When God would have cured Babylon, and she would not be cured, then she was given up to destruction, Jer. li. 9.
Wlien Jerusalem would not be gathered under the wing of Christ, then their habitation is left desolate, Matt, xxiii. 37, 38.
When wisdom stretcheth out her hand and men refuse, then wisdom mU laugh at men's destruction, Prov. i. 26. Salvation itself will not save those that spill the potion, and cast away the plaster. A pitiful case, when this merciful Saviour shall delight in destraction : when he that made men shaU have no mercy on them, Isa. xxvii. 11.
0, say the rebels of the time, God hath not made us to damn us. Yes, if you will not meet Christ in the waj's of his mercy, it is fit you should * eat the fruit of your own ways, and be filled with your own devices,' Prov. i. 31.
74 THE BRUISED REED
Tills will be tlie hell of hell, when men shall think, that they have loved their sins more than their souls ; when they shall think, what love and mercy hath been almost enforced upon them, and yet they would perish. The more accessary we are in pulling a judgment upon ourselves, the more the conscience will be confounded in itself, when they shall acknowledge Christ to be without all blame, themselves without excuse.
If men appeal to their own consciences, they will tell them, the Holy Spirit hath often knocked at their hearts, as willing to have kindled some holy desii'es in them. How else can they be said to resist the Holy Ghost, but that the Spirit was readier to draw them to a further degree of goodness than stood with their own wills ? whereupon those in the church that are damned are self- condemned before. So that here we need not rise to higher causes, when men carry sufficient cause* in their own bosoms.
4. And the best of us all may offend against this merciful disposition, if we be not watchful against that liberty our carnal disposition wdll be ready to take from it. Thus we reason, if Christ will not quench the smoking flax, what need we fear that any neglect on our part can bring us under a comfortless condition ? If Christ will not do it, what can ?
Ans. You know the apostle's prohibition notwithstanding, 1 Thess. v. 19, ' Quench not the Spirit.' These cautions of not quenching are sanctified by the Spirit as means of not quenching. Christ performeth his office in not quenching, by stirring up suitable endeavours in us ; and none more soli- citous in the use of the means than those that are most certain of the good success. The ground is this : the means that God hath set apart for the effecting of any thing, fall under the same purpose that he hath to bring that thing to pass ; and this is a principle taken for granted, even in civil matters ; as who, if he knew before it would be a frmtful year, would there- fore hang up his plough and neglect tillage 7
Hence the apostle stirs up from the certain expectation of a blessing, 1 Cor. XV. 57, 58, and this encouragement here from the good issue of final victory is intended to stir us up, and not to take us off. If we be negligent in the exercise of grace received, and use of means prescribed, suffering our spirits to be oppressed with multitudes and variety of cares of this life, and take not heed of the damps of the times, for such miscarriage God in his wise care suffereth us oft to fall into a worse condition for feeling, than those that were never so much enlightened. Yet in mercy he will not suffer us to be so far enemies to ourselves, as wholly to neglect these sparks once kindled. Were it possible that we should be given up to give over aU endeavour wholly, then we could look for no other issue but quenching ; but Christ will tend this spark, and cherish this small seed, so as he will preserve in the soul always some degree of care. If we would make a com- fortable use of this, we must consider all those means whereby Chi'ist doth preserve grace begun ; as first, holy communion, whereby one Christian iieateth another ; ' two are better than one,' &c., Eccles. iv. 9. ' Did not our hearts burn ?' Luke xxiv. 32, said the disciples. Secondly, much more communion with God in holy duties, as meditation and prayer, which doth not only kindle, but addeth a lustre to the soul. Thirdly, we feel by experience the breath of the Spirit to go along with the ministerial breath, whereupon the apostle knits these two together : ' Quench not the Spirit ;' 'despise not prophecies,' 1 Thess. v. 19, 20. Nathan by a few words blew up the decaying sparks in David. Rather than God will suffer his fire in US to die, he will st^nd some Nathan or other, and something always is left * ' Of their own damuatioii,' in A and B.
AND SMOKING FLAX. 75
in US to join with the word as connatural to it ; as a coal that hath fire in it will quickly catch more to it : smoking flax wiU easily take fire. Fourthly, grace is strengthened by the exercise of it ; ' Up and be doing, and the Lord be with thee,' 1 Chi-on. xxii. 16, said David to his son Solomon : stir up tlie grace that is in thee, for so holy motions turn to resolutions, resolu- tions to practice, and practice to a prepared readiness to eveiy good work.