 Section 21 of SELECT CERMINS OF JONATHON EDWARDS—SELECT CERMINS OF JONATHON EDWARDS Psalm 36 verse 2 For he that flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. In the foregoing verse, David says, that the transgression of the wicked said within his heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. That is, when he saw that the wicked went on in sin, in an allowed way of wickedness it convinced him that he was not afraid of those terrible judgments, and of that wrath with which God had threatened sinners if he were afraid of these, he could never go on so securely in sin as he doth. In our text he gives the reason why the wicked did not fear. It was a strange thing that men, who enjoyed such light as they did in the land of Israel, who read and heard those many awful threatenings which were written in the book of the law, should not be afraid to go on in sin. But set the psalmist. They flatter themselves in their own eyes. They have something or other which they make a foundation of encouragement, whereby they persuade themselves that they shall escape those judgments, and that makes them put far away the evil day. In this manner he proceeds, until his iniquity be found to be hateful, that is, until he finds by experience that it is a more dreadful thing to sin against God, and break his holy commands than he imagined. He thinks sin to be sweet, and hides it as a sweet morsel under his tongue. He loves it, and flatters himself in it, till at length he finds by experience that it is bitter as gall and wormwood. Though he thinks the commission of sin to be lovely, yet he will find the fruit of it to be hateful, and what he cannot endure. Proverbs 23 verse 32 At last it will bite like a serpent, and sting like an adder. Here observe, one, the subject spoken of is the wicked man, of whom the psalmist had been speaking in the foregoing verse. Two, his action in flattering himself in his own eyes, as in he makes himself and his case to appear to himself, or in his own eyes, better than it is. Three, how long he continues so to do, until his iniquity be found to be hateful, which may be taken for his sin itself, the wicked will see how odious sin is to God. When he shall feel the effects of his hatred, and how hateful to angels and saints, or rather the cause is here put for the effect, the tree for its fruit, and he will find his iniquity to be hateful, as he will find the hatefulness and feel the terribleness of the fruit of his iniquity. Doctrine. Wicked men generally flatter themselves with hopes of escaping punishment, till it actually comes upon them. There are but few sinners who despair, who give up the cause and conclude with themselves that they shall go to hell, yet there are but few who do not go to hell. It is to be feared that men go to hell every day out of this country, yet very few of them suffer themselves to believe that they are in any great danger of that punishment. They go on sinning and traveling in the direct road to the pit, yet by one mean or other they persuade themselves that they shall never fall into it. In my present discourse I shall, one, mention some things in confirmation of the doctrine, that sinners flatter themselves with the hope of impunity. Two, mention some of the various ways wherein sinners flatter themselves in that hope. Three, show that sinners generally go on flattering themselves till punishment actually overtakes them. One, I am to mention some things in confirmation of the doctrine that sinners flatter themselves with the hope of future impunity. One, we are so taught in the Word of God, beside our text you may see, Deuteronomy chapter 29 verses 18 and 19, lest there should be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, lest there should be among you a root that bareth gall and wormwood. And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart saying, I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst. Where it is supposed that they, whose hearts turn away from God, and our roots that bear gall and wormwood, generally bless themselves in their hearts saying, we shall have peace. See also Psalm chapter 49 verses 17 and 18. When he dyeth he shall carry nothing away, his glory shall not descend after him, though while he lived he blessed his soul. And Psalm chapter 50, 21. These things thou hast done, and I kept silence. Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself, but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thee. Two, it is very evident that sinners flatter themselves, that they shall escape punishment, by this, that otherwise they would be in dreadful and continual distress. Otherwise, as long as they are in sin, they could never live and go about so cheerfully as they now do. Their lives would be filled with sorrow and mourning, and they would be in continual uneasiness and distress, as much as those that are exercised with some violent pain of body. But it is evident that it is not in fact so. It is apparent that men are careless and secure, that they are not much concerned about future punishment, and that they cheerfully pursue their business and recreations. Therefore they undoubtedly flatter themselves, that they shall not be eternally miserable in hell, as they are threatened in the Word of God. Three, it is evident that they flatter themselves with hopes that they shall escape punishment, as otherwise they would certainly be restrained at least from many of the sins in which they now live. They would not proceed in willful courses of sin. The transgression of the wicked convents the psalmist, and is enough to convince everyone, that there is no fear of God before his eyes, and that he flatters himself in his own eyes. It would be impossible for men, allowedly, from day to day to do those very things which they know are threatened with everlasting destruction. If they did not some way encourage themselves, they should nevertheless escape that destruction. Two, I shall mention some of the various ways wherein sinners flatter themselves in their own eyes. One, some flatter themselves with a secret hope, that there is no such thing as another world. They hear a great deal of preaching, and a great deal of talk about hell, and about the eternal judgment, but those things do not seem to be real. They never saw any thing of them. They never saw hell, never saw the devils and damned spirits, and therefore are ready to say with themselves, how do I know that there is any such thing as another world? When the beasts die, there is an end of them. And how do I know, but that it will be so with me? Perhaps all these things are nothing, but the inventions of men, nothing but cunningly devised fables. Such thoughts are apt to rise in the minds of sinners, and the devil sets in to enforce them. Such thoughts are an ease to them. Therefore they wish they were true. And that makes them more ready to think that they are indeed true. So that they are hardened in the way of sin by infidelity and atheistical thoughts. Psalm chapter 14 verse 1 The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Psalm chapter 94 verses 6 and 7 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Psalm chapter 2 Some flatter themselves that death is a great way off, and that they shall hereafter have much opportunity to seek salvation. And they think if they earnestly seek it, though it be a great while hence, they shall obtain. Although they see no reason to conclude that they shall live long, and perhaps they do not positively conclude that they shall, yet it doth not come into their minds that their lives are really uncertain, and that it is doubtful whether they will live another year. Such a thought as this doth not take any hold of them, and although they do not absolutely determine that they shall live to an old age or to middle age, yet they secretly flatter themselves with such an imagination, they are disposed to believe so, and do so far believe it, that they act upon it and run the venture of it. Men will believe that things will be as they choose to have them, without reason, and sometimes without the appearance of reason, as it is most apparent in this case. Psalm chapter 49 verse 11 Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations they call their lands after their own names. The pre-possession and desire of men to have it so is the principal thing that makes them believe so. However, there are several other things which they use as arguments to flatter themselves. Perhaps they think with themselves that since they are at present in health or in youth, or that since they are useful men, do a great deal of good, and both themselves and others pray for the continuance of their lives, they are not likely to be removed by death very soon. If they shall live many years in the world, they think that it is very probable they shall be converted before they die, as they expect hereafter to have much more convenient opportunities to become converted than they have now. And by some means or other, they think they shall get through their work before they arrive at old age. Psalm chapter 3 Some flatter themselves that they leave mortal and orderly lives, and therefore think that they shall not be damned. They think with themselves that they not live in any vice, that they take care to wrong no man, and are just and honest dealers, that they are not addicted to hard drinking, or to uncleanness, or to bad language, that they keep the Sabbath strictly, are constant attendants on the public worship, and maintain the worship of God in their families. Therefore they hope that God will not cast them into hell. They see not why God should be so angry with them, as that would imply, seeing they are so orderly and regular in their walk. They see not that they have done enough to anger him in that degree. And if they have angered him, they imagine they have also done a great deal to pacify him. If they be not, as yet, converted, and it be necessary that they should experience any other conversion in order to their salvation, they hope that their orderly and strict lives will move God to give them converting grace. They hope that surely God will not see those that live as they do go to hell. Thus they flatter themselves as those we read of Luke chapter 18 verse 9. That trusted in themselves that they were righteous. 