Page images
PDF
EPUB

dote against the fears of death. Death is in our catalogue of mercies, and is one of our covenant blessings. "Death is yours." Why so? Because "Ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." (1 Cor. iii. 22.) How is this? Christ is God's Son; you are Christ's brethren. God is your Father in him. Therefore, death is your angel, your friend, your servant, to introduce you into the fullest enjoyment of God, your heavenly Father's love, God your Saviour's salvation, and God the holy Spirit's everlasting comfort in the kingdom of heaven. True, natural fears will and may beset us, in regard to death and dying; but there is no way of overcoming them, but remembering Christ's words. For he has most solemnly assured us, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death." (John viii. 51.) Marvellous! What, shall he never die? Yes. But he shall never see death, in his dreadful form, and horrid appearance, as an officer of justice, commissioned by a God of wrath, to drag the soul to tormenting flames. But he shall see Christ, the resurrection and the life, who has conquered death, reigning over death, as his angel, to bring the soul to the enjoyment of himself, and to be with him in glory. Inference. By way of reproof. What is a Christian without Christ's words? Naked and defenceless; like a soldier surrounded by enemies, without arms. See then your folly, who are unmindful of Christ's words. Hence it is that you live so much at random, and walk so uncertainly and uncomfortably. Have you really the peace of God in your heart? Do you hesitate? Are you in doubt about it? What! profess to be a believer in Christ, and not possess these? How do you live? What is your conduct? Do you keep holy the Lord's-day? Do you walk in the Spirit every day? Or do you live after the flesh, give way to its lusts, and gratify its desires, by indulging yourself in carnal pleasures, and worldly diversions? One word to your ear, and may the Lord cause it to reach your heart. As sure as you are a living sinner, you sadly forget both your Lord and his words; yea, you pour contempt on both. Mind what he says, He who taketh not up his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." Matt. x. 38.

THE FOLLY OF RESISTING, AND THE WISDOM OF COMPLYING WITH THE GOSPEL-CALL.

He answered and said, I will not; but afterwards he
repented, and went.-Matt. xxi. 29.

THE Scope of this parable is to show, that many who have been the vilest of sinners repent, and go to heaven; when others, who, though they make a profession of religion, never go farther than the mere profession, and so fall short: partly, also, to show that many, who have been publicans and harlots, are now in a better case than the chief priests and scribes. To convince us of this, Christ spoke the parable before us. For understanding of which, I would notice, 1. The man in the parable represents God; the two sons, different sorts of people among the Jews: both had the gospel-call by John the Baptist. The first of the sons points out the publicans and harlots, who, though they were formerly most vile and hopeless creatures, yet, on their hearing of John, repented, and became disciples indeed. The second represents the priests and Pharisees, who, notwithstanding their high pretences to religion, yet were indeed strangers to it, their practices did not correspond with their profession.

are

I. To show, What is that work to which the gospel calls, and with which sinners will not comply? It is the work of practical godliness, to which most men strangers. It is a large work, as extensive as the commandment, which is exceeding broad. I shall take it up in these two :

1. The gospel calls you to fall to your salvation-work. (Phil. ii. 12.) "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Sinners, you are in a ruined condition your souls are pining away in your iniquities; there is a burden of guilt on you that will sink you; there is a swarm of living lusts preying on you that will devour you. O guilty creature! knowest thou not, that thou art God's enemy, justice's debtor, the law's criminal, and that the

avenger of blood is at your heels? The gospel is calling you to consider your ways, and fall to the work of your salvation, before it be too late. This, sinner, is your work, your foundation-work. Haste, then, out of your natural state, and escape for your life to Jesus Christ.

2. The work of sanctification. (Ezek. xviii. 31; Heb. xiii. 12.) Sin is the great devourer and destroyer, and therefore the great salvation is from sin. Jesus saves his people from their sins. To think of being saved in sin, is a contradiction, for to be left in it is ruining. The sick man does not desire the physician to remove death, but to spare his disease: yea, but the foolish sinner is thus unreasonable in the case of his soul; he has no will that his clothes be burnt, yet he will needs carry fire in his bosom: he wishes not his feet to be burned, yet he will walk on coals of fire. Living lusts will devour the soul; therefore to work, sinners, for you must either kill or be killed. Let not the vineyard of your souls be any more like that of the sluggard. The sinner's soul is overgrown with hurtful lusts, there is no fence about it. O! then work; seek holiness.

