15. SERM. XV. The Sixth Sermon on the Excellency of the Soul.
SERM. XV. The Sixth Sermon on the Excellency of the Soul.
F or what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? – Matth. 16:26.
8. Many do lose their souls by starving of them, that is, such as neglect the Word, that is the food of the soul, the Word of God, upon which the soul should feed, as the body doth upon any food, that neglect God's
Ordinances, that care not to come to the Word, either to feed upon it privately or publicly, that think that there is no need of the Word: but if they can procure food for their bodies, and make shift to get up a living, and that that may satisfy the flesh, there is all that they look after; but for the feeding of their souls by the Word, it is that that is little minded or regarded by thousands: Oh how many that belong to this Congregation perish eternally, even that way, by starving! We pity people that we see ready to die that are starved; if we hear but of a prisoner starved, even the poorest body, we account it an in human thing in those that knew it, and did not relieve them; to see a beast to die by starving, we account it a cruel thing; and it can scarce consist with the heart of a man to see, I say, so much as a dog to
perish by way of starving: Now to see immortal souls, thousands of them to die and perish, and drop down to Hell as thick as may be, and that for want of the food of their souls, merely for starving, it should be an object of pity and commiseration. Now because we are sensual, we are only affected with such things as concern the body immediately; but for the soul, how many care not what kind of Ministry they live under? Oh the curse of God is upon them! As we read of in Psal. 106:15. He gave them their requests, and sent leanness into their souls; he gave them their requests, that is, he gave them
Quails; They lusted in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert; and he gave them Quails to feed upon, but sent leanness into their souls; we may apply it thus, unto those that seek after nothing else but Quails, but that that may feed the flesh: Oh the curse of God is upon their souls! There is leanness there, and they are starved there even unto death; whereas those that do but know what the sweetness of the Word is to their souls, and have fed upon the Word, they had rather feed upon brown bread and water all their days, so be it they may have the Word, than have the greatest delicacies in the world without the Word. I put this to your consciences, answer it as in the presence of God; if this should be put to you, can you say as in God's presence that sees and searches the hearts of men, that upon the real sweetness and good your souls have found in the Word, that if God should put it to your choice, either to live with bread and water, and have the Word, or to live with all the delicacies in the world without the Word, you would a thousand thousand times sooner choose to live with the Word with bread and water, rather than without the Word with all delicacies.
Luther I remember he hath an expression, That he had rather be in Hell with the Word, than in Paradise without the Word.
Ninthly, In the ninth place there is another sort that lose their souls by surfeiting of them; their souls do surfeit with the cares and pleasures of this life, they glut their hearts with the delights, and pleasures, and cares of this world, until their souls get a surfeit and die of them; giving liberty unto their hearts to delight themselves in all outward contentment's, especially if they be lawful: Now a man or woman may surfeit their souls, and undo themselves by lawful things; as a man may not only destroy his life by eating poison, but by a surfeit of good meat, though the meat be good, yet he may surfeit upon it: so, though the things of this world, the cares, and the pleasures may be (as some things are) in themselves lawful, yet by an inordinate and immoderate letting out thy heart to lawful things, thou mayest surfeit thy soul, and it may die of that surfeit: Many men think themselves out of danger, if the things that their hearts are upon, be in themselves lawful, they are not swearers, and whoremasters, and drunkards, and thieves, as others are, and therefore they think their souls may be saved:
I say, thou mayest busy thy heart only about that which is in itself lawful, and yet thy soul may take a surfeit and perish eternally.
Tenthly and lastly; Many lose their souls by forfeiting them, and that by these two ways.
First, A man forfeits his soul, as men do their Copyholds, by not tendering that homage to their Lord that is due, by which they hold their Lands, and so their Lands come to be forfeit; so dost thou; God hath given thee thy precious soul, more worth than all the world, and thou holdest it of God, but so as thou must tender up to this Lord that homage that is due to him, that is, thou must worship God: When we come to worship God, this is that we do, we come to tender up that homage that we acknowledge to be due to God for these souls of ours that he hath given unto us, that is our worship;
that is the nature of worship, The tendering up something by way of homage, to acknowledge that due respect we owe unto God, as that Lord that hath the absolute dispose of us; now by neglect of worshipping of God, of tendering up his homage, thou forfeitest thy soul, and endangerest thyself to perish eternally; and oh how few people regard any such worship of God!
And though they do the thing that God requires, as praying, and coming to hear the Word, yet do they not do it as in a way of tendering up homage to that God, upon whom they do only depend; but now this is that which God requires of us, or otherwise our souls are forfeited.
