15. Part 2
Part 2
PERILOUS TIMES
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."—2 TIM. 3:1.
Y ou know, my way and manner on these occasions is to speak as plainly and familiarly as I can about what is of our present concernment; and so I plan to do at this time, if it shall please God to help under infirmities.
The words contain a "warning of imminent dangers. And there are four things in them:—First, The manner of the warning: "This know also."
Secondly, The evil itself that they are warned of: "Perilous times." Thirdly, The way of their introduction: "They shall come." Fourthly, The time and season of it: "They shall come in the last days:"—
First. The manner of the warning: "This know also;"—"You Timothy, in addition to the other instructions which I have given you on how to behave yourself in the house of God, whereby you may be set forth as a pattern unto all gospel ministers in future ages, I must also add this, 'This know also.' It belongs to your duty and office to know and consider the impending judgments that are coming upon churches."
And so, as a justification of my current plan, if God enables me to do it, I will state here that it is the duty of the ministers of the gospel to foresee and take notice of the dangers that the churches are falling into. May the Lord help us, and all other ministers, to be awakened to this part of our duty! You know how God illustrates it (Ezek. 33) in the parable of the watchman, to warn people of approaching dangers. Indeed, God has given us this law: If we warn the churches of their approaching dangers, we fulfill our duty; if we do not, their blood will be required at our hands. The Spirit of God foresaw negligence likely to grow upon us in this matter; and therefore the Scripture only proposes duty on one hand, and on the other demands the people's blood at the hands of the watchmen, if they do not perform their duty. So says the prophet Isaiah, chapter 21:8, "He cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower." A lion is a symbol of approaching judgment. "The lion has roared; who can but tremble?" says the prophet
Amos. It is the duty of ministers of the gospel to give warning of impending dangers.
Furthermore, the apostle, in speaking to Timothy, speaks to us also, to us all, "This you should also know." It is the great concern of all professors and believers, of all churches, to have their hearts very much focused on present and approaching dangers. We have inquired so long about signs, tokens, and evidences of deliverance, and I don't know what else, that we
have almost lost the benefit of all our trials, afflictions, and persecutions.
The duty of all believers is to be intent on present and imminent dangers, "O Lord," say the disciples. Matt. 24, "what will be the sign of your coming?" They were focused on his coming. Our Savior answers, "I will tell you:
1. There will be an abundance of errors and false teachers: many will say, 'Look, here is Christ,' and, 'Look, there is Christ.'
2. There will be an apostasy from holiness: 'Iniquity will abound, and the love of many will grow cold.'
3. There will be great distress of nations: 'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.'
4. There will be great persecutions: 'And they will persecute you, and bring you before rulers; and you will be hated by all men for my name's sake.'
5. There will be great signs of God's wrath from heaven: 'Signs in the heavens, the sun, moon, and stars.'" The Lord Christ wanted to inform believers how they should look for his coming; he tells them of all the dangers. Be focused on these things. I know you are inclined to overlook them; but these are the things that you should be focused on.
Not being aware of a present perilous season is that security which the Scripture so condemns; and I will leave it with you, in short, under these three things:
1. It is that state of heart which, above all others, God detests and abhors most. Nothing is more hateful to God than a secure state in perilous days.
2. I will not hesitate to say this, and stand by it, as to my belief, until the day of judgment: A secure person, in perilous seasons, is certainly under the power of some dominant sin, whether it appears or not.
3. This secure, senseless state is the certain prediction of approaching ruin. Know this, brethren, please know this, I beg of you, for your and my own soul, that you will be aware of, and affected by, the perils of the season into which we are cast. What they are, if God helps me, and gives me a little strength, I will show you shortly.
Secondly, there is the evil and danger itself that we have been forewarned about; and that is, καιροὶ χαλεποί—hard times, perilous times, times of great difficulty, like those of public plagues, when death lies at every door; times that I am sure we shall not all escape, let it fall where it will. I will say no more of it now, because it is that which I shall principally speak to afterward.
Thirdly, the manner of their introduction, ἐνστήσονται—"shall come." We have no word in our language that will express the force of ἐνίστημι. The Latins express it by "immineo, incido"—the coming down of a fowl unto his prey. Now, our translators have given it the greatest force they could.
