SERMON XXVII.
And
these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life
eternal.—mat. XXV. 46.
the words are a
conclusion of a notable scheme and draft which Christ gives us of the last
judgment. In that day there will be—(1.) A congregation; (2.) A segregation;
(3.) A discussion of the cause; (4.) A solemn doom and sentence, both of absolution and condemnation;
(5.) And, lastly, execution, without which the whole process of that day
would be but a solemn and useless pageantry. The execution is in the text;
wherein observe
First,
A distinction of the persons; these and
the righteous. See the last sermon on 2 Cor.
v. 10.
Secondly,
As there are different persons, so
different recompenses. See 2 Cor. v. 10.
Thirdly,
Observe, these different recompenses are
dispensed with respect to the different qualifications and state of the persons
judged, as their case shall appear upon trial, according to their works. Some
are wicked, and others righteous: God must needs deal
differently with them
1. To
show the holiness of his nature. The holy God delighteth
in holiness and holy persons, and hateth sin and the
workers of iniquity; and therefore will not deal with the one as he dealeth with the other. Both parts of his holiness are
spoken of in scripture, his delight in holy things and persona See the fourth
sermon on 2 Cor. v. 10.
2. The righteousness of his government requireth
that there should be a different proceeding with the godly and the wicked; that
every man should reap according to what he hath sown, whether he hath sown
according to the flesh or the spirit; that the fruit of his doings should be
given into his bosom. And this, though it be not evident in this life, where
good and evil is promiscuously dispensed, because now is the time of God's
patience and our trial, yet, in the life to come, when God will judge the world
in righteousness, Acts xvii. 31, [Pg. 101] it is necessary that it should go
well with the good and ill with the bad; or, as the apostle saith, 2 Thes. i. 6, 7, 'It is a righteous thing with God to
recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you that are troubled,
rest with us, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven, with
his mighty angels.' Mark, both parts of the recompense belong to the
righteousness of his government, to give rest to the troubled, as well as
tribulation to the troublers.
Indeed,
with the one he dealeth in strict justice; to the
other he dispenseth a reward of grace. Yet that also belongeth to his righteousness; that is, his new-covenant
righteousness; for so it is said, Heb. vi. 10, 'God
is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour
of love;' as he hath bound himself by gracious promise to give life and glory
to the penitent, obedient, and faithful.
3.
The graciousness of his rewarding mercy and free love to his faithful servants.
Though they were involved in the same condemnation with others as to their
original and first estate, and the merit of their evil actions, and the
constant imperfection of their best works; yet since it was the sincere bent of
their hearts to serve and honour God, he will give
them a crown of life. They might have perished everlastingly, as others do, if
God should enter into a strict judgment with them. But when others receive the
fruit of their doings, he dealeth graciously with
them, pardoning their failings, and accepting them hi the Beloved. God is not
bound in justice, from the right and merit of their actions, to reward them
that have done him most faithful service, but merely of his grace upon the
account of Christ: 1 Peter i. 13, 'Hoping unto the
end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of our Lord
Jesus Christ;' and Jude 21, 'Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
unto eternal life;' and 2 Tim. i. 18, 'The Lord grant
that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day,' namely, when the Lord shall
judge the quick and the dead, and shall distribute punishments and rewards. In
some measure we see grace here, but never so fully and perfectly as then.
[1.]
Partly because now we have not so full a view of our unworthiness as when our
actions are scanned, and all things are brought to light whether they be good
or evil. And
[2.] Partly because there is not so full and large a
manifestation of God's favour now, as there is in our
full and final reward. It is grace now that he is pleased to pass by our
offences, and to take us into his family, and give us some taste of his love,
and a right to his heavenly kingdom; but then it is another manner of grace and
favour, when our pardon shall be pronounced by our
Judge's own mouth, and he shall not only take us into his family, but into his
immediate presence and heavenly palace; not only give us a right, but
possession: 'Come, ye blessed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for
you;' and shall not only have some remote service and ministration, but be
everlastingly employed in loving, and delighting in, and praising of God. This
is grace indeed. The grace of God, or his free favour
to sinners, is never seen in all its glory or graciousness till then. And it is
the more amplified, when we see how God dealeth with
others, who as to natural endowments were every way as acceptable as ourselves;
and, as to spirituals, grace alone making the difference. [Pg. 102]
Fourthly, Observe,
first, the wicked are described by sins of omission; as ver. 42, 43. Those that
have not visited, not clothed, not fed, not harboured; these shall go into everlasting punishment. But
the righteous, by their faithfulness in good works, or acts of self-denying
obedience, shall go into life eternal.