Secondly, Men forfeit their souls by breaking covenant with God; however there may be some that God will not take the forfeiture of, yet certainly upon thy breach of covenant with God thy soul is forfeited: Thou dost engage thy soul to God every time thou dost enter into covenant with him; It may be said of any man or woman that enters into covenant with God, who is this that hath engaged his soul to God? Now thou engaging and binding thy soul to God in thy covenant, upon thy breach of it, dealing falsely, thou dost forfeit thy soul: And by these several ways souls are lost; and oh how many thousand souls perish with such ways and manners as these are! And therefore seeing there are such several ways of the loss of souls, let not people think themselves safe, though they do not go in some ways whereby they may come to lose their souls; for there are very many ways whereby thou mayest lose thy soul, and so miscarry to eternity.
The other Use that remains, is this, If the loss of our souls be so dreadful a thing, and there be so many ways for the losing of them, then it concerns us nearly to examine whether we be not in such a condition for the present, that if our souls should depart out of our bodies, they would certainly be lost; this is a needful scrutiny, and a most necessary inquiry: Many men
have these thoughts, what if I should now die? I have not made my Will, and my estate would go such and such ways, as I would not have it, it would be squandered away, it would be spent in Suits of Law; I, but rather let thy thoughts run out thus, what if I should now die, would not my soul be lost and perish forever? Now, though I have said we cannot set forth such a man or woman, and conclude that their souls shall certainly be lost, because we know not what God may do hereafter, but we may say this, that such a man or woman's soul in the condition it is, If God do no more for it than he hath yet done, that then it will certainly be lost: Indeed a man or woman may come to know, and certainly to conclude that they are elected, but none can come to such a conclusion, to know certainly that they are
Reprobates: the vilest wretch that is upon the face of the earth, he hath not ground sufficient to conclude against himself that he is a Reprobate, and that his soul shall forever be lost; and therefore surely we cannot conclude against another, if not against ourselves. — Well, but who are they, that if God should work no otherwise upon them than he hath done, that then their souls would be lost?
First, In the first place, That soul to whom God hath not made known, and convinced it of the dangerous natural condition in which it is, if such a soul should depart from the body, it would be lost. — Only let me premise these two cautions; I do not speak of Infants, but of those that are come to years, and that live under means: — And I speak of God's ordinary way; we will not limit God, what he may do in extraordinary ways, but in an ordinary course and way of God's dealings with the children of men, that he lets live to come to years, and be under means, these following rules will discover who they are that at the present are in a lost condition; I say, such to whom
God hath never revealed and convinced them of the evil of their natural
condition, in which they were born, in which they are, if God should let them so die, and make known no more to them than he hath, such a soul would be lost, and that upon this ground, because that without Faith it must be lost, that is acknowledged by all; he that believes not shall be damned, is condemned already. Now, there cannot be Faith in a Savior to save the soul, but it must needs imply that I know what a dangerous condition I am in by sin. For there is even a contradiction implied in my believing in Christ, as a Savior, and yet I not convinced of the damnable condition that I am in without this Christ.
Secondly, That soul that yet hath not made it to be its great care, above all outward things in this world, to save its self, that soul, if it should now depart from the body, would be lost: I say, if God hath not first convinced thee, and made thee sensible of that damnable condition in which thou art in thyself, and secondly, if he hath not taken off thy heart from the creature, from the things that are here below, and made it to be the great care of thy soul, for to get it to be saved, hath not made thee to be solicitous about the work of saving of thy soul; such a soul as this is, I say, if it should now depart, would be lost, for God doth not save souls, but by manifesting himself to them; he would have all to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Certainly, though the principle of our salvation be without us, yet the Lord that made us without ourselves, will never save us without ourselves; whosoever God doth save, he doth make them solicitous and careful about the work of the salvation of their souls: Now, if thy conscience tells thee that to this day thy care hath been about many vanities, but as for having thy heart taken up with the saving thy soul, thou knowest not what belongs to this; I say, if God should work no more in thee, than he hath done, if thou shouldest now die, thou wouldest be lost.