They do not say, "Perilous times will come," as though they prognosticated future events; but, "Perilous times shall come." Here is a hand of God in this business; they shall so come, be so instant in their coming, that nothing shall keep them out; they shall instantly press themselves in, and prevail.
Our great wisdom, then, will be to eye the displeasure of God in perilous seasons; since there is a judicial hand of God in them, and we see in ourselves reason enough why they should come. But when shall they come?
Fourthly, they "shall come in the last days,"—ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις. The words "latter" or "last days" are taken three ways in Scripture; sometimes for the times of the gospel, in opposition to the Judaical church-state; as in Heb. 1:2, "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son;" and elsewhere it may be taken (though I do not remember the place) for days
towards the consummation of all things and the end of the world; and it is often taken for the latter days of churches; 1 Tim. 4:1, "The Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith." And so the apostle John, 1 Epist. 2:18, "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." And that is the season here intended. But yet you may take it in what sense you will: the last days, the days of the gospel; the last days, towards the consummation of all things and the end of the world; the last days, following the days of the profession of churches, those called Reformed Churches, or our own churches, in the ways wherein we walk; and the last days with many of us, with respect to our lives. In whatever sense the words are taken, it is time for us to look at what shall come in these last days.
But the observation which at present I shall insist on from the text is this:
— Observation: When churches have been continued for a while in their profession, and begin to fall under decays therein, perilous seasons shall overtake them, which it will be hard for them to escape: "This know also, that perilous times shall come."
My design is only to prepare your minds a little for the work of the day: and all I shall do is to show, in several instances, what are the things that make a season perilous; and what is our duty with reference to such perilous seasons, both as to particular perils and perilous times in general. And it must not be said, as once it was of the prophet Ezekiel, "He prophesied of things a great way off." We do not prophesy of things a great way off; no, we shall speak of things that are even upon us—what we see and know, and is as evident as if written with the beams of the sun.
I. The first thing that makes a season perilous is when the profession of true religion is outwardly maintained under a visible predominance of horrible lusts and wickedness. I mention this first because it is what the apostle gives his instance in, in this place, "Perilous times shall come."
Why? "For many shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness"—maintaining their profession of the truth of religion under a predominance, a visible, open predominance, of vile lusts and the practice of horrible sins. This makes the season perilous. Whether this is such a season or not, you judge. And I must say, by the way, we may and should witness against it and mourn for the public sins of the days in which we live. It is as glorious a thing to be a martyr for bearing testimony against the public sins of an age as in bearing testimony to any truth of the gospel whatsoever.
Now, where these things are, a season is perilous— 1. Because of the infection. Churches and professors are apt to be infected with it. The historian tells us of a plague at Athens in the second and third years of the Peloponnesian war, where multitudes died; and of those that lived, few escaped but they lost a limb or part of a limb—some an eye, others an arm, and others a finger—the infection was so great and terrible.
And truly, brethren, where this plague comes—of the visible practice of unclean lusts under an outward profession—though men do not die, yet one loses an arm, another an eye, another a leg by it: the infection diffuses itself to the best of professors, more or less. This makes it a dangerous and perilous time.
2. It is dangerous because of the effects; for when predominant lusts have broken all bounds of divine light and rule, how long do you think that human rules will keep them in order? They break through all in such a season as the apostle describes. And if they come to break through all human restraints, as they have broken through divine, they will fill all things with ruin and confusion.
3. They are perilous in the consequence; which is, the judgments of God.
When men do not receive the truth in the love of it but have pleasure in unrighteousness, God will send them strong delusion, to believe a lie. So 2
Thess. 2:10, 11, is a description of how the Papacy came upon the world.
Men professed the truth of religion but did not love it—they loved unrighteousness and ungodliness; and God sent them Popery. That is the interpretation of the place, according to the best divines. Will you profess the truth and at the same time love unrighteousness? The consequence is security under superstition and ungodliness. This is the end of such a perilous season; and the like may be said as to temporal judgments, which I need not mention.
Let us now consider what is our duty in such a perilous season:— (1.) We should greatly mourn for the public abominations of the world, and of the land of our birth in which we live. I would only observe that place in Ezek. 9, God sends out his judgments, and destroys the city; but before, he sets a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh for all the abominations that are done in the midst of it. You will find this passage referred to in your books as Rev. 7:3, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." I would only observe this, that only those are the servants of God, let men profess what they will, "who mourn for the abominations that are done in
the land." The mourners in one place are the servants of God in the other.
