SERM. But this command and service, you will say, was given to the Jews, who were under the Law; and what is this to us? Why, I will tell you: we have the same principles, the same seeds of disobedience in our nature, and we are as liable and as apt to forget our duty and our God as ever the Jews were; and we are as sure to be punished, if we offend presumptuously, as ever they were; and consequently, we have as much need to have the curses of God against notorious sinners set before us as ever the Jews had. Having said thus much to shew why our Church retains this service, I now proceed to the words of the text, which naturally offer these following observations: First; That men are but too apt to turn away from God, to set up idols in their hearts, to speak peace unto and govern themselves, not according to God's laws, but according to their own imaginations. Secondly; That therefore God has, from the beginning, published all His laws with a curse or penalty upon offenders, that they may be afraid of bringing destruction upon themselves. Thirdly; That such as do turn their ears from hearing the law, and its curses, do reject the counsel of God, provoke Him to wrath, and take the sure way to ruin. I. And first; Men are very apt to turn away from God, to set up their own imaginations to govern and judge themselves by; and so speak peace to themselves without either reason or Scripture. And indeed, thus it has been with men ever since our first parents, who, forsaking the commands of God, would needs be wiser than their Maker; and by their infidelity and disobedience lost that happiness which their posterity have ever since been striving to regain; and generally without success, because they hope for happiness by ways of their own devising. For it is utterly impossible that a man in a state of corruption should recover himself, who, in a state of innocence, could not preserve himself from falling. And though God in mercy has contrived a way for our redemption from this miserable bondage, and would most assuredly bring us back to Himself, would we be but governed by Him; yet, such is our perverseness, we think His ways are grievous, and try a thousand ways of going to heaven, without being obliged to part with our beloved sins. For instance: There are an infinite number of people, who have very little sense of religion, who were never awakened with the guilt of their sins, or the wrath of an angry God; who have no token of their obedience or repentance to shew, and yet hope to be happy; and that is all they have for it. Gracious God! that creatures liable to eternal misery should not be more concerned to know how to avoid it! Another delusion is, that of those who fancy that God will not be so severe as He has threatened; not considering what the Apostle saith to such foolish imaginations: "If we be- 2 Tim. 2. 13. lieve not, yet He abideth faithful, He cannot deny Himself;" that is, let men believe what they please, and depend upon their own fancies, God will judge them according to His word; and those that have done wickedly, and have not repented, shall have eternal torments for their portion, whether they believe this or not. There are likewise people who imagine, that, because they do not pretend to be very strict in their lives, therefore they are not bound to be so. A clergyman, who teacheth others, they think, should be very careful to keep God's commands; but for other people, they hope an allowance will be made, and so an allowance they take; never laying this truth to heart, that "without holiness, no man" whatever "shall see [Heb. 12. 14.] the Lord." And indeed, it is not because a clergyman teacheth others, that he is bound to be sober, and chaste, and just, and charitable; but it is because neither he, nor any body else, can go to heaven without these qualifications. Again: Some people hope, because they are not so wicked as others, that therefore they are in no danger. They do not enquire whether they are such as God commands them to be; but only whether they are not as bad as it is possible for them to be. There are also many who will tell you, that however wicked they have been, they are not so now. Such people would do well to consider, that he who was once a murderer, or an adulterer, will always be such; and that no murderer, or LX. SERM. adulterer, can enter into the kingdom of heaven, but by faith and repentance, which require something more than barely forsaking of sin. It is likewise but too plain, that many people, if they can but hide their crimes from men, are no farther concerned. They are not willing to remember, that God undoubtedly sees their ways, and knows the very secrets of their hearts; [Matt. 10. that He is one day to be their judge; and that He “ can 28.] destroy both body and soul in hell." : Farther If a man has but some good qualities, he is apt to hope that this will bear him out, though he is engaged in chap. 2. 10. a sinful course of life. The Spirit of God, by St. James, saith the direct contrary. But if people are resolved to follow their inclinations, they will not mind what God saith, though they are sure to be ruined. [Rom. 5. 