Thirdly, That soul to whom the Lord hath not revealed the glory of the mysteries of the Gospel, that yet hath the Gospel kept hidden from it, that doth not see into the glorious work of God in the covenant of Grace, in those great counsels of God, and great things that God hath done for the salvation of mankind in Jesus Christ, that soul would be lost, if it should now go from the body, and no further work of God upon it: That Scripture that divers times you have heard named, is proof sufficient for it; If our
Gospel be hidden, it is hidden to those that are lost, 2 Cor. 4:3. Now certainly, my brethren, if God hath revealed to your souls the glorious things of the Gospel, they cannot but be taking things to you, they cannot but cause much stirring, much activeness, mighty workings in your souls: when once the glorious light of the Gospel comes into a soul, I say, it cannot but cause mighty stirrings and workings in such a soul. When I see people sit deadly and dully under the means of Grace, under the preaching of the glorious things of the Gospel, I cannot but think with myself, Lord, do these people know what Jesus Christ is? And understand what the great things are that God hath done for the salvation of man-kind? Certainly did they but know the wonderful and strange works of God about the salvation of the souls of the children of men, their hearts could not but stir within them, and work in another manner than yet they have done.
Fourthly, That soul that hath no other righteousness to tender up unto God but its own righteousness, if now it should depart, would be lost eternally:
Whatever man or woman it be that have lived the most unblameable in his life and conversation, that hath been the most righteous, that no man could be able to blame him for anything, yet I say, if this man or woman hath no other righteousness to tender up unto God but his own, certainly this soul would be a lost soul forever; the truth is, even the soul of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, the souls of all the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, all of them would be lost eternally, had they no other righteousness to tender up to God but their own, much more those who have only a Civil righteousness, and a mere natural righteousness, such righteousness as is attainable by the very light of nature, such a righteousness as St. Paul speaks on, in the 3rd of the Philippians, that he lived unblameably, how he was a Pharisee, and he accounted that righteousness of his conversation, to be gain, yet afterwards, when Christ was revealed to him, he accounted it but loss, for he saw that it would endanger the loss of his soul eternally, the resting upon that.
Quest. You will say, the soul that hath no other righteousness but his own to tender up to God, is that soul lost? Why, what other righteousness is there besides that which is a man's own?
Answ. To that I answer, There is a supernatural righteousness, the righteousness of a Mediator, God-Man, that is come into the world to stand between lost souls, and an infinite provoked God; and that is made over to the soul by Faith, and that soul that is saved, by the hand of Faith, doth tender up the righteousness of that Mediator, God-Man, for the satisfaction of infinite divine Justice, and the appeasing of infinite wrath, and that is the soul that is saved: but that soul that is not acquainted with such a righteousness, that hath not such a righteousness made over to it by Faith, the righteousness of the Son of God, the righteousness that is by Faith in Christ, that soul, if it should now depart from the body, and the Lord work no otherwise upon it, than he hath yet done, certainly he would be a lost soul; and that is the fourth evidence of a soul that would presently be lost, if it should now depart from the body.
Fifthly, A fifth evidence is this, That soul that God hath not made (in some measure at least) to feel the weight and burden of sin, discovered sin unto it as a greater burden than all burdens whatsoever, if such a soul should depart, it would prove to be lost, and that upon this Reason.
Because without repentance a soul must needs be lost, Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish, saith Christ. Now repentance cannot stand with feeling sin light, much less with joy in sin: Repentance, whether before Faith or after, we will not now speak of, whether a Legal repentance, or an Evangelical repentance, yet it must be such a repentance as must be apprehensive and sensible of sin, as a greater evil than all the evils that it is liable to here in the world; It must feel sin, as it is against God, feel sin, as sin, so as to be a burden to it (the measure of it, how far, and how weighty sin should be, we do not now stand upon) but that sin should be found a great burden, yea an intolerable burden, so that were it not for an infinite
Mediator, the soul could not stand under the burden, that is necessary in the work of repentance, and so the soul to come to sorrow for sin, as sin; and this is the repentance which is unto life, which cannot be except the soul doth feel in some measure the weight and burden of sin.
Sixthly, Again, that man or woman that walks after the flesh, in a course of sin, to give satisfaction and contentment unto the flesh, that makes it to be the great care and endeavor of it for to satisfy the flesh, such of you, whose consciences tell you, that the contentment of your hearts is some fleshly thing, and that in the course of your lives you walk after the flesh, certainly if you should now die, your souls would be lost; and that is clear out of Rom. 8:1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, that walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Therefore those that do not walk after the spirit, but after the flesh, there is condemnation unto them at
the present; O! If men had but enlightened and stirring consciences, how easy would it be for men and women to see themselves in a restless condition, and to conclude, that if these things be the truths of God, then I am in such a condition, and though I do not know what God may work for time to come, yet if I should now die, my soul would be lost eternally; and so that other place, in Rom. 8. They that live after the flesh shall die; that is, perish eternally; if your hearts be after the flesh, after fleshly things, and they are the things that you mind, and if you would speak as in the presence of God, you cannot but acknowledge that the things of the flesh, are the things that do take up your hearts, that are the adequate objects of your spirits, and you think your great good and contentment lies in them; so that if so be you might but live always in this world, and have those contentment's to the flesh, as you desire, you would care for nothing else, but your hearts would be fully satisfied; this is living after the flesh; now the Scripture tells us clearly, that those that live after the flesh thus, shall die. It is your great care that the flesh be satisfied, and it is God's threat, that when you make it thus your great care to satisfy the flesh, that you shall die, so that this is a perishing condition unto you.
