03 Reproofs to those not putting forth holy

Out of this text, I may draw forth
several arrows of REPROOF

1. It reproves SLOTHFUL professors who are settled on their lees. They make a lazy profession of piety—but use no violence. They are like the lilies, which neither toil, nor do they spin. The snail, by reason of its slow motion, was reckoned among the unclean, Leviticus 11:30. St. Augustine calls idleness the burial of a man alive. There are some faint wishes, "oh that I had Heaven!" but a man may desire venison, and lack it, if he does not hunt for it. "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied." Proverbs 13:4

Men would be content to have the kingdom of Heaven; but they are loath to fight for it. They choose rather to go in a feather bed to Hell than to be carried to Heaven in a "fiery chariot" of zeal and violence. How many sleep away, and play away, their time; as if they were made like the Leviathan, to play in the sea! Psalms 104:26. It is a saying of Seneca, "No man is made wise by chance." Sure it is, no man is saved by chance—but he must know how he came by it, namely, by offering violence. Such as have accustomed themselves to an idle, lazy disposition, will find it hard to shake off, "I have taken off my robe—must I put it on again? I have washed my feet-- must I soil them again?" Song of Solomon 5:3. The spouse had laid herself upon the bed of sloth, and though Christ knocked at the door, she was reluctant to rise and let him in.

Some pretend to be believers—but are idle in the vineyard. They pretend to make use of faith for seeing—but not for working; this faith is fancy. O that Christians had a spirit of activity in them, 1 Chronicles 22:16. "Arise and be doing, and the Lord be with you." We may sometimes learn of our enemy. The Devil is never idle; he "walks about," 1 Peter 5:8. The world is his diocese and he is every day going on his visitation. Is Satan active? Is the enemy upon his march, coming against us? And are we asleep upon our guard? As Satan himself is not idle, so he will not endure that any of his servants should be idle. When the Devil had entered into Judas, how active was Judas! He goes to the high priest, from thence to the band of soldiers and with them back to the garden, and never left until he had betrayed Christ. Satan will not endure an idle servant; and do we think God will? How will the heathen rise up in judgment against slothful Christians!

What pains did they take in the Olympian games: they ran for a garland of flowers, and do we stand still who run for a crown of immortality? Certainly, if only the violent take Heaven, the idle person will never come there. God puts no difference between these two, slothful and wicked, Matthew 25:26."You wicked and slothful servant."

2. It reproves the FORMALIST, who puts all his religion in gestures and vestures, and emblems of devotion, and thinks this will entitle him to Heaven, Revelation 3:1. "You have a name to live, and are dead." The form and outside of Christianity is judged as all that is necessary.

1. It is a means to keep up men’s credit in the world. Should they be visibly profane, such as are sober would not come near them: they would be looked upon as no better than baptized heathens; therefore they must make a show of devotion out of policy, to gain some reputation and esteem among others.

2. A form serves to stop the mouth of conscience; had they not some kind of outward devotion, their conscience would fly in their face and they would be a terror to themselves; therefore they think it expedient to have a form of godliness. But alas! what is all this? The text speaks of offering violence to heaven. What violence is there in a form? Here is no taking pains with the heart: a form—but no power, 2 Timothy 3:5. Formalists are like the statues in the churchyard, which have their eyes and hands lifted up to Heaven—but have no soul. The formalist’s devotion runs out most in punctilios and niceties: he neglects "the weightier matters of the law, faith and mercy," Matthew 23:23. He scruples about superstitious fancies—but makes no reckoning of sin: he is more afraid of a black cat crossing his path, than of a harlot in his bed. He hates sanctity. Christ had no such bitter enemies as the formal pharisees. The formalist is never violent—but in persecuting the power of godliness.

3. It reproves such as are violent in a bad sense. They are violent for hell; they go there in the sweat of their brows. Jeremiah 8:6, "Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle." A war horse rushes violently among the guns and cannons: so did they rush into sin violently. Men are violent, 1. In opposing good.

2. In pursuing evil.

1. Men are violent in opposing good. Several ways.

1. They offer violence to the Spirit of God. The Spirit knocks at the door of sinners" hearts; he waits until his head is "filled with dew," and "his locks with the drops of the night;" but sinners repulse and grieve the Spirit, and send away this dove from the ark of their souls. Acts 7:51. "You do always resist the Holy Spirit." The Spirit offers grace to the sinner, and the sinner offers violence to the Spirit, Isaiah 63:10. "They rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit;" and may not the Lord give up striving. God, who is willing to come in when we open to him, has not promised to come again if we unkindly repulse Him.