And truly, brethren, we are certainly to blame in this matter. We have been almost contented that men should be as wicked as they would themselves, and we sit still and see what would come of it. Christ has been dishonoured, the Spirit of God blasphemed, and God provoked against the land of our birth; and yet we have not been affected by these things. I can truly say in sincerity, I bless God, I have sometimes laboured with my own heart about it.
But I am afraid we all of us fall exceedingly short of our duty in this matter. "Rivers of water," says the psalmist, "run down my eyes, because men do not keep your law." Horrible profanation of the name of God, horrible abominations, which our eyes have seen, and our ears heard, and yet our hearts have been unaffected by them! Do you think this is a frame of heart God requires of us in such a season,—to be indifferent to all, and not to mourn for the public abominations of the land? The servants of God will mourn. I could speak, but am not free to speak, to those prejudices which keep us from mourning for public abominations; but they may be easily suggested to all your thoughts, and particularly what they are that have kept us from attending more to this duty of mourning for public abominations.
And allow me to say, that, according to the Scripture rule, none of us can have any evidence that we shall escape outward judgments that God will bring for these abominations, if we have not been mourners for them; but that as severe a revenge, as to outward dispensations, may fall upon us as upon those that are most guilty of them, we have no Scripture evidence to the contrary. How God may deal with us, I do not know.This, then, is one part of the duty of this day,—that we should humble our souls for all the
abominations that are committed in the land of our birth; and, in particular, that we have not mourned more under them.
(2.) Our second duty, in reference to this perilous season is, to take care that we are not infected with the evils and sins of it. A man would think it were quite contrary; but really, to the best of my observation, this is, and has been, the state of things, unless upon some extraordinary dispensation of God's Spirit:—as some men's sins grow very high, other men's graces grow very low. Our Saviour has told us, Matt. 24:12, "Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." A man would think the abounding of lawlessness in the world should give great provocation to love one another. "No," says our Saviour, "the contrary will be found true: as some men's sins grow high, other men's graces will grow low."
And there are these reasons for it:— [1.] In such a season, we are prone to have light thoughts of serious sins.
The prophet viewed it as a dreadful thing that upon Jehoiakim's throwing the scroll of Jeremiah's prophecy into the fire until it was consumed, "yet they were not afraid, nor tore their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words," Jer. 36:24. They had become insensitive, both to sin and judgment. And where men (no matter how wise they may be in other respects) can become insensitive to sin, they will quickly become insensitive to judgments too. And I am afraid, the main reason why many of us have no impression upon our spirits of danger and perils in the days in which we live, is because we are not sensitive to sin.
[2.] Men are prone to justify themselves in minor evils, having their eyes fixed on greater abominations of other men, that they witness every day; indeed, there are those who pay their tribute to the devil—engage in such and such abominations, and so justify themselves in minor evils. This is part
of the public infection—that they "do not engage in the same excess of riot that others do," though they live in the omission of duty, conformity to the world, and in many foolish, harmful, and noxious lusts. They justify themselves with this, that others are guilty of greater abominations.
[3.] Please let those remember this, who have occasion for it (you may know it better than I; but yet I know it by rule, as much as you do by practice), that general conversation in the world, in such a season, is full of danger and peril. Most professors have become of the color and complexion of those with whom they converse.
This is the first thing that makes a season perilous. I do not know whether these things may be of concern and use to you; they seem so to me, and I cannot but share them with you.
II. A second perilous season, and one that we shall hardly escape from, is when men are prone to abandon the truth, and seducers abound to gather those who are so inclined; and you will always see these things go together.
Do you see seducers abound? You can be sure there is a tendency in the minds of men to abandon the truth: and when there is such a tendency, they will never lack seducers—those that will lead the minds of men away from the truth; for there is both the hand of God and Satan in this business. God judicially abandons men, when he sees them grow weary of the truth, and prone to leave it; and Satan takes advantage of the situation, and stirs up seducers. This makes a season perilous. The apostle describes it, 1 Tim. 4:1,
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times" (these perilous days) "some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." And so Peter warns those to whom he writes, 2 Epist.
