Answ. No : my heart cannot endure, nor my hands be strong, when God shall have to do with me upon this account. I cannot bear his wrath ; angels could not bear it ; it hath sunk them into the depths of misery. Those that feel but a few sparks of it in their con- sciences here, are even distracted by it, Psalm Ixxxviii. 15. Christ himself had never borne up under it, had it not been supported by the infinite power of the divine nature, Isa. xliii. 1 . " Behold mv Ser- " vant whom I uphold." How then shall I live, when God doth this ? what will be done in the dry tree ^ Oh ! there is no abiding of it, it is insufferable ! " The sinners in Zion are afraid : trembling " surprizeth the hypocrite: who among us shall dwell with the de- " vouring fire ? Who can endure the everlasting burning ?" Isa, xxxiii. 14.
S36 THE seaman's catechism.
Quest 9. If it cannot be borne, is there any way to prevent it ?
Answ. Yes, there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. And herein lam in better case than the damned; I have the [may he's} o^ mercy, and they have not. Oh 1 what would they give for a pos- sibility of salvation ? Isa. i. 16, 17, 18. " AVash ye, make you clean, " put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; cease to *' do evil, learn to do well,"" 4*^- " Come now, let us reason to- " gether : and though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as snow."** Isa. Iv. 7. " Let the wicked forsake his wav, and the unrighteous " man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and he will " have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly ^' pardon."" Though my disease be dangerous, it is not desperate, it doth not scorn a remedy. Oh ! there is balm in Gilead, and a physician there. There is yet a possibility, not only of recovering my primitive glory, but to be set in a better case than ever Adam was.
Quest. 10. How may that be.?
Answ. By going to the Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. viii. 1. " There '* is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Je- " sus."*"* Rom. viii. 33, 34. " Who shall lay any thing to the '* charge of God"'s elect ? It is God that justifieth, Who is he that " condemneth .'' It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen
Quest. 11. But what is it to go to Christ.'*
Answ. To go to Christ, is to * embrace him in his -(- person and J offices, and to rest § entirely and closely upon him for || pardon of sin, and ** eternal life : being deeply -f-^ sensible of the want and worth of him. John i. 12. " To as many as [received] him, he gave «' power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed " on his name."" John iii. 36. " He that believeth [on the Son] " hath life.'"" 1 Cor. i. 30. " And of him are ye in Christ Jesus, " who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification " and redemption."" Acts iv. 12. " Neither is there salvation in " any other,'' 4'C. Acts xiii. 39- " And by him all that believe are " [justified from all things,] from which ye could not be justified by " the law of Moses."" Isa. xlv. 22. " Look unto me and be ye '' saved."" Acts ii. 37. " Now when they heard this they were " pricked to the heart,'' &^c.
Quest. 12. But will Christ receive me, if I go to him ?
Answ. Yes, yes ; he is more ready to receive thee, than thou art to come to him; Luke xv. 20. " And he arose, and came to his fa- " ther: but, when he was vet a great way off', his father saw him, " and had compassion on him, and ran, and fell on his neck, and " kissed him." The son doth but go, the father ran ; if he had but received him into the house, it had been much ; but he fell on his
* John i. 12. t John iii. 56. \ 1 Cor. i. 50. § Acts iv. 12.
ij Acts xiii. 59. •* Isa. xIt. 22. ft Acts ii. 37.
THE seaman's catechism. 33T
neck, and kissed him. He bespeaks him, much after that rate he expressed himself to returning Ephraim : " My bowels are troubled " for him ; I will surely have mercy on him,"" Jer. xxxi. 20. There is not the least parenthesis in all the pages of free-grace, to exclude a soul that is sincerely willing to come to Christ.
Quest. 13. But how may it appear that he is willing to receive me.^
Answ. Make trial of him thyself. If thou didst but know his heart to poor sinners, you would not question it. Believe what he saith in the gospel ; there thou shalt find that he is a willing Saviour ; for therein thou hast, first, his most serious invitations, Mat. xi. 28. " Come unto me, ye that are weary and heavy laden." Isa. Iv. 1. " Ho ! every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters." These se- rious invitations are, secondly, backed and confirmed with an oath, Ezek. xxxv. 11. "As I live, I desire not the death of a sinner.'' Thirdly, Amplified with pathetical wishes, sighs and groans, Luke xix. 42. " Oh ! that thou hadst known, even thou, at least, in this '• thy day."" Fourthly, Yea, delivered unto them in undissembled tears. Mat. xxiii. 37, 38. " He wept over it, and said, O Jerusalem, " Jerusalem !" Fifthly, Nay, he hath shed not only tears, but blood, to convince thee of his willingness. View him in his dying posture upon the cross, stretching out his dying arras to gather thee, hanging down his blessed head to kiss thee; every one of his wounds was a mouth opened to convince thee of the abundant willingness of Christ to receive thee.
Quest. 14. But my sins are dyed in gi*ain : I am a sinner of the blackest hue : will he receive and pardon such an one ?
Answ. Yea, soul, if thou be willing to commit thyself to him : Isa. i. 18. " Come now, let us reason together ; though your sins be as " scarlet, I will make them as snow ; though they be red hke crim- " son, I will make them as wool.""
Quest. 15. This is comfortable news ; but may I not delay my clos- ing with him for a while, and yet not hazard my eternal happiness, seeing I resolve to come to him at last ?
Answ. No ; there must be no delays in this case : Psal. cxix. 60. " I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments."
Quest. 16. Why may I not defer it, at least for a little while ?
Answ. For many weighty reasons this work can bear no delays. First, The offers of grace are made to the present time, Heb. iii. 15. "' Whilst it is said to-day, harden not your hearts."*"' There may be a few more days of God's patience, but that is unknown to thee. 2. Your life is immediate uncertain ; how many thousands are gone into eternity since the last night ? If you can say to sickness when it comes, Go, and come again another time, it were somewhat, 3. Sin is not a thing to be dallied with. Oh, who would be willing to lie down one night under the guilt of all his sins ? 4. Delays in- crease the difficulty of conversion ; sin still roots itself deeper ; habits
^•38 THE SEAMEK^S CATECIIISM.