Seventhly, Yea further, what soul soever is but under the dominion of any one lust, that soul, if it should now depart, would certainly be lost: Not only such as live in all kind of sins, that the constant course of their lives is in every kind of sin; but if there be but any one reigning, ruling sin, if there be but any one sinful way that God hath convinced thy conscience of to be a sin, and yet because of gain, or delight, or pleasure, or honors, or respects, thou dost go on in a constant course, and way, and practice of that sin, though it be but one sin, so that thou art a slave to any one lust, certainly this soul of thine, if God works no otherwise upon it, than yet he hath done,
will certainly be lost; and that is clear out of Rom. 6:14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the Law, but under grace. I would reason from this Scripture, thus, what soul soever is not under grace, under the covenant of grace, and under the mercy that there is in that covenant, that soul, if now it should depart, must perish eternally; but whosoever is under the dominion of any one sin, is not under grace; for the Scripture plainly saith, That sin shall not have dominion over us, if we be under grace: If our souls be in such an estate, as they be under the grace of the Gospel, then there must not any one sin have dominion over them; there may some sin dwell there, but not reign there: there is a great deal of difference between sins being in the soul, and ruling over the soul.
Quest. You will say then, What is it for sin to have dominion?
Answ. When sin shall set up a kind of Throne in the soul, and give Laws as a King, and thou shalt obey: It is one thing for an enemy to come with violence and take possession, and hurry one on to do that one would not do, and another thing to be subject, and to yield to the laws and commandments of sin. Now sin hath dominion when it is as a King upon his Throne, that thou yieldest subjection unto it, and for the satisfying of thine own lusts, thou art willing that this sin should rule over thee: Now that you may know a little further for the meaning of this; sin and Jesus Christ cannot have dominion both together: Then thus far we may go safely, that except Jesus
Christ hath dominion over you, then sin hath: But how shall I know whether Christ hath dominion? I will but appeal to you in this plain and familiar kind of expressing of myself; canst thou say as in the presence of God that seeth and searchest thy heart, O Lord, thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the Rule of Jesus Christ? I would put this to every soul here present, and I beseech you weigh it, for we are speaking of matters of life
and death, of salvation and damnation; now therefore I put this unto you, and think of it, canst thou appeal to God in the sincerity of thy heart, and say, Lord, thou art the seer and searcher of all hearts, and thou knowest, that though I have many weaknesses and infirmities, and am often overcome by temptation, yet thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the obedience of Jesus Christ, and I do give it up, and it is that that my soul desires above all things, that Jesus Christ may rule in it, that Christ may have dominion, that his Laws may be set up, and if I knew anymore of the mind of Jesus
Christ, whatsoever it cost me, thou that knowest all things, knowest I would submit unto it, and if there be anything that is against the mind of Jesus
Christ, if it be but known to me, thou knowest that my heart is against it, and I would rather than a world that I were delivered from the power of it; canst thou speak thus as in the presence of God? And certainly a Christian, though a weak Christian, can appeal to God in the sincerity of it, and is able to venture its self upon such an appeal to God. And if there be not this dominion of Jesus Christ, then there is the dominion of sin, and then thou art not under grace; therefore if God doth not more in thy soul than he hath done, thou shalt perish forever; and that man or woman that can sleep quietly so, hath a strange pillow to sleep upon. It is reported of Augustus
Caesar, that hearing of a Gentleman that was much in debt, he sent to buy his pillow, saying, Surely there is a great deal of virtue in that pillow, that such a man could sleep on, who was so much in debt: Truly I may say so, it is a strange kind of pillow that men can sleep upon, who are in such a condition, that if God do no more for, than he hath done, would certainly perish.