2:1, 2, that "there shall come false teachers among them, who secretly shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and
bring upon themselves swift destruction: and many shall follow their pernicious ways." There shall come times full of peril, which shall draw men away from the truth into destruction.
If it is asked, how we may know whether there is a tendency in the minds of men in any season to depart from the truth? There are three ways by which we may judge it:— 1. The first is that mentioned in 2 Tim. 4:3, "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." When men grow weary of sound doctrine—when it is too plain, too heavy, too dull, too common, too high, too mysterious, one thing or other that displeases them, and they would hear something new, something that may please—it is a sign that there are in such an age many who are prone to abandon sound doctrine: and many such we know.
2. When people have lost the power of truth in their conversation, and are as prone and ready to abandon the profession of it in their minds. Do you see a person retaining the profession of the truth under a worldly conversation? He only needs temptations, or a seducer, to take away his faith from him. An inclination to listen to novelties, and loss of the power of truth in the conversation, is a sign of susceptibility to this decline from the truth. Such a season, you see, is perilous. And why is it perilous? Because the souls of many are destroyed in it. The apostle tells us directly, 2 Pet. 2:1, of "false prophets among the people, who secretly bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." Will it stop there? No: "And many shall follow their destructive ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of," Brethren, while it is well with us, through the grace of God,
and our own houses are not in flames, please do not let us think the times are not perilous, when so many turn to Catholicism and Quakerism, into destructive errors, and fall into swift destruction. Will you say the time of the public plague was not perilous, because you are alive? No. Was the fire not dreadful, because your houses were not burned? No; you will, notwithstanding, say it was a dreadful plague, and a dreadful fire. And please consider, is not this a perilous season, when multitudes have an inclination to depart from the truth, and God, in just judgment, has permitted Satan to stir up seducers to draw them into destructive ways, and their poor souls perish forever.
Besides, there is a great tendency in such a season to create indifference in the minds of those who do not intend to completely forsake the truth. Little did I think I should ever have lived in this world to find the minds of believers grown completely indifferent as to the doctrine of God's eternal election, the sovereign efficacy of grace in the conversion of sinners, justification by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ; but many are, as to all these things, grown to an indifference: they do not know whether they are so or not. I thank God I know something of the former generation, when believers would not hear of these things without the highest detestation; and now high believers begin to be leaders in it: and it is too much among the best of us. We are not as much concerned for the truth as our forefathers; I wish I could say we were as holy.
3. This susceptibility to depart from the truth is a perilous season, because it is the greatest evidence of the withdrawal of the Spirit of God from his church: for the Spirit of God is promised to this end, "to lead us into all truth;" and when the efficacy of truth begins to decay, it is the greatest evidence of the departing and withdrawal of the Spirit of God. And I think
that this is a dangerous thing; for if the Spirit of God departs, then our glory and our life depart.
What, now, is our duty in reference to this perilous season? Fore-warnings of perils are given us to instruct us in our duty.
(1.) The first is, not to be content with what you judge a sincere profession of truth; but to strive to be found in the exercise of all those graces which particularly respect the truth. There are graces that particularly respect the truth that we are to exercise; and if these are not found in our hearts, all our profession will result in nothing.
And these are,— [1.] Love: "Because they did not love the truth." They professed the gospel; but they did not accept the truth with love for it. There was a lack of love for the truth. Truth will not benefit anyone who does not love it.
"Speaking the truth in love," is the essence of our Christian profession.
Please, brethren, let us strive to love the truth; and to remove all prejudices from our minds, so that we may do so.
[2.] It is the great and only rule to preserve us in perilous times,—to strive to experience the power of every truth in our hearts. If indeed you have learned from the Lord Jesus. How? So as to "put off the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts;" and to "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness," Eph. 4:22–24. This is to learn the truth. The great grace that is to be exercised with reference to truth in such a season as this, is to exemplify it in our hearts in its power.
Strive for the experience of the power of every truth in your own hearts and lives.
[3.] Zeal for the truth. Truth is the most appropriate object for zeal. We ought to "contend earnestly for the truth once delivered to the saints;" to be
willing, as God shall help us, to part with name and reputation, and to endure scorn and contempt, all that this world can throw at us, in bearing witness to the truth. Everything that this world considers dear and valuable is to be forsaken, rather than the truth. This was the great purpose for which Christ came into the world.
