I.Use 1.—Showing the unconceivable misery of the ungodly in their loss of this rest
USE 1.
Showing the unconceivable misery of the ungodly in their loss of this Rest.
Sect. II. And first, If this rest be for none but for the people of God, what doleful tidings is this to the ungodly world! That there is so much glory, but none for them; so great joys for the saints of God, while they must consume in perpetual sorrows! Such rest for them that have obeyed the Gospel; while they must be restless in the flames of hell! If thou who readest these words, art in thy soul a stranger to Christ, and to the holy nature and life of his people, and art not of them who are before described, and shalt live and die in the same condition that thou art now in; let me tell thee, I am a messenger of the saddest tidings to thee, that ever yet thy ears did hear: that thou shalt never partake of the joys of heaven, nor have the least taste of the saints' everlasting rest. I may say to thee, as Ehud to Eglon, 'I have a message to thee from God; but it is a mortal message, against the very life and hopes of thy soul, that, as true as the word of God is true, thou shalt never see the face of God with comfort.' This sentence I am commanded to pass upon thee, from the word: take it as thou wilt, and escape it if thou canst. I know thy humble and hearty subjection to Christ would procure thy escape; and if thy heart and life were thoroughly changed, thy relation to Christ and eternity, would be changed also; he would then acknowledge thee for one of his people, and justify thee from all things that could be charged upon thee, and give thee a portion in the inheritance of his chosen; and if this might be the happy success of my message, I should be so far from repining like Jonas, that the threatenings of God are not executed upon thee, that, on the contrary, I should bless the day that ever God made me so happy a messenger, and return him hearty thanks upon my knees, that ever he blessed his word in my mouth with such desired success. But if thou end thy days in thy present condition, whether thou be fully resolved never to change, or whether thou spend thy days in fruitless proposing to be better
hereafter, all is one for that; I say, if thou live and die in thy unregenerate estate, as sure as the heavens are over thy head, and the earth under thy feet; as sure as thou livest, and breathest in this air, so sure shalt thou be shut out of this rest of the saints, and receive thy portion in everlasting fire. I do here expect that thou shouldst, in the pride and scorn of thy heart, turn back upon me, and show thy teeth, and say, 'Who made you the doorkeeper of heaven?
When were you there? and, when did God show you the book of life, or tell you who they are that shall be saved, and who shut out?'
I will not answer thee according to thy folly, but truly and plainly as I can discover this thy folly to thyself, that if there be yet any hope, thou mayest recover thy understanding, and yet return to God and live. First, I do not name thee, nor any other: I do not conclude of the persons individually, and say, 'This man shall be shut out of heaven, and that man shall be taken in.' I only conclude it of the unregenerate in general, and of thee conditionally, if thou be such a one. Secondly, I do not go about to determine who shall repent, and who shall not; much less that thou shalt never repent, and come in to Christ. These things are unknown to me; I had far rather show thee what hopes thou hast before thee, if thou wilt not sit still and lose them, and by thy wilful carelessness cast away thy hopes; and I would far rather persuade thee to hearken in time, while there is hope and opportunity and offers of grace, and before the door is shut against thee, that so thy soul may return and live, than to tell thee that there is no hope of thy repenting and returning. But if thou lie, hoping that thou shalt return, and never do it; if thou talk of repenting and believing, but still art the same; if thou live and die with the world, and thy credit or pleasure nearer thy heart than Jesus
Christ; in a word, if the foregoing description of the people of God do not agree with the state of thy soul, it is then a hard question, whether thou shalt ever be saved. Even as hard a question as, whether God be true, or the Scripture be his word. Cannot I certainly tell, that thou shalt perish for ever, except I had seen the book of life?