2. They offer violence to conscience. Conscience is God’s preacher in the heart. This preacher cannot flatter; it tells men of their pride, covetousness, abuse of mercy. But they, instead of being violent against their sins, offer violence to conscience; they silence and imprison conscience. But as the prophet Zachariah when he was dumb, called for a writing table and did write, Luke 1:63. So when conscience cannot be permitted to speak, it will write. It writes down men’s sins; and when at death they shall be forced to read the hand-writing, it will make their hearts tremble, and their knees knock together. Men commonly offer violence to their conscience; and what will be this outcome? Those who will not hear the voice of conscience, shall be sure to feel the worm of conscience!

3. They offer violence to God’s image. The saints (who are God’s living picture) are opposed and shot at. This is a cursed violence, Galatians 4:29. "As he who was born after the flesh, persecuted him who was born after the Spirit;" even so it is now. Christ himself is struck at through believers. The church has always been in the torrid zone—the ploughers have ploughed upon her back. The earth has been sown with the bodies of the saints, and watered with their blood. Persecutors, I grant, are of an ancient family. The first man that was born in the world was a persecutor, namely Cain; and he has a numerous offspring: Nero, Trajan, Domitian, Diocletian, and Maximinus. Faelix, earl of Wurtemburg, being at supper in Augsburg, did take an oath that before he died, he would ride up to the spurs in the blood of the Lutherans; but was afterwards choked in his own blood. Persecutors are the curse of the creation: being some of those "thorns and briars" which the earth brings forth.

2. Men are violent in pursuing evil.

1. They are violent in their opinions. 2 Peter 2:1. "Privily they shall bring in damnable heresies." Arius was such a one; and truly the spirit of Arius is yet alive at this day, when men dare deny the Deity of the blessed Son of God. Many of the heretics of old were so violent, that their opinion was to them a Bible: and some of them died maintaining their heresies. These were the Devil’s martyrs.

2. They are violent in their passions. Anger is a temporary insanity, James 3:6. "The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity." In this little member there is a great world, namely, a "world of sin." Such as would be counted sober—yet are drunk with passion. Their prayers, are cold—but their anger hot. They spit fire as the serpent does poison. Fiery passions, without repentance, bring men to the fiery furnace.

3. They are violent for their lusts. Titus 3:3. "Enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures." Lust is an inordinate desire or impulse, provoking the soul to the gratifying of its carnal desires. Aristotle calls them brutish lusts, because when lusts are violent, they will not let reason or conscience be heard; but a man is carried brutishly to the satisfying of the flesh.

1. Men are violent for their drunken lusts. Though death is in the cup, they will drink it up. One having almost lost his eye-sight, the physician told him there was no cure for him, unless he would leave off his excessive drinking. "Then," says he, "farewell sweet light!" He would rather lose his eye-sight than leave his drinking.

2. They are violent for their impure lusts. Men are said to "burn in lusts," Romans 1:27. The apostle intimates that lust is a kind of fever. Feverish heats are not more pernicious to the body, than lust is to the soul. O what folly is it—for a drop of pleasure to drink a sea of wrath!

3. They are violent for their oppressive lusts, who wrong and defraud others, and by violence take away their right. Instead of clothing the naked, they make those who are clothed, naked. These birds of prey live upon rapine. They are cruel, as if they had been suckled with the milk of wolves. They smile at the curses of the poor, and grow fat with their tears. They have forgotten Christ’s caveat, Luke 3:14. "Do violence to no man." Ahab violently took away Naboth’s vineyard, 2 Kings 21:11. Hell is taken by this violence, Proverbs 4:17. "Who drink the wine of violence." This wine will turn to poison at last, Psalms 11:5, "He who loves violence, God’s soul hates."

4. They are violent for their covetous lusts. Covetousness is the soul’s idolatry. Amos 2:7, "Who pant after the dust of the earth." They compass sea and land to make money their proselyte. Their God is made of gold, and to it they bow down. Those who bowed down on their knees to drink of the waters, were accounted unfit soldiers for Gideon, Judges 7:6. So are those unfit for Christ, that stoop immoderately to the care of earthly things. Those who are violent for the world, what have they but the wind? Ecclesiastes 5:16. "What profit has he who has labored for the wind?" The world cannot enrich the soul, it cannot remove pain. If pangs of conscience come, the world can no more give comfort, than a crown of gold can cure a head-ache.