4. Some make the advantages under which they live an occasion of self-flattery. They flatter themselves because they live in a place where the gospel is powerfully preached, and among a religious people, where many have been converted, and they think it will be much easier for them to be saved on that account. Thus they abuse the grace of God to their destruction. They do that which the scriptures call despising the riches of God's goodness. Romans chapter 2 verse 4. Or despises thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Some flatter themselves because they are born of godly parents, who are dear to God, who have often and earnestly prayed for them. They hope that their prayers will be heard, and that encourages them to go on in the way of neglecting their souls. The Jews had great dependence upon this that they were the children of Abraham. John chapter 8 verse 33. They make their boast. We be Abraham's seed, and in verse 39 Abraham is our father. 5. Some flatter themselves in their own intentions. They intend to neglect themselves, and give themselves liberty for a while longer, and then to reform. Though now they neglect their souls, and are going on in sin, yet they intend ere long to bestow themselves, to leave off their sins, and to set themselves to seek God. They hear that there is great encouragement for those who earnestly seek God, that they shall find Him. So they intend to do. They propose to seek with a great deal of earnestness. They are told that there are many who seek to enter the kingdom of heaven, who shall not be able. But they intend not only to seek, but to strive. However, for the present they allow themselves in their ease, sloth and pleasure, minding only earthly things. Or if they should be seized with some mortal distemper, and should draw near to the grave, before the time which they lay out in their minds for reformation, they think how earnestly they would pray and cry to God for mercy, and as they hear God as a merciful God, who takeeth no delight in the death of sinners, they hence flatter themselves that they shall move God to have pity on them. There are but few who are sinners, and know themselves to be such, who do not encourage themselves with intentions of future repentance and reformation. But few who do not flatter themselves, that they shall in good earnest set themselves to seek God some time or other. Hell is full of good intenders, who never prove to be true performers. Acts chapter 24 verse 25 Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. 6 There are some who flatter themselves that they do and have done a great deal for their salvation, and therefore hope they shall obtain, when indeed they neither do what they ought to do, nor what they might do in their present state of unregeneracy, nor are they in any way likely to be converted. They think they are striving, when they neglect many moral and some instituted duties, nor do they exert themselves, as it were for their lives they are not violent for the kingdom of heaven. There are doubtless many such, many are concerned and are seeking, and do many things, and think that they are in a very fair way to obtain the kingdom of God. Yet there is great danger that thy will prove at last to be some of the foolish virgins and be found without oil in their vessels. 7 Some hope by their strivings to obtain salvation of themselves. They have a secret imagination that they shall, by degrees, work in themselves sorrow and repentance of sin and love towards God and Jesus Christ. Their striving is not so much an earnest seeking to God as a striving to do themselves, that which is the work of God. Many who are now seeking have this imagination and labor, reach, pray, hear sermons and go to private meetings with the view of making themselves holy and of working in themselves holy affections. Many who only project and design to turn to God hereafter are apt to think that it is an easy thing to be converted, that it is a thing which will be in their own power at any time when they shall earnestly set themselves to it. 8 Some sinners flatter themselves that they are already converted. They sit down and rest in a false hope, persuading themselves that all their sins are pardoned, that God loves them, that they shall go to heaven when they die, and that they need trouble themselves no more. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 3 Sinners very generally go on flattering themselves in some or other of these ways till their punishment actually overtakes them. These are the baits by which Satan catches souls and draws them into his snare. They are such self-flatteries as these that keep men from seeing what danger they are in, and that make them go securely on in the way that they are in, as the bird hathes to the snare and knowest not that it is for his life. Those that flatter themselves with hopes of living a great while longer in the world very commonly continue to do so till death comes. Death comes upon them when they expect it not. They look upon it as a great way off when there is but a step between them and death. They thought not of dying at that time, nor at any time near it. When they were young they proposed to live a good while longer, and if they happen to live till middle age they still maintain the same thought, that they are not yet near death, and so that thought goes along with them as long as they live, or till they are just about to die. Men often have a dependence in their own righteousness, and as long as they live are never brought off from it. Multitudes uphold themselves with their own intentions till all their prospects are dashed in pieces by death. They put off the work which they have to do till such a time, and when that time comes they put it off to another time, until death, which cannot be put off, overtakes them. There are many also that hold a false hope, a persuasion that they belong to God, and as long as they live, by all the marks and signs which are given of a true convert, they will never be persuaded to let go their hope till it is rent from them by death. Thus men commonly uphold themselves and make themselves easy till hell fire makes them uneasy. Everlasting ruin comes upon them as a snare, and all their hopes are at once cut off and turned into everlasting despair. 1 Thessalonians 5.3 That after this there is another world, that there are but two states in that other world, a state of eternal happiness and a state of eternal misery, that there is but one way of escaping the misery and obtaining the blessedness of eternity, which is by obtaining an interest in Christ through faith in him, and that this life is the only opportunity of obtaining an interest in Christ. Yet men are so much given to flatter themselves in those ways which we have mentioned, that there are but few that seasonably take care of their salvation. Indeed, they cannot but be, in some measure, concerned about their souls, yet they flatter themselves with one thing or other, so that they are kept steadily and uninterruptedly going on in the broad way to destruction. 2 Hence we learn the reason why awakening truths of scripture and awakening sermons make no impression upon men. It is in itself a wonderful and surprising thing that God's denunciations of eternal misery and threatenings of casting sinners into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for ever and ever do not affect them, do not startle them. But the truth is they flatter themselves by such means as we have mentioned, that this dreadful misery is not for them, that they shall escape it, though multitudes of others are involved in it. They take not these threatenings to themselves, they seem to think that they do not belong to them. How many are there in this congregation who, for all the awakening sermons they have heard, are yet secure in sin, and who, although they are sensible that they are in a chriceless condition, and are still going on in sin, yet intend to go to heaven, and expect that by some means or other they shall arrive there. They are often told that God is very angry with them, yet they think God is a very merciful God, and they shall be able to pacify him. If they be told how uncertain life is, that doth not awaken them, because they flatter themselves with long life. If they be told how dangerous it is to delay the business of religion, they promise themselves that they will hear after engaging it with more earnestness than others, and so obtain the end, the salvation of their souls. Others, when they are told that many shall seek, who shall not be able to obtain, think surely that they, having done so much for salvation, shall not be denied. Three, let every sinner examine himself, whether he do not flatter himself in some of these ways which have been mentioned. What is it in your own minds which makes you think it is safe for you to delay turning to God? What is it that encourages you to run such a venture as you do by delaying this necessary work? Is it that you hope there is no such state as heaven or hell, and have a suspicion that there is no God? Is it this that makes you secure? Or is it that you are not much afraid, but that you shall have opportunity enough, a great while hence, to mind such things? Is it an intention of a future seeking a more convenient season? And are you persuaded that God will hearken to you then, after you shall have so long turned a deaf ear to his commands and gracious? Are you encouraged to commit sin because you hope to repent of it? Are you encouraged by the mercy of God to be his enemies? And do you resolve still to provoke him to anger because you think he is easily pacified? Or do you think that your conversion is in your own power, and that you can turn to God when you please? Is it because you have been born of Godly parents that you are so secure? Or do you imagine that you are in a fair way to be converted? Do you think that what you have done in religion will engage God to pity you? And that he never can have the heart to condemn one who has lived in so orderly a manner? Or do you think that you are indeed converted already? And does that encourage you to take a liberty in sinning? Or are you secure because you are so stupid as to think nothing about these things? Do you let these concerns wholly alone and scarcely ever think at all how it will be with you after you are dead? Certainly it must be one or more of these things which keeps you in your security and encourages you to go on in sin. Examine therefore and see which of them it is. For by the text and doctrine be persuaded to leave off thus flattering yourselves in your own eyes. You are therein informed that those who do as you do commonly continue so doing till their punishment actually comes upon them. Thereby you may be convinced of the vanity of all such flatteries. Be afraid of that which you are sure is the devil's bait. Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird. Proverbs chapter 1 verse 17 You are not only told in the scriptures that sinners are generally thus alert to hell, but your own reason may convince you that it is so, for doubtless other sinners have as much ground to hope to escape punishment as you, and it is evident that they generally do hope to escape. Men under the gospel almost universally think they shall not go to hell. If it were otherwise they could have no peace or comfort in the world, yet what multitudes have we reason to conclude go down from under the preaching of the gospel to the pit of destruction. Now this is surely enough to convince any sober, prudent person of the folly of such flattery and of the folly of everyone that doth not immediately sit about his great work with his might. If you could have access to the damned you would hear many of them curse themselves, for thus flattering themselves while they lived in this world, and you would have the same doctrine preached to you by their wailings and yellings which is now preached to you from the pulpit. If your temptation to security be unbelief of the fundamental doctrines of religion, such as the being of God, of another world, and an internal judgment, you may consider that though that makes you secure at present, yet it will not do always. It will not stand by when you come to die. The fool often in health saith, there is no God, but when he comes to die he cannot rest in any such supposition. Then he is generally so much convinced in his own conscience that there is a God, that he is in dreadful amazement for fear of his eternal wrath. It is folly therefore to flatter yourselves with any supposition now which you will not then be able to hold. If you depend on long life, consider how many who depended on the same thing and had as much reason to depend upon it as you have died within your remembrance. Is it because you are outwardly of an orderly life and conversation that you think you shall be saved? How unreasonable it is to suppose that God should be so obliged by those actions which he knows are not done from the least respect or regard to him, but wholly with a private view. Is it because you are under great advantages that you are not much afraid but that you shall sometime or other be converted and therefore neglect yourselves and your spiritual interests? And we are not the people of Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum under as great advantages as you when Christ himself preached the gospel to them almost continually and wrought such a multitude of miracles among them, yet he says that it shall be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah than for those cities. Do you expect you shall be saved, however you neglect yourselves because you were born of godly parents? Hear what Christ saith, Matthew chapter 3 verse 9. Think not to say within yourselves we have Abraham to our Father. Do you flatter yourselves that you shall obtain mercy, though others do not, because you intend hereafter to seek it more earnestly than others, yet you deceive yourselves if you think that you intend better than many of those others or better than many who are now in hell once intended. If you think you are in a way of earnest seeking, consider whether or no, you do not mind other things yet more. If you imagine that you have it in your own power to work yourselves up to repentance, consider that you must assuredly give up that imagination before you can have repentance wrought in you. If you think yourselves already converted and that encourages you to give yourselves the greater liberty and sinning, this is a certain sign that you are not converted. Wherefore, abandon all these ways of flattering yourselves. No longer follow the devil's bait and let nothing encourage you to go on and sin. But immediately and henceforth seek God with all your heart and soul and strength. End of section 21. Recording by Alana Jordan in St. Louis, Missouri. Section 22 of Select Cermons of Jonathan Edwards. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Father Xyle of Detroit. Select Cermons of Jonathan Edwards. Section 22. The Future Punishment of the Wicked Part 1. The Future Punishment of the Wicked. Unavoidable and Intolerable. Ezekiel 22 verse 14. Can thine heart endure or can thine hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it and will do it. In the former part of this chapter, we have a dreadful catalogue of the sins of Jerusalem. As you may see from the first to the thirteenth verse. In the thirteenth, which is the verse preceding the text, God manifests his great displeasure and fearful wrath against them for those their iniquities. Behold, I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. The expression of God smiting his hand signifies the greatness of his anger and his preparing himself, as it were, to execute wrath answerable to their heinous crimes. It is an allusion to what we sometimes see in men when they are surprised by seeing or hearing of some horrid offense or most intolerable injury which very much stirs their spirits and animates them with high resentment. On such an occasion they will rise up in wrath and smite their hands together as an expression of the heat of their indignation and full resolution to be avenged on those who have committed the injury, as in chapter 21 verse 7. I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest. I the Lord have said it. Then in the text, the punishment of that people is represented. 1. The nature of their punishment is more generally represented in that therein God will undertake to deal with them. God here threatens to deal with the sinners in Jerusalem. The prophets could do nothing with them. God had sent them one after another, but those sinners were too strong for them and beat one and killed another. Therefore now God himself undertakes to deal with them. 2. Their punishment is more particularly represented in three things. Viz. The intolerableness, the remedialessness, and the unavoidableness of it. First, the intolerableness of it. Can thine heart endure? Second, the remedialessness or the impossibility of their doing anything for their own relief. Can thine hands be strong? Third, the unavoidableness of it. I the Lord have spoken and will do it. Doctrine. Since God hath undertaken to deal with impenitent sinners, they shall neither shun the threatened misery nor deliver themselves out of it, nor can they bear it. In handling this doctrine, I shall first show what is implied in God's undertaking to deal with impenitent sinners. Second, that therefore they cannot avoid punishment. Third, that they cannot in any measure deliver themselves from it or do anything for their own relief under it. Fourth, that they cannot bear it. Fifth, I shall answer an inquiry and then proceed to the use. First, I shall show what is implied in God's undertaking to deal with impenitent sinners. Others are not able to deal with them. They baffle all the means used with them by those that are appointed to teach and to rule over them. They will not yield to parents or to the councils, warnings or reproofs of ministers. They prove obstinate and stiff-hearted. Therefore God undertakes to deal with them. This implies the following things. One, that God will reckon with them and take of them satisfaction to his justice. In this world God puts forth his authority to command them and to require subjection to him. In his commands he is very positive, strictly requiring of them the performance of such and such duties and as positively forbidding such and such things which were contrary to their duty. But they have no regard to these commands. God continues commanding and they continue rebelling. They make nothing of God's authority. God threatens, but they despise his threatening. They make nothing of dishonoring God. They care not how much their behavior is to the dishonor of God. He offers them mercy if they will repent and return, but they despise his mercy as well as his wrath. God calleth, but they refuse. Thus they are continually plunging themselves deeper and deeper in debt and at the same time imagine they shall escape the payment of the debt and design entirely to rob God of his due. But God hath undertaken to write himself. He will reckon with them. He hath undertaken to see that the debts due to him are paid. All their sins are written in his book. Not one of them is forgotten and every one must be paid. If God be wise enough and strong enough, he will have full satisfaction. He will exact the very uttermost farthing. He undertakes it as his part, as what belongs to him, to see himself righted, wherein he hath been wronged. Deuteronomy 22, verse 35. To me belongeth vengeance. Hibbid 7, verse 10. He will not be slacked to them that hadeth him. He will repay him to his face. 2. He hath undertaken to vindicate the honor of his majesty. His majesty they despise. They hear that he is a great God, but they despise his greatness. They look upon him worthy of contempt and treat him accordingly. They hear of him by the name of a great king, but his authority they regard not and sometimes trample upon it for years together. But God hath not left the honor of his majesty holy to their care, though they now trample it in the dust, yet that is no sign that it will finally be lost. If God hath left it holy in their hands, it would indeed be lost. But God hath not leave his honor and his glory with his enemies. It is too precious in his eyes to be so neglected. He hath reserved the care of it to himself. He will see to it that his own injured majesty is vindicated. If the honor of God upon which sinners trample finally lie in the dust, then it will be because he is not strong enough to vindicate himself. He hath sworn that great oath in Numbers 14 verse 21, as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Sinners despise his son and trample him under their feet, but he will see if he cannot make the glory of his son appear with respect to them, that all the earth may know how evil a thing it is to despise the son of God. God intends that all men and angels, all heaven and all earth, shall see whether it be sufficient to magnify himself upon sinners who now despise him. He intends that the issue of things with respect to them shall be open, that all men may see it. 3. He hath undertaken to subdue impenitent sinners. Their hearts, while in this world, are very unsubdued. They lift up their heads and conduct themselves very proudly and contemptuously, and often sin with an high hand. