1. Sometimes to lessen their judgment. Certainly the degrees of eter- nal punishment are not equal ; there is irepLaaorepov Kpliia, Mat. xxiii. 14, ' a greater judgment ; ' there is a hotter and a cooler hell ; there are few stripes, and many stripes. In the world to come, ' it is more
1 Qu. ' mucli ' ?— Ed.
VeR. 21.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. 47
tolerable for some than for others,' Mat. xii. 41. The condition of the Ninevites was made more tolerable by the conviction wrought by Jonah's preaching, because there was a temporal repentance; they humbled themselves for a while, though they were frighted to this re- ligiousness. Aristides, Cato, and other moral heathens, their condition will be more tolerable than those men that live in a way of brutish and filthy excess. So there are many convinced that have helped the church, and been friendly to religion; when others have oppressed and opposed the ways of God, they have been a hiding-place, a shelter, a countenance, a protection to the people of God ; these shall not lose their reward : they have many blessings in this world, though they continue carnal, and live and die in their sins. I suppose the more they comply with these convictions, their condemnation shall be lessened, though not taken away. This advantage they have, ut mitius ardeant, they shall have a cooler hell.
2. Sometimes to increase their judgment. Those that maliciously oppose this conviction, they hasten their own condemnation, and heighten it. Then it will be a sin to them with a witness, when they knew their master's will and did it not : James iv. 17, ' Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.' They carry this conviction to hell with them, and it is a part of their torment ; this is the worm that never dies. Oh ! what a terror will it be for them to think, I had a better estate discovered to me ; I knew somewhat of the ways of God ; and now I am shut out for ever and ever ! There is ' a worm that never dies,' as well as ' a fire that shall never be quenched,' Mark ix. 44. There may be a conviction, so much as to enable a man to speak to others, yet he may be a worker of iniquity, and cast out of Christ's presence. How will this increase their torment ! Their knowledge serveth but to damn them the more. The characters are indelible, and are not extinguished by death. To all other torments there is added the gnawing of conscience. Look, as in the elect there is such a spark kindled as shall never be extin- guished ; their knowledge they get here is not abolished, but perfected, and the joys of the Spirit begin their heaven ; a witnessing excusing conscience to the elect is the beginning of heaven ; so in hell, con- science will be always raging and expostulating with you — 0 fool that I was, to neglect so great salvation which others enjoy ! If I had lived civilly at least, it had been better with me than now it is. As they know more of God than others do, so their judgment will accor- dingly be greater. And you know not how soon God may kindle this fire in your bosoms, who for the present sleep on carelessly in your sins. Use 1. This may serve to persuade us that the conviction of the world is a great blessing, and conduceth much to the advancement of Christ's kingdom, without any visible force, with mere spiritual weapons, in despite of all opposition which can be made thereunto. The corrupt and ill-principled world cannot stand out against the evi- dence of the truth, when it is soundly preached, and in the demonstra- tion of the Spirit. We have too slight an opinion of the weapons of our spiritual warfare : 2 Cor. x. 4, ' The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strong- holds.' Surely they are more mighty to pull down strongholds than
48 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. [SeR. XXXVII.
we are aware of. The Spirit of the Lord, though he will not convert, yet can so put to silence, and bridle the opposition that carnal men make, that it shall be ineffectual. It concerneth God in honour to go thus far on with the world for the promoting of his kingdom, and that they may not go on with a high hand to oppose and crush it. And this doth also evince the truth of the christian religion, such convic- tions accompanying the preaching of it. And God doth not wholly discontinue this dispensation now. There are ordinary operations of the Spirit, where the gospel is preached, which do convince the world. The careless professor owns the same creed, the same Bible, and the same baptism, and that is a mighty help and advantage.
Use 2. It informeth us of the love and care of Christ ; he would omit no blessing that conduceth to the church's good. He would have those convinced whom he doth not convert, that we may have no stumbling-block in our way to heaven. It was a question, ' Have any of the rulers believed in him ? ' John vii. 48. Alas ! when the powers of the world are against the people of God, the world is apt to think hard of Christ, and many stumble at this rock of offence. Now, that we may have the help of their power, and authority, and counte- nance, and the gifts of carnal men, the Lord will put them under some conviction of the truth of Christianity. Christ would not only give us the benefit of our fellow-saints, but of carnal hypocrites, as the moon hath no light in itself, yet it giveth light to others ; though they have no grace in their hearts, yet they have notable parts, and they do a great deal of good, and that our pilgrimage might not be wholly uncomfortable. If all the world were divided into two ranks, as Jere- miah's basket of figs, Jer. xxiv., were either very good or very naught, there were no living in the world, if all were pagans or christians. No ; some must come under a temporary faith, that the people of God may live more commodiously. It is the wisdom of providence that there is a middle party, that are as a screen between the extremely wicked and the saints ; they are not so bad as the worst, because they are convinced more, though not converted. Christians ! in Christ all things are ours, not only the elect, who are our companions and fellows in the same grace, but also the reprobates are ours. The more civil and convinced sort of the world are for our good, and do much serve the uses of the church ; and the worst sort of reprobates serve for our exercise and trial, for the awakening more serious grace in us by their oppositions, and for the heightening our privileges; the more evil they are, the more cause have we to bless a good God that hath made us better.