The Condemnation of Unbelievers, opened and applied
SERM . XXXII .
The Method of Grace.
Rom. viii. 6. they have no beauty in their souls, how comely soever their bodies are; it is grace, and nothing but grace, that beautifies the inner man, Ezek. xvi. 6, 7. The dead have neither comfort nor beauty in them : they have no hope to be with God in glory ; for the life of glory is begun in grace, Phil. i. 6. their graves must be shortly made, to be buried out of the fight of God, for ever, in the lowest hell, the pit diggedby justice for Can all that are spiritually dead: the dead must be buried. such considerations as these draw no pity from your souls, nor excite your endeavours for their regeneration ? then it is to be feared your souls are dead as well as theirs. O pity them, pity them, and pray for them; in this case only, prayers for the dead are our duty : who knows, but, at the last,God may hear your cries, and you may say with comfort, as he did, " This my son
" was dead, but is alive ; was lost, but is found; andtheybeganto be merry," Luke. xv. 24.
SERMON XXXII.
The Condemnation ofUnbelievers, opened and applied.
I JOHN iii. 18. ---But he that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
CHRIST HRIST havingdiscoursed withNicodemus, in the beginning of this chapter, about the necessity of regeneration, proceeds to shew, in this following discourse, the reason, and ground,why regeneration, and faith, are so indispensibly necessary, viz. because there is no other way to set men free from the curse, andcondemnationofthe law.
The curse of the law, like the fiery serpents in the wilderness, hath smitten every sinner with a deadly stroke, and sting, for which there is no cure, but Christ lifted up in the gospel, " as Moses lifted up the serpent in " the wilderness," ver. 14. Neither doth Christ cure any, but those that, believingly, apply him to their own souls.
The result, and conclusion of all, you have in my text ; "He that be- " lieveth in him, is not condemned ; but he that believeth not,
" is condemned already," &c.
In this clause, which I have pitched upon, we find these three parts ; 1. The sin threatened, viz. Unbelief.
2. The punishment inflicted, viz. Condemnation .
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3.The immediate relation of the one to the other ? " he is " condemned already."
First, Let us take into consideration the sin which is here threatened, viz . unbelief; the neglecting, or refusing, of an exalted, and offered Jesus.
Unbelief is twofold, viz. negative, or positive.
Negative unbelief, is the fin of the Heathens, who never had the gospel among them, nor the offers of Christ made to them; these cannot believe on him, of whom they have not heard.
Positive unbelief, is the fin of men and women under the gospel, to whom Christ is actually opened, and offered, by the preaching of the gospel ; but they make light of it, and neglect the great salvation: Receive not Christ into their hearts, nor consent to the severe, and self-denying terms upon which he is offered.
This is the sin threatened.
Secondly, The punishment inflicted, and that is condemnation : a word of deep, and dreadful signification ; appearing, in this text, as the hand-writting upon the plaister of the wall unto
Belteshazzar, Dan. v. 5. a word, whosedeepfenfe, and emphasis, is fully understood in hell.
Condemnation is the judgment, or sentence of God, condemning a man to bear the punishment of his eternal wrath for sin ; the most terrible of allfentences.
Thirdly, The immediate relation, or respect, this punishment hath to that fin of unbelief.
The unbeliever is condemned already, (i. e.) he is virtually condemned by the law of God; his mittimus is already made for hell ; he is condemned, as afinner, by the breach of the first covenant; but that condemnation had never been his ruin, except it had been ratified by the sentence of God, condemning him, as an unbeliever, for flighting, and rejecting the grace offered in the fecondcovenant.
So that the believer is already, virtually, con demned by both, as he is a sinner, and as he is an unbeliever ; ashe hath tranfgressed the law, and as he hath refused the gospel; as he hath contracted fin the moral disease, and refused
Christ, the only effectual remedy. He is, virtually, condemned now, and will be, fententially, condemned in the judgment of the great day.
Unbelief is his great fin, and condemation is his great misery.
Hence the observation will be this :
Doct. That all unbelievers are presently, and immediately under the just, and dreadful sentence of God's condemnation.
