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liever doth, yet in that he knoweth his sinfulness and unworthiness, he knoweth himself better than the presumptuous world.

These two remarks, with the foregoing caution, having interposed (somewhat out of place), I now return to prosecute my exhortation, that no matters may seem so sweet, so honourable, so great, or necessary, as to pass with you for excuses for the neglecting of the most diligent and impartial study of yourselves.

All persons to whom I can address this exhortation, are either godly or ungodly; in the state of sin, or in the state of grace. And both of them have need to study themselves.

I. And to begin with the unrenewed, carnal sort, it is they that have the greatest need to be better acquainted with themselves. O that I knew how to make them sensible of it; if any thing will do it, methinks it should be done by acquainting them how much their endless state is concerned in it. In order hereunto, let me yet add, to all that is said already, these few considerations :

1. If you know not yourselves, you know not whether you are the children of God, or not; nor whether you must be for ever in heaven or hell; no, nor whether you may not within this hour behold the angry face of God, which will frown you into damnation. And is this a matter for a man of reason to be quietly and contentedly ignorant of? It is a business of such unspeakahle concernment, to know whether you must be everlastingly in heaven or hell, that no man can spare his cost or pains about it, without betraying and disgracing his understanding. You are sure you shall be here but a little while: those bodies you all know, will hold your souls but a little longer as you know that you that are now together here attending, must presently quit this room and be gone; so you know that when you have stayed a little longer, you must quit this world, and be gone into another. And I think there is not the proudest of you but would be taken down, nor the most sluggish or deadhearted but would be awakened, if you knew that you must go to endless misery, and that your dying hour would be your entrance into hell. And if you know not yourselves, you know not but it may be so. And to know nothing to the contrary, would be terrible to you if you well considered it, especially when you have so much cause to fear it. O,

sirs, for a man to sit here senselessly in these seats, that knows not but he may burn in hell for ever, and knows not because he is blind and careless; how unsuitable is it to the principle of self-preservation? And how much unbeseeming the rational nature, to have no sense or care, when you look before you into the unquenchable fire, and the utter darkness, where, as the heathen poet speaks,

Nec mortis pœnas mors altera finiet hujus;
Horaque erit tantis ultima nulla malis.

If any of you think that all these matters are to be put to the adventure, and cannot now be known, you are dangerously mistaken. As you may certainly know by Scripture and the light of nature, that there is a future life of joy to the godly, and of misery to the wicked, so may you know by a faithful trial of yourselves, to which of these at present you belong, and whether you are under the promise or the threatening; know yourselves, and you may know whether you are justified or condemned already, and whether you are the heirs of heaven or hell. Surely He that comforteth his servants with the promise of glory to all that believe and are new creatures, and sanctified by his Spirit, did suppose that we may know whether we believe, and are renewed and sanctified or not: or else, what comfort can it be to us? If blinded infidels, have no means to quiet themselves but their unbelief, and a conceit that there is no such life of misery, they have the most pitiful opiate to ease them in the world; and may as well think to become immortal, by a confident conceit that they shall never die. If they befool themselves with the ordinary questions, 'Where is hell, and what kind of fire is it? &c.' I answer them with Augustine, * Melius est dubitare de occultis, quam litigare de incertis: Illum quippe divitem in àrdore pœnarum, et illum pauperem in refrigerio gaudiorum esse intelligendos non dubito: sed quomodo intelligenda illa flamma in inferno ille sinus Abrahæ, illa divitis lingua, ille digitus pauperis, illa sitis tormenti, illa stilla refrigerii, vix fortasse à mansuetè quærentibus, contentiose autem sectantibus nunquam invenitur;' that is, It is better to be in doubt about things that are hidden from us, than to quarrel about things that are uncertain to us. I am past doubt that we must understand that that rich man

was in the heat of pain, and the poor man in a refreshing place of joys: But how to undertand that flame in hell, that bosom of Abraham, that tongue of the rich man, that finger of the poor man, that thirst of torment, that drop for cooling or refreshment, perhaps will hardly be found by the most humble inquirers, but never by contentious strivers.

So that I may conclude, that the greatness and dreadfulness of the case, should make every person that hath an eye to see, an ear to hear, and a heart to understand, to read and inquire and consider, and never rest till they know themselves, and understand where it is that they are going to take up their abode to everlasting.

