Second [Cause of falling away.] Therefore such persons upon the withdrawing of those influences that at present are mighty upon them, do forthwith; forget, both what they had, and what work it made upon them. Straightway they forget what manner of men they were. It is said of Israel, they sang his praises, they soon forgot his word. So these they forget.
1. They forget what light and what conviction they had.
2. They forget what sorrow for sin they had.
3. They forget what tastes of Christ and his word they had.
4. They forget what joy and comfort they had.
5. They forget how fair for heaven they were.
6. And they forget how cleansed once they were.
"They have forgotten that they were purged from their old sins."
(2 Peter 1:9) Now forgetfulness makes things that are past as nothing; and if so, then it can lay no obligations upon the mind, to engage it to the delight of them, and to the enjoying of them, no not in the thoughts of them, as if they were remembered by us.
Forgetfulness is a very dangerous thing: it makes preaching vain, profession vain, faith vain, and all to no purpose. (1 Cor. 15:1, 2) Such profession is but a dream, and the professors but as dreamers: all vanishes in the morning. This made Paul so caution the Corinthians, that they forgot not the preaching; and the author to the Hebrews, so earnestly calls them, in their back-sliding, back to the remembrance of former days, and to the recollecting of what it was that then had made them so willingly endure their great fight of affliction. (Heb. 10:32, 33)
Forgetfulness, I say, makes things nothing; it makes us as if things had never been; and so takes away from the soul one great means of stay, support, and encouragement; when choice David was dejected, the remembrance of the hill Hermon was his stay; when he was to go out against Goliah, the remembrance of the lion and the bear was his support: so when those that have had the power of the things of G.o.d upon them, can think of this; when they are withdrawn, it will, even the thinking of it, have some kind of operation upon the soul. And therefore you shall find, that the recovering of a backslider usually begins at the remembrance of former things. "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works." (Rev. 2:5)
It is marvellous to see how some men are captivated with this forgetfulness. Those that sometimes have prayed, cried, groaned, and sighed, for eternal life; those that sometimes thought no pains too much, no way too far, no hazards too great to run, for eternal life; those who sometimes were captivated with the word, and with the comforts and joy thereof, and that, had it been possible, could have pulled out their eyes, and have given them to a gospel minister, so dear and sweet were the good tidings which they brought to such. (Gen. 4:14, 15) I say it is marvellous to see how such men are captivated with the forgetfulness of this.
They are as if they never had been those men; they are as if they had never had such things; or, as if they never had thought about them. Yea, they are strange, and carry it strangely to all those that still are under the power of that word, and of that mighty band by which sometimes themselves were guided.
Should one say to some, Art not thou the man that I once saw crying under a sermon, that I once, heard cry out, What must I do to be saved? and, that some time ago I heard speak well of the holy word of G.o.d? how askew will they look upon one; or if they will acknowledge that such things were with them once, they do it more like images and rejected ghosts, than men. They look as if they were blasted, withered, cast out, and dried to powder, and now fit for nothing but to be cast into the fire, and burned. (John 15:6) The G.o.dliness from which they are departed, and the iniquity unto which again they have joined themselves, has so altered, so metamorphosed and changed their heart, and mind, and ways. This therefore as the second thing which shews why some that have been under something of the power of things,[5] are again with iniquity entangled and overcome.
Third [Cause of falling away.] Another thing that makes these enlightened ones, that they continue not to depart from iniquity, is the persecution that always attends the word: for persecution always attends the word, that of the tongue, or that of the sword.
Now these men that were once enlightened, though they cannot remember what they were themselves, yet Satan helps them to think that their neighbours remember what they were: and having now lost the savour, the sense of what they once had, and sinned away that Spirit that brought it to them, they grow weak; yea are above all men the most unable to stand up, to abide the shock and trial, that for their profession is coming upon them. Wherefore, by and by they are offended; to wit, with their own profession, and call themselves an hundred fools, for being so heedless, so witless, and unwary, to mind G.o.d"s holy things in such a time and day. (Matt.
4:16, 17; Luke 8:13) Then they bethink with themselves, how to make an honourable retreat, which they suppose they usually do, by finding fault, first with their own unadvisedness, and of the over-persuasiveness of others; they also now begin to say farewell conscience, yea, G.o.d and heaven and all, and join in confederacy with the world again. Thus are they in fear, where no fear is; and the sound of a shaken leaf doth chase them. And there are four things that are the cause of this.
1. For that not withstanding the former power that attended the word to their hearts, their hearts did still abide as hard as a rock, there was no true and sound breaking, nor softening in that; wherefore there the word wanted depth of earth, as our Lord is pleased to call it; and anon when the sun was up, that which remained was presently scorched, and so withered away.
2. Notwithstanding what they had sometimes enjoyed, yet the grace of the fear of G.o.d was wanting in them. (Eccl. 7:16-18) So wanting that, what should hinder but that they should return to go as they came, and leave Christ, the gospel, and the people of G.o.d to shift as well as they can for themselves.
