be damned 2 Thess 2.11 This is severe indeed but being after obstinate
Sorrow for sin is absolutely needful Some have more and others less even of true Penitents TAKE heed of mistaking the Case concerning the Day of Grace being over and sinners being finally left of God For it is never true in this Life that any are so left of God and their Day of Grace so over as that if they truly repent and turn to him he will not accept them This would be against the whole tenour of the Gospel Covenant For whosoever turns to God by true Repentance and Faith in Jesus Christ shall not perish but have eternal Life But there is another sense of such Exâ—ressions that is when men have so â—â—ng resisted the Spirit and refused the â—ffers of Gods Grace and rejected the Yoke and Government of Christ that God resolves to let them alone never â—o give them the prevailing Grace of his Spirit but in righteous Judgment â—o abandon them to their own Hearts Lusts to walk in their own Counsels Because they would not turn at my Reproof they shall call but I will not answer seek me earnestly but not find me Prov. 1.28 If men harden their Hearts and will not hear and obey the voice of God He may sware in his Wrath that they shall not enter into his Rest Heb. 3.11.15 18. Num. 12.22 Ezek. 24.13 It may be this very day or hour while now thou art called by God to Turn and Live if thou refuse now thy Day may be over and past for ever To morrow God may say Let him Alone he shall not be purged he shall dye in his sins Isa 42.14 Hos 4.17 This is a possible Case but who can tell when it is thus How can this be known of particular Persons when it is so though some Approach nearer to it than Others How can it positively be said of any that God will never give such Persons Repentance unto Life You may be sure that if you find your Hearts Penitent and willing to return to him that it doth not reach you It is not your Case Therefore VI. YOU that thus complain and fear have you not many of the Fruits of the Spirit visible and manifest in you Therefore the Spirit of Christ hath not left you God hath not given you over Do you not esteem and prize the GRACE of the Gospel Do you not cry to Heaven for the Spirit of Grace Are you not earnest in the seeking the Spirit of Holiness from day to day Whence is it but from Grace that you have an Heart to prize and seek it They that have outstood the Day of Grace they despise it they are sunk into Carnality and Forgetfulness of God they are insensible and stupid and unconcerned about his Grace But for you that value it and seek it your Day of Grace cannot be over For it is from Common Grace at least which has a tendency to Special and shows your Case not to be like those who are given up of God But with most that thus complain there is more than common Grace There are Fruits of special Grace visible You do unfeignedly Repent and mourn for Sin and desire to give up your selves to Christ Now what but Grace hath made you to see the evil of sin and hate it What but Grace hath made you willing to Accept of Christ for your Lord and Saviour What but Grace has made you value the Favour of God and a holy Heart and Life above all the World How is it that you are brought to love God and delight in him to seek after him and desire to please him and to be troubled that you can do so no more no better For such as you to say your Day of Grace is over is as absurd as one expresseth it as for a Man to come into our Assemblies and hear the Sermon and then go away lamenting that the Sermon was done before he came You have received that Grace which you complain you want You know 't is otherwise with Many Were you like them Did you find your Lusts and Passions lead you captive at their pleasure had you no Affections stirring after God and Holiness did you despise Christ and all Regard and Duty to him and could not perswade your selves to hear or read or pray or think of another World or do any thing to provide for it you might then fear indeed what the issue of your Case would be But that is not the Case I am now speaking of nor of any I hope that now hear me your Appearance in these Assemblies is some sign of the contrary And though as yet you may be unconverted and unsanctified if you are so far Awake as to look after Reconciliation to God if you are touched with a sense of your sin and Danger so as to desire to be assisted and enabled to Repent and turn to the Lord how bad soever your present Case be it is not Desperate and Remediless For you are in the way of Mercy and nothing but your own wilful impenitent refusal of Mercy can deprive you of it VII As to the Complaint of an Hard Heart Remember it is the Impenitent and the Vnperswadable Heart that is the only hard Heart you need to fear They that are obstinate and disobedient intractable and incorrigible as the People of the Jews were that neither regarded the