4. It reproves those who have in part left off that holy strictness and violence in piety they once had. Their fervor is cooled and abated. What they do is so little, that it cannot be called violence. They serve God—but are not fervent in spirit. They do not abandon duty—but they grow dead in duty. They have "left their first love," Revelation 2:4. It is with them as a fire when it is going out; or as the sun when it is going down. Like epileptics, before they were in a paroxysm, or hot fit of zeal; but now that the cold fit has taken them, they are formal and frozen in piety. Time was when they called "the Sabbath a delight," Isaiah 58:13. How were their hearts raised in duty! How diligently did they seek him whom their soul loved! But now the case is altered; their piety languishes, and even vanishes. Time was when they were in an agony, and did send forth strong cries in prayer. Now the chariot wheels are pulled off, and the spirit of prayer is much abated. Their prayers freeze between their lips; a clear sign of the decay of grace. These persons are grown both lethargic and consumptive.

1. Lethargic. Song of Solomon 5:2, "I sleep—but my heart wakes" Though grace was alive in her, and her heart waked; yet she was in a dull, drowsy temper, "I sleep." When the heart burns in sin, and cools in duty, it is a sure sign of growing to a stupid lethargy.

2. Consumptive. There are two signs of persons in a spiritual consumption.

1. When their desire after Christ and Heaven is not as strong as it was. A consumptive man’s stomach decays. Christians have not such violent affections to heavenly things; they can desire food and wine, and the luscious delights of the earth; but Christ is less precious; they are not in pangs of desire after him; a sad symptom their grace is in a consumption.

2. When they are not so vigorous in motion. When a man is lively and stirring at his work—it is a sign he is in health. But when he is listless, and does not care to stir, or put his hand to anything—it is a sign that health is declining. So when men have no heart for that which is holy, they care not to put themselves upon the exercises of piety; they have lost a spirit of activity for God; they serve him in a faint sickly manner. It is is a sign they are consumptive. When the pulse can scarcely be felt, and it beats very low, men are near dying. So when those who were once violent for heaven—but now we can scarce perceive any godliness in them, the pulse beats low—and grace is ready to die, Revelation 3:2. To you who have abated in your holy violence, and are grown remiss in duty, let me expostulate with you, as the Lord did by the prophet, Jeremiah 2:5. "What iniquity have your fathers found in me?"

What evil have you found in God, that you leave off your former strictness? Has not God fed you with manna from above, and given you his Holy Spirit to be your guide and comforter? Has he not made you swim in a sea of mercy?

What evil have you found in prayer, that you are less violent in it? Have you not had sweet fellowship with God? Have you not sometimes been melted and enlarged, insomuch you have thought yourselves in the suburbs of Heaven, when you have been upon this mount? Has not the dove of prayer brought an olive-branch of peace in its mouth?

What evil have you found in the Word? Time was when you did take this book and eat it—and it was honey in your mouth! Has the Word less virtue in it now? Are the promises like Aaron’s dry rod, withered and sapless?

What iniquity have you found in the ways of God, that you have abated your former violence in piety? "O remember whence you are fallen, and repent, and do your first works," Revelation 2:5.

Consider seriously—

1. The less violence for heaven, the less peace you will have. Our consciences are never at peace in a drowsy state. It is the lively acting of grace, which makes the heart calm and serene. These two go together, walking "in the fear of God,"and "in the comforts of the Holy Spirit," Acts 9:31. Christian, if once you grow remiss in piety, conscience will chide you. If you belong to God, he will never let you be quiet—but will send some affliction or other to awaken you out of your security, and make you recover that active lively frame of heart as once you had.

2. You who grow more dead in God’s service, and leave your first love—give great advantage to Satan. The less violent you are—the more violent he is. The less you pray—the more he tempts. What a sad case are you now in? How can grace that is weak and sickly withstand violent temptations? Hence it is God allows his own people sometimes to fall into sin, as a just punishment for their lukewarmness, and to make them more zealous and violent for the future.

3. Your remissness in piety, though it may not damn you—it will damage you. You will lose that degree of glory, which else you might have had. Though your remissness may not lose your crown, it will lessen it and make it weigh lighter.