John xii. 48. "He that rejecteth me, and receivethnotmy " words, hath one that judgeth him : The word that I " have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."
John iii. 36. "He that believeth not the Son, shall not fee " life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."
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The Method of Grace.
Three things are to be opened in the doctrinal part of this point:
1. What unbelief, or the not receiving of Jesus Christ, is.
2. What condemnation, the punishment of this sin, is.
3. Why this punishment unavoidably follows that fin.
First, What the fin of unbelief, or not receiving Christ, is.
By unbelief, we are not here to understand the relics, or remains of that fin in the people of God, which is mixed with their imperfect faith; for thereissome unbelief still mingled with faith, in the best hearts : He that can say, " Lord, I believe," hath cause enough to cry out, with tears, " help thou my unbelief."
However, this doth not bring the soul under condemnation, or into the state of wrath ; the word condemns this unbelief in them, but doth not condemn their persons for this unbelief :
But the unbelief here spoken of, is the neglecting, or refusing to take Christ, upon the terms of the gospel, and so is exclusive of the saving act, and effects of faith.
First, It is exclusive of the saving act of faith,which (as hath beenalreadydeclared) is the due receiving of Christ offered in the gospel, consenting to take him uponhisown terms.
This, the unbeliever will by no means be persuaded to do ; he will be persuaded to accept the promises of Christ, but not to accept the person of Christ : He is willing to accept Christ in part, a divided Christ, but not to accept Christ entirely, in all his offices. He will accept the righteousness of Christ, in conjunction with his own righteousness ; but he will not accept the righteousness of Christ, as the sole matter of his justification, exclusive of his own righteousness; he is willing to wear the crown of Christ, but cannot be persuaded to bear the cross of Christ.
Thus Christ and unbelievers part upon terms ; God will come down no lower, and the unbeliever will come up no higher :
God will not alter his terms, and the unbeliever will not alter his resolution ; and so Christ is refused, salvation neglected, and in effect the unbeliever chuseth rather to be damned, than to comply with the severe terms of self-denial, mortification, and bearing the cross of Christ.
Thus it excludes the saving act of faith.
Secondly, 'Tis exclusive of the saving fruits and effects of faith.
Faith produces love to God, but the unbeliever doth not truly love him ; " But I know you (faith Christ to unbelievers)
" that the love of God is not in you," Johnv. 42.
Faith purifies the heart of a believer, but the hearts of unbelievers are full of all impurity. The believer overcomes the world, the
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world overcomes the unbeliever : Faith makes the cross of Christ sweet and easy to the believer, unbelief makes Christ, because of the cross, bitter and distasteful to the unbeliever.
Thus unbeliefexcludes both the saving act and fruits of faith, and consequently bars the soul from the saving benefits and privileges of Faith , viz . Justification, and peace with God.
Secondly, Next let us confider the punishment of this fin, which is condemnation.
Condemnation, in the general, is the sentence of a judge awarding a mulct, or penalty to be inflicted upon the guilty person.
There is a twofold condemnation; 1. Respectu culpae, In respect of the fault.
2. Refpectu poenae, In respect of the punishment.
First, Condemnation, with respect to the fault, is the casting off the person as guilty of the crime charged upon him : condemnation, with respect to the punishment, is the sentencing of the convicted offender to undergo such a punishment for such a fault, to bear a penal for a moral evil.
This forensic word, condemnation, is here applied unto the case ofa guilty sinner cast at the bar of God, where the fact is clearly proved, and the punishment righteously awarded. Thou art anunbeliever, for this sin thou shalt die eternally.
Condemnation, with respect to the fault, stands opposed to justification, Rom. v. 16.
Condemnation, with respect to the punishment, stands opposed to salvation, Mark xvi. 16. More particularly,
First, Condemnation is the sentence of God; the great and terrible God, theomniscient,omnipotent,supreme, and impartial
Judge, at whose bar the guilty sinner stands. 'Tis the law of God that condemns him now: he hath one thatjudgeth him, a great and terrible one too.
'Tis a dreadful thing to be condemned at man's bar; but the courts of human judicature, how awful, and solemn soever they are, are but trifles to this court of heaven, and conscience, wherein the unbeliever is arraigned, and condemned.