3. The gospel calls you to your generation-work. (Acts xiii. 36.) "For David, afterhe had served his own generation, by the will of God, fell on sleep." Wherefore were you sent into the world, and made members of society? Was it not to honour God, and to be useful to your fellow-servants? Surely God sent none of us into the world to play with ourselves, like the leviathan in the sea. What have ye done for the good of any soul? What have ye done to pluck any brand out of the burning? I fear, if we reckon our days according to what we have done for God in them, most of us may reckon our days lost days. Look up to God, who placed you in the world, and say from what you have taken up room in his earth. For what use are you in the world? God has given you a talent, what have you gained? He has placed you in such and such situations and relations, have you done the duties of each? I am to show,

II. Why is it that sinners will not comply with this work?

1. Because it is the work, to which of all works their hearts are most averse. (Rom. viii. 7.) They would ra

ther do any thing than go and work in God's vineyard. It is against the grain with unrenewed minds. The prodigal would rather feed swine than go back to his father, till he came to himself. It is like cutting off a right hand, and plucking out a right eye, till a day of power make him willing. Ps. cx. 3.

2. Because of prevailing love to carnal ease. The man loves to sleep in a sound skin, and therefore will die in his nest, if God do not in mercy set a fire to it. Sloth is so sweet a sin, that the carnal heart can never get a fill of it. (Prov. vi. 10.) The man lies in the bed of sloth, and would not miss heaven, if wishing and woulding would do it. But if these will not do, he must even want it, for he cannot leave the embrace of his dear ease. Fighting, running, praying, striving, wrestling, taking heavenly violence, and the like, he cannot away with.

3. Because Satan furnishes them with work. (John viii. 44.) When the call of the gospel comes to sinners Satan does with them as Pharaoh did with the Israelites, holds them more to their tasks; so they have always busy hands, and hearts full of their works, insomuch that they cannot get the work of religion minded to purpose. And what are they doing? They are busy, weaving the spider's webb; very busy doing nothing, or hatching the cockatrice's egg, doing worse than nothing. They have much to do, having the desires of the flesh and mind to fulfil. They have more to do than they are able.

III. Why this refusal should be retracted? why they should repent and aim at compliance with the gospel call?

1. Because this refusal is against the respect and duty which you owe to him who calls you to the work. (Mal. i. 6.) "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: If I then be a father, where is mine honour ? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you." Have you no regard to the authority of God? or has not he that made you a power over you, to prescribe your work? Will ye follow the dictates of your own corrupt passions, even against the plain dictates of his Spirit? Shall we thus by our obstinacy affront our heavenly Father, and grieve his spirit?

2. Because this refusal is full of the basest ingratitude. What is the meaning of all the gospel-calls, but, sinners,

do yourselves no harm? Your interest is advanced by working. If thou ply the work of religion, the advantage is thine own; if not, the loss remains alone with yourself. (Prov. ix. 12.) It is a great favour that thou hast access to the work. Had not the son of God made way for it through his blood, thou hadst never got such a call.

3. It is the most foolish and unreasonable refusal that can be; and if the sinner were not out of himself, he could not be capable of it. What! will a starving man refuse to have meat when it is offered him? or will a convict refuse liberty? But this ye do in refusing Christ's call, and, so judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life. This folly and madness will be bitterness in the end.

Lastly, You are ruined if you stand to your refusal. That obstinacy will bar you out of heaven and the favour of God for ever. Heaven is a rest prepared, not for loiterers, but for labourers; and you that will have your ease now, must bid farewell to it for ever in another world. (Prov. i. 24.) Salvation-work will not work, unless men bestir themselves; but damnation-work will go on when men sit at ease, and are carried down the stream into the ocean of the wrath of God.

1. Repent now, and fall to that work ye have formerly refused; for it is a work preferable to all other works. The work of religion is your main, your chief work. (1.) It is the most pleasant work. Many are disgusted at the work of religion, because they think it unpleasant. But they have not yet tried it, and therefore are not fit judges. You have a more favourable account of it from Prov. iii. 17. "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." See also Ps. iv. 7, 8. "Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for thou, Lord, only makest me dweil in safety." There is work indeed in the vineyard that is unpleasant to corrupt nature; but even out of this arises the most refined satisfaction to the new nature. And what are all the pleasures of this world to reconciliation with God, and that peace of conscience and joy that there is in believing? (2.) It is the most profitable work. The profit hereof is both for time and for eternity. (1 Tim. iv. 8.) "For bodily exercise profiteth little, but

« PreviousContinue »