VeK. 10.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 69
by themselves, and make them accuse themselves ; he can judge them out of their own mouths, Luke. xix. 12 ; produce evidence against them out of their own thoughts, and pronounce sentence against them out of their ow i consciences, Kom. ii. 15 ; make men's tongues to fall upon them, "" .. Ixiv. 8. He can indeed make use of us, and all that is in us, for his own glory, as having power to do with us what he will ; and it is much for his honour when he maketh us witnesses against ourselves.
8. Wicked men shall accuse one another. In the arraignment of Adam and Eve, which I take for a notable presignification of the general judgment, they transfer it upon one another ; the man upon the woman : Gren. iii, 12, ' The woman whom thou gavest to be with me ; ' and the woman upon the serpent : ' The serpent beguiled me,' ver. 13. So those that draw one another into sin, or are drawn by 5ithem, will impeach one another,
9. The godly will be brought in as one evidence, to make them manifest, partly as they endeavoured to do them good : Heb. xi. 7, 'Noah condemned the world ;' and 'the saints shall judge the world,' 1 Cor. vi. 2 ; now by their conversations, hereafter by their vote and suf- frage. And partly as they might receive good from them ; as the godly relieved ; Luke xvi. 9, and neglected, Mat. xxv. ; as they might have been visited, and clothed ; the loins of the poor blessed Job, chap. xxxi. 29.
10. The circumstances of their evil actions: James v. 3, ' Your gold and silver is cankered ; the rust of them shall be a witness against you.' The circumstances of your sinful actions shall be brought forth as arguments of conviction : Hab. ii. 11, ' The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.' Though none durst complain of oppressors, yet the materials of their buildings shall witness against them — kind of antiphony heard by God's justice. The stones of the wall shall cry, ' Lord, we were built by rapine and violence ;' the beam shall answer, ' True, Lord, even so it is ;' the stones shall cry, ' Ven<j:eance, Lord, upon our ungodly owner ; ' and the beam shall answer, ' Woe to him, because his house was built with blood ; ' though all should be silent, yet the stones will not hold their peace.
Use 1. If we must appear so as to be made manifest, oh, then, let us take heed of secret sin, and make conscience of avoiding it, as well as that wiiich is open, for in time it will be laid open. Achan was found out in his sacrilege, how secretly soever he carried it. Josh, viii.; Ananias and Sapphira's sacrilege in keeping back part of what was dedicated to God, Acts v ; Gehazi in affecting a bribe : 1 Kings v. 26, ' Went not my spirit with thee ? ' meaning his prophetic spirit. Doth not God see, and will not he require it? Alas, we many times make con- science of acts, but not of thoughts ; and yet, according to Christ's theology, malice is heart-murder, lustful inclinations are heart- adultery, proud imaginations are heart-idolatry, and there may be a great deal of evil in discontented thoughts, and repinings against providence, Ps. Ixxiii. 22. Shall we repent of nothing but what man seeth ? Eph. v. 12, ' It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.' A serious christian is ashamed to speak of what secure persons are not ashamed to practise ; if they can hide it from men, the all seeing-eye of God layeth no restraint upon them ; unclean-
70 SERMONS UFON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XV.
ness usually affecteth a veil of secresy, ' but whoremongers and adulterers Grod will judge,' Heb. xiii. 4. It is said Grod will judge them, because usually this sia is carried so closely and craftily, that none but God can find them out ; but certainly God will find them out ; none can escape God's discovery, all things are naked in his sight. Let no man then embolden himself to have his hand in any sin, in hopes to hide his ' counsel deep from the Lord, and his works in the dark,' Isa. xxix. 15. God knoweth the thoughts of tbe heart afar off; and Ps. cxxxix. 2, ' Whither shall I go from thy presence, and whither shall I fly from thy Spirit?' God knew what the king of Assyria spake in his secret chamber, 2 Kings vi. 12 ; knew the secret thoughts of Herod's heart, which it is ])robable he never uttered to his nearest friends, concerning the murdering of Christ, Mat. ii. 13. But to end this, consider the aggravations of these sins that are secret and hidden, although to be an open and bold sinner is in some respects more than to be a close, private sinner, because of the dishonour done to God, and scandal to others, and impudency in the sinner himself, yet also in other respects secret sins have their aggravations.