Eighthly, But further, That man or woman that hath not yet had such a change wrought by the power of the Spirit of God, as is a new birth, a
resurrection from death, a new creation, that soul, if it now depart, would certainly perish. Certainly every one of you, as you come into the world, as you are by nature, your souls are in a lost estate, and in such a lost estate, as except the Lord make such a change in your heart, as is a new birth, by which you come to be born again; as is a new resurrection, by which you come to be raised from the dead; as is a new creation, by which you come to be a new Creature; certainly you perish; till this be wrought in your hearts by the power of the Spirit, you are in a perishing condition; there is nothing more plain than this in Scripture: You know what Christ saith to Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God; Therefore it is not enough that it may be thou livest somewhat better than heretofore thou hast done; It may be when thou wert a young man, thou wert wanton, or unclean, and profane, and abroad in the fields, and in wicked houses on the Lord's day, I but now thou hast more wisdom and understanding, and now thou dost not so, this is well, and good, and this is to be encouraged; I but what is this to such a mighty change as to be born again? If so be that your bodies had no other kind of soul than that that is of sense, and afterwards a rational soul should be put into it, what a mighty change would there be in that body? Before they could only see, and hear, and feel, but now having a rational soul, they can understand, understand reason, understand the ways of men; this is a mighty change; and truly, there is as mighty a change when God puts a new life into the soul, and doth regenerate it, making it partaker of the divine
Nature, and even to come to live the life of God, according as the Scripture phrase is: Now this must be in every soul that must be saved, and if the time be not come, that this regeneration is wrought, then certainly thy soul is yet in a perishing condition, God knows only what he doth intend to do
hereafter, but for the present, thy soul, I say, is in a perishing condition: The first work that God made (that is, the work of Creation) by sin was quite spoiled; Now Jesus Christ the Son of God, that is his honor and his work to rear up a new world, and that is a better world a great deal than the former world was; and the special creatures of this world they are his Saints, and the new Creation in their hearts; now this is the condition of a converted soul, it is made a new Creature, All old things are done away. Thou that livest in thine old ways, and art altogether for thine old customs, and what shalt thou do contrary now to what thy Fore-fathers did, and thou thyself hast done all thy life time? And the like; oh this is a dangerous kind of reasoning! Why, thou must be a new Creature, and all things are to become new in thy soul; thou must know; that the Old Man is dead in thee, and that the New Creature is reared up in thee, or else thou canst not know, that if thy soul should this night depart, but that thou shouldest be an undone
Creature forever.
Yea, Shall I yet say further, because it is a point of a wonderful consequence for men and women to put themselves to it; I fear that there is many men and women here, that yet all their lives time have not put this question to themselves, What are the terms between God and me? Why, I hope that God will work grace in me; I but what hath God done? Is it so wrought at this present, that if I were this moment to die, I were in a safe condition, and the hazard of my miscarrying to all eternity were over? A man may joyfully go through all conditions in this world, if he were able to say, well, whatever befall me in this world, yet my condition is such, that I know the hazard of my miscarrying forever, blessed be God that is over: Oh that people would but put this question to themselves, In what estate am I now it, if I were to die this instant?
Ninthly, Wherefore then another thing is this, That soul that yet hath not gone beyond those that the Scripture doth brand and note for Hypocrites, or Reprobates, if thou hast yet no more wrought in thee than the Scripture shows that they had, then certainly if thou shouldest now die, thou must needs perish. — As now, the Scripture holds forth these examples.
Pharaoh confessing his sins, The Lord is Righteous, saith Pharaoh, and I have sinned.
Saul, I have sinned against the Lord.
Ahab, He humbled himself in sackcloth, and went softly, when the Prophet threatened God's anger against him.
The Scripture tells you of the stony-ground, which received the Word with joy.
Of Herod, That he heard John the Baptist gladly, and reformed many things.
Of Judas, He came and acknowledged his sin, and brought again the thirty pieces that he had gotten by it, and cast it down: yet these of which the Scripture thus speaks, all of their souls were lost forever, and yet I say, they went thus far; Now it concerns us very nearly to look to ourselves, and not to think we are safe upon every sleight apprehension; if the Scripture holds forth such examples that went thus far, and yet were lost, we had need be careful to examine our state. — To what end do you think doth God set down these examples of wicked men, whose souls were lost, and show you how much good they did? Certainly this was God's end, that men and women might not flatter themselves with every little good thing that they do, but that they should be serious and very solicitous in the examination of the estate of their souls, how the terms are between God and them; this was
God's end in it, and this being God's end, we are to make the use of it that
God did aim at in holding forth these things in his Word unto us: Oh therefore do not satisfy yourselves with a little, do not say, if I should now die this night, and no further work wrought, yet I hope the work is so far wrought, that my soul will not be lost.