Doctrine

DOCTRINE.

All impenitent sinners are foolish and mad, and therefore shall not stand in God's sight; which will render them extremely miserable.

There are three propositions contained in this doctrine.

Prop. 1. That all impenitent sinners are foolish and mad.

There are a sort of persons in the world, whom God in his word, is pleased to put the character of fools and mad men upon, who are neither naturals, or void of the use of reason, considered as men; nor yet bereft of their understandings, through occasional dotage or frenzy in that respect: and who are they? We have a summary account of them (Jeremiah 4:22): "My people is foolish, they have not known me, they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." The sum is, all sinners, remaining in their natural estate belong to this character; and hence sin and folly are, in Scripture, terms equivalent. Here we may, in particular, briefly come at this in three steps.

1. All sin is folly. And hence so much sin [illegible] remains in the godly, so much foolishness there abides with them. This the Psalmist confesses of himself (Psalms 69:5): "O God, you know my foolishness." Every time a person commits any sin, he has just reason to say of himself, as he (1 Samuel 26:21), "I have sinned, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly." And it must needs be so, for every sin is an act of disobedience to that God, on whom we have our entire dependence, and to whom we owe ourselves and our whole lives: it is an act of rebellion against that God whom we are bound to subject ourselves to, and is able to destroy us for that rebellion. It is a forsaking the fountain of living waters, and digging of broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:12). It is a preferring of lying vanities before everlasting mercies (Jeremiah 2:8). It is a provoking of God to jealousy (1 Corinthians 10:22). And we are not stronger than he. It is an entering of the lists of contention with him, a running upon him, even his neck, on the thick bosses of his buckler (Job 15:26). It is for a worm to bid a challenge to Omnipotency itself: yes, what shall I say? There are uncountable follies attend the commission of every sin; and no wisdom at all.

2. That hence all they that are under the dominion of sin, are egregious fools. There is folly cleaving to the best of God's children here, as long as they [illegible] body of death to carry about with them; and it shows itself in every stirring of the corrupt [illegible] but yet they have the principles of the true wisdom in them; they are such as are made wise to salvation. But as for those in whom there are no seeds of saving grace sown, but they yet remain in their natural estate, folly is bound up in their hearts, and they have no other principle in them. As to their understandings, they are foolish and perverse, they call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). As to their wills and affections, they are engaged (Ecclesiastes 8:11): "The heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." They do nothing at all with a sincere aim at the glory of God, and the furtherance of their own salvation: yes, their whole life is a continual progress in the way that leads to destruction; hence we have that put into their description (Romans 3:16, 17), "Destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known."

3. That impenitent sinners are the greatest fools of all. The Word of God often uses these words [Sinners, Fools, Wicked] emphatically, for such as are peculiarly so: and then it intends either, (1.) Such as live in most notorious and prodigious sins; thus a common whore is called a sinner more than once in the Gospel: or (2.) Such as remain obstinate and impenitent in their sins under, and notwithstanding means used to win them to repentance. Now the means used with them are of two sorts. (1.) Such as are afforded to the Gentiles, who have not the Gospel, namely, the light of a natural conscience, and the common strivings of the Spirit of God in them; they are therefore said to be a law to themselves, and their consciences to bear witness, and either to accuse or excuse (Romans 2:14, 15), and the providences of God, which ought to be improved by that light, to excite them to repentance: thus the goodness of God is said to lead to it (Romans 2:4), and his common benefits are called witnesses (Acts 14:17), his judgments also are that the inhabitants of the world may learn righteousness (Isaiah 26:9). (2) Such as those enjoy who sit under the means of grace, wherein God shows them the evil and danger of their sins, and not only invites them to repentance, but also gives them all suitable directions, and the greatest imaginable encouragements to help them in it; and these are afforded to such as are in the Covenant with him (Psalm 147:19, 20): he shows his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgments to Israel: he has not dealt so with any nation. Impenitence in the former of these is a note of inexcusable folly; and so it is charged on their foolish minds (Romans 1:21). How much more then may it be imputed to the latter, and their folly be reputed the paroxysm of madness? Inasmuch as they have a price in their hands, and have not a heart to make use of it; and from where is that, but because they are fools; according to Proverbs 17:16: Therefore is there a price in the hands of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he has no heart to it? They have life and death set before them, and they choose death; they have the way to escape the wrath of God, and obtain eternal life, and regard it not; they are told where their sinful courses do lead, and where they will end, and yet they will take no warnings, but run wilfully and violently on to their own destruction, like that fool (Proverbs 7:22, 23): he goes after her straightway, as the ox goes to the slaughter, and as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till a dart strike through his liver, as a bird hastens to the snare, and knows not that it is for his life. They are invited and entreated to be reconciled to God, and to put away their sins by repentance, and they mind it not, but stop their ears, and harden their hearts, and turn their backs; they have a day of visitation, in which the things of their peace are set before them, and do not know it; they see others of their fellow sinners cut off by God's awful judgments, and it makes no impression upon them. Yes, they themselves are brought to sorrow and shame; and still they will not be reclaimed: and were not madness in their heart, could they do so?

