of cure. and mute; and so much sense as to complain of your darkness, and be willing to come into the light, it were a sign that light is coming in to you, and that you are in a hopeful way But when you neither know yourselves, nor know that you do not know yourselves, your ignorance and pride are likely to cherish your presumption and impiety, till the light of grace, or the fire of hell, have taught you better to know yourselves. 2. And here you may understand the reason why people fearing God are so apt to accuse and condemn themselves, to be too much cast down; and why they that have cause of greatest joy, do sometimes walk more heavily than others. It is because they know more of their sinfulness, and take more notice of their inward corruptions and outward failings, than presumptuous sinners do of theirs. Because they know their faults and wants, they are cast down; but when they come further to see their interest in Christ and grace, they will be raised up again. Before they are converted, they usually presume, as being ignorant of their sin and misery in the infancy of grace they know these, but yet languish for want of more knowledge of Christ and mercy. But he that knoweth fully both himself and Christ, both misery and mercy, is humbled and comforted, cast down and exalted. As a man that never saw the sea, is not afraid of it; and he that seeth it but afar off, and thinks he shall never come near it, is not much afraid of it: he that is drowned in it, is worse than afraid and he that is tossed by the waves, and doubteth of ever coming safe to harbour, is the fearful person: he that is tossed but hath good hopes of a safe arrival, hath fears that are abated or overcome with hope: but he that is safe landed is past his fears. The first is like him that never saw the misery of the ungodly: the second is like him that seeth it in general, but thinks it doth not belong to him: the third is like the damned that are past remedy the fourth is like the humbled, doubting Christian, that seeth the danger, but doth too much question or forget the helps: the fifth is like the Christian of a stronger faith, that sees the danger, but withal seeth his help and safety the sixth is like the glorified saints, that are past the danger. : Though the doubting Christian know not his sincerity, and therefore knoweth not himself so well as the strong be liever doth, yet in that he knoweth his sinfulness and unworthiness, he knoweth himself better than the presumptuous world. These two remarks, with the foregoing caution, having interposed (somewhat out of place), I now return to prosecute my exhortation, that no matters may seem so sweet, so honourable, so great, or necessary, as to pass with you for excuses for the neglecting of the most diligent and impartial study of yourselves. All persons to whom I can address this exhortation, are either godly or ungodly; in the state of sin, or in the state of grace. And both of them have need to study themselves. I. And to begin with the unrenewed, carnal sort, it is they that have the greatest need to be better acquainted with themselves. O that I knew how to make them sensible of it; if any thing will do it, methinks it should be done by acquainting them how much their endless state is concerned in it. In order hereunto, let me yet add, to all that is said already, these few considerations : 1. If you know not yourselves, you know not whether you are the children of God, or not; nor whether you must be for ever in heaven or hell; no, nor whether you may not within this hour behold the angry face of God, which will frown you into damnation. And is this a matter for a man of reason to be quietly and contentedly ignorant of? It is a business of such unspeakahle concernment, to know whether you must be everlastingly in heaven or hell, that no man can spare his cost or pains about it, without betraying and disgracing his understanding. You are sure you shall be here but a little while: those bodies you all know, will hold your souls but a little longer as you know that you that are now together here attending, must presently quit this room and be gone; so you know that when you have stayed a little longer, you must quit this world, and be gone into another. And I think there is not the proudest of you but would be taken down, nor the most sluggish or deadhearted but would be awakened, if you knew that you must go to endless misery, and that your dying hour would be your entrance into hell. And if you know not yourselves, you know not but it may be so. And to know nothing to the contrary, would be terrible to you if you well considered it, especially when you have so much cause to fear it. O, sirs, for a man to sit here senselessly in these seats, that knows not but he may burn in hell for ever, and knows not because he is blind and careless; how unsuitable is it to the principle of self-preservation? And how much unbeseeming the rational nature, to have no sense or care, when you look before you into the unquenchable fire, and the utter darkness, where, as the heathen poet speaks, Nec mortis pœnas mors altera finiet hujus; If any of you think that all these matters are to be put to the adventure, and cannot now be known, you are dangerously mistaken. As you may certainly know by Scripture and the light of nature, that there is a future life of joy to the godly, and of misery to the wicked, so may you know by a faithful trial of yourselves, to which of these at present you belong, and whether you are under the promise or the threatening; know yourselves, and you may know whether you are justified or condemned already, and whether you are the heirs of heaven or hell. Surely He that comforteth his servants with the promise of glory to all that believe and are new creatures, and sanctified by his Spirit, did