Chapter 8: The Second Use Is for Conviction

The second use is for conviction of four sorts of persons.

If it be so necessary to have a treasure within, that a Christian may be fitter to walk, speak and act holily, then this falls with weight upon the head of four sorts of persons, namely:

- 1. Careless loiterers. - 2. Vain-glorious boasters. - 3. Impious offenders. - 4. Unprofitable Christians.

1. Careless loiterers, that sleep out a fair summer's day of grace, and forget the day of their visitation; many poor ministers have cause to weep over their dear people, as Christ over Jerusalem, and say, If you had known, at least in this your day, the things that belong to your peace! but now they are hid from your eyes (Luke 19:41-42): If any soul be without grace, under precious means of grace, let such tremble at present providences, lest they lead on to the loss of ordinances: if you have sat under the droppings of the sanctuary, and are yet barren, be afraid, lest God either command the clouds to rain no rain on you, or the curse of the barren fig tree be pronounced against you, Let no fruit grow on you from now forward for ever, or else, cut it down, why does it cumber the ground (Matthew 21:19; Luke 13:7)? Oh sirs, have your souls been yet empty of grace, under ordinances, which are the channels of grace? Have you lived thus long in Goshen, and are you yet in Egyptian darkness? Where's the fault, what can you say for yourselves? Suppose God should put you to it, to bring forth your strong reasons, (as he expostulated with the man that wanted the wedding garment (Matthew 22:12),) and should say, friend (for so will you needs be accounted, and as such you were invited) where have you lived? In my church? And did you not there hear of a rich wardrobe provided for naked souls, even the fine white linen of Christ's perfect righteousness? Was there not a well-furnished shop and storehouse of the gifts and graces of the Spirit to fill and adorn the house of your heart? How comes it then that you are so devoid and destitute of what is good? Had you lived in Turkey or India, where I did not set up such an office of mercy, you might have more to say, but now what apologies can you make? What fig leaves can you find to cover your shameful nakedness, or color your wretched negligence? How came you here? Qua fronte? What can you say to excuse your brazen impudence, that dares approach such a presence in so sordid a habit, or rather miserably naked? The truth is, though witty sinners can find shifts enough to put off ministers' arguings, and silence the bawlings of conscience, yet how can their hearts endure, or hands be strong, when God shall deal with them? Their mouths shall be muzzled up in speechless, yet self-condemning astonishment: they must needs be condemned out of their own mouths. Oh consider, if yet you be without a treasure of grace, and rather ask your own heart some heart-awakening, than that God should ask you such astonishing interrogatories: as thus, say to your soul, my poor pining soul, How is it with you? What have you been doing? And what were you sent into the world for? What must become of you? What provision have you made for an eternal state? Where must you lodge, if you die this night? And let me propose to you these considerations:

1. If your soul be yet without a true treasure of a gracious principle, your condition is miserable, for you have no assurance of any more means to obtain it, nor to live another day, to hear another sermon, or of grace, to make the means effectual for your soul's good: Remember Esau; have you stood out so long, and do you now presume upon a longer day? Must the earth be forsaken for you? And shall God leave his ordinary road [reconstructed: to do] you good, step aside to meet with you? God sometimes does so, but what ground have you to expect it, that have abused grace so long?

2. Is not this emptiness of good a dreadful sign of rejection? Solomon says, He that has a froward heart finds no good: nothing does him good, word, nor rod; but he says, the heart of the prudent gets knowledge (Proverbs 17:20; Proverbs 18:15); may not you sadly fear judicial hardness, to punish willful negligence? One would have thought, if any good had been intended for you, that you should have been possessed of it before this: it's a black brand of reprobation to live long under melting ordinances, and be still hard and dead.

3. Willful neglect is an act of disingenuity to God, cruelty to your own souls, and the ready way to banish ordinances from posterity: What? Must God always hold you the candle to play by? Why is there a price in the hand of a fool, when there's no heart to improve it (Proverbs 17:5)? Be sure, if Satan finds you idle, he will set you to work; negligence is a sad prognostic, and preparative for eternal torment, and so much ease now, so much torment hereafter: Shall the God of Heaven always press kindness upon offending grace-abusing and refusing wretches? No, no, when love has said its errand, justice will act its part:

And 4. Your lost advantages will prove your bitterest torment, all men must be judged according to their receipts, and willful loiterers shall be punished according to their contempt of Gospel opportunities: Gospel despisers shall account poor heathens comparatively happy, though their companions in eternal misery: their bright sun of Gospel grace shall set in more utter darkness, and greater treasures of wrath shall be poured into those vessels, that shut out treasures of grace.

