* aggravate their beggarly state. The graceless soul is, 1. Wretched, that is, pressed with sickness, misery, and calamity, overwhelmed with reproach, overthrown in conflicts, cannot stir hand or foot for God, being always overborne by his master, Satan. 2. He is miserable; that is, though he stand in absolute need of divine help and mercy, yet he is unworthy and destitute of it; God will have no mercy on this woful object, so that the forlorn soul may be called Loruhamah.‡ 3. The sinner is poor ;|| that is, in extreme necessity, hath not a bit or morsel of brown bread, but begs from door to door; these poor souls are ready to famish and pine, and shall have no relief. 4. Blind; this is a sad aggravation, when a man must wander for bread to relieve his soul, yet knows not whither to go, nay, knows not that he needs to go; is miserable, and knows it not; yea further, he is 5. Naked; exposed to the injuries of weather, and lashes of men. Thus is the poor sinner destitute of the wedding garment-Christ's righteousness, having only a naked skin to shield him against the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and tormentings of conscience; and what can this avail the wretched miscreant? Let a man be the richest potentate under heaven, yet if he be graceless, he is thus wretchedly poor; no tongue can express the misery of an unregenerate person. There are seven words in Hebrew, that signify poor, and they are all applicable to a poor creature without Christ and grace. 1. He is straitenedtt in the abundance of outward sufficiency, with a * Ο ταλαίπωρος, à ταλαω suffero, et πῶρος luctus. || ПTwxòs, qui ostiatim petit eleemosynam. § Τυφλὸς. * Γυμνός, à γυῖα μόνα έχων, solam cutem habens. .pauper עני ++ griping conscience and avaricious grasping after shadows. 2. His goods are diminished, and he is become a bankrupt in Adam, vain inventions have wasted a fair estate, and daily weaken the relics of natural light. 3. He is oppressed † with intolerable labour, grinding in the devil's mill, toiling in worse than Egyptian thraldom, without any relief for his famishing soul. 4. He is of a dejected ‡ mind, like the serpent, going with his bellow on the dust, a degenerate plant, the worst part of the creation, the basest of creatures, the tail, and not the head. 5. Besides all this he is afflicted || spiritually with suits, hatred, exile, imprisonment; God himself commenceth suit against him, hates him, banisheth him from his presence, delivers him over into Satan's hands, by whom he is led captive at his pleasure. 6. He is always needy,§ desires all things, but hath nothing; cannot be content, snatching on the right and left hand, yet is never satisfied; unbridled in motion towards a wrong object, that increaseth his thirst. 7. He is empty¶ of virtues, which are the riches of the mind, for though he may have some moral accomplishments, yet they are but [splendida peccata] mere splendid and shining sins, without grace; and also he is destitute of the world; for having a curse and not God's blessing therewith, it doth him no good; nay, it is his bane, being both a snare and a poison, aggravating sin, and increasing his torment, having a sadder account to make another day. This and much worse is the condition of a graceless heart, from which it is counselled! Oh, who would tarry one hour in such a wretched state? The Lord be merciful to you, and pluck you out of the Sodom of unregeneracy, lest you perish eternally. • 57 perditus. .afflictus חלכה || .egenus אביון $ ,vacuus דק 1 Secondly,-Consider the state to which you are counselled; for this end observe, 1. Who is your Counsellor,* Jesus Christ, who indeed is the only Counsellor, the wisdom of the Father, who best understands the law of heaven, and what will stand you in stead in the court of God; he that might command you into hell, doth counsel you for heaven; he that died for you, opens his heart to you; he that will speak to the Father for you, entreats you to make use of him as your only Advocate. 2. Consider what and who you are and have been, that are thus counselled; enemies to his grace, in whom he might glorify his justice, and cast you headlong into the pit, and there is an end of you; persons that have been a provocation all your days, that have resisted, quenched, grieved, vexed his Holy Spirit, trampled Christ under foot, served Satan and yourselves; behold he pours out his words unto you, yea, he offers to pour his Spirit into you:† it is the voice of an infinite God, to mortal, sinful man"Unto you, O'men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men," Prov. viii. 4. And, 3. Consider what he counsels to it is to a rich and precious purchase. ye great purchasers, here is a bargain for you! not of a piece of land, but a kingdom-not an earthly, but a heavenly kingdom-not a fair house to live in here, but eternal mansions in the heavens. Come, strike the bargain, bid freely; but what must you give? money, or money's worth? No, worldly treasures are dross here; money has no ascendancy; the price is fallen to just nothing-shall I say nothing? You are to give away your sins, and give God yourselves; yet that is no price, because it bears no proportion to such O up + Isaiah lv. 1, 2. Jubet emere non pretio, sed mendicorum more, precibus emendicare apud Deum.-Par. in loc. receipts. Grace and glory are God's gifts, yet God puts this honour upon such as honour him by believing, as though they buy what they enjoy. Let every soul make this cheap purchase. But if it be so cheap, is it not of little worth? Will it not prove accordingly? What is the purchase, and what is it good for? That brings in four things, namely, the things purchased are absolutely necessary and beneficial-1. Gold. 2. Raiment. 3. Eye-salve. 4. Every one accomplisheth a notable end to make rich cloth and recover sight: we cannot be without any of these. I cannot enlarge, take a specimen. 1. This gold tried in the fire, is Scripture truths; and we must by all means buy truth, by no means sell it;* and "the words of God are as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times;" therefore David loved the word "above fine gold."+ I told you, we must make a treasure of this refined gold of Scripture truths; but I rather understand this of the tried gold of precious graces, especially faith,‡ which being tried in the furnace of affliction, is much more precious than gold that perisheth. This indeed makes the soul truly rich; as money answers all things, so this will bring us through all conditions; and this is to be had of Christ, || therefore buy or beg it of him, and believe in him for obtaining more of the riches of grace. 2. White raiment is the robe of Christ's righteousness, the garments of our elder Brother, fine linen, clean and white; for whiteness is a token of purity, and here is an allusion to the Roman candidates, that, seeking dignity or magistracy, came forth conspicuously into the assembly, thereby signifying that integrity which became those honourable offices. So the saints Prov. xxiii. 23. + Psalm xii. 6. Psalm cxix. 127. + 1 Pet, i. 7. Hoс μоvожwλov est Christi, extra quod nulla est salus. must have the upper garment of imputed righteousness, and closer raiment of inherent holiness, of both which it is said, (Rev. xvi. 15.) "Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame," that is, the filth and guilt of sin. 3. Eye-salve; an ointment that purgeth away the rheum and dimness of the eyes. This grace banisheth the dark mists from the soul, and makes it see clearly the state of our hearts, the evil of sin, and excellency of the things of God. A right understanding of divine mysteries is a mercy worth praying for and prizing. This is the only learning of importance; book learning and brain knowledge are not worth naming in comparison of this; for this "anointing will teach you of all things," 1 John ii. 27. Well, sirs, I am loth to leave this subject, till I have prevailed with you to make it your main business to look after this divine treasure. O that Jesus Christ were formed in your hearts, and the life of grace were begun in your souls! If that be wrought, you will be fit for all conditions, without it you will be fit for nothing, and nothing can suit you; you will make no shift in a hard time, and you know not how to improve happy times; a day of affliction will swallow you up -temptation will overthrow you-mercies will increase your guilt-judgments drive you to despairyou cannot buckle to the easiest duties, nor apply the sweetest promises, and how will you come off in the great day of accounts" whither will you go for help, and where will you leave your glory?" |