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues walk through the earth. They practically say as Pharaoh did, Who is the Lord? I know not the Lord, neither will I obey his voice. Job 21 verse 41 They say to God, depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. Some, who cover their sin with specious show, who put on a face of religion and a demure countenance and behavior, have this spirit secretly reigning in their breasts. Notwithstanding all their fair show and good external carriage, they despise God in their hearts, and have the weapons of war about them, though they are secret enemies, and carry their swords under their skirts. They have most proud, stubborn and rebellious hearts, which are ready to rise in opposition, to contend with him, and to find fault with his dispensations. Their hearts are full of pride, enmity, stubbornness, and blasphemy, which work in them many ways while they sit under the preaching of the word, and while the spirit of God is striving with them, and they always continue to oppose and resist God as long as they live in the world. They never lay down the weapons of their rebellion. But God hath undertaken to deal with them, and to subdue them. And those proud and stubborn hearts, to the power of God's word, shall be broken by the power of his hand. If they will not be willing subjects to the golden scepter, and will not yield to the attractives of his love, they shall be subject to the force of the iron rod, whether they will or know. Them that proudly set up their own righteousness, and their own wills against God, God hath undertaken to bring down, and without doubt it will be done. They hath undertaken to make those who are now regardless of God, regard him. They shall know that he is Jehovah. Now they will not own that he is the Lord, but they shall know it. Isaiah 26 verse 11, Lord, when thine hand is lifted up, they will not see, but they shall see. Now wicked men not only hate God, but they slight him. They are not afraid of him, but he will subdue their contempt. When he shall come to take them in hand, they will hate him still, but they will not slight him. They will not make light of his power as they do now. They will see and feel too much of the infinity of his power to slight it. They are now want to slight his wrath, but then they will slight it no more. They will be infinitely far from it. They will find by sufficient experience that his wrath is not to be slighted. They will learn this to their cost, and they will never forget it. 4. God hath undertaken to rectify their judgments. Now they will not be convinced of those things which God tells them in his word. Ministers take much pains to convince them, but all is in vain. Therefore God will undertake to convince them, but he will do it effectually. Now they will not be convinced of the truth of divine things. They have indeed convincing arguments set before them. They hear and see enough to convince them, yet so prone are they to unbelief and atheism that divine things never seem to them to be real. But God will hereafter make them seem real. Now they are always doubting of the truth of the scriptures, questioning whether they be the word of God or whether the threatenings of scripture be true. But God hath undertaken to convince them that those threatenings are true, and he will make them to know that they are true so that they will never doubt any more forever. They will be convinced by dear experience. Now they are always questioning whether there be any such place as hell. They hear much about it, but it always seems to them like a dream. But God will make it seem otherwise than a dream. Now they are often told of the vanity of the world, but we may as well preach to the beasts to persuade them of the vanity of earthly things. But God will undertake to convince them of this. He will hereafter give them a thorough conviction of it so that they shall have a strong sense of the vanity of all these things. Now ministers often tell sinners of great importance of an interest in Christ, and that that is the one thing needful. They are also told the folly of delaying the care of their souls and how much it concerns them to improve their opportunity. But the instructions of ministers do not convince them. Therefore God will undertake to convince them. Impenitent sinners while in this world hear how dreadful hell is, but they will not believe that it is so dreadful as ministers represent. They cannot think that they shall, to all eternity, suffer such exquisite and horrible torments. But they shall be taught and convinced to purpose that the representations ministers give of those torments agreeable to the word of God are no bug-bears and that the wrath of God is indeed as dreadful as they declare. Since God hath undertaken to deal with sinners and to rectify their judgments in these matters and He will do it thoroughly. For His work is perfect. When He undertakes to do things, He doth not do them by haves. Therefore before He shall have done with sinners, He will convince them effectually so that they shall never be in danger of relapsing into their former errors anymore. He will convince them of their folly and stupidity in entertaining such notions as they now entertain. Thus God hath undertaken to deal with obstinate unbelievers. They carry things on in great confusion, but we need not be dismayed at it. Let us wait and we shall see that God will rectify things. Sinners will not always continue to rebel and despise with impunity. The honor of God will in due time be vindicated and they shall be subdued and convicted and shall give an account. There is no sin, not so much as an idle word that they shall speak, but they must give an account of it. Matthew 12 verse 36 and their sins must be fully balanced and recompensed and satisfaction obtained. Because judgment against their evil works is not speedily executed, their hearts are fully set in them to do evil. Yet God is a righteous judge. He will see that judgment is executed in due time. I come now, part two, to show that therefore impenitent sinners shall not avoid their due punishment. God hath undertaken to inflict it. He hath engaged to do it. It takes it as his work, as what properly belongs to him, and we may expect it of him. If he hath sworn by his life that he will do it and if he hath power sufficient, if he is the living God, doubtless we shall see it done. And that God hath declared that he will punish impenitent sinners is manifest from many scriptures. As Deuteronomy 32 verse 41 I will render vengeance to mine enemies and will reward them that hate me. Deuteronomy 7 verse 10 He will repay him to his face. Exodus 34 verse 7 That will by no means clear the guilty. Nahum 1 verse 3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked. God saith in the text I the Lord hath spoken it and will do it which leaves no room to doubt of the actual fulfillment of the threatening extent. Some wicked men have flattered themselves that although God hath threatened very dreadful things to wicked men for their sins, yet in his heart he never intends to fulfill his threatenings but only to terrify them and make them afraid while they live. But would the infinitely holy God who is not a man that he should lie and who speaketh no vain words utter himself in this manner by the Lord hath spoken it and will do it I have not only threatened but I will also fulfill my threatenings when at the same time these words did not agree with his heart but he secretly knew that though he had spoken yet he intended not to do it who is he that dares to entertain such horrid blasphemy in his heart? No let no impenitent sinner flatter himself so vainly and foolishly. If it were indeed only a man a being of light impotency and mutability with themselves who had undertaken to deal with them they might perhaps with some reason flatter themselves that they should find some means to avoid the threatened punishment but since an omniscient, omnipotent, immutable God hath undertaken vain are all such hopes. There is no hope that possibly they may steal away to heaven though they die unconverted. There is no hope that they can deceive God by any false show of repentance and faith and so be taken to heaven through mistake for the eyes of God are as a flame of fire they perfectly see through every man the inmost closet of the heart is all open to him. There is no hope of escaping the threatened punishment by sinking into nothing at death like brute creatures indeed many wicked men upon their deathbeds wish for this if it were so death would be nothing to them in comparison with what it now is but all such wishes are vain. There is no hope of their escaping without notice when they leave the body there is no hope that God by reason of the multiplicity of affairs which he hath to mind will happen to overlook them and not take notice of them when they come to