4. The more lazy a Christian’s desires are, the more lively his corruptions. The weaker the body grows, the stronger the disease grows. O, therefore, pray for quickening grace, Psalms 143:11. Beg for fresh gales of the Spirit to blow upon you. Never leave until you have recovered that holy violence which once you had.

2. It reproves those who have nearly abandoned all violence—they have stopped reading and praying in their family. There is not so much as a face of piety to be seen; they are fallen finally. Such were Joash, Jehu, Julian. The goodly building of their profession, which others admired, now has not one stone left upon another.

WHY do men thus run retrograde in their motion, and quite throw off that violence which they seemed once to have?

1. Because they never had a principle of spiritual life. Things that move from a principle of life are constant, as the motion of the pulse. But artificial things are apt to be at a stand-still, and their motion ceases. As a clock when the weights are hung on, goes—but take off the weights and it stands still. So the apostate never moved in religion, but for gain and applause. When these weights are taken off, he is at a stand-still, he goes no further. That branch must needs wither, which has no root to grow upon.

2. Men throw off all violence, and degenerate into apostasy, because they never did duties of piety with delight. Paul "delighted in the law of God in the inward man, Romans 7:22. It was his Heaven to serve God. A man who delights in pleasure will never give up his pleasure. The apostate never had any true delight in the ways of God; he was rather forced with fear, than drawn with love; he served a master whom he never cared for; no wonder then that he leaves his service.

3. Men degenerate into apostasy through unbelief. Psalms 78:22. "They believed not in God." Psalms 78:41. "They turned back, and tempted God." Sinners have jealous thoughts of God; they distrust his love, therefore desert his service. They think they may pray, and hear—and to no purpose. Malachi 3:14. "What profit is it that we have kept his ordinances?" That is, "We may draw near to God in duty—but he will never draw near to us in mercy." Thus unbelief and atheism prevailing, the livery of piety is presently thrown off, and all former violence for Heaven ceases. Unbelief is the mother of apostasy.

4. Men leave off their former violence, and prove to be Judases and Devils, because they love something else more than piety. There is some lust or other, that their heart is engaged to; and their violence for sin has destroyed their violence for piety. Solyman, the great Turk, seeing many professing Christians go over to Turkism, he asked them what moved them to turn Turks. They replied, "they did it to be eased of their taxes." They were drawn from God through the prevalency of covetousness. If there is any predominant, lust in the heart—it will get domination, and destroy all former zeal for piety. Abimelech, a bastard, destroyed "seventy of his brethren upon one stone," Judges 9:18. If there is any lust the heart runs after, this bastard-sin will destroy seventy duties; it will murder all that violence for Heaven, which a man did once seem to have.

5. Men leave off former violence out of cowardice. If they are violent in piety, they fear they may lose their profits and preferments; nay, even their lives. The coward never yet won the field. When carnal fear grows violent—all violence for Heaven is at an end.

Many of the Jews who were great followers of Christ, when they saw the swords and staves, left him. (Proverbs 29:25. "In the fear of man there is a snare." Carnal fear makes the sin appear less than it is—but the danger greater.

6. Men leave off violence for Heaven—for lack of patience. Sensible feeling of joy is withheld, and they have no patience to stay for the full recompense of reward. Hypocrites are all for present pay; and if they have not that suddenly which they desire, they bid adieu to piety; and say as that wicked king, 2 Kings 6:33. "Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?" They do not consider that God is a free agent, and will dispense his blessings in the fittest season—but they try to tie God up to their time. They forget that joy is a part of the reward; and would have the reward, before their work not yet finished. Does the servant receive his pay before his work is done? James 5:6. "The farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth." He does not expect to sow and reap in the same day. But hypocrites are always in haste: they would reap joy before they are done sowing the seed of repentance. And because comfort is a while deferred, they are offended; they will serve God no longer; their patience is at an end, therefore their violence is at an end.

7. Men leave off holy violence, and degenerate into profaneness, out of a just judgment from God, leaving them to themselves. They often resisted the Spirit, and sent him away sad. And now, as a just judgment, God says, "my Spirit shall no longer strive." And if this wind does not blow upon their sails, they cannot move. If this sun withdraws from their climate, they must needs freeze in impenitency. They before sinned against clear convictions; they silenced conscience—and now God has seared it. And now if an angel should preach to them from Heaven, it would do them no good. O how dismal is this! the thoughts of it may strike us into a holy consternation.