1.
The wicked by their omission of necessary duties. Because we think omissions no
sins, or light sins, I shall take this occasion to show the heinousness of
them. Sins are commonly distinguished into—(1.) Sins of
omission; and (2.) Sins of commission.
[1.]
A sin of commission is when we do those things which we ought not to do.
[2.]
A sin of omission is when we leave undone those things which we ought to do.
But when we look more narrowly into these things, we shall find both in every
actual sin; for in that we commit anything against the law of God, we
omit our duty; and the omitting of our duty can hardly fall out but that
something is preferred before the love of God; and that is a commission. But
yet there is a ground for the distinction; because when anything is directly
and formally against the negative precept and prohibition, that is a sin of
commission; but when we directly sin against an affirmative precept, that is an
omission. An instance we have in Eli and his sons. Eli's sons 'defiled
themselves with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation,' 1 Sam. ii. 22; but Eli himself sinned in that 'he restrained
them not,' 1 Sam. iii. 13. His sin was an omission; their sin was a commission.
Now, that sins of commission may be great sins, appeareth.
(1.)
Partly by the nature of them; for there is in them the general nature of all
sin. It is \~anomia\~, 1 John iii. 4, a transgression of a law, or
a disobedience to God; and so, by consequence, a contempt of his authority.
We cry out upon Pharaoh when we hear him saying, Exod.
v. 2, 'Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?' And by interpretation we
all say so. This language is in every sin we commit, and in every duty we omit.
Our negligence is not simple negligence, but downright disobedience; because it
is the breach of an express precept and charge which God hath given us. Now when
we make no reckoning of it, we do in effect say, 'Who
is the the Lord, that I should obey him?' There may
be much disobedience in a bare omission. When Saul had not done what God bade
him to-do, he telleth him, 'That rebellion is as the
sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry,' 1 Sam. xv. 23; implying that omission to be stubbornness and rebellion,
parallel to idolatry and witchcraft.
(2.)
By the causes. In the general, corrupt nature; but the particular causes are
(1st) Idleness. They do not stir up themselves, Isa. lxiv. 7.
(2dly.) Security, Jer. ii. 31, 32.
(3dly.) Want of love to God: Isa xliii. 22, 'But thou hast
not called upon me, O Jacob; thou hast been weary of me, O Israel;' Rev. ii. 4,
'Nevertheless I have something against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love.' And
(4thly.) Zeal for his glory: 'Not
slothful in business, but fervent [Pg. 103] in spirit, serving the Lord,' Rom.
xii. 11. Where there is a fervour,
we cannot be idle and neglectful of our duty.
(3.)
By the effects; and they are
(1st.)
Internal. There is a sad withering: 1 Thes. v. 19, 'Quench not the Spirit' Or
(2d.) External. It bringeth on many temporal judgments. God puts by Saul from
being king for a sin of omission: 1 Sam. xv. 11, 4 It repenteth me for setting up
Saul to be king; for he hath not done the thing which I commanded him.' For
this he puts by Eli's house from the priesthood: 1 Sam. iii. 13, 'I will judge
his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth;
because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.' That
omission was not total; for he reproved them, but did not punish them.
(3d.)
Eternal: Mat. xxv. 30, 'Cast the unprofitable servant
into utter darkness.' So Mat. vii. 19, 'Every tree that bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire;' if it bringeth not forth good fruit, though not bad or poisonous
fruit For these sins Christ condemneth the wicked in
the text. By all these arguments it appeareth that
sins of omission may be great sins. But
2.
That some sins of omission are greater than others. All are not alike. As
[1.]
The more necessary the duties are: Heb. ii. 3, 'How shall we escape, if we
neglect so great salvation?' &c.; 1 Cor.
xvi. 22, 'If any man love not the Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be anathema maranathn.' These are peccata contra remedium,
as others are contra officium. By other
sins we make the wound; by these we refuse the plaster.
[2.]