20.] Lastly; it is not possible to say how many perish by consenting to known iniquity, in hopes of having an opportunity of repenting before they die: knowing at the same time, that if they should die without repentance, they are sure to be undone for ever. Now these, and such as these, are the idols in men's hearts. And they are called idols, because they are vanity and nothing; that is, they are not able to deliver those that put their trust in them from the wrath of God. And yet they are trusted to as if they could. And therefore God, who knows all these secret delusions of the heart, and knows also that nothing but fear and dread can keep men from taking shelter under these idols of their own making, II. God, I say, has therefore from the beginning published all His laws with a curse or penalty upon offenders; that men may be afraid of the anger of God, and beware of provoking His jealousy, by doing the things which He has so strictly forbidden. Which was the second particular that we proposed to consider. One may observe a strange unwillingness in people to hear the curses or penalties of the law of God against impenitent sinners. The meaning of this is, we desire to follow our own ways without disturbance; for the Law was given that sin might abound; that is, that sin might appear in its true colours; and that men, seeing the curses due to it, might be afraid of coming near it; but instead of doing this, they are not willing so much as to hear, that a curse attends it. It is true the Law is terrible, and the anger of God, and His curses against offenders, are indeed dreadful; and yet all little enough to keep those that hear them from transgressing His laws. What a world then should we have, if every one might do what was right in his own eyes, without fear of what will follow. But God has consulted better for His creatures; for He has plainly given us a rule to walk by, and He has plainly told us what we must certainly expect, if we refuse to observe it. By this we come to the knowledge of ourselves, and the wretched condition we are in. In this law, as in a glass, every man may see what he is by nature, and what every man would be, did not the grace of God hinder him. For God has laid His curse upon all that break His laws, which all are subject to do, that all may take warning, and " flee from the [Luke 3. 7.] wrath to come." That such as are asleep in sinful pleasures, that such as are dead in trespasses and sins, may, by the sound of the vengeance of God, be awakened and raised to a life of righteousness. But "the Law" (the Apostle tells us) "is not made for 1 Tim. 1. 9. the righteous, but for the lawless and disobedient." And who, pray, is not so by nature? Let him that is without sin make this objection; let him that does not find in himself the seeds of wickedness, let such a one, if he pleaseth, refuse to hear the curses of the Law. I know people are apt to fancy, that it is impossible for them ever to be what they see and hear of others, murderers, idolaters, adulterers, and the like: but pray from what parents did these people spring? The Psalmist professeth of himself, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did Ps. 51. 5. my mother conceive me." And most certainly we are all of the very same race; a seed of evil doers, capable of and prone to every sin, to which the law of God has joined a curse. But as the Law shews us what we are by nature, so does it shew us what we do deserve, and what will be our portion, if we do not repent and turn to God, forsaking every evil way. Every curse that is written in this book shall fall upon him,' saith the Lord. See the effect this consideration had upon LX. Ps. 38. 3. : SERM. David himself: "There is no soundness in my flesh, because of Thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones, because of my sin for mine iniquities are gone over mine head; as an heavy burden, they are too heavy for me." And verily, whoever has not felt some such pangs of affliction as these in his soul, has reason to fear that he is still under the curse of the Law. designed by setting the But this is not all that God Josh. 7. 19. Law and His judgments before us. "My son," saith Joshua to Achan, "give glory to God, and tell me what thou hast done." And this is another effect the fear of God will have upon true penitents. They will give glory to God; will acknowledge that He can bring to light the hidden works of darkness; that He can humble the proudest sinner, and soften the hardest heart; that the terror of His wrath, and heavy displeasure, are only able to awaken and convert a sinner, when all other arguments have been made use of to little purpose. Ps. 32. 5 Thus it was with the Psalmist, when the terrors of God had made him sensible of his miscarriage: "I acknowledge my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord." And thus indeed it will be with every true penitent, who considers, that whether he hides or confesseth his sin now, the day will come, when the most secret sins must come to light. And when he seriously considers this, the Law of God, and the dread of His judgments, will have another blessed effect upon him. For it will make him loath and abhor himself; Ezra 9. 6. and he will say, in the words of Ezra, "I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face unto Thee, my God, for mine iniquities are increased over my head, and my trespass is grown up unto heaven." And in this temper of soul, we shall not need to be advised, or compelled to acts of humiliation; but we shall fast and pray, and deny ourselves the pleasures of life, as willingly as before we indulged them. And now, being thus affected, we may be truly said, in the Acts 13. 48. words of St. Luke, to be "disposed for eternal life." For, "to them that thus fear God" (saith the prophet), "shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings." And this is the last and great end of the Law, to bring us Mal. 4. 2. |