3. All that they enjoyed did not estrange their hearts from their l.u.s.ts, though when they were in the power of things, they were deader to them than formerly; I say than formerly. (Psa. 78:30, 36, 37) And it is even with such, as with them, who are for a time taken off from what yet they love, by some new employ in which they are engaged. Saul went out to look for David to kill him, but when he came at Naioth, in Ramah, the Spirit of G.o.d came upon him, and he prophesied. (1 Sam. 19:18, 24) But this lasted but for a while. Saul soon returned to his old envy against the holy man again.
4. It comes upon them even of judgment and wrath, for since they so soon give way to sin, and forget, G.o.d suffereth them to fall into the fear of men, and to force their hearts to comply with bad things,--even as Judas and Demas did,--till they are swallowed up of that gulph, into which the unG.o.dly descend. "As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity." (Psa. 125:5)
When once G.o.d is angry with a people, he can deal with them, he can give them up to those l.u.s.ts in judgment, that they will not be separated from by mercy. Yea, he can make a way for his anger to overtake them that have made a way, by the deceits of their hearts, to go a-whoring from under him.
And these are the causes why those that were once enlightened, and have tasted the good word of G.o.d, and the powers of the world to come, return with the dog to his own vomit again; and so, though they have or do name the name of Christ, yet depart not from iniquity.
Third, A third reason, why they that name the name of Christ do not depart from iniquity, may be, because GRACE IS WEAK and CORRUPTION STRONG. I speak now of them that are truly gracious; for as those that never had nothing but notion, did never at all depart from iniquity: and as those that never had saving grace, though common workings were with them, do but a little depart from iniquity; so those that yet have the grace of G.o.d in them, in truth, do not, as they should, depart from iniquity; wherefore the exhortation is as much to them as it is to any body else; "and let them that name the name of Christ," with gracious lips, "depart from iniquity."
For though there is a great difference betwixt these and the two sorts that I mentioned before,--these having the true principles of holiness in them, but the other nothing thereof,--yet they, even they, also have need of this exhortation; for they do not, as they should, "depart from iniquity." Their graces, as I said, are weak, and that is the reason thereof.
That these do not depart from iniquity, as they should, is clear.
1. For that their highest acts of holiness are tainted therewith, and made imperfect thereby. (Isa. 64:6; Psa. 143:2; Heb. 12:15; Matt. 6:23) This is manifest, because they still are afraid to shew themselves before G.o.d in their own works, and because they betake them for acceptation with G.o.d, to the priestly office of Christ, and pray by him, "forgive us our trespa.s.ses."
2. This is clear also, because we are, while in this world, nowhere by the word said to have attained to the mark and point of absolute perfection; but are bid to grow, to follow on, to press forward, and to perfect holiness in the fear of G.o.d. (2 Peter 3:18; Heb.
6:12; Phil. 3:12-14; 2 Cor. 7:1) Yea, the best of us all, even the apostles and prophets, have not only made it manifest by their imperfections, that as yet they have not departed from iniquity as they should; but they have confessed, and denied not, that they were yet in the pursuit of righteousness, and had not already attained.
3. This is clear also, for that the righteousness, by the which the best of saints are justified in the sight of G.o.d, is a righteousness of another, not their own; the righteousness of another man, for that there is not any upon earth that doth good and sins not.
And what need we pray, "forgive us our trespa.s.ses," approach G.o.d in the perfections of another, and be bid "to perfect holiness,"
if we had already attained, or were already perfect, or were so departed from iniquity as we should.
4. Alas, the complaints of G.o.d concerning this matter, doth sufficiently testify the truth of what I say. When G.o.d came to his people in Egypt, and bid them forsake the idols of Egypt, they did not. But they rebelled against me, says he, and would not hearken unto me; they did not, every man, cast away the abominations of his eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Well, he saved them out of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness, and said to them there, Obey my laws, and my commandments; but the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness, they walked not in my statutes, they despised my judgments. Well, then he had them from the wilderness to Canaan, and then said to them, Keep my laws. (Eze. 20) But when he had brought them into the land, then they also polluted themselves, and sinned, against him as before. Again, when G.o.d brought them out of captivity, both they, and every thing that they did, was unclean. (Hag. 2:14)
To be short, what says Paul in the seventh to the Romans? what says James in the third chapter of his epistle? (ch. 3:2) And what says John in his first epistle, and first chapter? (1 John 1:9) Do they not all confess, though themselves were apostles, and so for grace and gifts beyond any that breathe in this world, that sin and iniquity was yet with them; and so consequently, that there was not as yet that departing by them therefrom, as there should. And the reason, as I have said, is, because grace is weak, weak in the beat and most strong of the saints of G.o.d. Hence the greatest saints use to complain, when much a.s.saulted with corruptions, or attended with very hard service for G.o.d, of their weakness and insufficiency, as to a completeness of doing the will of G.o.d.
