SERMON XXXIX.
By theioliich lie condemned the icorld, and became lieir of the righteous- ness tvhich is hi/ faith. — Heb. xi. 7.
Secondly, For the motives to press you to this : to live, so that you may condemn the world, that you may make them own their guilt and shame.
1. You may be a means to convert them. All are bound as much as they can to co-operate to the conversion of men. It is a debt of charity that we owe to the world, especially if we consider the relation •we sustain as God's witnesses, as Christ's epistles. Now what an honour would this be to further the good of souls ! What glory would it be to God, and honour to yourselves: Mat. v. 16, 'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
214 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XXXIX.
your Father which is in heaven/ Oh, liow sweet will this be when men shall come and bless God that ever they were acquainted with you, when they shall bless God for the lustre of your conversation, and for the light of holiness that shines forth in your lives ! Ministers have a great deal of honour in that they are employed in the conversion of souls, when they are successful in the work ; they will all have their crown and rejoicing in the day of Christ. Now God invites you that are private christians to the conversion of souls. It may be you for- merly have done hurt by the carelessness of your lives. Nature is very susceptible of evil ; w^e easily tal:3 sickness one from another, but not health ; and therefore you should be the more earnest to lay the pious holy snares of a godly conversation, tliat you may be a means to win them to God.
2. If you do not convert them, you will leave them without excuse ; you will have further cause to applaud the righteous counsels of God in the great day, when j'ou shall sit with Christ upon the bench. The apostle saith, 1 Cor. vi, 2, that 'The saints shall judge the world ;' then by sentence, now by conversation; then by applauding of the righteousness of God in their just execution. Now if you look to judge the world with Christ, begin it for the present, condemn the v/orld in your conversation.
3. If you do not condemn them, you will justify them. A carnal profession justifies the world, and a godly cln-istian condemns the world. Judah justified Sodom and Samaria: Ezek. xvi. 52, ' Be con- founded, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.' You do justify their prejudices ; you put an excuse into their mouths, as if religion were as bad as they make it. It will be sad for the account of hypocrites in the last day, when wicked men shall come forth as witnesses, and plead. Lord, we never thought these had been thy servants, because they were so proud, so self-seeking, so full of aspiring projects, so factious and turbulent. When wicked men are hardened by carnal professors, at the last day this will impress a shame upon them. A professor overtaken with sin may do more hurt than a thousand others ; the Hams of the world will laugh to see a Noah drunk. The wickedness of some hypocrites crept in among the church hath always been a great means of hardening the world, and been a stone of stumbling to them ; and by ' such the way of truth is evil spoken of,' 2 Peter ii. 2.
4. By condemning the world jon will justify the ways of God; you will force wicked men whether they will or no, to say that the ways of God are holy and true, and to say these men are honest, and that which they profess is religion. It is the duty of every servant of God to justify his profession from the reproach and scandal of the world: Mat. xi. 19, 'Wisdom is justified of her children.' Justifica- tion implies condemnation and rei)roach. So Titus ii. 10, ' That 3^ou may adorn the doctrine of God your saviour.' Look, as men of great parts, and are carnal, when tliey take the wrong way, they put a varnish and ornament upon the devil's cause; so godly and strict christians, when they keep rip the majesty of their conversation, they adorn their profession, and are an ornament and credit to Jesus Christ.
VeR. 7.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 215
5. You will lose nothing by it ; then God will not be ashamed of you as those, whose design was for heaven : Heb. xi. 16, ' God is not ashamed to be called their God/ God will think it to be no dishonour to himself that he hath such kind of servants ; he will not be ashamed to be called your God, and Christ your Christ. But usually it may be said of most of us, Dicimur christiani in opprohrium Christ i ; we are called christians to the very disgrace of Jesus Christ, because of the folly and sinfulness of our lives.
i^se 2. To wicked men, to ]u-ess them to observe and improve the conversation of those godly and mortified christians with whom they do converse. Look to the frame of your hearts whenever you are cast into their company. How often hath thy heart smote thee when thou hast heard their gracious discourse, and seen their holy conversation ? Observe, what hast thou done upon such occasions? Some wicked men, more touched with a sense of religion, when their consciences work, when they see the beauty and heavenliness of their lives, they seek to drive them out, and forget these things. Ah ! consider, this will be a means not only to harden thee for the present, but to con- demn thee ; when men have had much remorse and smiting of con- science, if they do not observe it, they grow the more obdurate and hardened in sin, which will be a means of thy utter ruin. God hath a book of remembrance, and how many witne.':ses will there be brought against thee at that day ? Not only ministers that have shaken off the dust of their feet against thee, but godly men who condemn thee by their lives. God will remember thee ; those agonies and secret nips of conscience shall rise up in judgment against thee, to the confusion of thy face ; thy rebellion is mightily aggi^avated and sealed up by it to de- struction, when thou art condenmed by the innocency of their lives. But now others, when they are smitten in conscience by observing the strict- ness and graciousness of God's children, they rage and rail, imagine scandalous thoughts against them ; or else they hate and persecute them, as it is the old trick of the world to malign what they have no mind to imitate, — as ' Cain slew his brother because his works were righteous,' 1 John iii. 10. Few there are that confess the wickedness of their estate, that give glory to God when they are convinced. If thou canst not endure the lustre of godliness in a saint, how wilt thou endure the presence of Jesus Christ in tliat day ? Noah condemned the world, and did not a judgment follow ? When you are reproached in your conscience by the sight of their conversation, take notice of it that it may be a day of visitation to thy soul.