die and so that their souls will slip away privately and hide themselves in some secret corner and so escape divine vengeance. There is no hope that they shall be missed in a crowd at the day of judgment that they can have opportunity to hide themselves in some cave or den of the mountains or in any secret hole of the earth and that while so doing they will not be minded by reason of the many things which will be the objects of attention of the day neither is there any hope that they will be able to crowd themselves in among the multitude of the saints at the right hand of the judge and so go to heaven undiscovered nor is there any hope that God will alter his mind or that he will repent of what he hath said or he is not the son of man that he should repent hath he said and shall he not do it hath he spoken and shall he not make it good when did God ever undertake to do anything and fail I come now three to show that as impenitent sinners cannot shun the threatened punishment so neither can they do anything to deliver themselves from it or to relieve themselves under it this is implied in those words of the text can thine hand be strong it is with our hands that we make and accomplish things for ourselves but the wicked in hell will have no strength of hand to accomplish anything at all for themselves or to bring to pass any deliverance or any degree of relief first they will not be able in that conflict to overcome their enemy and so to deliver themselves God who will then undertake to deal with them and will gird himself with might to execute wrath to act the part of an enemy with a witness and they will have no strength to oppose him those who live negligent of their souls under the light of the gospel act as if they supposed that they should be able hereafter to make their part good with God verse Corinthians 10 verse 22 do we provoke the Lord to jealousy are we stronger than he but they will have no power to resist that omnipotence which will be engaged against them second they will have no strength in their hands to do anything to appease God or in the least to abate the fierceness of his wrath they will not be able to offer any satisfaction they will not be able to procure God's pity though they cry God will not hear them they will find no price to offer God in favor or to pay any part of their debt third they will not be able to find any to befriend them and intercede with God for them they had the offer of a mediator often made them in this world but they will have no offers of such a nature in hell none will befriend them they will have no friend in hell all there will be their enemies they will have no friend in heaven none of the saints will befriend them or if they should it would be to no purpose there will be no creature that will have any power to deliver them nor will any ever pity them fourth nor will they ever be able to make their escape they will find no means to break prison and flee in hell they will be reserved in chains of darkness forever and ever malifactors have often found means of civil justice but none ever escaped out of the prison of hell which is God's prison it is a strong prison it is beyond any finite power or the united strength of all wicked men and devils to unlock or to break open the door of that prison Christ hath the key of hell he shuts and no man opens fifth nor will they ever be able to find anything to relieve them and any resting place there any place of respite any secret corner which will be cooler than the rest where they may have a little respite a small abatement of the extremity of their torment they will never be able to find any cooling stream or fountain in any part of that world of torment no nor so much as a drop of water to cool their tongues they will find no company to do them the least good they will find no place where they can remain and rest and take breath for one minute for they will be tormented with fire and brimstone and will have no rest day nor night forever and ever thus impenitent sinners will be able neither to shun the punishment threatened nor to deliver themselves from it nor to find any relief under it I come now for to show that neither will they be able to bear it neither will their bands be strong to deliver themselves from it nor will their hearts be able to endure it it is common with men when they meet with calamities in this world in the first place to endeavor to shun them but if they find that they cannot shun them then after they are come they endeavor to deliver themselves from them as soon as they can or at least to order things so as to deliver themselves in some degree but if they find that they can by no means deliver themselves and see that the case is so that they must bear them then they set themselves to bear them they fortify their spirits and take up a resolution that they will support themselves under them as well as they can but it will be utterly in vain for impenitent sinners to think to do thus with respect to the torment of hell they will not be able to endure them or at all to support themselves under them the torment will be immensely beyond their strength what will it signify for a worm which is about to be pressed under the weight of some great rock to be let fall with its whole weight upon it to collect its strength to set itself to bear up the weight of the rock to preserve itself from being crushed by it much more in vain will it be for a poor damned soul to endeavor to support itself under the weight of the wrath of Almighty God what is the strength of man who is but a worm to support himself against the power of Jehovah and against the fierceness of his wrath what is man's strength when set to bear up against the exertions of infinite power Matthew 21 verse 44 whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken but on whosoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder when sinners hear of hell torments they sometimes think with themselves well, if it shall come to that I must go to hell I will bear it as well as I can as if by clothing themselves with resolution and firmness of mind they would be able to support themselves in some measure when alas they will have no resolution no courage at all however they shall have prepared themselves and collected their strength yet as soon as they shall begin to feel that wrath their hearts will melt and be as water however before they may seem to harden their hearts in order to prepare themselves to bear yet the first moment they feel it their hearts will become like wax before the furnace their courage and resolution will be all gone in an instant it will vanish away like a shadow in the twinkling of an eye the stoutest and most sturdy will have no more courage than the feeblest infant let a man be an infant or a giant it will be all one they will not be able to keep alive any courage any strength any comfort any hope at all I come now as was proposed five to answer an inquiry which may naturally be raised concerning these things Inquiry some may be ready to say if this be the case if impenitent sinners can either shun future punishment nor deliver themselves from it or bear it then what will become of them answer they will wholly sink down into eternal death there will be that sinking of heart of which we now cannot conceive we see how it is with the body when in extreme pain the nature of the body will support itself for a considerable time under very great pain so as to keep from wholly sinking there will be great struggles lamentable groans and panting and it may be convulsions these are the struggleings of nature to support itself under the extremity of the pain there is as it were a great loathness in nature to yield to it it cannot bear wholly to sink but yet sometimes pain of body is so very extreme and exquisite that the nature of the body cannot support itself under it however loath it may be to sink yet it cannot bear the pain there are a few struggles and throes and panting and it may be a shriek or two and then nature yields to the violence of the torments sinks down and the body dies this is the death of the body so it will be with the soul in hell it will have no strength or power to deliver itself and its torment and horror will be so great so mighty so vastly disproportion to its strength that having no strength in the least to support itself although it be infinitely contrary to the nature and inclination of the soul utterly to sink yet it will sink it will utterly and totally sink without the least degree of remaining comfort or strength or courage or hope and though it will never be annihilated its being and perception will never be abolished yet such will be the infinite depth of gloominess that it will sink into that it will be in a state of death eternal death the nature of man desires happiness it is the nature of the soul to crave and thirst after well-being and if it be under misery it will be eagerly pants after relief and the greater the misery is the more eagerly doth it struggle for help but if all relief be withholding all strength overborn all support utterly gone then it sinks into the darkness of death we can conceive but little of the matter we cannot conceive what that sinking of the soul in such a case is but to help your conception imagine yourself to be cast into a fiery oven or of a great furnace where your pain would be as much greater than that occasion by accidentally touching a coal of fire as the heat is greater imagine also that your body were to lie there for a quarter of an hour all the while full of quick sense what horror would you feel at the entrance of such a furnace and how long would that quarter of an hour seem to you and after you had endured it for one minute how overbearing would it be to you to think that you had it to endure the other fourteen but what would be the effect on your soul if you knew you must lie there enduring that torment to the full for twenty four hours and how much greater would be the effect if you knew you must endure it for a whole year and how vastly greater still if you knew you must endure it for a thousand years oh then how would your heart sink if you thought if you knew that you