Why, the Bible is also the book of life, and it describeth plainly those that shall be saved, and those that shall be condemned. Though it do
not name them, yet it tells you all those signs and conditions by which they may be known. Do I need to ascend up into heaven, to know, "that without holiness none shall see God;" (Heb. 12:14;) or,
"that it is the pure in heart who shall see God;" (Matt. 5:8:) or, "that except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God;" (John 3:3:) or, "that he that believeth not (that is, stoops not to Christ as his King and Saviour) is condemned already, and that he shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him;" (John 3:18,
36;) "and that except you repent, (which includes reformation,) you shall all perish:" (Luke 13:3, 5:) with an hundred more such plain scripture expressions. Cannot these be known without searching into God's counsels? Why, thou ignorant, or wilful self-deluding sot! Hath thy Bible lain by thee in thy house so long, and didst thou never read such words as these; or hast thou read it, or heard it read so often, and yet dost thou not remember such passages as these? Nay, didst thou not find that the great drift of the Scripture is, to show men who they are that shall be saved, and who not; and let them see the condition of both estates? And yet dost thou ask me, 'How I know who shall be saved?' What need I go up to heaven to inquire that of Christ, which he came down to earth to tell us; and sent his Spirit in his prophets and apostles to tell us; and hath left upon record to all the world? And though I do not know the secrets of thy heart, and therefore cannot tell thee by name whether it be thy state, or no; yet, if thou art but willing or diligent, thou mayest know thyself, whether thou art an heir of heaven, or not. And that is the main thing that I desire, that if thou be yet miserable, thou mayest discern it, and escape it. But canst thou possibly escape, if thou neglect Christ and salvation? (Heb. 2:3.) Is it not resolved on, "that if thou love father, mother, wife, children, house, lands, or thine own life, better than
Christ, thou canst not be his disciple?" (Matt. 10:31; Luke 14:20;) and consequently can never be saved by him. Is this the word of man, or of God? Is it not then an undoubted concluded case, that in the case thou art now in, thou hast not the least title to heaven? Shall I tell thee from the word of God, it is as impossible for thee to be saved, except thou be born again, and be made a new creature, as it is for the devils themselves to be saved? Nay, God hath more plainly
and frequently spoken it in the Scripture, that such sinners as thou shall never be saved, than he hath done, that the devils shall never be saved. And doth not this tidings go cold to thy heart? Methinks, but that there is yet life and hope before thee, and thou hast yet time and means to have thy soul recovered, else it should kill thy heart with terror; and the sight of thy doleful, discovered case, should even strike thee dead with amazement and horror. If old Eli fell from his seat and died, to hear that the ark of God was gone, which was but an outward sign of his presence; how then should thy heart be astonished with this tidings, that thou hast lost the Lord God himself, and all thy title to his eternal presence and delight! If Rachel wept for children, and would not be comforted, because they were not; how then shouldst thou now sit down, and weep for the happiness, and future life of the soul, because to thee it is not! When king Belshazzar saw but a piece of a hand sent from God, writing over against him on the wall, it made his countenance change, his thoughts trouble him, his loins loosen in the joints, and knees smite one against another. (Dan. 5:6.) Why, what trembling then should seize on thee, who hast the hand of God himself against thee; not in a sentence or two only, but in the very tenor and scope of the Scriptures; not threatening thee with the loss of a kingdom only, as he did Belshazzar, but with the loss of thy part in the everlasting kingdom! But because I would fain have thee, if it be possible, to lay it close to thy heart, I will here stay a little longer, and show thee,
First, The greatness of thy loss; and, Secondly, The aggravations of thy unhappiness in this loss; Thirdly, And the positive miseries that thou mayest also endure, with their aggravations.
Sect. III. First: The ungodly, in their loss of heaven, do lose all that glorious, personal perfection which the people of God do there enjoy.
They lose that shining lustre of the body, surpassing the brightness of the sun at noon-day; though perhaps even the bodies of the wicked will be raised more spiritual, incorruptible bodies, than they were on earth: yet that will be so far from being a happiness to them, that it only makes them capable of the more exquisite torments; their understandings being now more capable of apprehending the
greatness of their loss, and their senses more capable of feeling their sufferings. They would be glad, then, if every member were a dead member, that it might not feel the punishment inflicted on it; and if the whole body were a rotten carcass, or might again lie down in the dust and darkness. The devil himself hath an angelical and excellent nature, but that only honoureth his skilful Creator, but is no honour or comfort at all to himself; the glory, the beauty, the comfortable perfections, they are deprived of; much more do they want that moral perfection which the blessed do partake of: those holy dispositions and qualifications of mind; that blessed conformity to the holiness of God; that cheerful readiness to his will; that perfect rectitude of all their actions: instead of these, they have their old, ulcerous, deformed souls, that perverseness of will, that disorder in their faculties, that loathing of good, that love to evil, that violence of passion, which they had on earth. It is true, their understandings will be much cleared, both by the ceasing of their temptation and deluding objects which they had on earth, as also by the sad experience which they will have in hell, of the falsehood of their former conceits and delusions; but this proceeds not from the sanctifying of their natures; and perhaps their experience and toolate understandings may restrain much of the evil motions of their wills, which they had formerly here on earth; but the evil disposition is never the more changed; so also will the conversation of the damned in hell be void of many of those sins which they commit here on earth. They will be drunk no more, and whore no more, and be gluttonous no more, nor oppress the innocent, nor grind the poor, nor devour the houses and estates of their brethren, nor be revenged on their enemies, nor persecute and destroy the members of Christ: all these, and many more actual sins, will then be laid aside. But this is not from any renewing of their natures; they have the same dispositions still, and fain they would commit the same sins, if they could: they want but opportunity; they are now tied up. It is part of their torment to be denied these their pleasures: no thanks to them, that they sin not as much as ever; their hearts are as bad, though their actions are restrained; nay, it is a great question whether those remainders of good which were left in their natures on earth, as their
common honesty and moral virtues, be not all taken from them in hell, according to that, "From him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." (Matt. 3:12; Luke 8:18.) This is the judgment of divines generally; but because it is questionable, and much may be said against it, I will let that pass. But certainly they shall have none of the glorious perfections of the saints, either in soul or body: there will be a greater difference between these wretches and the glorified Christian, than there is betwixt a toad under a sill and the sun in the firmament. The rich man's purple robes and delicious fare did not so exalt him above Lazarus at his door in scabs, nor make the difference between them so wide, as it is now made on the contrary in their vast separation.