divine Threatnings or Promises or minded his Precepts These are they that are under Hardness of Heart This is the Judgment you ought to fear to be left under such a Temper But you find it otherwise with you that the voice of God doth awe and command you Your Wills are bowed unto Subjection to him you are willing to take upon you the Yoke of Christ or have taken it and renouncing all Competitors you desire to chuse Christ for your Lord and Saviour and that God in Christ should be your Ruler and your Felicity If it be thus you may be sure you are not left of God VIII THAT Sight of sin and sense of the Burthen of Corruption which you complain of as the Ground of your fear will argue the direct contrary to what you alledge it for For sin has always the greatest strength where the sinner is the least Apprehensive and Sensible of it There is more hope of a sensible Patient that feels his sickness and complains of it than of one that feels nothing but is confident all is well Is not their Case much worse who feel nothing of the Evil of sin to whom the Power of it is not troublesome nor the Pollution of it lothsom nor the Guilt of it butthenfom While it is otherwise with you you may be assured you are not given over and left of God and your Day of Grace past it is yet Day with you or else how came you by so much Light to see the evil of sin more than formerly and to see so many things to be sin which before you did not Though there may and will be a Conflict between Flesh and
He that being often reproved hardens his Heart shall suddenly be destroyed and that without Remedy If Men once come to this that under the most searching lively Sermons they can continue secure and wilful in known sins they may fear lest they be left to go further even to the hating of Godliness and good Men Or at least to be so far stupified as not to feel any thing of the force of Gods Terrors or the sweetness of his Promises but to make a Jest of sin and think a Life of Godliness a needless thing Such Persons when it comes to this especially if they grow old in this Course have Cause to fear lest they be forsaken of God and given over to their own Hearts Lusts sealed up under Judicial Blindness and Hardness of Heart III. WHEN The Spirit of Grace gives over striving with the Souls of Men. This is a most dangerous Case For except He return they are irrecoverably lost There is an absolute necessity of the Influence of the Divine Spirit to the Begining Progress and Continuance of the Spiritual Life and there is no Opposition in the Soul but this Spirit of Life and Power can overcome But when he gives over striving with men how deplorable must their Case be And this he doth with many after they have resisted the Spirit and rebelled against the Spirit and vexed the Holy Spirit of God as we read of some that did Acts 7.51 Now if this blessed Spirit move not upon the Soul of a Backslider he can never be recovered And when he hath often been repulsed and grieved and quenched he may withdraw in Anger and God may justly resolve as concerning the old World that his Spirit shall strive no more no longer with them Especially when after a great Profession of Christianity men turn Apostates and despise Preaching and the other Institutions of the Gospel having done despite to the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10.29 Which though spoken of open final Apostates should make Others that approach thereto to tremble And of how much soever Punishment shall such be thought guilty that do thus Despight to the Spirit of Christ who bears Witness to his Person and Doctrine Who can tell the Dreadfulness and Horrour of their Punishment The Constitution of the Law of Moses reached but to a temporal Death without mercy But besides temporal Judgments such a Guilt will expose them to Eternal Wrath For the greatest sin will have the greatest Punishment No wonder then if the Holy Spirit strive no more with Persons that come under this tremendous Guilt that sin against the Holy Spirit even as a Spirit of Grace doing Despight to the Spirit of Grace who did invite and wooe and draw them unto Christ to bring them under the Bond of the Covenant My Spirit shall not alway strive with men Gen. 6.3 Heb. 3.13 Luke 13 7. When the Spirit of Grace and Love and Benignity hath shone in upon their Minds and often touched their Consciences and secretly whispered Sinner Wilt thou not yet turn What hast thou no Inclinations to return to me O do not go on and perish c. Now to despight this very Spirit of Grace must needs be attended with great Aggravations of Guilt because it is after some Experience of his Influence and Power This must be one of the most dangerous Symptoms of a perishing lost Condition The Gospel must needs be hid unto such because without the Light and Influence of the Holy Spirit it can have no saving Effect If our Gospel be hid says our