(2.) Cling to the means that God has appointed and ordained for your preservation in the truth. I see some are ready to fall asleep, and think they are not concerned with these matters: may the Lord awaken their hearts!
Stick to the means of preservation in the truth,—the current ministry. Thank God for the remainder of a ministry that values the truth, knows the truth, is sound in faith;—cling to them. There is little influence on the minds of men from this ordinance and institution of God, in the great business of the ministry. But know there is something more in it than that they appear to have better abilities to argue than you; more knowledge, more light, better understanding than you. If you know no more in the ministry than this, you will never benefit from it. They are God's ordinance; the name of God is upon them; God will be sanctified in them. They are God's ordinance for the preservation of the truth.
(3.) Let us carefully remember the faith of those who preceded us in this nation, in the profession of the last age. I am inclined to think there was not a more glorious profession for a thousand years upon the face of the earth, than was among the practitioners of the last age in this nation. And pray, what faith were they of? Were they half Arminian and half Socinian; half
Papist and half I know not what? Remember how zealous they were for the truth; how little their holy souls would have tolerated those public deviations from the doctrine of truth which we see, and do not mourn over, but disregard, in the days in which we live. God was with them; and they
lived to his glory, and died in peace: "whose faith follow," and example pursue. And remember the faith they lived and died in: look around, and see whether any of the new creeds have produced a new holiness to surpass theirs.
III. A third factor that creates a perilous season is when believers start to blend with the world and adopt its manners. If the other perilous seasons have arrived, this one has too. This was the root cause of the first perilous season in the world, which initially led to a flood of sin and then a flood of misery. It marked the beginning of the first public apostasy of the church, which resulted in the harshest sign of God's displeasure. Gen. 6:2, "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful; and they took them wives of all which they chose." This is just one example of the church of God, the sons of God, believers, blending with the world. It wasn't just that they took wives for themselves; but this was an example the Holy Spirit gives that the church in those days did degenerate and mix itself with the world. What is the outcome of mixing themselves in this way with the world? Ps. 106:35, "They mingled themselves with the nations." And what then? "And learned their manners." If anything under heaven will make a season perilous, this will do it—when we mingle ourselves with the world and learn their manners.
There are two things I will address on this topic:— 1. How believers mingle themselves with the world.
2. The danger of it.
1. Believers mingle themselves with the world in that which is characteristic of the world. That which is more prominently and visibly of the devil, believers do not so readily blend with; but in that which is characteristic of the world, in its own colors;—as in corrupt
communication, which is the spirit of the world, the essence and result of vanity of mind,—that with which the world is corrupted and corrupts. An evil, rotten kind of communication, whereby the manners of the world are corrupted,—this comes from the spirit of the world. The devil has his hand in all these things; but it is the world and the spirit of the world that is in corrupt communication. And how has this spread among believers! Light, vain, foolish communication!—to spend a man's whole life therein; not on this or that occasion, but almost always, and on all occasions everywhere!
—Vain habits and attire of the world is another example. The habits and attire of the world are the things in which the world aims to show itself for what it is. Men can read what the world is by clear signs, in the habits and attire that it wears. They are blind who cannot read vanity, folly, impurity, luxury, in the attire the world puts on itself. The decline of believers in imitating the ways of the world in their habits and dress, makes a season perilous: it is a mixture in which we learn their manners; and God's judgments will follow.—In this, likewise, we have become like the world, that on all occasions we are as indifferent to the sins of the world, and as little troubled by them, as others are. Lot lived in Sodom, but "his righteous soul was vexed with their ungodly deeds and speeches." No matter where we live, when are our souls vexed, [so] that we do not pass through the things of the world, the greatest abominations, with the same mindset that the world itself does? Not to mention indulgence in living, and other things that accompany this woeful mixture with the world that believers have made in the days in which we live,—corrupt communication, gaiety of attire, insensitivity to the sins and abominations of the world around us, are almost as prevalent among believers as among the world. We have mixed ourselves with the people, and have learned their manners. But,—
2. Such a season is dangerous, because the sins of professors in it lie directly contrary to the whole design of the mediation of Christ in this world. Christ gave himself for us, that he might cleanse us from dead works, and purify us unto himself a unique people, Tit. 2:14. "You are a royal nation, a unique people." Christ has brought the hatred of the devil and all the world upon him and against him, for taking a people out of the world, and making them a unique people to himself; and their throwing themselves upon the world again is the greatest contempt that can be put upon Jesus Christ. He gave his life and shed his blood to recover us from the world, and we throw ourselves in again. How easy it would be to show that this is an inlet to all other sins and abominations, and that for which I truly think the indignation and displeasure of God will soonest reveal itself against professors and churches in this day! If we will not be distinguished from the world in our ways, we shall not long be distinguished from them in our privileges. If we are the same in our actions, we shall be so in our worship, or have none at all.