Secondly, 'Tis the sentence of God adjudging the unbeliever toeternaldeath, than which, nothing is more terrible.
What is a prison to hell ? What is a scaffold, and an ax, to go ye " cursed into everlasting fire ?" What is a gallows, and a halter, to everlastingburnings ?
Thirdly, Condemnation is the final sentence of God, the supreme judge,from whose bar and judgment there lies no appeal for the unbeliever, but execution certainly follows condemnation, Luke xix. 27. Ifmancondemn,God may justify and save : but if God condemn, no man can save or deliever.
If the law cast am an, as a sinner, the gospel may fave him, as a believer :
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The Method of Grace.
But if the gospel cast him, as anunbeliever, a man that finally rejects Jesus Christ, whom it offers to him, all the world cannot favethatman . O then what a dreadful word is condemnation !
Alltheevils, and miseries of this life are nothing to it.
Put all afflictions, calamities, sufferings, and miseries of this world into one scale, and this sentence of God intotheother, and they will be all lighter than a feather.
Thirdly, In the next place, I shall shew you that this punishment, viz. condemnation, must unavoidably follow that fin of unbelief. So many unbelieving persons as be in the world, so many condemned persons there are in the world; and this will appear two ways.
1. By considering what unbeliefexcludes am an from.
2. Byconfideringwhat unbeliefincludes am an under.
First, Let us consider what unbelief excludes a man from ; and it will be found, that it excludes him from all that may help, and save him.
For, First, It excludes him from the pardon of fin, John viii. 24.
" Ifye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." Now he that dies under the guilt of all his sins, must needs die in a state of wrath, and condemnation for ever. " For the wages of " sin is death," Rom. vi. 23.
Ifa man may be saved without a pardon, then may the unbeliever hope to be saved.
Secondly, Unbelief excludes a man from all the saving benefits that come by the sacrifice, or death of Christ.
For if faith be the only instrument that applies, and brings home to the soul the benefits ofthebloodof Christ, as unquestionably it is ; then unbelief must of necessity exclude a man from all those benefits, and consequently leave him in the stateofdeath, and condemnation.
Faith is the applying cause, the instrument by which we receive the special saving benefitoftheblood of Christ, Rom . v.
25. " Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." Eph . ii. 8.
By grace are ye saved through " faith."
So then, if the unbeliever be acquitted and saved, it must be without the benefit of Christ's death and sacrifice, which is utterly impossible.
Thirdly, Unbeliefexcludes a man from the saving efficacy, andoperationofthe gospel, by shutting up the heart against it; and crossing the main drift and scope of it ; which is to bring up men to the terms of salvation. To persuade them to believe, this is its great design, the scope of all its commands, I John iii.
23. Mark i. 14, 15. John xii. 36. It is the scope of all its promises ; they are written to encourage men to believe, John vi.
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35, 37.
So then, if the unbelieverescape condemnation, it must be in away unknown to us by the gospel ; yea, contrary to the established order therein.
For the unbeliever obeyeth not the great command of the gospel, I John iii. 17.
Nor is he under anyone saving promise of it, Gal. iii. 14, 22 .
Fourthly, Unbelief excludes a man from union with Christ, faith being the bond of that union, Eph. iii. 17.
The unbeJiever therefore may as reasonably expect to be saved without Christ, as to be saved without faith.
Thus you fee what unbelief excludes a man from .
Secondly, Let us next see what guilt and misery unbelief includes men under; and certainly it will be found to be the greatest guilt and misery in the world : For,
First, It is a fin which reflects the greatest dish on our upon God, I John vi. 10. "He thatbelieveth on the Son of God, hath
" the witness in himself.
He thatbelieveth not God,hath made " him a liar ; because hebelieveth not the record that God gave
" of his Son."
Secondly, Unbeliefmakes a man guilty of the vilest contempt of Christ, and the whole design of redemption managed by him.
All the glorious attributes of God were finallymanitested in the work of redemption by Christ ; therefore the apostle calls him
" the wisdom of God, and the power of God," 1 Cor. i. 23, 24.