Sect. IV. Secondly: But the great loss of the damned, will be their loss of God; they shall have no comfortable relation to him, nor any of the saints' communion with him. As they did not like to retain God in their mind, but said to him, "Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways," so God will abhor to retain them in his household, or to give them entertainment in his fellowship and glory.
He will never admit them to the inheritance of his saints, nor endure them to stand amongst them in his presence; but bid them, "Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I know you not." Now, these men dare belie the Lord, if not blaspheme, in calling him by the title of their father. How boldly and confidently do they daily approach him with their lips, and indeed reproach him in their formal prayers, with that appellation, "Our Father!" As if God would father the devil's children; or as if the slighters of Christ, the pleasers of the flesh, the friends of the world, the haters of godliness, or any that trade in sin, and delight in iniquity, were the offspring of heaven! They are ready now, in the height of their presumption, to lay as confident claims to Christ and heaven, as if they were sincere believing saints. The swearer, the drunkard, the whoremaster, the worldling, can scornfully say to the people of God, 'What! is not God our father, as well as yours? Doth he not love us as well as you? Will he save none but a few holy precisians?' Oh! but when that time is come, when the case must be decided, and Christ will separate his followers from his
foes, and his faithful friends from his deceived flatterers, where then will be their presumptuous claim to Christ? Then they shall find that God is not their father, but their resolved foe, because they would not be his people, but were resolved in their negligence and wickedness.
Then, though they had preached, or wrought miracles in his name, he will not know them: and though they were his brethren or sisters after the flesh, yet he will not own them, but reject them as his enemies. And even those that did eat and drink in his presence on earth, shall be cast out of his heavenly presence for ever; and those that in his name did cast out devils, shall yet at his command be cast out to those devils, and endure the torments prepared for them. And, as they would not consent that God should by his Spirit dwell in them, so shall not these evil doers dwell with him. The tabernacles of wickedness shall have no fellowship with him; nor the wicked inhabit the city of God: for without are the dogs, the sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, and whatsoever loveth and maketh a lie. For God knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to perishing. God is first enjoyed in part on earth, before he be fully enjoyed in heaven. It is only they that walked with him here, who shall live and be happy with him there. Oh, little doth the world now know what a loss that soul hath, who loseth God!
What were the world but a dungeon, if it had lost the sun? What were the body but a loathsome carrion, if it had lost the soul? Yet all these are nothing to the loss of God; even the little taste of the fruition of God, which the saints enjoy in this life, is dearer to them than all the world. As the world, when they feed upon their forbidden pleasures, may cry out with the sons of the prophet, "There's death in the pot!"
(2 Kings 4:40;) so when the saints do but taste of the favour of God, they cry out with David, "In his favour is life!" (Psal. 30:5.) Nay, though life be naturally most dear to all men, yet they that have tasted and tried, do say with David, "His loving-kindness is better than life!" (Ps. 63:3.) So that, as the enjoyment of God is the heaven of the saints, so the loss of God is the hell of the ungodly. And, as the enjoying of God is the enjoying of all, so the loss of God is the loss of all.
Sect. V. Thirdly: Moreover, as they lose God, so they lose all those spiritual, delightful affections and actions, by which the blessed do feed on God: that transporting knowledge; those ravishing views of his glorious face; the inconceivable pleasure of loving God; the apprehensions of his infinite love to us; the constant joys which his saints are taken up with, and the rivers of consolation wherewith he doth satisfy them. Is it nothing to lose all this? The employment of a king in ruling a kingdom doth not so far exceed the employment of the vilest seullion or slave, as this heavenly employment exceedeth his.