As to our duty in such a perilous season, let me leave three cautions with you, and may the Lord fix them upon your hearts:—
(1.) The profession of religion, and the performance of duties, under a worldly conversation, are nothing but a deceptive means to lead men blindfold into hell. We must not speak lightly in such a great cause.
(2.) If you will be like the world, you must take the world's lot. It will go with you as it goes with the world. Inquire and see, in the whole book of God, how it will go with the world,—what God's thoughts are of the world,
—whether it does not say, "If it lies in wickedness, it shall come to judgment," and that "the curse of God is upon it." If, therefore, you will be like the world, you must have the world's lot; God will not separate.
(3.) Lastly, consider we have by this means lost the most glorious cause of truth that ever was in the world. We do not know that there has been a more glorious cause of truth since the apostles' days, than what God has committed to his church and people in this nation, for the purity of the doctrine of the truth and ordinances, but we have lost all the beauty and glory of it by this mixture in the world. I truly think it is high time that the congregations in this city, by their elders and messengers, should consult together how to put a stop to this evil, that has lost all the glory of our profession. It is a perilous time, when professors mix themselves so with the world.
There are other perilous seasons that I thought to have insisted on; but I will just name them.
IV. When there is great attendance on outward duties, but inward, spiritual decays. Now herein, my brethren, (most of this congregation are so in a unique manner, I hope, through the goodness of God,—in sincerity, though in much weakness, "Liberavi animam meam,") you know how long I have been treating of the causes and reasons of inward decays, and the means to be used for our recovery; I shall not, therefore, again insist upon them.
V. Times of persecution are also times of peril.
Now, I need not tell you whether these seasons are upon us or not; it is your duty to inquire into that. Whether there is not an outward retaining of the truth under a visible prevalence of abominable lusts in the world; whether there is not a proneness to forsake the truth, and seducers at work to draw men off; whether there is not a mingling ourselves with the world, and therein learning their manners; whether there are not inward decays, under the outward performance of duties; and whether many are not
suffering under persecution and trouble, judge for yourselves, and act accordingly.
One word of use, and I am done.
Use 1. Let us all be exhorted to strive to get our hearts affected by the perils of the day in which we live. You have heard a poor, weak discourse about it, and perhaps it will be quickly forgotten. Oh, that God would be pleased to give us this grace—that we may find it our duty to strive to have our hearts affected by the perils of these times! It is not time to be asleep at the top of a mast in a rough sea, when there are so many imminent dangers around us. And to better achieve this— (1.) Consider the present things, and bring them to rule, and see what
God's word says about them. We hear this and that story of horrible, monstrous wickedness; and bring it up in the next opportunity for conversation, and then lightly pass it over. We hear of God's judgments abroad in the world; and bring them to the same standard of our own imaginations, and there it ends. And so we do with the distresses of others; we talk about them, and there it ends. But, brethren, when you observe any of these things, how it is with the world, if you want your hearts affected, bring it to the word, and see what God says about it: speak with God about it; ask and inquire at the mouth of God what God says about these monstrous wickednesses and judgments—this coldness that is upon professors, and their mixtures with, and learning the manners of the world.
You will never have your hearts affected by it until you come and speak with God about it; and then you will find them represented in a mirror that will make your hearts ache and tremble. And then—(2.) If you want to be aware of present perilous times, avoid focusing on self. While your greatest concern is self, or the world, all the angels in heaven cannot make you
aware of the peril of the days in which you live. Whether you pursue riches or honors, while you focus there, nothing can make you aware of the perils of the day. Therefore, do not focus on self.(3.) Pray that God would give us grace to be aware of the perils of the day in which we live. It may be we have had confidence, that though thousands fall at our right hand and at our left, yet we will be able to carry it through. Believe me, it is great grace.
