Lastly, Consider how he will treat them at the last day: Luke xix. 27, "Those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." He is the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world; but he will be as a lion to them that will not do what he says, when he cometh in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Thess. i. 8, 9. In vain will they then call him Lord, and plead their eating and drinking in his presence, Luke xiii. 25, 26, 27. 5. There is a great evil in calling Christ Lord, and not doing what he says; an evil that highly provokes him, as casting dishonour on him in a very special manner. There is something in it, that, so to speak, touches to the quick, beyond the dishonour done to him by others: Rev. iii. 15, 16, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." 1st, Their sins and looseness of life reflect a peculiar dishonour on him, as pretending a relation to him: Rom. ii. 24, "For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles, through you." How do ye think yourselves touched and affronted with the miscarriages of your children and servants? Learn from that, how Christ takes with your sins and looseness of life. They are a blaspheming of his name and doctrine, calling him, in effect, the minister of sin, 1 Tim. vi. 1; Tit. ii. 4, 5. It is not in the power of open enemies to reach him such a blow. 2dly, They do Satan a peculiar pleasure. If there is any of the dust that is the serpent's meat, that relishes better with him than the rest, it is the sins and miscarriages of those that call Christ Lord that is a feast for him; he will do more for it than for other ten, Job i. 7, 8. As there is joy in heaven at a sinner's repentance, there is a joy in hell among the devil and his angels at the falls of those that call Christ Lord. The enemy takes a peculiar pleasure and pride, in having not only his own professed servants, but others in Christ's livery following and serving him. In that, he can vie with Christ for a good master before the blind world, when he can shew them so many at his back; that sometimes gave their names to Christ. 3dly, They wound the heart of the real children of God, and make the whole family sigh more heavily, than the sins of others would do, Psal. Iv. 12. Where the sins of open enemies do but scratch like a pin, theirs will pierce like a sword, Cant. i. 6. It covers them with shame, fills them with sorrow and indignation, and makes them weary of their post; as it did the prophet, Jer. ix. 2, "Oh, that I had in the wilderness a lodging-place of wayfaring men, that I might leave my people, and go from them for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men." What wonder then, that Christ the master of the family resent it dreadfully? 6.* Christ will disown them for his servants, that in their practice disown him for their Lord, not doing what he says. They count the duty of servants grievous to them, and therefore he will divest them of the honour and privilege of his servants. They secretly loath him and his service, however fair they carry it, calling him Lord; and he will let all the world see that his soul loaths them, Rev. iii. 16. "Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." And this he doth two ways. 1st, Spuing them out of his mouth unto the earth; whereas before they were exalted unto heaven, in respect of hopefulness of their souls' case, and of external church-privileges. In Scripture style, the church is called heaven, professors the sons of God: the devil's kingdom, or the world lying in wickedness, is called the earth, the children of men, Gen. vi. 2; and xi. 1; Rev. xii. 4. The gospel is Christ's call to sinners to come out of the world lying in wickedness and be separate from them, joining themselves to the church, the family of God. Many profess to come away, and join so, and solemnly declare it by the partaking of the Lord's table: but though they so call him Lord, they do not the things that he says. And our jealous Lord being provoked with it spues them out, and in the sight of the world throws them back unto the earth they said they came from; and there they lie again amidst the world lying in wicked ness. Three things concur in this awful dispensation. (1.) They are let fall into the mire of some gross pollution of the outward man: 2 Pet. ii. 22, "It is happened unto them, according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and, The sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire." Cain turns a murderer, Judas a betrayer of his master, Ananias and Sapphira liars, Demas a lover of the world, Jezebel and her children in Thyatira fall into adultery and fornication, &c. Rev. ii. 20, 21, 22, 23. (2.) Their leaf of appearance in religion falls. Though they get space, they get no grace to repent and cover, Rev. ii. 21; * The author, after recapitulating what he had delivered on the second doctrine, delivered what follows to the end of this discourse on a fast-day before the communion at Ettrick, August 14, 1728. but they are from that time blasted, wither, and fade away: John xv. 6, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." And they turn just the hue of the rest of the world lying in wickedness; spiritual death is painted in their faces; whereof this generation affords many frightful instances: Luke viii. 18, "Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have." (3.) Hence they lose their new name, and get their old one back again. What credit or reputation they had for religion and seriousness, is blown up. Their name stinks in that case among the serious godly, and they look upon them as none of theirs, Is. lxv. 