These wretches had no delight in praising God on earth, their recreations and pleasures were of another nature; and now, when the saints are singing his praises, and employed in magnifying the Lord of saints, then shall the ungodly be denied this happiness, and have an employment suitable to their natures and deserts. Their hearts were full of hell upon earth, instead of God, and his love, and fear, and graces; there was pride, and self-love, and lust, and unbelief: and, therefore, hell must now entertain those hearts which formerly entertained so much of it. Their houses on earth were the resemblance of hell; instead of worshipping God, and calling upon his name, there was scorning at his worship, and swearing by his name: and now hell must therefore be their habitation for ever, where they shall never be troubled with that worship and duty which they abhorred, but join with the rest of the damned in blaspheming that God who is avenging their former impieties and blasphemies.
Can it probably be expected, that they who made themselves merry, while they lived on earth, in deriding the persons and families of the godly, for their frequent worshipping and praising God, should at last be admitted into the family of heaven, and join with those saints in those most perfect praises? Surely, without a sound change upon their hearts before they go hence, it is utterly impossible. It is too late then to say, "Give us of your oil, for our lamps are out; let us now enter with you to the marriage feast; let us now join with you in the joyful heavenly melody." You should have joined in it on earth, if you would have joined in heaven. As your eyes must be taken up with
other kind of sights, so must your hearts be taken up with other kind of thoughts, and your voices turned to another tune. As the doors of heaven will be shut against you, so will that joyous employment be denied to you. There is no singing the songs of Sion in the land of your thraldom. Those that go down to the pit do not praise him. Who can rejoice in the place of sorrows; and who can be glad in the land of confusion? God suits men's employments to their natures. The bent of your spirits was another way; your hearts were never set upon God in your lives; you were never admirers of his attributes and works, nor ever thoroughly warmed with his love. You never longed after the enjoyment of him; you had no delight to speak or to hear of him; you were weary of a sermon or prayer an hour long; you had rather have continued on earth, if you had known how; you had rather yet have a place of earthly preferment, or lands and lordships, or a feast, or sports, or your cups, or whores, than to be interested in the glorious praises of God: and is it meet, then, that you should be members of the celestial quire? A swine is fitter for a lecture of philosophy, or an ass to build a city or govern a kingdom, or a dead corpse to feast at thy table, than thou art for this work of heavenly praise.
Sect. VI. Fourthly: They shall also be deprived of the blessed society of angels and glorified saints. Instead of being companions of those happy spirits, and numbered with those joyful and triumphing kings, they must now be members of the corporation of hell, where they shall have companions of a far different nature and quality. While they lived on earth, they loathed the saints; they imprisoned, banished them, and cast them out of their societies, or at least they would not be their companions in labour, and in sufferings; and, therefore, they shall not now be their companions in their glory; scorning them and abusing them, hating them, and rejoicing in their calamities, was not the way to obtain their blessedness. If you would have shined with them as stars in the firmament of their Father, you should have joined with them in their holiness, and faith, and painfulness, and patience. You should have first been ingrafted with them into Christ, the common stock, and then incorporated into the fraternity of the members, and walked with them in singleness of
heart, and watched with them with oil in your lamps, and joined with them in mutual exhortation, in faithful admonitions, in conscionable reformation, in prayer, and in praise. You should have travelled with them out of the Egypt of your natural estate, through the red sea and wilderness of humiliation and affliction, and have cheerfully taken up the cross of Christ, as well as the name and profession of Christians, and rejoiced with them in suffering persecution and tribulation. All this, if you had faithfully done, you might now have been triumphing with them in glory, and have possessed with them their Master's joy. But this you could not, you would not endure; your souls loathed it, your flesh was against it, and that flesh must be pleased, though you were told plainly and frequently what would come of it: and now you partake of the fruit of your folly, and endure but what you were foretold you must endure; and are shut out of that company, from which you first shut out yourselves; and are separated but from them whom you would not be joined with. You could not endure them in your houses, nor in your town, nor scarcely in the kingdom. You took them as Ahab did Elias, for the troublers of the land; (1 Kings 18:17;) and as the apostles were taken for men that turned the world upside down; (Acts 17:6;) if any thing fell out amiss, you thought all was long of them. When they were dead or banished, you were glad they were gone, and thought the country was well rid of them. They molested you with their faithful reproving your sin.
Their holy conversation did trouble your consciences, to see them so far excel yourselves, and to condemn your looseness by their strictness, and your profaneness by their conscionable lives, and your negligence by their unwearied diligence. You scarcely ever heard them pray or sing praises in their families, but it was a vexation to you; and you envied their liberty in the worshipping of God. And is it, then, any wonder if you be separated from them hereafter? The day is near when they will trouble you no more: betwixt them and you will be a great gulf set, that those that would pass from thence to you (if any had a desire to ease you with a drop of water) cannot; neither can they pass to them who would go from you, for if they could, there would none be left behind. (Luke 16:26.)
Even in this life, while the saints were imperfect in their passions and