2. Another sort to be reproved, are empty and vain-glorious boasters, gilded hypocrites that pretend to a great treasure, but are sorry beggars: some devout Papists there are, which will tell you they have merit enough, both for themselves and others, that out of the abundant treasure of their good works, can furnish defective souls on earth, and deliver tormented souls out of Purgatory. But believe them not, they would make merchandise of souls, and draw them to delusions and damnation; Jesus Christ is our only treasury, there is nothing like merit in a mere creature. Angels in heaven stand by grace, having their confirmation by Christ; sure I am, they have no merits to spare, the wise virgins could not furnish others, but a boasting friar pretends he can: the most of his seeming good works will rather prejudice himself, than profit others, since they are generally that vain will-worship, that's coined in the mint of a wanton superstitious brain, and so make the commands of God to be of none effect, and provoke the Lord's wrath against the promoters and practicers thereof. But suppose a man could obey positive commands, in practicing all Scripture duties, and avoiding all prohibited sins, yet wherein has he to glory? Is he not still an unprofitable servant? Does he give God anything but his own? Is it not due debt? And is it by his own strength, or by the strength of God? And can he do what he does perfectly without the least tincture or stain of imperfection, or of defect? Let any mere creature show such good works as these, and let him climb up to heaven upon Acestus's rotten ladder, we are resolved to ascend on Jacob's ladder; let others seek their own merit, let right Christians study grace. I hope we shall be so wise to choose Bellarmine's dying safe way, rather than his disputing politic way to heaven, to repose all our trust in the mercy of God, and merits of Christ, rather than the tottering foundation of man's best righteousness, which is but a filthy rag, and will rather defile than cover our nakedness. But I principally design to lash such persons, as hypocritically and histrionically act the part of kings and emperors, but are poor despicable mushrooms, that pretend upon the stage of their fair profession to coffers of gold, and precious treasures of grace. But alas, follow them into withdrawing rooms of privacy, and you shall find them woefully destitute of all saving good; these poor souls conceit with counterfeit graces to purchase heaven! And by making lies their refuge to be secured from wrath. But alas, the God of heaven sees their false coin and self-flattering hearts; (Proverbs 16:2) "All the ways of man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits." Oh, how many hearts and ways would be found light, and wanting, if weighed in an even balance, even in the balance of the Sanctuary? At the last day it will be seen that there are wonderful self-cheating conceits and confidences: there are many false hearts under fair visors, but when these visors are plucked off, all shall appear in their colors. And oh, what strange sights will then be seen? When wicked men's foul insides are turned out, certainly they will be very abominable, though now every cunning hypocrite carries so closely, that none can detect him, or say black is his eye, yet a time shall come that shall bring every secret thing to light, and discover the guile of the deceitful usurer in religion; who thinks to truck for heaven with his stolen wares. Oh, how much better is a poor soul than such a self-deluding richling! That thinks he is something, yet he is nothing, and so deceives his own soul, plays the sophist, and puts a false syllogism upon himself, as the Apostle James speaks. How many are in a golden dream? That build castles in the air, and fancy they are kings; but, when they awake out of their frantic dreams do find themselves miserably mistaken! Solomon says, "Whoever boasts himself of a false gift, is like clouds and wind without rain" (Proverbs 25:14), that is, he that pretends to give or receive what is not real, but counterfeits either, renders himself ridiculous to men, and odious to God. Our Lord Jesus cursed the barren fig tree, to manifest his displeasure against hypocrisy; hypocrites are the most hateful of all persons, they are hated of wicked men for seeming good, they are hated of God and good men, for but seeming, and not being truly good. As hypocrites' fruit is like the apples of Sodom that look fair with a beautiful skin, but touch them, and they are dust: so are hypocrites' ends likely to be like that of Sodom, which God overthrew as in a moment. Indeed, these must be patterns to others of a more dreadful destruction; hence the phrase of appointing a portion with the hypocrites. But here comes in a carnal, sensual sot, and applies all this to the zealous professor, and will needs condemn him for a hypocrite, because he makes so great a show, and account himself a sincere saint, because he conceits his heart to be good; the former censure is contrary to Scripture, and this latter is contrary to their own sense and experience. For they may find, and God's children do feel that the heart is the worst part of the whole man; 'tis a man's ignorance of it that makes him imagine it is the best. The truth is, no man will commend this common cheater, but he that knows it not, for it is known to be desperately wicked, and 'tis deceitful, or a supplanter (as the word imports) that will trip up the heels of the Christian, and cheat him of his prize and reward. If ever you be undone, 'tis your heart that will undo you; you do brag of your heart, alas poor soul, you have cause to bewail it, and be afraid of it; and if conviction open you a window to look into it, you shall see a monstrous dreadful sight, that will make you out of love with yourself, and cause your heart to ache, if it do not break with godly sorrow. As for the children of God whom wicked men condemn, for making so great a show, I shall say but this, that it is the most unreasonable, uncharitableness in the world, to judge contrary to what we see, indeed, 'tis a blasphemous assuming to a man's self the property of God's Omniscience, to pretend to search the heart, in saying, the thoughts of the heart are opposite to the professions of the lips, and practices of the life. The Lord rebuke such railing Rabshakehs, as condemn all the generation of God's children, and that because of their holy world-condemning conversations; these moles cannot endure the light of saints' paths. Hence they say, "I warrant you these precise walkers are no better than their neighbors; if the truth were known, they are a company of dissemblers, and are rotten at the heart, Pharisee-like they make clean the outside of the cup, and condemn others as profane, and then bind it with an oath, they are as bad as themselves." And if a professor slip into an open sin, then they are confirmed in their censures, and conclude, they are all alike, a pack of dissemblers. And now the holiest saint (that hates such sins, and mourns for it, as his greatest burden) shall have his brother's miscarriage dashed in his teeth forever. But if a man might argue with these sottish, yet censorious souls, in a rational way, what could they answer? Are not they themselves worse than the loosest professors? And how far short do they fall of close-walking Christians? Should all be condemned for the sake of one? And should we not judge according to what we see, or can attain to the knowledge of? Is not the tree known to us by its fruits, and not by its roots, which are invisible to us? Lord, set these vain boasters a work in searching their own hearts, and examining their own selves, whether Christ be within them (as Paul directs the Corinthians in this very case) and this will cure their censorious spirits, and find them work enough to do at home. For as the eye that looks most abroad sees least within, so the most uncharitable censurers are the most empty, unprofitable professors. When a Christian that has most grace himself, judges best of others: and observe it, they that groundlessly judge others to be worse than they see apparent cause, will be judged by others in like manner in this world, and are in danger of a sad and just censure and sentence at the dreadful day of judgment. What then is the hope of the hypocrite when he has gained, when God takes away his soul?

