The change from grace to glory is acknowledged by all, and that justly, to be a wonderful change for God to take a poor crea- ture out of the society of sinful men ; yea, from under the burden of many sinful infirmities, which made him groan from day to day in this world ; and in a moment to make him a complete and per- fect soul, shining in the beauties of holiness, and filling him as a vessel of glory, with the unspeakable and inconceivable joys of his presence ; to turn his groanings into triumphs, his fightings into songs of praise ; this, I say, is marvellous, and yet the former change from sin to grace is • no way inferior to it, nay, in some respect, beyond it ; for the change which glory makes upon the regenerate is but a gradual change, but the change which regenera- tion makes upon the ungodly is a specifical change. Great and admirable is this work of God ; and let it for ever be marvellous in our eyes.
Inf. 3. If itnregencrate souls be dead souls, what a fatal stroke doth death give to the bodies of all unregenerate men ? A soul dead in sin, and a body dead by virtue of the curse for sin, and both soul and body remaining for ever under the power of eternal death, is so full and perfect a misery, as that nothing can be added to make it more miserable : It is the comfort of a Christian that he can say when death comes, Non omnis moriar, I shall not wholly die ; there is a life I live which death cannot touch, Rom. viii. 13. " The " body is dead, because of sin ; but the spirit is life because of " righteousness.'" Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection : on such the second death hath no power. As death takes the believer from amidst many sorrows and troubles, and brings him to the vision of God, to the general assembly of all the perfected saints, to a state of complete freedom and full satisfac- tion ; so it drags the unregenerate from all his sensitive delights
430 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. XXXI,
and comforts, to the place of torment : it buries the dead soul out of the presence of God for ever : it is the king of terrors, a serpent with a deadly sting to every man that is out of Christ.
Inf. 4. If every unregenerate soul be a dead soul, how sad is the case of hypocrites and temporary believers, wlw are twice dead f These are those cursed trees, of which the apostle Jude speaks, Jude ver. 12. ■' Trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice " dead, plucked up by the roots."" The apostle alludes unto dying trees, trees that are dying the first time in the spring, then they fade, decay, and cast off their leaves, when other trees are fragrant and flourishing : but from this first death they are sometimes recovered, by pruning, dressing, or watering the roots ; but if in autumn, they decay again, which is the critical and climacterical times of trees, to discover whether their disease be mortal or not ; if then they wither and decay the second time, the fault is ab intra, the root is rotten, there is no hope of it ; the husbandmen bestows no more labour about it, except it be to root it up for fuel to the fire. Just thus stands the case with false and hypocritical professors, who though they were still under the power of spiritual death, yet in the beginning of their profession, they seemed to be alive; they shewed the world the fragrant leaves of a fair profession, many hopeful buddings of affection towards spiritual things were seen in them, but wanting a root of regeneration, they quickly began to wither and cast their untimely fruit. However, by the help of or- dinances, or some rousing and awakening providences, they seem to recover themselves again ; but all will not do, the fault is ab in- tra, from the want of a good root, and therefore, at last, they who were always once dead, for want of a principle of regeneration, are now become twice dead, by the withering and decay of their vain profession. Such trees are prepared for the severest flames in hell, Matth. xxiv. 51. their portion is the saddest portion allotted for any of the sons of death. Therefore the apostle Peter tells us, 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21. " For if, after they have escaped the pollutions " of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour " Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome ; " the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it " had been better for them not to have known the way of righte- " ousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy " commandment delivered unto them." Double measures of wrath seem to be prepared for them that die this double death.
Inf. 5. If this be so, then unregenerate 'persons deserve the greatest lamentations. And were this truth heartily believed, we could not but mourn over them, with the most tender compassion and hearty sorrow. If our husbands, wives3 or children are dying a natural
SERM. XXXII. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 431
death, how are our hearts rent in pieces with pity and sorrow for them ? What cries, tears, and wringing of hands, discover the deep sense we have of their misery ! O Christians, is all the love you have for your relations spent upon their bodies ? Are their souls of no value in your eyes ? Is spiritual death no misery ? Doth it not de- serve a tear ? The Lord open your eyes, and duly affect your hearts with spiritual death and soul miseries.
Consider, my friends, and let it move your bowels, (if there be bowels of affection in you,) whilst they remain spiritually dead, they are useless and wholly unserviceable unto God in the world, as to any special and acceptable service unto him, 2 Tim. ii. 21. they are incapable of all spiritual comforts from God ; they cannot taste the least sweetness in Christ, in duties, or in promises, Rom. viii. 6. they have no beauty in their souls, how comely soever their bodies are ; it is grace, and nothing but grace that beautifies the inner man, Ezek. xvi. 6, 7. The dead have neither comfort nor beauty in them : they have no hope to be with God in glory ; for the life of glory is begun in grace, Phil. i. 6. their graves must be shortly made, to be buried out of the sight of God for ever in the lowest hell, the pit digged by justice for all that are spiritually dead : the dead must be buried. Can such considerations as these draw no pity from your souls, nor excite your endeavours for their regenera- tion ? then it is to be feared your souls are dead as well as theirs. O pity them, pity them, and pray for them ; in this case only, prayers for the dead are our duty : who knows but at the last, God may hear your cries, and you may say with comfort, as he did, " This " my son was dead, but is alive ; was lost, but is found ; and they " began to be merry," Luke xv. 24.
The Condemnation of Unbelievers, illustrated and applied,
But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.