SECT. V.

Address to sinners.

The consideration of what has been said of the desperate blindness which possesses the hearts of us all naturally, may well be terrifying to such as are yet in a Christless condition, in this place of light; where the gospel has been so long enjoyed, and where God has in times past so wonderfully poured out his Spirit.

And let such persons, for their awakening, consider the following things:

1. That they are blinded by the god of this world. Their blindness is from hell. This darkness which natural men are under, is from the prince of darkness. This the apostle says expressly of those who remain in unbelief and blindness under the gospel. “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid from them that are lost; in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not.” ²⁷⁸²⁷⁸    2 Cor. iv. 3,4. They belong to the kingdom of darkness. In that darkness which reigns in their souls, the devil reigns; and he holds his dominion there.

2. Consider how God in his word manifests his abhorrence and wrath towards those who remain so sottishly blind and ignorant, in the midst of light. How does God speak of them! “Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?” ²⁷⁹²⁷⁹    Psal. xiv. 4. “Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways. Unto whom I sware in my wrath, that they should not enter into my rest.” ²⁸⁰²⁸⁰    Psal. xcv. 10, 11. “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah, sinful nation!—they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger.” ²⁸¹²⁸¹    Isa. i. 3,4. “It is a people of no understanding; therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will show them no favour.” ²⁸²²⁸²    Isa. xxvii. 10. “My people is foolish, they have not known me, they are sottish children, and they have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.” ²⁸³²⁸³    Jer. iv. 22. “Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in the house of Judah, saying, Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, which have eyes and see not, which have ears and hear not. Fear ye not me, saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence?” ²⁸⁴²⁸⁴    Jer. v. 20, 21,22.

3. Consider how much wilfulness there is in your ignorance. Sinners are ready wholly to excuse themselves in their blindness; whereas, as observed already, the blindness that naturally possesses the hearts of men, is not a merely negative thing; but they are blinded by “the deceitfulness of sin.” ²⁸⁵²⁸⁵    Heb. iii. 13. There is a perverseness in their blindness. There is not a mere absence of light, but a malignant opposition to the light; as God says, “they know not, neither will they understand, they walk on in darkness.” ²⁸⁶²⁸⁶    Psal. lxxii. 5. Christ observes, “that every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light.” And that “this is their condemnation, that light is come into the world, yet men loved darkness rather than light.” ²⁸⁷²⁸⁷    John iii. 19,20. And I may appeal to your own consciences, whether you have not wilfully rejected the many instructions you have had; and refused to hearken? Whether you have not neglected to seek after the light, and neglected your Bible? Whether you have not been a very negligent hearer of the word preached, and neglected other proper means of knowledge? Whether you have not neglected to cry to God for that wisdom which you need? Yea, have you not resisted the means of knowledge? Have you not resisted and quenched the motions of the Spirit, which at times you have had? And taken a course to make yourself more and more stupid, by stifling the convictions of your own conscience, and doing contrary to the light thereof; whereby you have done those things that have tended to sear your conscience, and make yourself more and more senseless and sottish?

4. Consider what is the course that God will take to teach those who will not be taught by the instructions of his word. He will teach them by briers and thorns, and by the flames of hell. Though natural men will remain to all eternity ignorant of the excellency and loveliness of God’s nature, and so will have no spiritual knowledge; yet God in another world will make them thoroughly to understand many things, which senseless unawakened sinners are sottishly ignorant of in this world. Their eyes in many respects shall be thoroughly opened in hell. Their judgments will be rectified. They shall be of the same judgment with the godly. They shall be convinced of the reality of those things which they would not be convinced of here; as the being of God; his power, holiness, and justice; that the Scriptures are the word of God; that Christ is the Son of God; and that time is short and uncertain. They will be convinced of the vanity of the world; of the blessed opportunity they had in the world; and how much it is men’s wisdom to improve their time. We read of the rich man, who was so sottishly blind in this world, that “in hell he lift up his eyes, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” ²⁸⁸²⁸⁸    Luke xvi. 23. With many men, alas! the first time they open their eyes is in hell.

God will make all men to know the truth of those great things which he speaks of in his word, one way or another; for he will vindicate his own truth. He has undertaken to convince all men. They who will not be convinced in this world, by the gentle and gracious methods which God uses with them now, shall be convinced hereafter by severe means.. If they will not be convinced for salvation, they shall be convinced by damnation. God will make them know that he is the Lord. And he will make them know that he bears rule. “Consume them in wrath, that they may not be; and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob, unto the ends of the earth.” ²⁸⁹²⁸⁹    Psal. lix.13. “Let them be confounded and troubled for ever: yea, let them be put to shame, and perish. That men may know that thou, whose name is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth.” ²⁹⁰²⁹⁰    Psal. lxxxiii. 17,18.

What great care we had need all have, that we be not deceived in matters of religion. If our hearts are all naturally possessed with such an extreme brutish ignorance and blindness in things of religion, and we are exceedingly prone to delusion; then surely great care ought to be taken to avoid it. For that we are naturally prone to delusion, shows our danger: but the greater our danger of any calamity is, the greater had our watchfulness need to be—Let us therefore be hence warned to take heed that we be not deceived about our duty; about our own hearts; about our ways; about our state; and about our opportunities. Thousands are deceived in these things, and thousands perish by that means. Multitudes fall on our right hand and on our left, and are ruined eternally by their delusion in these things.

How foolish a thing it is for men to lean to their own understanding, and trust their own hearts. If we are so blind, then our own wisdom is not to be depended on; and that advice of the wise man is most reasonable; “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding.” ²⁹¹²⁹¹    Prov. iii. 5. “And he that trusteth in his own heart, is a fool.” ²⁹²²⁹²    Prov. xxviii. 26. —They therefore are fools, who trust to their own wisdom, and will question the mysterious Doctrine of religion; because they cannot see through them, and will not trust to the infinite wisdom of God.

Let us therefore become fools; be sensible of our own natural blindness and folly. There is a treasure of wisdom 256contained in that one sentence; “If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” ²⁹³²⁹³    1 Cor. iii. 18. Seeing our own ignorance, and blindness, is the first step towards having true knowledge. “If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.” ²⁹⁴²⁹⁴    1 Cor. viii. 2. Let us ask wisdom of God. If we are so blind in ourselves, then knowledge is not to be sought for out of our own stock, but must be sought from some other source. And we have no where else to go for it, but to the fountain of light and wisdom. True wisdom is a precious jewel; and none of our fellow-creatures can give it us, nor can we buy it with any price we have to give. It is the sovereign gift of God. The way to obtain it, is to go to him, sensible of our weakness, and blindness, and misery on that account. ” If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” ²⁹⁵²⁹⁵    James i. 5.