Direct your private, closet prayers, and your family prayers this way; and may the Lord help us to direct our public prayers to this thing, that God would make our hearts aware of the perils of the time into which we have fallen in these last days!
Use 2. The next thing is this, that there are two things in a perilous season —the sin of it, and the misery of it. Strive to be aware of the former, or you will never be aware of the latter. Though judgments lie at the door—though the heavens are dark over us, and the earth shakes under us at this day, and no wise man can see where he can build himself a lasting habitation—we can talk about these things; and hear about other nations soaked in blood; and have signs of God's displeasure—warnings from heaven above and the earth beneath; and no man is aware of them! Why? Because they are not aware of sin; nor ever will be, unless God makes them so.
I will categorize the sins that we should be aware of under three headings: firstly, the sins of the poor, miserable, perishing world; secondly, the sins of believers in general; and thirdly, our own specific sins and declines. Let us strive to have our hearts moved by these. It is pointless to tell you that this or that judgment is imminent; for your leaders, and those on the watchtower, to cry out, "A lion; my lord, we see a lion." Unless God makes our hearts aware of sin, we will not be aware of judgments.
Use 3. Remember that a specific state of mind is required from all of us in such dangerous times as these. And what is that? It is a mourning state of mind. Oh, that cheerful state of mind that is upon us! May the Lord forgive it, may the Lord pardon it for us; and keep us in a humble, broken, mournful state of mind: for it is a unique grace God seeks at such a time as this. When he will pour out his Spirit, there will be great mourning, collectively and individually; but now we can say there is no mourning.
May the Lord help us, we have hard hearts and dry eyes considering all these dangers that lie before us.
Use 4. Maintain church vigilance with diligence, and by the rule. When I say rule, I mean the essence of it. I have no greater concern on my heart than that God should withdraw himself from his own institutions because of the sins of the people, and leave us only the shell of external rule and order.
Why does God give them? For their own sake? No; but so that they may be clothing for faith and love, gentleness of spirit and compassion, vigilance and diligence. Remove these, and say goodbye to all external rule and order, whatever they are. Maintain a spirit that may live affected by it: acquire a spirit of church vigilance; which is not to lie in wait for faults, but diligently, out of pure love and compassion for the souls of men, to watch over them—to wait to do them good, all we can. As it was with a poor man, who propped up a dead body and it fell; and he propped it up again, and it fell; upon which he cried out, "Oportet esse aliquid intus,"—"There needs to be something within," to animate and invigorate it;—so it is with church order and rule; prop them up as often as you will, they will all fall, if there is not a love for one another, a delight in the good of one another,
"exhorting one another while it is called Today, lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Use 5. Count on it, that in times like these, not all of us will escape unscathed. You find no mention of a dangerous season in Scripture, but it follows that some will have their faith overthrown, others will follow destructive ways, and others will turn aside. Brothers and sisters, how do you know but you or I may fall? Let us double our vigilance, everyone; for the season has come upon us wherein some of us may fall, and fall so as to suffer for it. I do not say we shall perish eternally;—God save us from falling into the pit! but some of us may fall so as to lose a limb, some member or other; and our works will be committed to the fire that will burn them all. God has kindled a fire in Zion that will test all our works; and we shall see in a short time what will become of us.
Use 6. Lastly, take that great rule which the apostle gives in times like those with which we are concerned, "Nevertheless the foundation of God stands firm,"—Oh, blessed be God for it!—"God knows who are his."
What, then, is required on our part? "Let him who names the name of Christ depart from evil." Your profession, your privileges, your light, will not secure you; you are lost unless everyone who names the name of Christ departs from all iniquity. What multitudes perish under a profession every day! Oh, that our hearts could bleed to see poor souls in danger of perishing under the greatest profession!
Will you hear the sum of all? Perilous times and seasons have come upon us; many are wounded already; many have failed. The Lord help us! The crown has fallen from our head,—the glory of our profession is gone,—the time is short,—the Judge stands before the door. Take but this one word of counsel, my brethren: "Watch, therefore, that none of these things may come upon you, but that you may escape, and be accounted worthy to stand before the Son of God."