suppose that we may know whether we believe, and are renewed and sanctified or not: or else, what comfort can it be to us? If blinded infidels, have no means to quiet themselves but their unbelief, and a conceit that there is no such life of misery, they have the most pitiful opiate to ease them in the world; and may as well think to become immortal, by a confident conceit that they shall never die. If they befool themselves with the ordinary questions, 'Where is hell, and what kind of fire is it? &c. I answer them with Augustine, 'Melius est dubitare de occultis, quam litigare de incertis: Illum quippe divitem in àrdore pœnarum, et illum pauperem in refrigerio gaudiorum esse intelligendos non dubito: sed quomodo intelligenda illa flamma in inferno ille sinus Abrahæ, illa divitis lingua, ille digitus pauperis, illa sitis tormenti, illa stilla refrigerii, vix fortasse à mansuetè quærentibus, contentiose autem sectantibus nunquam invenitur;' that is, It is better to be in doubt about things that are hidden from us, than to quarrel about things that are uncertain to us. I am past doubt that we must understand that that rich man was in the heat of pain, and the poor man in a refreshing place of joys: But how to undertand that flame in hell, that bosom of Abraham, that tongue of the rich man, that finger of the poor man, that thirst of torment, that drop for cooling or refreshment, perhaps will hardly be found by the most humble inquirers, but never by contentious strivers. So that I may conclude, that the greatness and dreadfulness of the case, should make every person that hath an eye to see, an ear to hear, and a heart to understand, to read and inquire and consider, and never rest till they know themselves, and understand where it is that they are going to take up their abode to everlasting. 2. Consider, that all men must shortly know themselves. Presumption will be but of short continuance. Be never so confident of being saved without holiness, you will speedily be undeceived. If the Spirit's illumination do not convince and undeceive you, death will undoubtedly do it at the farthest. Thousands and millions know their sin and misery now when it is too late, that would not know it when the remedy was at hand. Sinners, your souls are now in darkness: your bodies are your dungeon; but when death brings you out into the open light, you will see what we could never make you see. O how glad would a faithful minister of Christ be, if by any information he could now give you half the light that you shall then have, and now make you know at the heart with the feeling of repentance, that which you must else quickly know, even at the heart with the feeling of despair. Sirs, I hope you think not that I speak mere fancies to you, or any think that is questionable or uncertain: you cannot say so without denying yourselves to be Christians; no, nor without contradicting the light of nature, and debasing your souls below the heathen, who believe an immortality of souls in a different state of joy or misery in the life to come: and if you are once below heathens, what are you better than brute beasts? Better in your natural faculties and powers, as not being made brutes by your Creator; but worse as to the use of them, and the consequents to yourselves, because you are voluntary, self-abusing brutes. But to live here as a brute, will not make you die and be hereafter as a brute: to believe you shall die as a beast will not prevent the miserable life of an impenitent sinner. It will not make your souls to be mortal, to believe they are mortal; no more than it will make a beast to be immortal, if he could but think so. The coffin-maker and the grave-maker, if they never read a book, can tell you that is no controversy whether you must go hence. And faith and reason can both assure you, that your souls lie not down with your bodies in the dust, nor are annihilated by the falling of your earthly tabernacle; no more than the spirits when the glass is broken that held them, or than your bodies are annihilated when you put off your clothes, or rise out of your beds: or than the bird is annihilated that is got out of the shell: or the infant that is by nature cast out of the womb: nor any more than the angels that appeared to the apostles or others, were annihilated when they disappeared: or, (if I must speak more suitably to the ungodly,) no more than the devil that sometimes appeareth in a bodily shape is annihilated when that appearance vanisheth. As I suppose there is never a person in all this populous city, that was here but sevenscore years ago, so I suppose there is none of you that are here to-day, that expect to be here so long a time: they are gone before you into a world where there is no presumption or security: and you are going after them, and are almost there. As easily as you sit here, I tell you all, you are going after them apace, and are almost there. O sirs, that world is a world of light. To the damned souls it is called outer darkness, because they have none of the light of glory or of comfort: but they shall have the light of a self-accusing, self-tormenting conscience, that is gone out of the darkness of self-ignorance and self-deceit, and is fully cured of its slumber and insensibility. Do you now take a civilized person for a saint? You will not do so long. Doth the baptism of water only go with you now for the regeneration of the spirit? It will not be so long: you will shortly be undeceived. Doth a ceremonious Pharisee thank God for the sincerity and holiness which he never had? He will shortly be taught better to know the nature of holiness and sincerity, and that God justifieth not all that justify themselves. Doth a little formal, heartless, hypocritical devotion, now cover a sensual, worldly mind? The cover will be shortly |