If the omission be total: Jer. x. 25, 'Pour out thy
fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not
on thy name;' Ps. xiv. 2, 'None seeketh after God.'
[3.]
If a duty be seasonable; the feeding the hungry, &c., as ver. 44, 'When saw
we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger?' &c.;
and 1 John iii. 17, 'He that hath this world's good, and seeth
his brother in need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in
him? "
[4.]
When it is easy. This is to stand with God for a trifle: Luke xvi. 24, 'And he
cried and said, Father Abraham, 'have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he
may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented
in this flame.' Desideravit gut-torn, qui non dedit mtcam.
[5.] When
convinced: James iv. 17, 'Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.'
3. In
many cases, sins of omission may be more heinous and damning than sins of
commission. They are the ruin of the most part of the carnal world. They are
described to be 'without God,' Eph. ii. 12. Of the wicked within the pale it is
said, Ps. x. 3,4, 'The wicked, through the pride of
his heart, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts.' Of the careless professor, Jer. ii.
32, 'My people have forgotten me days without number.' Sins of omission may be
more heinous than sins of commission—
[1.] Partly because these harden more. Foul sins scourge
the conscience with remorse and shame, but these bring on insensibly [pg. 104] slightness
and hardness of heart. And therefore Christ saith, 'Publicans and harlots
should enter into the
[2.]
Partly because omissions make way for commissions: Ps. xiv. 4, they that' called not upon God,
did eat up his people as bread.' They lie open to gross sins that do not keep
the heart tender by a daily attendance upon God. If a man do
not that which is good, he will soon do that which is evil. Oh! then, let us bewail our unprofitableness,
that we do no more good, that we do so much neglect God, that we do no more
edify our neighbour, so that God's best gifts lie
idle upon our hands. That child is counted undutiful that doth wrong and beat
his father; so also he that giveth him not due
reverence. How seldom do we think of God! Every relation puts new duties upon
us, but we little regard them; every gift, every talent.
Again,
secondly, The godly by their fruitfnlness
in good works, and acts of self-denying obedience. They fed, they refreshed,
they harboured, they clothed, they
visited, ver. 35, 36. The question ie not, Have you
heard, prayed, preached? These are disclaimed: Mat. vii. 22, 'Many will say
unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy
name have cast out devils, and in thy name have done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity;' Luke xiii. 26, 'Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk
in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets; but he shall say, I tell
you, I know you not; depart from me, all ye· workers of iniquity.' Nay, nor
have you believed: James ii. 20, 'Wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith
without works is dead?' No; Christ telleth us of
another trial Well, then, a religion that costs
nothing is worth nothing. A notional religion, a word religion, is not a
Christianity of Christ's making. Surely heaven is worth something, and it will
cost us something if we mean to get thither. There is more in these works of
costly charity than we usually think of, 1 Tim. vi. 18,19; Luke xvi. 9; 1 John iv. 19,
'Hereby we know-that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before
him.' Hereby; by what? 'If we love not in word and
tongue only, but indeed and in truth.' Refresh the bowels of the poor, own
brethren though with danger of our lives. Heaven is but a fancy to them that
will venture nothing for the hopes of it What have you
done to show your thankfulness for so great a mercy tendered to you? A cold
belief and a fruitless profession will never yield you comfort. Good words are
not dear, and a little countenance given to religion costs no great matter; and
therefore do not think that religion lieth only in
hearing sermons, or a few cursory prayers and drowsy devotions. We should mind
those things about which we shall be questioned at the day of
judgment. Have you visited, fed, clothed, harboured,
owned the servants of God, when the world hath frowned on them? Comforted them
in their distresses? Wherein really have you denied yourselves for the hopes of
glory?
fifthly, Observe the notions
whereby their different estate in the other world is expressed, punishment and
life. See sermon last, on 2 Cor. v.
10. [Pg. 105]
Sixthly,
Observe, eternity is affixed to both;
everlasting punishment and eternal life. See last sermon on 2 Cor. v. 10.
Seventhly,
Observe, these are spoken of not only as
threatened, but executed. When the cause hath been sufficiently tried and
cleared, and sentence passed, there will be execution. The execution is
certain, speedy, and unavoidable. See last sermon on 2 Cor.
v. 10.