3. Another sort to be reproved is the impious offenders, impenitent sinners, that verify the latter part of the text, and run a course directly contrary to this good man: An evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil things. How should it be otherwise? Men must needs act as they are: It was a proverb of the ancients, "Wickedness proceeds from the wicked" (1 Samuel 24:13). Such as the fountain is, such must needs be the streams; the fruit is answerable to the nature of the root and tree. The working forge of men's wicked hearts does sparkle forth suitable imaginations. Why are men so wicked in their lives? It is because they have more naughty hearts, for the cause has more in it than the effects. Oh, how many vassals of Satan and vessels of sin are replenishing and preparing for wrath? For as a good man's treasure prepares him to do the more good, so, too many are filling their souls with guilt; and harden their hearts by custom in sin, that they may be vile with less remorse, and swallow down iniquity, as the fish drinks in water. They cauterize their consciences, and twist a strong cord of customary sinning, that they may draw iniquity with cart-ropes, and do evil with both hands earnestly, that their hearts may not smite them with sense of remorse. As the scholar that Doctor Preston speaks of, who having committed a scandalous sin, that he could not rest by reason of terrors of conscience, the Devil persuaded him to commit that sin again, and he should be quiet — he did so, and afterwards could sin without remorse. Just so do many persons, who have worked an impudence in their foreheads by constant sinning, so that at last they are past feeling, having given themselves over to all lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness (Ephesians 4:19). The word "past feeling" imports remorselessness, senselessness, like a member benumbed, [reconstructed: seared], and this comes with custom in sinning. According to that, Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati — that is, the custom of sinning takes away the sense of sin. We are apt to wonder at the horrid abominations that break out, but if we do consider the prodigious wickedness of an atheistical heart, we may rather wonder that there is no more profaneness in the world. If the tongue be a world of iniquity, how many worlds of wickedness is there in a wicked heart? The thousandth part of corruption breaks not out, of that which is within. Surely did not God set bounds to men's raging lusts, the world would not be habitable for the saints. God restrains that wrath which shall not turn to his praise, and saints' advantage, and when wicked men have belched out as much rage as they can, there is a remnant yet behind (Psalm 76:10). We are fallen into the dregs of times, and iniquity does abound; there is a world of atheism, pride, uncleanness, swearing, drunkenness, gluttony, blasphemy, Sabbath-breaking, contempt, and scorning of religion; men break out, and blood touches blood. But, were there a casement or prospective, whereby a man might look into a carnal heart — oh what a filthy sink of unheard-of sin, and full nest of odious vipers might he behold? Certainly it would be the most dreadful sight in the world, far worse than to see the Devil in the ugliest hue. We may stand wondering at the fathomless, bottomless depth of wickedness in the heart of man; it is, says Luther, the treasure of evils, the fountain of poison, the head and original of all iniquity. Every man has that in his heart which he cannot believe is in him; but yet may and will break out in its season upon occasion — as in the known instance of Hazael. The truth is, the seed and spawn of all heresies, impieties, blasphemies, are in our nature. Reverend Mr. Greenham says, that if all errors, and the memorials of them were annihilated by the absolute power of God, so that there should not the least remembrance of them remain, yet there is enough in the heart of one man to revive them all again the next day. And I may add also as to profane practices: so that the wickedness that is in the world does not proceed from imitation of Adam's first sin (as Pelagians dream) at least not from there only, but also, and chiefly from the propagation of original corruption to all his posterity. For there is a habitual depravity entailed upon us, and transmitted to us from our first parents, which has its regency in the heart, and activity in the life. Romans 5 will stand firm against all Pelagian and Socinian adversaries, that both Adam and Christ our second Adam, do communicate to their seed that which is their own both by imputation and propagation — only the first Adam distributes filth, guilt, death; the second gives grace, righteousness and eternal life. It will remain as an undoubted maxim and sad experiment, that there is a habitual depravation, and deviation of our whole nature from the law of God. So that there is a universal corruption of the whole man — understanding, conscience, will, affections, and all the members of the body. Now this propagation (divines commonly say) is two ways.