must bear it forever and ever that there would be no end that after millions of millions of ages your torment would be no nearer to an end than ever it was and that you never, never should be delivered but your torment in hell would be immensely greater than this illustration represents how then will the heart of a poor creature sink under it how utterly inexpressible and inconceivable must the sinking of the soul be in such a case this is the death threatened in the law this is dying in the highest sense of the word this is to die sensibly to die and know it to be sensible of the gloom of death this is to be undone this is worthy of the name of destruction this sinking of the soul under an infinite weight which it cannot bear is the gloom of hell we read in scripture of the blackness of darkness this is it this is the very thing we read in scripture of sinners being lost and of their losing their souls this is the thing intended this is to lose the soul they that are the subjects of this are utterly lost and in section 22 the future punishment of the wicked part 1 by Jonathan Edwards section 23 of select sermons of Jonathan Edwards this is a LibriVox recording this recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer contact LibriVox.org the future punishment of the wicked unavoidable and intolerable a sermon by Jonathan Edwards part 2 the application read by Father Xyle of Detroit this subject may be applied in a use of awakening to impenitent sinners what hath been said under this doctrine is for thee o impenitent sinner o poor wretch who art in the same miserable state in which thou camest into the world accepting that thou art loaded with vastly greater guilt by thine actual sins these dreadful things which thou hast heard are for thee who art yet unconverted and still remainest an alien and stranger without Christ and without God in the world they are for thee who to this day remainest an enemy to God and a child of the devil even in this remarkable season when others both here and elsewhere far and near are flocking to Christ for thee who hearest the noise the fame of these things but knowest nothing of the power of godliness in thine own heart whoever thou art whether young or old little or great if thou art in a Christless unconverted state this is the wrath this is the death to which thou art condemned this is the wrath that abideth on thee this is the hell over which thou hangest and into which thou art ready to drop every day and every night if thou shalt remain blind and hard and dead in sin a little longer this destruction will come upon thee God hath spoken and he will do it it is vain for thee to flatter thyself with hopes that thou shalt avoid it or to say in thine heart perhaps it will not be perhaps it will not be just so perhaps things have been represented worse than they are if thou wilt not be convinced by the word preached to thee in the name of God God himself will undertake to convince thee Ezekiel 14 verses 4, 7 and 8 doth it seem to thee not real that thou shalt suffer such a dreadful destruction because it seems to thee that thou dost not deserve it and because thou dost not see anything so horrid in thyself as to answer such a dreadful punishment why is it that thy wickedness doth not seem bad enough to deserve this punishment the reason is that thou lovest thy wickedness thy wickedness seems good to thee it appears lovely to thee thou dost not see any hatefulness in it or to be sure any such hatefulness as to answer such misery but know thou stupid blind hardened wretch that God doth not see as thou seest with thy polluted eyes thy sins in his sight are infinitely abominable thou knowest that thou hast a thousand and a thousand times made light of the majesty of God and why should not that majesty which thou hast thus despised be manifested in the greatness of thy punishment thou hast often heard what a great and dreadful God Jehovah is but thou hast made so light of it that thou hast not been afraid of him thou hast not been afraid to sin against him nor to go on day after day by thy sins to provoke him to wrath nor to cast his commands under foot and trample on them now why may not God in the greatness of thy destruction justly vindicate and manifest the greatness of that majesty which thou hast despised thou hast despised the mighty power of God thou hast not been afraid of it now why is it not fit that God should show the greatness of his power in thy ruin what king is there who will not show his authority in the punishment of those subjects that despise it and who will not vindicate his royal majesty in executing vengeance on those that rise in rebellion and art thou such a fool as to think that the great king of heaven and earth and other kings are so many grasshoppers will not vindicate his kingly majesty on such contemptuous rebels as thou art thou art very much mistaken if thou thinkest so if thou be regardless of God's majesty be it known to thee God is not regardless of his own majesty he taketh care of the honor of it and he will vindicate it think it not strange to be so severely with thee or that the wrath which thou shall suffer should be so great for as great as it is it is no greater than that love of God which thou hast despised the love of God and his grace, condescension and pity to sinners in sending his son into the world to die for them is every wit as great and wonderful as this inexpressible wrath been held forth to thee and described in its wonderful greatness hundreds of times and as often hath it been offered to thee but thou wouldst not accept Christ thou wouldst not have this great love of God thou despisest God's dying love thou crampless the benefits of it under foot now why shouldest thou not have wrath as great as that love and mercy which thou despisest and rejectest doth it seem incredible to thee that God should so harden his heart against the poor sinner as so to destroy him and to bear him down with infinite power and merciless wrath and is this a greater thing than it is for thee to harden thy heart as thou hast done against infinite mercy and against the dying love of God doth it seem to thee incredible that God should be so utterly regardless of the sinner's welfare as so to sink him into an infinite abyss of misery is this shocking to thee and is it not at all shocking to thee that thou shouldst be so utterly regardless as thou hast been of the honor and glory of the infinite God it arises from thy foolish stupidity and senselessness and is because thou hast a heart of stone that thou art so senseless of thine own wickedness as to think thou hast not deserved such a punishment and that it is to thee incredible that it will be inflicted upon thee but if when all is said and done thou be not convinced wait but a little while and thou will be convinced God will undertake the work which ministers cannot do though judgment against thine evil works be not yet executed and God now let thee alone yet he will soon come upon thee with his great power and then thou shalt know what God is and what thou art flatter not thyself that if these things shall prove true and the worst shall come thou wilt set thyself to bear it as well as thou canst that signify to set thyself to bear and to collect thy strength to support thyself when thou shalt fall into the hands of that omnipotent king Jehovah he that made thee can make his sword approach unto thee his sword is not the sword of man nor is his wrath the wrath of man if it were possibly stoutness might be maintained under it but it is the fierceness of the wrath of the great God who is able to baffle and dissipate all thy strength in a moment he can fill thy poor soul with an ocean of wrath a deluge of fire and brimstone or he can make it ten thousand times fuller of torment than ever an oven was full of fire and at the same time can fill it with despair of ever seeing an end to its torment or any rest from its misery and then where will be thy strength what will become of thy courage then what will signify thine attempts to bear what art thou in the hands of the great God who made heaven and earth by speaking a word what art thou when dealt with by that strength which manages all this vast universe holds the globe of the earth directs all the motions of the heavenly bodies from age to age and when the fixed time shall come will shake all the pieces there are other wicked beings a thousand times stronger than thou there are the great leviathans strong and proud spirits of a gigantic stoutness and hardiness but how little are they in the hands of the great God they are less than weak infants they are nothing and less than nothing in the hands of an angry God as will appear at the day of judgment their hearts will be broken they will sink they will have no strength no courage left they will be as weak as water their souls will sink down into an infinite gloom an abyss of death and despair then what will become of thee poor worm when thou shalt fall into the hands when he shall come to show his wrath and make his power known to thee if the strength of all the wicked men on earth and of all the devils in hell were united in one and thou were possessed of it all and if the courage, greatness and stoutness of all their hearts were united in thy single heart thou wouldst be nothing in the hands of Jehovah if it were all collected and thou should set thyself as well as thou couldst all would sink under his great wrath in an instant and would be utterly abolished thine hands would drop down at once and thine heart would melt as wax the great mountains the firm rocks cannot stand before the power of God as fast as they stand they are tossed hither and thither and skip like lambs when God appears in his anger on earth in pieces in a moment yea he can shatter the whole universe and dash it to pieces at one blow how then will thine hands be strong or thine heart endure thou canst not stand before lion of the forest an angry wild beast if stirred up will easily tear such a one as thou art in pieces yea not only so but thou art crushed before the moth a very little thing a little worm or spider or some such insect is able to kill thee what