Butwhatdoth the careless neglect, and wilful rejection of Christ speak, but the weakness, and folly ofthatdefign of redemption by him?
Thirdly, Unbelief includes in it the forest spiritual judgment that is, or can be inflicted in this world, upon the soul of man : even spiritual blindness, and the fataldarkeningof the understanding by Satan, 2 Cor. iv. 4. of which more hereafter.
Fourthly,Unbelief includes a man under the curse, and shuts him up under all the threatnings that are written in the book of God; amongst which, that is an express, and terrible one,
Mark xvi. 1o. " He that believes not, shall be damned."
So that nothing can be more evident than this, that condemnation necessarily follows unbelief.
This finand that punishment, are fastened together with chains of adamant. The uses follow :
Infer. 1. If thisbe so, thenhowgreat anumberofperfons are,visibly, in the state of condemnation! So many unbelievers, so many condemned menandwomen.
That is a fad complaint of the prophet, Ifa. liii. r . "Who hath believed our report, and " to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ?" Many there be that talk of faith, and many that profess faith; but they only talk of and profess it: There arebutfewin the worlduntowhom
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The Method of Grace.
the arm of the Lord hath been revealed, in the work of faith with power.
It is putamongthe great mysteries and wonders of the world, I Tim. iii. 16. That Christ is believed on in the world.
Owhat a great and terrible day will the day of Christ's coming to judgment be, when so many millions of unbelievers thall be brought to his tribunal to be solemnly sentenced ! They are (as my text speaks) condemned already ; but then that dreadful sentence will be solemnly pronounced by Jesus Christ, whom they have despised and rejected: Then shall that scripture be fulfilled, Luke xix. 27. " These mine enemies that would not " that I should reign over them, bring them hither, and lay
" them before me ."
Infer. 2. Hence be informed how great a mercy the least meafureof saving faith is; for the least measure of true faith unites the soul to Jesus Christ; and then " there is no condemnation
" to them that are in Christ Jesus," Rom. viii. 1. Not one fen. tence of God against them.
So acts xiii. 39. " By him all that " believe are justified in all things."
The weakest believer is as free from condemnation, as the strongest ; the righteousness of Christ comes upon all believers, without any difference. Rom. iii. 22. " Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of " Christ Jesus unto all,and upon all themthatbelieve ; for there
" is no difference." It is notimputed, as it is in inherent righteousness ; one man hath more holiness than another : The faith that receives the righteousness of Christ, maybe very different in degrees of strength; but the received righteousness is equal upon all believers : A piece of gold is as much worth in the hand ofa child, as it is in the hand of a man. O the exceeding preciousness of saving faith !
Infer. 3. How dreadful a sin is the fin ofunbelief, which brings men under the condemnation of the great God. No fin startles less, ordamns surer : It is a fin that doth not affright the conscience, as some other fins do,but it kills the soul more certainly than any of those fins could do: For, indeed, other sins . could not damn us, were it not for unbelief, which fixes the guilt of them all upon our persons.
This is the condemnation.
Unbelief is the fin, of fins ; and when the Spirit comes to convince men of fin he begins with this as the capital fin, John xvi. 9.
But more particularly, First, Eftimatethe evil of unbelief, from its object.
It is the lighting, andrefusingofthe most excellent, and wonderful perfonin heaven or earth: the vision of Christ by faith, is the joy of faints upon earth: the vision of Christ above, is the happigels of saints in heaven.
Itisadespising ofhimwhois altoge- :
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The Method of Grace. ther lovely in himself, who hath loved us and given himself for us.
It is a rejecting of the onlyMediatorbetwixtGod and man; after the rejecting of whom there remains no sacrifice for fin.
Secondly, Let the evil of unbeliefbe valued by the offer of Christ to our souls in the gospel: It is one partofthegreat mystery of godliness, that Christ should be preached to theGentiles, &Tim. iii. 16. That the word of this salvation should be sent to us, Acts xiii. 26. A mercy denied to the fallen angels, and the greatest part of mankind, which aggravates the evil of this finbeyond all imagination. So that in refusing, or neglecting Jesus Christ, is found vile ingratitude, highest contempt of the grace and wisdom of God; and in the event, the loss of the only season, and opportunity of salvation, which is never more to be recovered to all eternity.