Apostle it is hid to them that are lost 2 Cor. 4.3 Whose Minds are blinded by Satan lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine into their Hearts Though I must here add that no Man I believe can determine what Degree of this Guilt as to particular Persons doth distinguish those who are Irrecoverably lost from such as are Recoverable and may be called to Repentance IV. THOUGH The Spirit have not done striving yet when the preaching of the Word though you cannot resist the Light of divine Truth but somewhat of it shines into the Mind and Conscience if yet your Hearts stand out and will not yield this is a dangerous Case For men may be convinced by the Word of the sinfulness and Danger of their Condition they may come to determine and to pronounce Judgment upon themselves that what God requires of them is but Just and equal and that hitherto they have not complied with his Call One thing or other from day to day hath hindered them from coming up to the terms of the Gospel from a covenant Closure with the Son of God upon the Gospel Call They may say and own it before God and Men That they are deeply convinced such a thing ought to be done But I have not yet found the time or the Leisure or the Heart to retire into a Closet and consider it and set about it in good earnest and give up my Soul to him I am convinced I must do it or I cannot enter into Heaven I am convinced I must turn or I shall dye I am satisfied this my present Course must issue in my Ruine my Eternal Ruine that if I go on and dye in this Case I am lost for ever But yet notwithstanding such Convictions with many still the Heart holds out against all that can be said The highest and the most important matters that can be named though propounded with the clearest Evidence and represented as of the nearest Concern to them yet do not effectually prevail with them Though we propose in the Name of God the Incouragment of that Blessedness and Priviledge which no man that understands and believes but must desire Though we flash the Fire of Hell before them and endeavour by the Terrors of the Lord to perswade them yet they have heard of these things so often that they are not moved by them to yield themselves to the Lord. All that we speak in the Name of Christ is as a Tale that is told they have heard it so often it makes little Impression Things are come to that sad pass with them and they are Scrmon-proof to that Degree that to use the words of a Great man unless we could speak of greater things than Heaven and Hell we cannot move them And though their Minds are inlightened and some Convictions begun yet their Lusts carry the Day against their Convictions Conscience is baffled or kept under by the Power of vicious Inclinations And while men go on at this rate who can tell but God may say Let them alone but that he may give them up to those Lusts they have chosen and so their Condition be desperate Though they themselves do not apprehend it to be so And as to individual Persons we cannot distinctly tell when it is so but so it may be and God be clear in his Righteousness herein because it is penal and after great Provocations and it was lately otherwise
Repentance the Argument will be as strong against repenting then as it is for delaying now He will then adjourn it to some distance season 3. DO You know what Repentance is that you will venture upon sin with a Design to Repent That is that you will continue to do that which youâ— resolve and intend to wish you had never done to be heartily sorry that you were such Fools as to do it You resolve to do that which you resolve to be ashamed of and to loath your selves for and would give all the World if it were in your Power that you had not done it For this is implied in Repentance Now is it becoming the Wisdom and Reason of a Man thus to act 4. ART Thou sure to live to that time unto which thou delayest thy Repentance and Turning to God With how many every week is that the Case who intend to Repent some time or other but dye before the time comes VI. WHAT If God should give thee over to thine own Hearts Lusts May he not justly leave thee to the hardness of thine impenitent Heart Doth not such a Carriage of thine deserve it If thou wilt go on from Month to Month from year to year in the neglect of known Duties under the Convictions of Conscience that thou art not yet turned to God or reconâ—iled to him thou wilt I say yet go on and continue as thou art though thy Heart tell thee if thou dye in this Condition thou must perish and thou hast nothing to relieve thee in this sad Case but only an Intention to Repent some time hereafter O how Justly may God deny that Grace to Thee which thou hast so long abused and forfeited and wilt not now Accept How righteously mayst thou be sealed up to Destruction by Gods forsaking of thee VII THERE is another sort whose Case is exceeding