2. Consider, that all men must shortly know themselves. Presumption will be but of short continuance. Be never so confident of being saved without holiness, you will speedily be undeceived. If the Spirit's illumination do not convince and undeceive you, death will undoubtedly do it at the farthest. Thousands and millions know their sin and misery now when it is too late, that would not know it when the remedy was at hand. Sinners, your souls are now in darkness: your bodies are your dungeon; but when death brings you out into the open light, you will see what we could never make you see. O how glad would a faithful minister of Christ be, if by any information he could now give you half the light that you shall then have, and now make you know at the heart with the feeling of repentance, that which you must else quickly know, even at the heart with the feeling of despair. Sirs, I hope you think not that I speak mere fancies to you, or any think that is questionable or uncertain: you cannot say so without denying yourselves to be Christians; no, nor without contradicting the light of nature, and debasing your souls below the heathen, who believe an immortality of souls in a different state of joy or misery in the life to come: and if you are once below heathens, what are you better than brute beasts? Better in your natural faculties and powers, as not being made brutes by your Creator; but worse as to the use of them, and the consequents to yourselves, because you are voluntary, self-abusing brutes. But to live here as a brute, will not make you die and be hereafter as a brute: to believe you shall die as a beast will not prevent the miserable life of an impenitent sinner. It will not make your souls to be

mortal, to believe they are mortal; no more than it will make a beast to be immortal, if he could but think so. The coffin-maker and the grave-maker, if they never read a book, can tell you that is no controversy whether you must go hence. And faith and reason can both assure you, that your souls lie not down with your bodies in the dust, nor are annihilated by the falling of your earthly tabernacle; no more than the spirits when the glass is broken that held them, or than your bodies are annihilated when you put off your clothes, or rise out of your beds: or than the bird is annihilated that is got out of the shell: or the infant that is by nature cast out of the womb: nor any more than the angels that appeared to the apostles or others, were annihilated when they disappeared: or, (if I must speak more suitably to the ungodly,) no more than the devil that sometimes appeareth in a bodily shape is annihilated when that appearance vanisheth. As I suppose there is never a person in all this populous city, that was here but sevenscore years ago, so I suppose there is none of you that are here to-day, that expect to be here so long a time: they are gone before you into a world where there is no presumption or security: and you are going after them, and are almost there. As easily as you sit here, I tell you all, you are going after them apace, and are almost there.

O sirs, that world is a world of light. To the damned. souls it is called outer darkness, because they have none of the light of glory or of comfort: but they shall have the light of a self-accusing, self-tormenting conscience, that is gone out of the darkness of self-ignorance and self-deceit, and is fully cured of its slumber and insensibility.

Do

you now take a civilized person for a saint? You will not do so long.

Doth the baptism of water only go with you now for the regeneration of the spirit? It will not be so long: you will shortly be undeceived.

Doth a ceremonious Pharisee thank God for the sincerity and holiness which he never had? He will shortly be taught better to know the nature of holiness and sincerity, and that God justifieth not all that justify themselves.

Doth a little formal, heartless, hypocritical devotion, now cover a sensual, worldly mind? The cover will be shortly

taken off, and the nakedness and deformity of the Pharisee will appear.

Doth the name of a Christian, and the heartless use of outward ordinances, and that good esteem of others, now go for godliness and saving grace? The autumn is at hand, when these leaves will all lie in the dirt, and will go for fruit no longer.

Do you now take it for true religion to be hot for lust, and pride, and gain, and cold for God and your salvation? and to obey God as far as will stand with your outward prosperity, and as the flesh, or your other masters will give. leave? This is an opinion that never accompanied any man beyond the grave.

Do you think to be saved by all that devotion, which gives God but the leavings of the flesh and world, and by a religion that gives him but the outer rooms (when pleasure and gain are next your hearts), and that makes him but an underling to your covetousness and ambition? Think so if you can, when you are gone hence.

Cannot the preacher now make the ungodly to know that they are ungodly, the unsanctified to know they are but carnal, and the pharisee to know that his religion is vain? Death can convince the awakened soul of all this in a moment.

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You can choose whether you will believe us; but death will so speak as to be believed. You must be voluntary in knowing your misery now; but then you shall know it against your wills. You must open the windows, or must open your eyes, if you will see yourselves by the light which we bring to you; but death irresistibly throws open all. To say in pride and obstinacy, I will not believe it,' will now serve turn to quiet your consciences, and make you seem as safe as any; but when God saith You shall feel it, your unbelief is ineffectual: it can then torment you, but it can no longer ease you. There is then no room for 'I will not believe it. God can without a word persuade you of that which you were resolved you would never be persuaded of.

This day while you all sit here in the body, you are every one affected according as you apprehend your state to be, whether it be indeed as you apprehend it or not; but when death hath opened you the door into eternity, you will be all affected with your conditions as they are indeed..

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