But to convince you of this sin consider what a Representation of the blessed God your Objection makes as if he were not a God of Grace pardoning Inquity Transgression and Sin upon Repentance which is what he hath declared concerning himself Now is it not a sin to believe God to be such an one as is directly contrary to the Character he has given of himself That though I never so much desire his Favour and value it as my Life though I desire to my utmost to comport with his Mind and Will so far as he hath or shall reveal it to me to believe that yet he hath cast me off or will cast me off What a sad Account of God does this give What a Reproach upon him would this bring Is not this to take the Devils Representation of him to be truer than his own There is likewise further sin in your Objection and Doubt by misrepresenting the Tenor of the Gospel Covenant Whereas that says Take God in Christ for your God and give up your selves to be his and he is and will be yours you add something more out of your own Head as necessary and so alter the Terms of Life and Death And what is this but to make a new Gospel The Blessed God hath said on such Terms Souls shall be saved you add others as necessary And say I shall never be saved unless it be thus and thus with me which God hath never said Though I do accept God for my God and Christ for my Saviour and consent to be his and endeavour to please him yet he will not save me This is to give God the Lye and there is more Guilt in it than we think Therefore XII LAY this as a Foundation Truth and keep it That you can never be more willing to Come to Christ than he is to Receive you If you think otherwise your seeming Humility in Doubting hath much of Pride in it If you are willing to have Christ and his Grace on his Terms He is yours If you are willing to have Christ for your Saviour and your King to receive him as Christ Jesus the Lord and the blessed Spirit as your Sanctifier and had rather have his Favour and Love and his holy Image than all the riches of this World you are then His If your Willingness be prevailing and more than your Unwillingness For Christ be assured is Willing He hath first shown his Willingness He dyed to manifest it and hath drawn up procured and published a Covenant of Grace wherein he declares his Consent and calls for yours Therefore if there be not a Covenant Union unto Eternal Life between him and you it is through your Refusal not his Now if you are not willing to Accept his offered Grace to be sanctified by him and blessed in him why do you complain for the want of that which you would not have and are not willing of For I tell you again He is willing to Receive and Accept you and to be Yours in an Everlasting Covenant never to be broken if you are sincerely Willing to be His Covenant Servants Moreover XII AS to the Doubt concerning the sin against the Holy Ghost I think such as make that Objection do not well understand wherein it lyes Read the 12th of Matthew throughout and Mark 3.28 29 30. And you will find that the Sin against the Holy Ghost never to be forgiven was to this purpose That when notwithstanding the Miracles of Christ which confirmed his divine Commission and proved him to be the Messiah They who saw those Miracles of Christ and could not deny them to be true yet did not believe him to be the Son of God or his Doctrine to be true though attested by those Miracles But rather than own him to be the Christ they blasphemously ascribed his Miracles unto the Agency ' of the Devil the unclean Spirit That were wrought by the Power of the Holy Ghost They therefore who own Christ to be the Messiah and his Gospel to be true who do not take him for a Deceiver but acknowledge him as their Lord and honour and worship him as the Christ of God they are not Guilty of the sin there mentioned called The sin against the Holy Ghost I deny not but some may be guilty in our days of such Sins as make Approaches unto this and are somewhat like it As when notwithstanding clear Evidence of the Truth of the Gospel Men resist the Light and rebel against it and turn open Apostates and Persecutors if not down right professed Infidels But the sin against the Holy Ghost there described by the Evangelist seems to imply a Man's taking Christ for a Deceiver Be sure none who own the Gospel to be true and Christ to be the Saviour of fallen sinners are guilty of that Sin though they may make dangerous Approaches to it Much less are they Guilty of it who fear the guilt of this sin But such doubting fearful Persons who make this Question concerning themselves because of some blasphemous Suggestions of Satan c. They would have been afraid of the Guilt of any other sin as well as of this if they had ever heard or read such dreadful things declared against any Other sin as against This But they seem not to understand the Nature of it * See Mr. Howe 's Append. to Redeemer's Tears I do not deny but there may also be an equivalent Evidence of the Divinity of Christ and of the Truth of the Gospel that the Infidels of our Age may sin against Equivalent I say to what the Scribes and Pharisees who where guilty of this sin did sin against And therefore our modern Deists who reproach the blessed Redeemer and the Holy Spirit of God had need look to it lest they approach unto the unpardonable sin and God should give them over to their own Hearts Lusts But as to poor doubting Christians that fear they are guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost mentioned in the Gospel It is plain enough that they fearing the Guilt of it are not in danger of it for the present or like to be so LASTLY To bring the whole matter to a short Issue and to put it out of question that your day of Grace is not over and that God hath not left you or given you over to your own Hearts Lusts I do now tender you the Grace and Salvation purchased by Christ in his Name If now you are heartily willing to accept it the Case is determined and determined in the best manner that can be Therefore to put all out of doubt Accept the present offer of Gods Grace which is this day made you Oppose not the greatness of your sins past or the Aggravations of your present Unworthiness but penitently and humbly and thankfully accept the Pardon that is offered you in the Name of Christ Do you think in contradiction to the whole Gospel that your sins are so many or so great that Christ
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
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.
