Use 2. If spiritual sloth be so great an evil, let the children of God take heed of it when first it beginneth to creep upon their spirits ; as when they begin to pray without affection or fervour of spirit, to medi- tate of divine things without any sense, affection, or fruit ; when they find it difficult to withdraw from carnal company or vain discourse, and are hardly persuaded to return unto themselves, and to consider their ways, and can freely let loose their thoughts and words to all manner of vanity, and their comfort is rather sought in the creature than in God ; they can rarely speak of others, but it is in reflecting upon them rather than themselves ; when reproofs grow burdensome,
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and are not entertained as a help but as an injury ; when they give up themselves to carnal sports, and take a license for vain recreations, and so fly from the labours that are profitable and necessary for their soul's health ; their zeal languisheth, their duties are not so frequent, nor the means of grace used with life, vigour, and affection, but they are more coldly affected towards them ; a satiety and fulness creepeth upon them; they do not so solicitously avoid the causes of sin, begin to indulge the body, or the bodily life, to have more admiring thoughts of the honours and pleasures and profits of the world ; either neglect or quench the motions of the Spirit: all these are the effects of a remiss will, or a fainting heart, that beginneth to tire in the ways of God.
Use 3. It serves to justify God in his judgments upon the careless and negligent, though they be not grossly dissolute and profane. There is more contempt of God in neglecters than you can at first be sensible of. Hypocrites complain of the severity of God, the rigour of his law, the grievousness of his judgments; they should rather complain of the naughtiness of their own hearts. They are convinced of more duty than they are willing to perform, and they are not willing, because they follow after a few paltry vanities, which is a great dis- honour to God. It was not the austerity and rigidness of the master in requiring improvement that hindered the increase of his talent, but his own baseness, being wedded to sensual delights. They say, ' The ways of the Lord are not equal ;' but their hearts are not right with God.
Secondly, I come now to the retortion of his vain excuse upon him- self. The damned can have no just complaint against God ; they are apt to murmur, and lay their defects upon the rigidness of God's government or God's providence ; but in the issue the blame will light upon themselves, even the things they allege make against them. He was convinced the master expected increase, therefore he should have done what he could : Luke xix. 22, ' Out of thy own mouth I will con- demn thee.' So it is here ; men's consciences convince them they ought not to live in idleness, and if they have a master, the thought of their account should enforce them, if not their own inclination, especially if a severe master. Grant the sinner's supposition, it bindeth the duty upon him, and so he cuts his throat with his own sword ; as they said of Job, chap. xv. 6, ' Thine own mouth condemneth thee ; thine own lips testify against thee.'
Doct. No excuse shall serve the unfaithful and slothful servant at the day of judgment.
Let a man deceive himself now, and please himself with these pre- tences as he will, all his excuses shall be retorted upon him, and made matter of his condemnation ; for the judge is impartial, and omniscient, his eyes cannot be blinded ; nay, he can open your own consciences, and so overwhelm you with the evidence and conviction of your sins, that you shall have nothing to say. As in the 22d of Matthew, ' The man was speechless' when arraigned. But because the excusing humour is very rife, and many things serve the turn now which will not bear weight then, I shall a little handle this matter of excusing. In the general, an excuse is an apology or vain defence, whereby the
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sinner seeketh to palliate bis negligence in God's service. To unde- ceive you —
First, Take these general considerations.
1. That carnal men are ill versed in the art of excusing evil, when they have a right principle to go upon, and that which they think maketh for them usually maketh against them. Solomon telleth us, Prov. xxvi. 9, ' That a parable in a fool's mouth is like a thorn in the hand of a drunkard.' The thorn was their instrument of sewing, as the needle with us. Now, a drunkard woundeth and goreth himself, because of his uneven touch, when his spirits are disturbed with excess of drink. Do but observe how contrarily and perversely wicked men will reason, and what inferences and conclusions they will draw from those very principles the godly make a good use of. As in 1 Cor. xv. 32, ' Let us eat and drink ; for to-morrow we shall die.' Now, com- pare this with 1 Cor. vii. 29, 30, ' But this I say, brethren, the time is short ; it remaineth, that both they that have wives, be as though they had none ; and they that weep, as though they wept not ; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not ; and they that use the world, as not abusing it : for the fashion of this world passeth away ;' 2 Kings vi. 33, ' And while lie yet talked with them, behold the messenger came down unto him ; and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord ; why should I wait for the Lord any longer ?' Compare this with 1 Sam. iii. 18, ' And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him ; and he said, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good.' So Haggai i. 2, ' Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, The people say, the time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.' Compare this scripture with 2 Sam. vii. 2, ' And the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.' When David dwelt in a stately house, his heart was set upon building a house for the Lord. So Rom. ii. 4, ' Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ? ' with Titus ii. 11, 12, ' For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men ; teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world ;' Jude 4, ' Ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.'