1. By divine appointment and designation, whatever Adam received or lost should be not only for himself, but for his posterity, being a public person, so God leaves the soul in respect of his image, and hence follows defect of original righteousness; this, he does not as author of sin, but as a righteous Judge.

2. By natural generation, as sweet oil poured into a fusty vessel loses its pureness, being infected by the vessel, so the soul created good, and put into the corrupt body, receives contagion from there: this putting a pure soul into a corrupt body is a just punishment of the sin of all men in Adam. So some: But this is generally agreed upon, that original sin is not in some men more, in some less, but in every man equally, as all men do equally from Adam participate the nature of man, and are equally the children of wrath: and the reason why some are more civil, others outrageous, proceeds from God's bridling some and leaving others: and truly restraining grace is a choice mercy in its kind, else what would not men do? Or rather, what would they not do? The truth is, the original of sin is within, every man is tempted when he is drawn away, and enticed of his own lust, says the Apostle, there lust is the father, and lust when it has conceived brings forth sin, there lust is the mother too: hence says one, there's no sin but might be committed, if Satan were dead and buried — original sin is (virtually) every sin, and could one kill the Devil, yet you cannot name the sin that original lust would not entice a man to. Suppose it possible for a man to be separated from the contagious company of wicked men, and out of the reach of Satan's suggestions, indeed to converse in the midst of renowned saints, yet that man has enough in himself to beget, conceive, bring forth, and consummate all actual sins. Well then, sirs, let all men behold the foul face of their hearts in the pure glass of the Law of God, and they shall see a strange and astonishing spectacle; which would end either in evangelical repentance or final despair, as one says, — If apparitions make us sad, By sight of sin we should grow mad. Herbert. There is a necessary and profitable sight of sin, which drives the soul out of itself to Jesus Christ: O labor for that, take the candle of the Word, and go down into the dark dungeon of your hearts, search yourselves, lest the Lord search you as with candles, know and acknowledge the plague of your own hearts, be not afraid to know the worst of yourselves, it is better we should set our sins in order before us (while there is hope of pardon) for our humiliation, than that God should set them in order before us, at the great and last day, for our eternal condemnation: we may say of an impenitent soul, as the Prophet of his servant, Lord open his eyes, and surely he shall see a troop of lusts. The mountain of his proud heart is covered with monstrous armed sins, that fight against the soul: Oh that the thoughts of your hearts may be discovered, pardoned, and purged out, lest by willful sinning, you heap up wrath against the day of wrath, and your souls perish for want of a treasure of grace, and by reason of this dreadful treasure of sin and guilt.