wilt afflict me how thou pleasest strip me of all my pleasant Things if that may serve the Ends of thy Glory only let not thy holy Spirit forsake me only deliver me out of â—he hands of my Lusts break these my Chains knock off these Fetters save me from my sins and from thâ— Wrath accept me for thy Covenanâ— servant write thy Law upon my Heart that I may walk in thy Ways And whatever thou give me or whatever thou deny me Lord for Jesuâ— Christ's sake never give me up to my owâ— Hearts Lusts that I should be left to waâ—â— in my own Counsels Amen The Second Sermon Psalm LXXXI 12. I gave them up to their own Hearts lusts and they walked in their own Counsels WE can never look back to our primitive state considering how richly and plentifully the Bounty of our Maker â—ad provided for us without admiâ—ing Thoughts of his Beneficence and Kindness And yet if we view the Divine Compassion unto guilty and â—ebellious Man since the Fall and â—ow many obstacles his Grace overâ—ame This latter will be Judged to surpass his former Bounty to Innocent Man For before the Entrance of sin the Current of Divine Love met with nothing to obstruct its passage theâ— was nothing to discourage its Exeâ—cise towards an Innocent and Obedient Creature But now sin hath made a great gulf betwixt God and us We are in a state of Enmity and Hostility against Him which sets a value upon the Power and Freenesâ— of the Grace imployed to Recoveâ— and save us And yet after all this display of thâ— unsearchable Riches of Grace and Love in the Work of our Redemption it is a question whether our willful provoking Obstinacy against God be not more astonishing than his undeserved Compassion and Love to us that in contradiction to all the Princâ—ples of Reason and Interest we should slight his Kindness and despise his glorious Love and refuse his Grace the only Remedy that can save us That when he offers to be Reconciled to us and Intreats us to be Reconcileâ— to him we will not hearken to his Voice That we should persist in our chosen Distance and Estrangment and say We will have none of him Let him depart from us we desire not the Knowledge of his ways We care for â—o Reconciliation to him or Communion with him or any share in the Happiness he offers to confer upon â—s Were not this very highly proâ—oking the Blessed God would not Complain of it as he doth and Repreach â—s with it as he also doth in many â—laces and particularly in this My People would not hearken to my Voice and â—srael would none of me so I gave them â—p c. Both Expressions are in the â—uture though we translate them as alâ—eady inflicted The Original signiâ—â—es that God would deal so severely â—ith them The Aggravations of his Complaint of God concerning Israel have been already mentioned What I propose now to discourse of â—s this First That it is matter of most Just Complaint and most heavy Reâ—roach when any People or Person will not hearken to the Voice of God Secondly That for any wilful sinâ—ers to be given up by God to their own Hearts Lusts and left to walk in their own Counsels is one of the most fearful Judgments that can be threatned or inflicted In speaking to the Second General I proposed to shew First What it is foâ— God to give Men up to their owâ— Hearts Lusts And that such a thing there may be and is as Gods giving men over to their false Imaginations and Conceptions of things their inordinate Desires and irregular Passions their wicked Projects and Contrivances for the fulfilling of their variouâ— Lusts c. When he gives them up to these Lusts he casts them out of hiâ— special Care and Protection so as they become an easy prey to the Deviâ— And the Hebrew word which we translate give up is often used for thâ— casting out a People out of their Country as in 44. Psal 2. Such Persons aâ— also left of God under the Tyranny and Dominion of their Lusts withouâ— those Restraints of Providence anâ— Grace which before they had Whaâ— more may be intended in such an Expression will appear in speaking to the Second Head viz. To shew by what steps and Degrees God doth execute and inflict such a Judgment upon them And then Thirdly I shall speak something further of the Dreadfulness of this Judgment and so Apply the whole II. By What steps or Degrees the Blessed God doth usually proceed in inflicting such a Judgment as this For the better understanding of this I must premise by way of Caution 1. That Whatever Method is taken in the Execution of so severe a Doom we must remember there is a great depth of Obscurity in these Judgments of God There is so in all his works of Judgment but especially in such as do more immediately relate to the Souls of Men. We know very little of the manner of Gods Influence upon mens Spirits and therefore should be very humble and wary modest and cautions in our Expressions about it And yet from what we observe of such spiritual Judgments we may cry out with the Apostle Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledg of God! How unsearchable are his Judgments and his Ways past finding out We know very little of the manner of the Holy Spirit 's Influence in forming the Image of God upon the Soul and much less concerning the manner of this Punishment in the Text whereby men are hardened in sin through the righteous Judgment of God to their Eternal Ruine However 2. Remember This is a Judicial Act in God not an arbitrary thing that depends upon meer Will and Pleasure without any respect to the Aggravations of Mens wilful Rebellion and sinning against Light It is such a Judgment as supposes very hainous Provocations to precede it The Instance of the Jews doth abundantly prove this with whom the Patience of God did long bear and his Spirit strive But they alwaies resisted the Holy Ghost Acts 7.51 From generation to generation maintaining the war against the Divine Spirit till he turned to be their Enemy and fought against them Isa 63.9 10. And then their Doom is pronounc'd in a most solemn manner with terrible and astonishing Preparations for it Isa 6. By a glorious Apparition of the great God in the Temple which made the Prophet cry out I am undone c. The fearful message he was to deliver to that People was that 9 10. v. Hear ye indeed but understand not see ye indeed but perceive not make the Heart of this people fat and their ears heavy and shut their Eyes lest they see with their Eyes and hear with their Ears and understand with their Heart and convert and be healed This Doom we find with great Awfulness repeated in the new Testament by our Saviour Mat. 13.14 Luk. 8.10.12 John 40. And
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
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