then canst thou do in the hands of God it is vain to set the briars and thorns in battle array against glowing flames the points of thorns though sharp do nothing to withstand the fire some of you have seen buildings on fire with yourselves what a poor hand you would make at fighting with the flames if you were in the midst of so great and fierce a fire you have often seen a spider or some other noisome insect when thrown into the midst of a fierce fire and have observed how immediately it yields to the force of the flames there is no long struggle no fighting against the fire no strength exerted to oppose the heat or to fly from it the fire stretches forth itself and yields and the fire takes possession of it and at once it becomes full of fire here is a little image of what you will be subjects of in hell except you repent and fly to Christ however you may think that you will fortify yourselves and bear as well as you can the first moment you shall be cast into hell you shall sink and be utterly abolished to encourage yourselves that you will set yourselves to bear hell torments as well as you can is just as if a worm that is about to be thrown into a glowing furnace should swell and fortify itself and prepare itself to fight the flames what can you do with lightnings what does it signify to fight with them what an absurd figure would a poor weak man make expect a flash of lightning on his head or his breast and should go forth sword in hand to oppose it when a stream of brimstone would in an instant drink up all his spirits and his life and melt his sword consider these things all you enemies of God and rejecters of Christ whether you be old men or women Christless heads of families if you do not harken and repent God intends to show his wrath and make his power known upon you he intends to magnify himself exceedingly in sinking you down to hell he intends to show his great majesty at the day of judgment before a vast assembly in your misery before a greater assembly many thousand fold and ever yet appeared on earth before a vast assembly of saints a vast assembly of wicked men a vast assembly of holy angels and before all the crew of devils God will before all these get himself honor in your destruction you shall be tormented in the presence of them all then all will see that God is a great God indeed then all will see how dreadful a thing it is to sin against such a God and to reject such a savior in grace as you have rejected and despised all will be filled with awe at the great sight and all the saints and angels will look upon you and adore that majesty and that mighty power and that holiness and justice of God which shall appear in your ineffable destruction and misery it is probable that here are some who hear me this day in a great degree careless about their souls I fear there are some among us who are most fearfully hardened their hearts are harder than the very rocks it is easier to make impressions upon an adamant than upon their hearts I suppose some of you have heard all that I have said with ease and quietness it appears to you as great big sounding words but does not reach your hearts I have heard such things many times you are old soldiers and have been too much used to the roaring of heaven's cannon to be frighted at it it will therefore probably be in vain for me to say anything further to you I will only put you in mind that ere long God will deal with you I cannot deal with you you despise what I say I have no power to make you sensible of your danger the dreadfulness of the wrath of God the attempts of men in this way have often proved vain however God has undertaken to deal with such men as you are it is his manner commonly first to let men try their utmost strength particularly to let ministers try that thus he may show ministers their own weakness and impotency and when they have done such things then God takes the matter into his own hands so it seems by your obstinacy as if God intended to undertake to deal with you he will undertake to subdue you he will see if he cannot cure you of your senselessness and regardlessness of his threatenings and you will be convinced you will be subdued effectually your heart will be broken with a witness your courage and hope will sink God will surely break those who will not bow God having girded himself with his power and wrath have heremore undertaken to deal with many hard stubborn senseless obstinate hearts and he never failed he always did his work thoroughly it will not be long before you will be wonderfully changed you who now hear of hell and the wrath of the great God and sit here in these seats so easy and quiet and go away so careless by and by will shake and tremble and cry out and shriek and gnash your teeth and will be thoroughly convinced of the vast weight and importance of these great things which you now despise end of section 23 read by Father Ziley section 24 of select sermons of Jonathan Edwards this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Father Ziley of Detroit select sermons of Jonathan Edwards section 24 Hippocrates deficient in the duty of prayer part one Job 27 verse 10 will he always call upon God concerning these words I would observe one who it is that is here spoken of is the Hippocrate as you may see if you take the two preceding verses with the verse of the text for what is the hope of the Hippocrate though he hath gained when God takeeth away his soul will God bear his cry when trouble cometh upon him will he delight himself in the Almighty will he always call upon God Job's three friends in their speeches to him insisted much upon it that he was an Hippocrate but Job in this chapter asserts his sincerity and integrity and shows how different his own behavior had been from that of Hippocrate particularly he declares his steadfast and immovable resolution of persevering and holding out in the ways of religion and righteousness to the end as you may see in the six first verses in the text he shows how contrary to his steadfastness he does not want thus to hold out in religion two we may observe what duty of religion it is with respect to which the Hippocrate is deciphered in the text and that is the duty of prayer or calling upon God three here is something supposed of the Hippocrate relating to his duty that for a while he may call upon God for a season four something asserted is that it is not the manner of Hippocrates to continue always in this duty will he always call upon God it is in the form of an interrogation but the words have the force of a strong negation or of an assertion that however the Hippocrate may call upon God for a season in it doctrine however Hippocrates may continue for a season in the duty of prayer yet it is their manner after a while in a great measure to leave it off in speaking upon this doctrine I shall show one how Hippocrates often continue for a season to call upon God two how it is their manner after a while three give some reasons why this is the manner of Hippocrates one I would show how Hippocrates often continue for a season in the duty of prayer first they do so for a while after they have received common illuminations and affections while they are under awakenings they may through fear of hell call upon God constantly upon the duty of secret prayer and after they have had some melting affections having their hearts much moved with the goodness of God or with some affecting encouragements and false joy and comfort while these impressions last they continue to call upon God in the duty of secret prayer second after they have obtained and hope and have made profession in the duty of secret prayer for a while they are affected with their hope they think that God has delivered them out of a natural condition and given them an interest in Christ thus introducing them into a state of safety from that eternal misery which they lately feared with this supposed kindness of God to them they are much affected and often find in themselves for a while now while this affection towards God continues the duties of religion seem pleasant to them it is even with some delight that they approach to God in their closets and for the present it may be they think of no other than continuing to call upon God as long as they live yea they may continue in the duty of secret prayer for a while after the liveliness of their affections is passed by the influence of their former intentions they intended to continue seeking God always and now suddenly to leave off would therefore be too shocking to their own minds and partly through the force of their own preconceived notions and what they have always believed these that godly persons do continue in religion and that their goodness is not like the morning cloud therefore though they have no love to the duty of prayer and begin to grow weary of it yet as they love their own hope they are somewhat backward to take a course which will prove it to be a false hope and so deprive them of it if they should at once carry themselves so as they have always been taught is a sign of false hope they would scare themselves their hope is dear to them and it would scare them to see any plain evidence that it is not true for a considerable time after the force of their illuminations and affections is over and after they hate the duty of prayer and would be glad to have done with it if they could without showing themselves to be hypocrites they hold up a kind of attendance upon the duty of secret prayer this may keep up the outside of religion in them for a good while and occasion it to be somewhat slowly that they are brought to neglected they must not leave off suddenly too great a shock to their false peace but they must come gradually to it as they find their consciences can bear it and as they can find out devices and salvos to cover over the matter and make their so doing consistent in their own opinion with the truth of their hope but too it is the manner of hypocrites after a while in a great measure to leave off the practice of this duty they thought that the seeming goodness and piety of hypocrites is not of a lasting and persevering nature it is so with respect to their practice