dangerous viz. Who often fall into the same sins which they Repent of and are sorry for After they have sinned they Repent of those sins again and after some Repentance they commit the same sins again and so have the Aggravations of sinning against Knowledge Now to him that knoweth to do good and doth it not that knoweth what is evil and forbears it not to him it is sin with a Witness Jam. 4.7 He that knew his Masters Will and did it not shall be beaten with many stripes Luk. 12.49 It is a dreadful passage though spoken of Apostates from the Profession of Christianity unto Judaism or Heathenism Heb. 10 26 27 28 29. That such as sin after the Knowledg of the Truth there remains no more sacrifice for such sins For what further Guilt may not such sins against Knowledge bring them to and issue in Doubtless the more you know and have considered the Issue and Consequence of such sins as by renewing your Repentance is implied that something of this kind has been done the more aggravated is your Sin afterward and the more dangerous your Case And the more struggle and striving there has been of Conscience against Corruption and yet thy Lusts have carried the day and got the victory over Conscience The more Vows and Promises of Amendment that you have made and broken and sinned against repenting of your Repentance as Pharoah did the greater is your sin and Danger The more Warnings you have had of God by his Providence and the more awakening Calls of his Word â—nd yet you continue this Course of â—â—â—ning and repenting of repenting and sinning still the more dangerous is your Case Especially under a professon of Religion For in a little time Conscience thus affronted is like enough to be hardened and to be seared as with an hot Iron 2 Thess 2.12 And God may give you up to an impenitent Heart leaving you to commit the grossest Abominations without shame or Remorse as he did the Gentiles Rom 1.21 24 26 28. If such be ever awakened to Repentance in this World this very Consideration will pierce them to the Heart this will make them ready to despair That as the Apostle said of himself I did it ignorantly therefore I obtained Mercy They will be ready to cry out against themselves I did so and so but it was against Knowledge therefore there is no Mercy for me There remains for such without Repentance a most fearful Punishment And a fearful looking for and Expectation of such Punishment in the Consciences of those who have sinned at this rate And there be very Few of those who have lived long under the preaching of the Word and continued to sin thus against Knowledge and Conscience till they were old very few such are recovered to Repentance Certainly the greater the Knowledge is you sin against the more you provoke God to give you up to a reprobate Mind and to leave you to hardness of Heart VIII WHEN Notwithstanding the Profession of Religion and outward Attendance on the Duties of it yet sin has the Dominion and Mastery in the Soul and sensual Inclinations are indulged without restraint even as to gross and notorious sins There are some Backsliders who would formerly have started back at such or such a Temptation who can now boldly enter into it readily yield and are easily overcome without Concern or struggle Sin has the Mastery and Dominion in the Soul they go on to commit it without Check or Fear They consent to its Rule they are willing subjects For to whom you yield your Servants to obey his Servants ye are Rom. 6.6 And that victory which Sin hath got by your own Consent may justly as it commonly doth in the swent bring that Bondage and Slavery under sin which is Judicial and Penal That slavery to sin which at first was voluntary afterwards becomes unavoidable You are held in the Chains of your own sins you are captivated and ovrecome by your own lusts While they promise themselves Liberty says the Apostle they are the Servants of Corruption for of whom a Man is overcome of the same is he brought into Bondage 2. Pet. 2.19 There is less hope of such Men that are grown loose and sensual after they have been forward Professors And they are harder to be recovered than any others For they are more likely to be left of God Some have unwarily said that an open profligate debauched Person is nearer the Grace of God and salvation by Christ than a moral honest Man that is kept from the grosser Pollutions of the World But such Expressions should not make us think that God will invite and wooe us the more earnestly the further our sins have divorced us from him * Dr. Hammonds Sermons p. 275. It is true the Holy Ghost can cleanse and adorn and prepare himself a room in any Heart and soften it and not be repulsed by the most habituate sin or Devil And some have been thus snatched like fire-brands out of the Fire and changed from incarnate Devils to incarnate Saints Yet those extraordinary and rare Examples must