Prop. 2. That therefore such sinners shall not stand in the sight of God.

Could that Philistian prince say (1 Samuel 21:14, 15), the man is mad, therefore then have you brought him to me? Have I need of mad men? &c. And will not God declare as much concerning these? Yes, he has said it, Text. Here two things.

1. That no such as these shall stand in God's sight. That this is so, our Text fully asserts, and many other parallel Scriptures confirm. All that lies before us at present, is to consider what is implied in this. The words are a threatening, and indeed a very awful one, as will presently appear. Here then let it be observed, that the expression may refer either to the time present, or that which is to come.

1. With respect to the time present; and then it intends that God will cut short their lives, and hurry them out of the world before they should have died, according to the ordinary course of nature; hence we read (Psalm 55:23), bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; and (Ecclesiastes 7:17), be not wicked overmuch, why should you die before the time? It is a common favor which God allows to men as he sees meet, to spare them, and let them fill up their number of days; whereas such fools have reason to expect to be debarred of this privilege, and posted away before hand. But I insist not here, though this also affords matter of awful consideration.

2. With respect to the time to come: and then to stand in God's sight, intends to enjoy his special favor and love, and we have this infelicity expounded in Isaiah 27:11, and there are two seasons wherein they shall be debarred of this favor.

1. In the day of Judgment. In some sense all must stand before him then; that is, all shall be cited to make their personal appearance before God, and receive their doom; but by standing then, we are to understand their being acquitted and accepted, and acknowledged by him as his redeemed; these only are said to stand then; whereas these fools shall fall before the Judge; they shall be utterly disclaimed by him, he will say to them, Depart, I know you not (Matthew 7:23), they shall be condemned and have a sentence of death pronounced on them (Matthew 25:41), Depart you cursed, and in this respect it is said (Psalm 1:5), the ungodly shall not stand in the Judgment.

2. In the eternal kingdom; into which the righteous shall be received, and partake in the everlasting vision of God, these shall then be excluded (Matthew 8:12): The children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. We observed that the word signifies, a settled condition: Heaven is the godly man's inheritance, and when he comes there, he shall settle to remove no more; but there is no settlement for these, but an everlasting exclusion from the presence of God, which is a punishment ordained for them (2 Thessalonians 1:9), they shall never have one look of pity or compassion from God any more for ever.

2. That the reason of this is, because they are such fools, this will appear, if we consider,

That all men are foolish in their natural estate, state, it is bred in, and born with them; it is the wise man's observation in (Proverbs 22:15): foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, and we have it more distinctly set forth in (Psalm 58:3-5): the wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Ignorance of God, and alienation from him is rooted in the hearts of all the posterity of sinful Adam, and the Apostle gives us a true account how it is with every natural man, before regenerating grace has renewed him (Ephesians 4:18): having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

That yet there are a great many of these that shall stand in God's sight. God has not left this foolish and sinful race without all hope. The doctrine before us, is not to drive the wretched children of men to despair. There have been such as have added to their natural folly, prodigious wickednesses, whereby they have expressed the height of their madness, who yet notwithstanding have been made partakers in this grace, to be heaven's favorites, and taken near to God, and entitled to all the glories of his Kingdom, what says the Apostle? "Neither fornicators, &c shall inherit the Kingdom of God, and such were some of you, but you are washed, &c" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). And he puts himself in the number, in that declaration of his (Titus 3:3): "for we ourselves also were sometime foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving of divers lusts and pleasures, &c."

