SERMONS UPON HEBREWS VI. 18, 299
You see the distance between earth and heaven is so wondrous great that the earth cannot reach it with its mountains, cedars, turrets, smoke, and vapours ; it is so great that a star of the heavens, as big as the earth, seems to be but a spangle : so infinitely more are the workings of my thoughts, and my heart different from your thoughts and your heart. More particuhirly and suitable to the present case : Nunj. xxiii. 19, * God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent : hath he said, and shall he not do it ? or hath he spoken it, and shall he not make it good ? ' Man is as unstable as water ; his point varieth according to the different posture of the times and situa- tion of his own interest and advantage ; but it is not so with me, saith the Lord. Men say and do not, but God's Yea is always yea, and his No is always no. This was the speech of Balaam, who was called a false prophet, not from the matter of his proj^hecy, but only from his aims. But if you will have it from a more authentic hand, you have it out of the mouth of Samuel: 1 Sam. xv. 29, 'The strength of Israel will not lie, nor repent ; for he is not a man that he should repent.' Mark the reason, for ho is not a man. To be a man and to be change- able is all one. Certainly the frequent inculcation of such passages in scripture showeth that we are apt to measure infiniteness by our own scantling and size. And therefore, this being man's natural thought, God in a condescension, and by way of check, is pleased to give the creature this assurance, we have his word and his oath ; so that if we would but afford liim the favour we use to show to an honest man, we have no ground of diffidence and distrust.
5. Another cause of this unbelief is enmity to the gospel. There is a natural contrariety in our hearts both to the privileges and duties of the gospel, and because we hate it, we do not easily believe it. The pride of man's heart sets him against the privileges of the gospel, and carnal liberty against the obedience of it. Man is a proud creature, and would be self-sufficient ; he is loath to be beholden to God, as a proud man loves a russet coat of his own better than a silken garment that is borrowed of another. Thus the apostle complains of the Jews : Rom. X. 3, ' They being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish a righteousness of their own, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.' There needs some submis- sion and bearing down of the pride of man, all is borrowed ; here Christ is all, and doth all, he hath merited for all, and suffered for all. Now this suits not with the pride of man's heart, who would be sufficient to himself, and establish a personal merit in himself. And then especially is this pride bewrayed when a man hath anything to trust to and rest in, as civil righteousness or a formal profession ; it is a hard matter then to bring men to submit to the righteousness of God, to come hungry and thirsty for Christ's righteousness. There is no pride so deadly and mischievous, and opposite to the gospel, as the pride of self-conceit and self-sufficiency ; yet this is natural to us ; therefore God doth not only say, but swear, that we shall never enter into his rest unless we take this course, and run to this hope that is before us. And as pride opposeth the privileges of the gospel, so carnal liberty opposeth the obedience of the gospel. Men are loath to stoop and submit to God's terms. Christ is to be Lord as well as Saviour. Now the world will not hear of laws and restraints. You know the nations
300 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS VI. 18.
were all for casting away the bonds and cords : Ps. ii, 3, ' Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us.' In the latter ages of the world, it is foretold in the prophecies of scripture, that the church is in danger of turning to libertinism : we cast away yoke after yoke, till we have left Christ nothing but an empty title. How busy are men now to find out a north-east-passage, a nearer cut to heaven ; and therefore the Lord swears, and ratifies the whole tenor of the gospel by an oath, to meet with our enmity and natural contrariety, which makes us so apt to misbelieve.
6. Another cause why those that are touched with a sense of sin suspect God's good affection is a jealousy of assurance, or a secret fear of presuming. All the doubts and scruples of a troubled conscience come to this issue, and may all be referred to this head, a fear of pre- suming. Many will plead the number of their sins, and how many affronts they have put upon the grace of God. Some will plead the greatness and the aggravations of their sins, relapses into sin, sins against light, against the advantages of grace ; but they all end in this one thing, a fear of being too bold with the comforts of the gospel, and that comfort doth not belong to persons in their case. This is the cable-rope which keeps them from floating out amain upon the ocean, of God's mercy, as if the Lord delighted in their grief rather than in their assurance and satisfaction. Usually thus it is with disturbed consciences. Trouble that is once swallowed is hardly got up again ; and men think sadness is more pleasing to God than comfort, and that doubts suit with a christian frame rather than confidence, and so they hug a distemper instead of a duty. Therefore the Lord is fain to swear that certain it is. Nay, it is not for nothing that tliis makes the heart of Christ so joyful, that we live upon the provision he hath made for us: John xv. 11, 'These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full' This is the very aim of God's oath ; he would show, as 1 shall further clear by and by, that our assurance is more pleasing to him than our doubting ; that he is better pleased with our comfort, nay, though it rise up to strong comfort, than with our sorrow. Thus you see that diffidence and incre- dulity is deeply rooted in our nature ; yea, believers themselves are liable to many doubts, out of the relics of atheism and unbelief that yet remain in them.