Eightly, Observe, sentence is executed on the wicked first. It beginneth with them, for it is said, 'These shall go away
into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal.' Now this is
not merely because the order of the narration did so require it. See last
sermon on 2 Cor. v. 10.
The Use
is to press us—(1.) To believe these things; (2.) Seriously to consider of them.
1. To
believe them. Most men's faith about the eternal recompenses is but pretended,
at best too cold and speculative, an opinion rather than a sound belief, as appeareth by the little fruit and effect that it hath upon
us; for if we had such a sight of them as we have of other things, we should be
other manner of persons than we are, in all holy conversation and godliness. We
see how cautious man is in tasting meat in which he doth suspect harm, that it will breed in him the pain and torments of the
stone and gout or cholic; I say, though it be but
probable the things will do us any hurt. We know certainly that 'the wages of
sin is death,' yet we will be tasting forbidden fruit. If a man did but suspect
a house were falling, he would not stay in it an hour. We know for certain that
continuance in a carnal estate will be our eternal ruin; yet who doth flee from
wrath to come? If we have but a little hope of gain, we will take pains to
obtain it. We know that' our labour
is not in vain in the Lord.' Why do we not 'abound in his work'? 1 Cor. xv. 58. Surely we would do
more to prevent this misery, to obtain this happiness, when we may do it upon
such easy terms, and have so fair an opportunity in our hands; if we were not
strangely stupefied, we would not go to hell to save ourselves a labour. There are two things which are very wondrous:
[1.]
That any should suspect the Christian faith, so clearly promised in the
predictions of the prophets before it was set afoot, and confirmed with such a
number of miracles after it was set afoot; received among the nations with so
universal a consent in the learned part of the world, notwithstanding the
meanness of the instruments first employed in it, and perpetuated to us
throughout so many successions of ages, who have had experience of the truth
and benefit of it;—that now in the latter end of time, any should suspect this
faith, and think it a fond credulity, is a wonder indeed.
[2.] But a greater wonder by far is it that any should
embrace the Christian faith and yet live sinfully; that they should believe as christians, and yet live as
atheists. You cannot drive a dull ass into the fire that is kindled before him:
'Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird." How can men
believe eternal torments, and yet with so much boldness and easiness run into
the sins that do deserve them? Many times they are not compelled by any terror,
nor asked by any tempter, nor invited by any temptation; but of their own
accord seek out occasions of their ruin. On the other side, can a man [Pg. 106]
believe heaven and do nothing for it? If we know that it will not be lost labour, there is all the reason we should not grudge at it
2.
Seriously consider of these things. The scripture everywhere calleth for consideration: Ps. 1. 22, 'Consider this, ye
that forget God;' Isa. i. 3, 'My people will not
consider.' Many that have faith do not set it a-work by lively thoughts.
Knowledge is asleep, and differeth little from
ignorance and oblivion, till consideration awaken it.
If we were ft leisure to think of eternity, it would do us good to think of
this double motive—that every man must be judged to everlasting joy or
everlasting torment These things are propounded for
our benefit and instruction. We are guarded on both sides; we have the bridle
of fear and the spur of hope. If God had only terrified us from sin by
mentioning inexpressible pains and horrors, we might be frighted,
and stand at a distance from it; but when we have such encouragements to good,
and God propoundeth such unspeakable joys, this
should quicken our diligence. If God had only promised heaven, and threatened
no hell, wicked men would count it no great matter to lose heaven, provided
that they might be annihilated; but seeing there is both, and both for ever,
shall we be cold and dead? We are undone for ever if wicked, blessed for ever
if godly. What should we not do that we may be everlastingly blessed, and avoid
everlasting misery?
Well, then, let this be considered by us seriously and often and deeply, that everlasting woe and weal is in the case. Meat well chewed nourisheth the more, but being swallowed whole breedeth crudities; so when we swallow truths without rumination or consideration, we do not feel the virtue of them; they do not excite our diligence, nor break the force of temptations: 'Oh! that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end,' Deut. xxxii. 29. I have read of a prodigal prince, that when he had given away a huge sum of money, they laid all the money into a heap before him, that he might see and consider what he had given away, to bring him to retract, or in part to lessen the grant. So it is good for us to consider what we lose in losing eternity, what we part with for these vile and perishing things.