forbearance of God." But pardon is no where to be had without him. 2. It is to have no favor with God. No Christ, no favor in heaven. The heart of God will never be towards any that are not in Christ, and that continue out of him. The world is at enmity with God, and reconciliation is only to be had in Christ Jesus. God will enter into friendship with, or show favor to no person but by the means and mediation of his Son. And therefore if thou art and continuest without Christ, God does and ever will look upon thee as an enemy, thou shalt find no favor in his eyes. "He that made thee will not have mercy on thee, he that formed thee will show thee no favor." There will never be other than anger in the face and heart of God towards thee. We are all by nature children of wrath and enemies, but they who are gotten into Christ they are thereby reconciled. "You that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled, in the body of his flesh through death," &c. Col. i. 21, 22. But for others, the wrath of God abides on them, and there it will abide to eternity, for they can have no favor, if they continue out of Christ. "He that believeth not the Son, the wrath of God abideth on him." John iii. 36. 3. It is to have no salvation. No Christ, no salvation. Whatever else men may have, if they have not Christ, they can never be saved. "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Acts iv. 12. "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life." John iii. 36. Poor creature! what, dost thou dream of heaven, happiness, eternal life and glory, and hast no Christ? All thy hopes will prove to be but vain dreams, and will in the end vanish. "He that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John v. 12. 66 4. It is to be reprobate, i. e. disapproved, disallowed and rejected of God. Reprobate or refuse and rejected-silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them." Jer. vi. 30. "Know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates?" 2 Cor. xiii. 5. They who are without Christ, though they may not be reprobate, as the word is opposed to elect; yet in their present state and as to what appears, they are no better than those that are reprobate. And continuing under gospel enjoyments without getting into Christ, is a fearful symptom of everlasting reprobation. 5. It is to be Satan's. If thou art none of Christ's, thou art the Devil's. The possession of men in the world is divided betwixt Christ and Satan. What Christ possesses not, are under Satan's power and tyranny. Know therefore that if Christ hath no possession of thee, thou art possessed of the Devil. Most lamentable tidings I bring to all unconverted sinners, you are possessed by the Devil: you are in the hands of that cruel enemy of souls, in the paw of that roaring lion who goes about seeking whom he may devour. Is it not a dreadful thing to have the body possessed? See Mark v. 2, 5. "There met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.-And always night and day he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones.' But how much more dreadful is it to have the soul in the Devil's possession? Ah, sinner! Hast thou any reason to laugh and be merry, to enjoy one good hour, whilst thou art under the hand of so cruel a master and murderer of souls as thou art? He hath his will upon thee. "Who are taken captive · by him at his will." 2 Tim. ii. 26. The evil spirit worketh in the children of disobedience, (Eph. ii. 2.) He trades there; in some he keeps open shop, setting forth his wares before the world in those abominations and villanies by them committed: In others he deals more underhand, he does not appear so openly, but yet he is at work in the heart of every child of disobedience. Every sinner is the Devil's factor, and ere long unless thou withdraw from his service he will pay thee thy wages. Every Christless sinner is under Satan's power: Hence when persons are converted, they are turned from the power of Satan, delivered from the power of darkness. "To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God." Acts xxvi. 18. "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness." Col. i. 13. Thus remember and consider that if you have not the spirit of Christ you are none of Christ's, and if none of Christ's, then what and whose are you? Mot. 2. If you have not the Spirit you are worth nothing. The true worth and value of men is according to what of the Spirit of God is in them. And therefore Pharaoh judged right of Joseph on this account that he was "an eminent man, a man in whom the Spirit of God was." Gen. xli. 38. But if you are without this, whatever rate you may value yourselves at, or others may value you, you are indeed good for nothing. For, 1. You know nothing of that which is only worth the knowing, and to which all other knowledge ought to be subservient. You know nothing of the things of God and his kingdom, of the mysteries of union and communion with God in Christ. Speculative knowledge you may have, but practical saving knowledge you have none, for the true saving knowledge of these is only attained by the help of the Spirit, which you are without. "We have received the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.-But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. ii. 11, 14. You have little reason any one of you, he that knows most, to boast of, or be lifted up with your knowledge, for you know nothing as you ought to know. "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor. iv. 4. And therefore whatever you may imagine, or speak, or reason concerning spiritual things, it is but even as the blind man's imagination, discourse and reasoning concerning colors: It is very ignorantly: You do not really understand any thing about them. Si Christum nescis, nihil est si cætera discis. 2. You can do no good thing. You have no ability to perform any good action. We are all naturally so impotent that we can do nothing that is good unless we have the Spirit to help our infirmities. Rom. viii. 26. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities;" which you have not. We cannot take any step in a right path without the manuduction and leading of the Spirit. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom. viii. 14. Uphold me with thy free Spirit." Ps. li. 12. But you have no such guide. All spiritual life and every action of life comes from the Spirit of Christ, (Rom. viii. 11.) and without it nothing is to be done: And therefore let me tell you who have none of the Spirit of God, you never did any thing well in your lives, not any thing that God will accept. 