Thus we see why men apostatize and leave off their violence for Heaven.

What do they get by this? Let us see what a purchase apostates make.

They proclaim their FOLLY. For all their former violence for Heaven is lost. He who runs half the race and then faints, loses the garland. Ezekiel 18:24. "When the righteous turns away from his righteousness, all his righteousness that he has done shall not be mentioned." All men’s prayers and tears are lost. The apostate unravels all that he has been doing. He is like a man who with a pencil draws an intricate picture, and then comes with his sponge and wipes it out again. Galatians 3:4. "Have you suffered so many things in vain?" Perhaps for piety, a man has suffered many a reproach and affront; and have you suffered all this in vain? Here is folly indeed.

It will be BITTERNESS in the end. Jeremiah 2:19. "Know therefore that it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord." Men, by leaving off their violence for Heaven, get a thorn in their conscience, a blot in their name, a curse in their souls. What did Judas get by his apostasy—but a halter? So it will be bitterness in the end. The apostate, when he dies, drops as a windfall into the devil’s mouth!

5. It reproves those who put off this violence for the kingdom, until old age. When they are fit for no other work, then they will begin this taking heaven by storm. No man says, "I will learn my trade when I am old." It is imprudence for one to begin to work for Heaven, when he is past his labor. There is a night of sickness and death coming, and our Savior says, "The night comes when no man can work," John 9:4. Surely a man can put forth but little violence for Heaven when old age, and old sins are upon him. Besides, how unworthy and insincere it is--to give the Devil the flower of youth, and God the dregs of old age! Therefore God rejected Cain’s sacrifice, because it was stale before he brought it, Genesis 4:3. There is little hope of their salvation--who are never seek for Heaven, until they are on the borders of eternity.

6. It reproves those who are so far from using this violence for Heaven, that they deride it. These are your zealous ones, 2 Peter 3:3. "In the last days there shall be scoffers." Holy walking has become the object of derision. Psalms 69:12. "I have become the song of the drunkard." This shows a vile heart. There are some, who, though they have no goodness themselves—yet honor those who are good. Herod reverenced John the Baptist. But what devils are those—who scoff at goodness, and reproach others for doing that which God commands. This age produces such as sit in the chair of scorners, and throw their squibs at piety. In Bohemia, when some of the martyrs were the next day to suffer, they comforted themselves with this—that was their last supper and tomorrow they should feast with Christ in Heaven! A Papist standing by, asked them in a jeer—if Christ had any cooks in Heaven to dress their supper? Oh, take heed of such an Ishmael spirit! It is a sign of a man given over to the devil. God ’scorns the scorner" Proverbs 3:34. And surely, he shall never live with God whose company God scorns.

7. It reproves those who instead of taking Heaven by force, keep it off by force; as if they were afraid of being happy; or as if a crown of glory would hurt them. Such are,

1. The ignorant, who shut their eyes against the light, and refuse to be taught the way to Heaven. Hosea 4:6. "You have rejected knowledge." The Hebrew word shoves to reject with disdain. As I have read of a Scotch bishop, who thanked God he never knew what the old and new Testaments were. I wonder where the bishop took his text.

2. The profane, who hate to be admonished, and had rather die than reform. Amos 5:10. "They hate him who rebukes in the gate." These keep off heaven by force. Such were those in Acts 13:46. "Seeing you put away the Word from you." The Greek word may be rendered, seeing you shove it away with your shoulders. As if a sick man should bolt out the physician, lest he should cure him. Job 21:14. "Who say unto the Almighty, depart from us!" God is reluctant to be gone; he woos and beseeches sinners to accept his terms of mercy—but sinners will have him gone; they say to him "Depart!" May not we say to these, "who has bewitched you? What madness beyond hyperbole is this—that you should not only forsake mercy—but fight against it; as if there were danger in going to Heaven!"

These who put away salvation from them, they do willfully perish; they would not hear of anything that would save them. Were it not be a sad epitaph if a man had written upon his tomb-stone, "here lies one who murdered himself"? This is the condition of desperate sinners; they keep off Heaven by force; they are self murderers. Therefore God writes their epitaph upon their grave, Hosea 13:9. "O Israel—you have destroyed yourself!"