(1.) Moses, when G.o.d did but bid him nourish and succour Israel in the wilderness, and carry them in his bosom, as the nursing-father beareth the sucking child, was stricken with such fear of miscarrying, through the weakness of his graces and the power of his corruptions, that he cried to G.o.d, saying, "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand,--and let me not see my wretchedness." (Num. 11:14, 15)
(2.) Job, when he was, for a proof of his integrity, to be exercised a while with some of the judgments of G.o.d, cries out, in a sense of his weakness to bear them, and to go through as he should, "Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of bra.s.s?" And again, "Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me? Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?" (Job 6:12; 8:12; 13:25)
(3.) So Daniel, when he was but to stand and talk with the angel, how weak did he find himself; "There remained," saith he, "no strength in me;" and, "0 my Lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my Lord talk with this my Lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me." (Dan. 10) Some may say, but this is natural weakness. But I ask, how came nature to be so weak, but through sin? the remains whereof abiding still upon the best of saints, make them, not withstanding their graces, incapable to do any thing as they should.
(4.) Paul, a man of men, who had so much grace, revelation of grace and communion with Christ, that sometimes he knew not whether he was in or out of the body, and yet you find him making bitter complaint of the weakness of his grace, and of the power of his corruptions. "I am carnal," saith he, and what I hate that do I. "How to perform that which is good I find not;" "when I would do good evil is present with me." "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members." "0 wretched man that I am," &c. What complaints, what confessions, what bewailing of weakness is here? And what need was there of any of this, if Paul could, as he would, have departed from iniquity? (Rom. 8)
I have instanced in these four men, because as to failings and miscarriages they are as free--by what the holy record saith--as any four of whose lives you shall read in all the Bible; but you see that they were too weak to do good and depart from iniquity as they would.
Grace may be said to be weak, either when a lower or less degree thereof is compared with a higher and greater degree of the same; or it may be said to be weak when, in what degree of it you will, it shall be engaged by, or engage itself against sin, &c.
There are degrees of grace in the world, some have less, and some bigger measures thereof, and according to the measure of grace received, so is a Christian capable of action. He that has little, acts but weakly; he that has much, acts more strongly; and he of the saints that has most, acteth best of all: but yet none of these three can act so as they should and would, and, consequently, so depart from iniquity as is their duty. Witness those four that I mentioned but now, for they are among the first-rate of saints, yet you see what they did, and hear what they said.
Sin is a mighty tyrant; it is also installed in our flesh, and has moreover that in it which suiteth with whatever is sensual in us. The flesh relisheth it well, though the spirit of the Christian is against it.
Sin is an active beast, and will not admit that the soul should attempt to put forth itself in any good thing, without opposition and contradiction. "When I should do good evil is present with me."[6]
Sin is of a polluting and defiling nature, and what grace soever it toucheth it staineth, and in staining makes it weaker, than were it not so defiled it would be. Besides, not a grace, nor an act of grace in the soul can escape untouched.
Unbelief stands ready to annoy faith in the grace, as well as in the act of faith.
Hardness of heart will not let love so affectionately and sympathisingly act as it should.
Sense and reason being polluted will not let hope be so steadfastly fixed upon unseen things as it should.
Pride will not let us be so humble as we ought, nor self so self denying. Pa.s.sion often interrupts our patience, and angry motions our meekness. By these, and more that might be named, it appears that sin is in us, opposeth our graces, and letteth[7] them from acting as they should; and because this sin has part of ourself in its possession, therefore though our more n.o.ble part be utterly against it, yet we depart not from it as we should.
G.o.d chargeth Moses with rash and unadvised words, and so he doth Job also: Daniel did wear the name of an idol G.o.d, and Paul freely confesseth himself unfirm. (Num. 20:12; Psa. 106:32; Job 38:2; Job 42:6; Dan. 4:8; Rom. 7:24)
Nor may what hath now been said be applied to those that are weak in faith, and so in every other grace; for the strongest grace when acted as well as we can, cannot cause that we depart from iniquity as we should. (l.) Because the strongest grace cannot act without opposition. (2.) Because we that are the actors are lame, infirm, and made weak by sin that dwells in us. (3.) Because grace and a state of grace is not that wherein the perfection designed for us doth lie, for that is in another world. (a.) This is a place to act faith in. (b.) This is a place to labour and travel in. (c.) This is a place to fight and wrestle in. (d.) This is a place to be tried in.
And therefore this is no place of perfection, and consequently no place where G.o.d"s people can depart from iniquity as they should.
Now there is a twofold way of departing from iniquity. I. One is when the mind is set against it, and withdrawn from the love and liking of it. II. The other is when the practice of it is shunned by the whole man.
I. The first of these ways, the saints, though they truly do depart from iniquity, yet depart not from it as they should. (1.) Their understanding sees not the utmost baseness that is in it. (2.) Their judgment is not informed about the vileness of it to perfection.
(3.) The conscience has not yet been convinced of all the evil that is in it. Then, (a.) How should the soul abhor it as it should?
(b.) How should the desires depart from it with that fervency as they should? (c.) And the will and affections so turn away from it as they should?
II. Second, As to the shunning of the acts of sin, there we also come wonderful short.