of the duty of prayer in particular and especially of secret prayer they can omit this duty and their omission of it not be taken notice of by others who know what profession they have made so that a regard to their own reputation does not oblige them still to practice it if others saw how they neglect it it would exceedingly shock their charity towards them but their neglect does not fall under their observation at least not under the observation of many therefore they may omit this duty and still have the credit of being converted persons men of this character can come to a neglect of secret prayer by degrees without very much shocking their peace for though indeed for a converted person to live in a great measure without secret prayer is very wide of the notion they once had of a true convert yet they find means by degrees to alter their notions and to bring their principles to suit with their inclinations and at length they come to that in their notions of things that a man may be a convert and yet live very much in time they can bring all things to suit well together and hope of heaven and an indulgence of sloth in gratifying carnal appetites and living in a great measure a prayerless life they cannot indeed suddenly make these things agree it must be a work of time and length of time will affect it by degrees they find out ways to guard and defend their conscience against those powerful enemies so that those enemies and a quiet secure conscience can at length dwell pretty well together whereas it is asserted in the doctrine that it is the manner of hypocrites after a while in a great measure to leave off this duty I would observe to you first that it is not intended but that they may commonly continue to the end of life in yielding an external attendance on open prayer or prayer with others they may commonly be present at public prayers in the congregation and also at family prayer this in such places of light as this is men commonly do before ever they are so much as awakened many vicious persons who make no pretense to serious religion commonly attend public prayers in the congregation and also more private prayers unless it be when carnal designs interfere or when their youthful pleasures and diversions and their vain company call them and then they make no conscience of attending family prayer otherwise they may continue to attend upon prayer as long as they live and yet may truly be said not to call upon God or such prayer in the manner of it is not their own they are present only for the sake of prayer with others they may be present at these prayers and yet have no proper prayer of their own many of those concerning whom it may be said as in Job 15 verse 4 that they cast off fear and restrain prayer before God are yet frequently present at family and public prayer second but they in a great measure leave off the practice of secret prayer they come to this past by degrees at first they begin to be careless about it under some particular temptations because they have been out in young company or have been taken up very much with worldly business they omit it once after that they more easily omit it again thus it presently becomes a frequent thing with them to omit it and after a while it comes to that pass that they seldom attend it perhaps they attend it on Sabbath days and sometimes on other days but they have ceased to make it a constant practice daily to retire to worship God alone and to seek his face in secret places they sometimes do a little to quiet conscience and just to keep alive their old hope because it would be shocking to them even after all their subtle dealing with their consciences to call themselves converts totally to live without prayer yet the practice of secret prayer they have in a great measure left off I come now three to the reasons why this is the manner of hypocrites first hypocrites never had the spirit of prayer given them they may have been stirred up to the external performance of this duty and that with a great deal of earnestness and affection and yet always have been destitute of the true spirit of prayer the spirit of prayer is an holy spirit a gracious spirit we read of the spirit of grace and supplication Zachariah 3 verse 10 I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplications wherever there is a true spirit of supplication there is the spirit of grace the spirit of prayer is no other than God's own spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints and as this spirit comes from God so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings it naturally leads to God to converse with him by prayer therefore the spirit is said to make intercession for the saints with groanings which cannot be uttered Romans 8 verse 26 but it is far otherwise with the true convert his work is not done but he finds still a great work to do and great wants to be supplied he sees himself still to be a poor empty helpless creature and that he still stands in great and continual need of God's help he is sensible that without God he can do nothing a false conversion makes a man self-sufficient he saith he is rich and increased with goods and hath need of nothing and knoweth not that he is wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked but after a true conversion the soul remains sensible of its own impotence and emptiness as it is in itself and its sense of it is rather increased than diminished it is still sensible of its own living a true convert is sensible that his grace is very imperfect and he is very far from having all that he desires instead of that by conversion are begotten in him new desires which he never had before he now finds in him holy appetites and hungering and thirsting after righteousness a longing after more acquaintance and communion with God so that he hath business there instead of being diminished is since his conversion rather increased third the hope which the hypocrite hath of his good estate takes off the force that the command of God before had upon his conscience so that now he dares neglect so plain a duty the command which requires the practice of the duty of prayer is exceeding plain watch and pray that he enter not into temptation Ephesians 6 verse 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints Matthew 6 verse 6 when thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy father which is is in secret. As long as the hypocrite was in his own apprehension in continual danger of hell, he durst not disobey these commands. But since he is, as he thinks, safe from hell, he is grown bold. He dares to live in the neglect of the plainest command in the Bible. It is the manner of hypocrites, after a while, to return to sinful practices, which will tend to keep them from praying. While they were under convictions, they reformed their lives and walked very exactly. This reformation continues for a little time, perhaps after their supposed conversion, while they are much affected with hope and false comfort. But as these things die away, their old lusts revive, and they, by degrees, return like the dog to his vomit, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. They return to their sensual practices, to their worldly practices, to their proud and contentious practices as before. And no wonder this makes them forsake their closets, sinning and praying a green outwell together. If a man be constant in the duty of secret prayer, it will tend to restrain him from willful sinning. So, on the other hand, if he allow himself in sinful practices, it will restrain him from praying. It will give quite another turn to his mind, so that he will have no disposition to the practice of such a duty, it will be contrary to him. A man who knows that he lives in sin against God will not be inclined to come daily into the presence of God, but will rather be inclined to fly from his presence, as Adam, when he had eaten of the forbidden fruit, ran away from God and hid himself among the trees of the garden. To keep up the duty of prayer after he had given loose to his lusts would tend very much to disquiet a man's conscience. It would give advantage to his conscience to testify aloud against him. If he should come from his wickedness into the presence of God, immediately to speak to him, his conscience would, as it were, fly in his face. Therefore, hypocrites, as they by degrees admit their wicked practices, exclude prayer. 5. Hypocrites never counted the cost of perseverance in seeking God, and of following him to the end of life. To continue instant in prayer with all perseverance to the end of life requires much care, watchfulness, and labor. For much opposition is made to it by the flesh, the world, and the devil, and Christians meet with many temptations to forsake this practice. He that would persevere in this duty must be laborious in religion in general. But hypocrites never count the cost of such labor, i.e., they never were prepared in the disposition of their minds to give their lives to the service of God and to the duties of religion. It is therefore no great wonder if they are weary and give out after they have continued for a while as their affections are gone and they find that prayer to them grows irksome and tedious. 6. Hypocrites have no interest in those gracious promises which God hath made to his people, of those spiritual supplies which are needful in order to uphold them in the way of their duty to the end. God hath promised to the true saints that they shall not forsake him. Jeremiah 32 verse 40 I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me. He hath promised that he will keep them in the way of their duty, 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 23 and 24, and that God of peace sanctify you holy. And I pray God your spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. But hypocrites have no interest in these and such like promises, and therefore are liable to fall away. If God do not uphold men, there is no dependence on their steadfastness. If the spirit of God depart from them, they will soon become careless and profane, and there will be an end to their seeming devotion and piety. End of section 24