15, "And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name." This is an awful case, Zech. xi. 8. "Three shepherds also I cut off in one month, and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me." 2dly, Spueing them out of his mouth into the pit, at the last day: Luke xiii. 27, 28. "He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence you are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." In vain will they then cry, "Lord, Lord open to us: Matth. xxv. 11, 12, "Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." In vain will they plead their eating and drinking in his presence. They called him Lord; but they walked with the workers of iniquity, and they will be led forth with them: Psal. cxxv. 5, "As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity." They will see that he will count it inconsistent with his honour to own them: Mark viii. 38, "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this audulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels." They got their names enrolled in the visible church, among his servants; but he will blot them out publicly: Exod. xxxii. 33, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book." Compared with Rev. iii. 5, "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." 7. Men are ruined in this way, because they do not consider it. It is want of consideration that leaves them at ease, calling Christ Lord, and yet not doing what he says: Is. xliv. 20, "He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" They are out of their place, like a wandering bird, Prov. xxvii. 8; and they are easy in it, because they are out of themselves, out of their wits, like the prodigal, Luke xv. 17. They consider not this matter. 1st, They call Christ Lord, and so bribe and soothe their blind and sleepy consciences. If they should give up with all pretensions to Christ and religion, they could have no peace with their consciences: therefore they will attend ordinances; hear the word, though they will not do it; pray in secret or in their families, though perhaps out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing; they will partake of the Lord's table, though they will not give up with the table of devils. These things flatter their consciences to be easy; as was the case with Micah, Judg. xvii. 13, "Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest." 2dly, They do not the things that he says however, and so satisfy their unmortified lusts. Thus they please both parties within them. Their saying fair pleases their conscience; and their not doing what Christ says, pleases their lusts. They have no more ado with Christ, but to be called by his name. For the rest, they will "eat their own bread, and wear their own apparel," and will not make their religion burdensome to their lusts by mortification and tender walking; and so they are easy on that side. But there are three things they do not consider. (1.) What inconsistency is in this course: 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15, "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" It is made up of contradictions. Their profession condemns their practice as abominable; and their practice condemns their profession as horrid juggling and dissembling with God. Ye pray for pardon of sin as a crime, and yet return to it with delight that God would make you holy; and yet ye will not part with your lusts, but have a horror of being bound up to a holy walk that God would at length receive you into heaven; and yet if you were there even now in the temper ye are in, you would flee out of it as from a hell, because ye have not relish of either person or thing that is there, and for nothing but what is not there. (2.) How heinously the Lord Christ takes it, that men should yoke Satan's service with his, 2 Cor. vi. 15, forecited. He looks on it as highly dishonourable to him, and after a sort more than if 1 they should profess themselves none of his, Rev. iii. 16, forecited. (3.) What the end of such a course will be, what it will issue in at length: Deut. xxxii. 29, "O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!" It cannot miss of a fearful issue: Is. 1. 11, "Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow." Psal. cxxv. 5, "As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity." See it in the parable of the foolish builder, the foolish virgins, the tares among the wheat, the man at the marriage-supper without the weddinggarment, &c. It is pity men should not consider timely. 8. Lastly, People ought to consider it, see what account they can make of it, and how they will answer it. And, 1st, How they will answer it to their own consciences. Conscience may be asleep now, but it will certainly awaken: and the longer it be in awakening, it will be the more severe when it is roused, as in the case of Belshazzar and Felix. Ye cannot shun a reckoning with your conscience. As silent as it is, ye will find it has marked your ways in its book: Prov. xx. 27, "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly." And if conscience condemn you as hypocritical pretenders to Christ, what will come of you? 1 John iii. 20, "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." And if ye die with an ill conscience, it will be a gnawing worm for ever. 2dly, How they will answer it to the Lord Christ in the judgment. There will be a day of judgment, wherein the tribunal will be set, the books opened, and men's whole lives will be called over: Eccl. xii. 14, "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." And every one will be judged according to his works: 2 Cor. v. 10, "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath |