(10.) Tenthly and lastly, Divell much upon the memorable judg- ments of God, that even in this life has fallen upon unholy persons. ' Remember Lot's wife,' Luke xvii. 32. Oh, remember her sin and punishment, that so fearing the one, you may learn to take heed of the other : Isa. xxvi. 9, ' When thy judgments are in the earth, the in- habitants of the world will learn righteousness ; ' that is, they should learn righteousness — for so the words may be read — they should learn to fear thee, and learn to turn unto thee, and learn to forsake their sins and amend their lives : when thy judgments, thy memorable judgments, are abroad in the world, it highly concerns all the sons of men to look after holy dispositions, holy affections, and holy conversa- tions, that so it may go well with them in the day of the Lord's wrath. Others sense the words thus : When thy judgments are on the earth, the inhabitants of the world, that is, sinners as well as saints, shall learn righteousness, that is, they shall learn to fear thee upon the ac- count of thy righteous judgment; suitable to that. Job xxxvii. 23, 24, ' Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out : he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice. Men do therefore fear him ; he respecteth not any that are wise of heart ; ' and to that, Eev. XV. 4, ' Who shall not fear thee, 0 Lord, and glorify thy name ? for thou only art holy : for all nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest.' The judgments of God upon Antichrist shall so awaken, alarm, and affect the nations, that they shall cast off all false ways of worship, and worship the Lord in a more pure, spiritual, high, and noble way than ever yet they have done. God is a free agent, and he can make sinners saints, as well by judgments as by mercies. Waldus, from whom the Waldenses had their name, when many were met together to be merry, seeing one among them suddenly fall down dead, it struck so to his heart, that he went home a penitent, and proved a very precious holy man. Pharaoh was not a pin the better for all the plagues that came upon him ; i but Jethro, taking notice of God's heavy judgments upon Pharaoh, and likewise upon the Amalekites, was thereby converted, and became a proselyte, as some observe. 0 sirs, who can tell but that a fixed eye upon the remarkable judgments of God that has been inflicted upon notorious sinners, may be a means to change you and turn you to the Lord ? Forget not the plagues that came upon bloody Pharaoh. Remember how crafty Ahithophel, and proud Haman, and covetous Judas, came all to the halter. Forget not how the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up Korah and his companions. Forget not the ^ Kabbi Solomoa on Prov. ix. 15.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 241
angel that drew upon Balaam, nor Samuel's sword that cut Agag in pieces, nor the royal oak on which Absalom was hanged, nor the javelin by which Phinehas, in his zeal for God, thrust through Zimri and Cozbi. Kemember how Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead with a lie in their mouths. Kemember how God rained hell out of heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Kemember how suddenly, how unexpectedly, and how inevitably the flood came upon the old world ; and remember how the angels that kept not their first station of holi- ness are now in chains under everlasting darkness. Oh, who can seriously dwell upon the severe judgments of God upon these persons, and not resolve upon breaking off his sins, and pursuing after that holiness, without which there is no happiness 1 1 Oh, remember that God is as holy a God as ever, and as just a God as ever, and as jealous of his glory as ever ; and therefore turn from the evil of your doings, that your souls may live. Oh that the dreadful judgments of God that has been executed upon others might so alarm all unholy hearts, that they may with all their might cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light, that so they may be children of the light, and their souls may live for ever ! And thus much for the means whereby men may reach to that holiness, without which there is no happiness.
I come now, in the third place, to answer those objections which usually are made against men's pursuing after holiness. As,
Object. 1. First, We have no power to make ourselves holy; we are as well able to make a world, to command the winds, and to raise the dead, as ive are able to cleanse our own hearts, or change our own natures, or sanctify our own souls ; and therefore, to what purpose should ive be so strongly pressed to do that which we have no poiver to do ? Now to this objection I shall give these following answers :
1. First, That thou hast no power to perform any supernatural act, as to believe or love God, or repent, or to change thine own heart, or to sanctify or make thyself holy, must be granted; that by nature thou art dead in trespasses and sins, and hast lost all thy spiritual senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, and feeling, can't be denied, Eph. ii. 1. It is certain that thy nature is so corrupted that thou canst not think a good thought, nor speak a good word, nor do a good work ; thou art not sick, but dead, God-wards, and Christ-wards, and heaven-wards, and holiness-wards, &c.2 I have read of the lioness, how that she brings forth her whelps dead, and so they remain, till, after some time, by her roaring aloud over them, they come to live. Certainly all unholy hearts are spiritually dead, and till Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, comes to roar over them, by uttering his voice in the gospel, they cannot live, John v. 25. It is Christ only that can quicken the dead. It was never known since the creation of the world that ever a dead man could make himself alive. Sin in dominion is the plague of the heart, 1 Kings viii. 38. Now as there is no disease so deadly as the plague, so there is no plague so deadly as the plague of the heart. Oh, this is a disease that none can cure
1 See the ' Theatre of God's Judgments,' by Dr Beard and Dr Taylor : and see Mr Clarke's ' Looking-glass both for Saints and Sinners.' ' 2 Cor. iii. 5 ; Mat. xii. 34 ; John vi. 44 ; 1 Cor. IL 14. VOL. IV. Q
242 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [Heb XII. 14.
but he who is the physician of souls. An unsanctified person is not half-dead, as the Pelagians, Arminians, and Papists say ; but as to spirituals he is stark dead, Col. ii. 13. An unsanctified soul is dead.
[1.] Bespectu operis, In respect of working, and therefore his works are called dead works, Heb. ix. 14. There is death written upon all he does.