66 3. You have no good in you. All the good that is or ever was in fallen man, it is wrought by the Spirit of God. And therefore if you have none of the Spirit of God, you have no real good in you. You may have these and those good natural dispositions, and some shows of good, but as for any spiritual, saving good that will abide the trial when God shall judge what is good and what is bad, you have none of it. And therefore it may be said truly of you (whatever you may think of your good heart, &c.) your heart is little worth. "The heart of the wicked is little worth." Prov. x. 20. It is little worth indeed, for it is worth nothing. Hence it is said, "God putteth away all the wicked of the earth like dross;" (Ps. cxix. 119.) they being of no worth. Thus you see you are worth nothing, good for nothing, if you have not the Spirit of God in you: But they in whom the Spirit of God dwells, they are the "excellent upon the earth." Ps. xvi. 3. They are God's jewels. "In that day when I make up my jewels." Mal. iii. 17. Mot. 3. If you do not get the Spirit of God to be in you, you will be like to be guilty of New England's ruin. I speak now to the generation coming on upon the stage; if you or a considerable number of you do not take care to be right spirited for God, that you may duly manage his work and carry it on, and serve the God of your fathers with a perfect heart and willing mind, you will be like to destroy and lay this pleasant land desolate; your irreligion will be an occasion thereof. "He turneth a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell therein." Ps. cvii. 34. Your sin, your degeneracy, your not owning and worshipping God in spirit, will provoke God to lay it desolate, and then it will be charged upon you, you will be reputed guilty of it, as being you who have done it. "But they refused to hearken, &c. for they laid the pleasant land desolate." Zech. vii. 11-14. There is the fault and there will it be charged. And what a dreadful thing will it be to have the spoiling of such a blessed work as God hath here begun, to lie at our door? Mot. 4. While you are without the Spirit of God you are in extreme danger. You go in jeopardy of your lives, the lives of your souls every hour. If this night thy soul should be called for, what would become of thee, who hast none of the Spirit of Christ? Assuredly Christ will say of you; "I know you not, depart from me ye workers of iniquity." And then how fearful would your condition be? "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This is the danger you are in while the Spirit is not given to you. There is but a step betwixt your souls and eternal death. Sentence of condemnation is past upon you already. "He that believeth not is condemned already." John iii. 18. Hell does as it were gape for you, your condition is extremely perilous. Did sinners know in what danger of the lives of their immortal souls they walk in every hour they are without the Spirit of Christ, they would never sing care away with vain mirth and pastime, or please themselves with some show and formality of religion only. Oh the fearful amazing security of men and women that can sleep quietly and take their ease upon the brink of eternal misery! Mot. 5. Consider, you know not how little time you may have for the getting of the Spirit. And therefore labor to get it quickly. It is certain you have but a short time to work in, but how short is uncertain. We have seen and see daily how suddenly they are cut down, by the sword, and now by this sore disease God hath sent among us, who in probability might have lived many days. These especially are times wherein none can promise himself continuance of life. Thou hast this day an opportunity of hearing the word of the gospel, and it may be mayest be something moved by it: But who knows but that some of us here may never have another? Oh that the present time could be improved by us all to strike the stroke for eternity! The present time is only ours, and to know and improve that, is our wisdom and duty. "Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. vi. 2. If we now improve it, it shall be a day of salvation to us. "While it is said, To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Heb. iii. 15. If we neglect making out after the Spirit to-day, we know not "what shall be on the morrow." Jam. iv. 14. None knows "what a day may bring forth." Prov. xxvii. 1. Another day may bring the impenitent sinner into eternal flames. God tells us that "his Spirit shall not always strive with men." Gen. vi. 3. And if the Spirit of God have once done striving with us, then the time and hope of our getting the Spirit are past and gone also. Now therefore while time and the day of grace last, look about you lest the opportunity be lost and you be undone forever. get the Spirit of God If any shall now ask; How shall we do to poured out upon us and dwelling in us? of duty incumbent upon us in this respect. and say, It is not in our power to get the that his word should stir us up to careful endeavors, that we should up and be doing, if so the Lord will be with us. If we sit still we are sure to perish, but if we stir up and set ourselves to seek him, who knows but the Lord may help us so to seek him as that he may be found of us? Something therefore of our duty in order hereto I shall endeavor to set before you in these following directions. And the same course is to be taken for the obtaining an increase of the graces of the Spirit. Direct. 1. Labor for a serious considerate frame. Duly ponder and weigh things, especially matters of eternity. Seriously mind what your state, what your danger, what your work is. That is the woful bane of many a soul, they do not consider. "My people doth not consider." Isa. i. 3. They do not thoroughly think of things, some slight notions and workings they may have about them, but it is not to purpose. I believe there are many who think they are converted, and have the Spirit of God, who never set themselves to purpose to think what conversion was, what sin is from which they should convert; what God, Christ and holiness are, to which they should convert, and what it is to have the Spirit of God. It is a dreadful judgment of God upon gospel sinners, that in seeing they see not, they have some flighty sight and apprehensions of things, but they do not see them really and to purpose: They know every thing almost about Christianity, but they feel nothing, and so indeed know nothing. Did men and women see things really, and consider things seriously and to purpose, we should have other manner of endeavors for the Spirit, for conversion and salvation than there are. It would be a good step if sinners could get their hearts set upon, and their thoughts seriously busied about, those matters that lie betwixt God and their souls, and take up right and thorough apprehensions of those things which are of spiritual and everlasting concernment. Hence is it wont to be said; consideration is half conversion. A |