That in order to this they must be made wise. Though God saves such as have been foolish, yet he does not save them in their folly, but from it. God hates sin, and it is his holy and pure nature that is displayed in his so doing, as (Habakkuk 1:13): you are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity. There must therefore be a change wrought in them, they must be cured of this distemper, in order to their obtaining of this privilege, though God be gracious, yet he is holy; and will not baulk this holiness of his, but display it in the application of his grace to sinful men. There must therefore a work of sanctification pass upon them, in which sin must be subdued, and grace must be implanted in them.

That God offers this wisdom to all that live under the Gospel, and invites them to seek to him for it. Herein God shows his good will to such, in that he has told them wherein the true wisdom consists (Job 28:28): to man he says, the fear of God, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. And has pointed them to know where it is treasured, namely in Christ (Colossians 2:13): in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, bids them come to him for it, and encourages them so to do (James 1:5): if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, that gives to all men liberally and upbraids not, and it shall be given him. Yes, and expostulates with sinners about their refusing of it, as one that is grieved (Proverbs 1:22): how long you simple ones, will you love simplicity? and you scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Hence it is by their impenitency that sinners procure this to themselves. If they would have hearkened to God's voice, and received instruction, it had not been so: but because they have hardened their hearts against all counsel, and would not receive his reproofs, though he followed them with repeated cries and calls, and tried all courses with them to wonderful long suffering, he therefore puts them out of his sight, and they shall fall before his judgment. Hitherto therefore God reduces the reason, and lays the charge on which the threatening is built (Proverbs 1:24, &c.): because I have called, and you refused, &c. I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes, &c.

Prop. 3. That this will render them extremely miserable.

The Psalmist is here setting forth the miserable state of impenitent sinners; and the sum of all infelicity is contained in this very thing. Observe therefore;

That it is a woful infelicity for a sinner to be every day exposed to destruction, to have the wrath of God continually impending over him, to be in the state mentioned (Psalm 7:11): God is angry with the wicked every day. To have the arm of divine vengeance up, with the glittering sword of revenging justice, ready to give him the deadly stroke; to have nothing before him but a fearful expectation of fiery indignation which shall devour him, when it lights upon him; in the fullness of his strength and folly, to fall upon him, and send him down to the pit of endless misery. Such is the condition of impenitent sinners at the best; read at leisure (Job 18:5) to end, and you shall find it there astonishingly described, and see (1 Thessalonians 5:3): when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.

Their condition must needs be fearful who shall fall before God in the judgment: who shall not be able to stand, when they shall appear before him in the great and terrible day. It is a dreadful thing to stand at a human bar, and to have sentence of death pronounced upon one by the judge; it fills the bystanders with consternation, and what horror has seized such as have been under it? What shrieks, and cries have they uttered! What will it then be when the Judge of all the earth shall say to the man, as (Matthew 21:41): depart you cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Which sentence will be immediately followed with as terrible an execution? And yet such is the portion of impenitent sinners.

That to lose the sight and favor of God for ever, is the quintessence of everlasting miseries; what says the Psalmist (Psalm 30:5), in your favor is life. (Psalm 63:3) your loving kindness is better than life. (Psalm 16, last verse) in your presence is fulness of joys; and the Apostle thought he had backed his exhortation with a most potent argument in (Hebrews 12:14), follow after holiness, without which no man shall see God; in his light only can we see light; and there is nothing but outer darkness out of it. He that loses God, loses all: there is nothing but destruction that accompanies this exclusion (Hosea 9:12), Wo to them when I depart from them, they fall under God's indignation; and we are told (Psalm 11:6), upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup. How miserable then must these forlorn creatures needs be!