Chapter 18: Hungry Waves Gape for Sinners — Leave Your Sins to Escape

Like hungry Lions, Waves for Sinners gape: Leave then your Sins behind, if you'll escape.

OBSERVATION.

THE Waves of the Sea are sometimes raised by God's Commission, to be Executioners of his Threatnings upon sinners. When Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord to Tarshish, the Text says, The Lord sent out a great Wind into the Sea, and there was a mighty Tempest, so that the Ship was like to be broken, Joh. 1. 4. These were God's Bailiffs, to arrest the Run-away Prophet. And Psalm 148:8. The stormy winds are said to fulfil his word; not only his word of Command, in rising when God bids them, but his word of threatning also. And hence it is called a destroying wind, Jeremiah 51:1. and a stormy wind in God's fury, Ezekiel 13:13.

APPLICATION.

If these be the Executioners of the Lord's threatnings, how sad then is their condition that put forth to Sea under the guilt of all their sins? O, if God should commissionate the Winds to go after and arrest you for all you owest him, where are you then? How dare you put forth under the power of a Divine threat, before all be cleared between God and you? Sins in Scripture are called debts, Matthew 6:12. They are debts to God; not that we owe them to him, or ought to sin, but Metonymically, because they render the Sinner obnoxious to God's Judgments, even as pecuniary debts oblige him that has not wherewith to pay, to suffer punishment. All sinners must undergo the Curse, either in their own person, according to the express letter of the Law, Genesis 2:17. Galatians 3:10. or their surety, according to the tacite intent of the Law, manifested to be the mind of the Law-giver, Genesis 3:15. Galatians 3:13, 14.

Now he that by Faith has Interest in his Surety, has his Discharge, his Quietus est, sealed in the Blood of Christ; all Process at Law, or from the Law, is stopt Romans 8:1. But if you be an impenitent, persisting sinner, your debt remains upon your own score. And be sure your sin will find you out, where-ever you go, Numbers 32:23. (i. e.) God's revenging hand for sin will be upon you: You maist lose the sight and memory of your sin, but they lose not the sight of you; they follow after, as the Hound does the fleeting game upon the scent, till they have fetcht you up: And then consider, How fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God, Hebrews 10:31. How soon may a storm arrest, and bring you before the Bar of God?

REFLECTION.

O my Soul, what a case are you in, if this be so? Are not all your sins yet upon your own score? Hast not you mane light of Christ, and that precious Blood of his, and hitherto persisted in your Rebellion against him? And what can the issue of this be at last, but ruine? There is abundant mercy indeed for returning sinners; but the Gospel speaks of none for persisting and impenitent sinners. And though many who are going on in their sins are overtaken by Grace, yet there is no Grace promised to such as go on in sin. O, if God should arrest me by the next Storm, and call me to an account for all that I owe him, I must then lie in the Prison of Hell to all Eternity; for I can never pay the debt; in fact, all the Angels in Heaven cannot satisfie for it. Being Christless, I am under all the Curses in the Book of God; a Child of Hagar. Lord, pity and spare me a little longer! O discover your Christ to me, and give me Faith in his Blood, and then you are fully satisfied at once, and I discharged for ever. O require not the debt at my hand, for then you will never be satisfied, nor I acquitted. What profit, Lord, is there in my Blood! O my soul, make hast to this Christ, your Refuge-City; you know not how soon the avenger of Blood may overtake you.

THE POEM.

Your sins are debts, God puts them to account:

Canst tell, poor wretch, to what your debts amount?

You fill'st the treasure of your sins each hour.

Into his Vials God does also pour

Proportionable wrath: You see it not;

But yet assure your self, there's drop for drop.

For every Sand of Patience running out,

A drop of Wrath runs in. Soul, look about.

God's Treasure's almost full, as well as your:

When both are full, O then the dreadful time

Of Reckoning comes; you shalt not gain a day

Of patience more, but then there hastes away

Heaven's Pursivant, who comes upon the wing

With his Commission seal'd, to take and bring.

Do'st still reject Christ's tenders? Well, next storm

May be the Bailiff ordered to perform

This dreadful office. O then restless be,

Till God in Christ be reconcil'd to you.

The Sum is great, but if a Christ you get,

Fear not, a Prince can pay a Beggar's debt.

Now if the Storm should rise, you need not fear;

You are, but the Delinquent is not there.

A pardoned Soul to Sea may boldly go:

He fears not Bailiffs, that does nothing owe.