Infer. 4. If this be the case of all Unbelievers, it is not to be admired, that fouls under the first convictions of their miserable condition, are plunged into suchdeepdistresses of spirit.
It is faidofthem, Acts ii. 27. " That they were pricked at the heart, *" and cried out, men and brethren, what shall we do ?" Andfo the jail or, "He came in trembling and astonished, and said, Sirs,
"what must I do to be saved ?" Certainly, iffouls apprehend themfolves under the condemnation, and sentence of the great
God, all in tears and trembling, their weary days, and restless Bights, are not without just cause and reason.
Those that never saw their own miserable condition by the light of a clear and full conviction, may wonder to see others so deeply distressed in spirit.
They may mif-judge the case,and call it melancholy or madness; but spiritual troubles do not exceed the causeandground of them, let them be as deep and as great as they will : And, indeed, it isone of the great mysteries of grace and providence; athing much unknown to men, how such poor souls are supported, from day today, under such fears and sorrows as are able, in a few hours to break the stoutest spirit in the world.
Luther was amanofgreat natural courage; and yet,when God let in spiritual troubles upon his soul, it is noted of him, utnec vox, nec calor, nec fanguisfupereffet; he had neither voice, nor heat, nor blood appearing in him .
Inf. 5.How groundless and irrational is the mirth andjollity of all carnal and unregenerate men ? They feast in their prison, and dance in their fetters. O the madness that is in the hearts of men! Ifmendid but see their mittimusmade for hell, or believe they are condemned already, it were impossible for them toliveatthat rate of vanity they do: And is their condition less
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dangerous, becauseitisnotunderstood? Surely no; but much more dangerous for that. O poor sinners, you have found out an effectual way to prevent your present troubles; it were well if you could find out a way to prevent your eternal misery : But it is easier for a man to stifle conviction, than prevent damnation. Your mirthhath atwofold mischief in it; it prevents repentance, and increaseth your future torment. Owhat an hell will your hell be, who drop into it out of all the sensitive, and sinful pleasures of this world! If evermanmaysayof mirth, that it is mad ; and of laughter,what doth it ! He may say foin thiscafe.
Infer. 6. Lastly, what cause have they to rejoice, admire, and praise the Lord, to eternity, who have a well-grounded confidence, that they are freed from God's condemnation ?
" O give thanks to the Father, who hath delivered you from " the power of darkness, and translated you into the kingdom
" of his dear Son," Col. i. 13. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for if you be freed from condemnation, you are out of Satan's power, he hath no more any dominion over you.
The power of Sat an, over men, comes in by virtue of their condemnation, as the power of thejaylor, or executioner, over the bodies of condemned prisoners doth, Heb. ii. 14.
If you be freed from condemnation, the sting of death shall never touch you ; for the sting of death smites the souls of men with a deadly stroke, only by virtue of God's condemnatory sentence.
1 Cor. xv. 55, 56.
"The sting of death is fin, and the strength of fin is the law."
If you be freed fromcondemnationnow, you shall stand with comfort, and boldness, at the judgment-feat of Christ, in the great day; and verily in this thing is the love of God perfected, 1 Johniv. 17. O it isa privilege in which the grace, mercy, and love of God, shine forth as clearly as the fun, when itshineth in its full strength. Andcertainlyyou will findcaufe to lie at the feet of God, astonished, and overwhelmed with the sense of this mercy,when you shall find yourselves free from the condemnation of God, whilst many others, as good as you were, are still under condemnation.
Yea, yourselves freed, and many of your superiors in the world fill under the curse,
Cor . i. 26.
Yea, yourselves freed and others, that fat under the same means of grace, and had the fame external advantages you had, still in chains, 2 Cor. ii. 16. O brethren! This is a marvellous deliverance; look on it which way you will, your ransom is paid, andnotapenny of it by you ; it cost you nothingtoprocure your pardon ; your pardon is full, and not one
finexceptedout ofitthatyou ever committed. You are freed,