QUESTION IV.

What is the reason that many go no farther in the profession of religion, than to be almost Christians?

Reason 1. It is because they deceive themselves in the truth of their own condition; they mistake their state, and think it good and safe, when it is bad and dangerous. A man may look upon himself as a member of Christ, and yet God may look upon him as a vessel of wrath: as a child of God, by looking more upon his sins than his graces, more upon his failings than his faith, more upon indwelling lusts than renewing grace, may think his case very bad when yet it is very good: “I am black,” saith the spouse; “and. yet,” saith Christ, “O thou fairest among women!” So the sinner, by looking more upon his duties than his sins, may think he sees his name written in the book of life, and yet be in the account of God a very reprobate.

There is nothing more common than for a man to “think himself something when he is nothing;” and so he “deceives himself.” Many a man blesses himself in his interest in Christ, when he is indeed a stranger to him. Many a man 171thinks his sin pardoned, when alas! “he is still in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity.” Many a man thinks he hath grace, when he hath none: “There is,” saith Solomon, “that makes himself rich, and yet hath nothing.” This was the very temper of Laodicea: “Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not,” (pray mind that,) “that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

Thou knowest not; as bad as she was, she thought her state good; as poor as she was in grace, she thought she was rich; “as miserable and naked as she was, yet she thought she had need of nothing.”

Now there are several rises or grounds of this mistake. I will name five to you.

First, The desperate deceitfulness of the heart of every natural man. “The heart is deceitful above all things.” The Hebrew word is the same with Jacob’s name. Now you know he was a supplanter of his brother Esau: “He is rightly called Jacob,” saith he, “for he hath supplanted one these two times.” So the word signifies, to be fraudulent, subtle, deceitful, and supplanting. Thus is the heart of every natural man “deceitful above all things.”

You read of the deceitfulness of the tongue.

And of the deceitfulness of riches.

And of the deceitfulness of beauty.

And of the deceitfulness of friends.

But yet the heart is deceitful above them all. Nay, you read of the deceitfulness of Satan, yet truly a man’s heart is a greater deceiver than he; for he could never deceive a man, if his own heart did not deceive him. Now it is from hence that a man presumes upon the goodness of his case, from the desperate treachery of his own heart.

How common is it for men to boast of the goodness of their hearts! “I thank God, though I do not make such a show and pretence as some do, yet I have as good a heart as the best.” O do but hear Solomon in this case: “He that trusteth Ill his own heart is a fool.” Will any wise man, commit his money to the cut-purse? Will he trust a cheat? It is a good rule, Remember to distrust;—and it was Austin’s prayer, That man that trusts to his own heart, shall be sure to find himself deceived at last.

Secondly, This mistake arises from the pride of a man’s spirit; there is a proud heart in every natural man: there was much of this pride in Adam’s sin, and there is much of it in all Adam’s sons. It is a radical sin, and from hence arises 173this overweening opinion of a man’s state and condition. Solomon saith, “Be not righteous overmuch.” Austin, speaking occasionally of these words, saith, it is “not meant of the righteousness of the wise man, but the pride of the presumptuous man.” Now in this sense every carnal man is righteous overmuch; though he hath none of that righteousness which commends him to God, to wit, the righteousness of Christ, yet he hath too much of that righteousness which commends him to himself, and that is self-righteousness.

A proud man hath an eye to see his beauty, but not his deformity; his parts, but not his spots; his seeming righteousness, but not his real wretchedness. “It must be a work of grace that must show a man the want of grace.” The haughty eye looks upward, but the humble eye looks downward, and therefore this is the believer’s motto, “The least of saints, the greatest of sinners;” but the carnal man’s motto is, “I thank God I am not as other men.”

Thirdly, Many deceive themselves with common grace instead of saving, through that resemblance that is between them. As many take counterfeit money for current coin, so do too many take common grace for true. Saul took 174the devil for Samuel, because he appeared in the mantle of Samuel: so many take common grace for saving, because it is like saving grace; a man may be under a supernatural work, and yet fall short of a saving work; the first raiseth nature, the second only reneweth nature: though every saving work of the Spirit be supernatural, yet every supernatural work of the Spirit is not saving; and hence many deceive their own souls, by taking a supernatural work for a saving work.

Fourthly, Many mistake a profession of religion for a work of conversion, and outside reformation for a sure sign of inward regeneration. If the outside of the cup be washed, then they think all is clean, though it be never so foul within. This is the common rock that so many souls split upon, to their eternal hazard, taking up a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

Fifthly, Want of a home application of the law of God to the heart and conscience, to discover to a man the true state and condition he is in. Where this is wanting, a man will sit down short of a true work of grace, and will reckon his case better than it is. That is a notable passage which the apostle hints concerning himself: “I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” 175Here you have an account of the different apprehensions Paul had of his condition with and without the word.

1. Here is his apprehension of his condition without the word: “I was alive,” saith he, “without the law.” Paul had the law, for He was a Pharisee; and they had the “form of knowledge, and of the truth of the law:” therefore, when he saith he was “without the law,” you must not take him literally, but spiritually: he was without the power and efficacy of it upon his heart and conscience, convincing, and awakening, and discovering sin; and so long as this was the case, be doubted not of his state—he was confident of the goodness of his condition. This he hinted when he saith, “I was alive,” but then,

2. Here is his apprehension of his condition with the word, and that is quite contrary to what it was before: “when the commandment came,” saith he, “then sin revived, and I died.” When the word of the Lord came with power upon his soul, when the Spirit of God set it home effectually upon his conscience, that is meant by the coming of the commandment; “then sin revived, and I died;” that is, I saw the desperateness of my case, and the filthiness of all my self-righteousness. 176Then, my hope ceased, and my confidence failed; and, as before, I thought myself alive, and my sin dead; so when God had awakened conscience by the word, then I saw my sin alive and powerful, and myself dead and miserable. So that this is the first reason why men go no further in the profession of religion, than to be almost Christians. It is because they mistake their state, and think it good when it is not; which mistake is five-fold.

1. A deceitful heart.

2. A proud spirit.

3. Taking common grace for saving.

4. Outward reformation, for true regeneration.

5. Want of home application of the law of God to the heart and conscience.

Reason 2. It is from Satan’s cunning, who, if He cannot keep sinners in their open profaneness, then he labors to persuade them to take up with a form of godliness. If he cannot entice them on in their lusts, with a total neglect of heaven, then he entices them into such a profession as is sure to fall short of heaven. He will consent to the leaving some sin, so as we do but keep the rest; and to the doing of some duties, so as we neglect the rest. Nay, rather than part with his interest in the soul, he will yield far to 177our profession of religion, and consent to anything but our conversion, and closing with Christ for salvation: he cares not which way we come to hell, so as he gets us but thither at last.

Reason 3. It is from worldly and carnal policy. This is a great hindrance to many: policy many times enters caveats against piety. Jehu will not part with his calves lest he hazard his kingdom. Among many men there would be more zeal and honesty, were there less design and policy. There is an honest policy that helps religion, but carnal policy hinders it.

We are commanded “to be wise as serpents:” now, “the serpent is the subtlest of creatures:” but then we must be as “innocent as doves.” If piety be without policy, it wants security; if policy be without piety, it wants integrity. Piety without policy is too simple to be safe; and policy without piety is too subtle to be good. Let men be as wise, as prudent, as subtle, as watchful as they will, but then let it be in the way of God; let it be joined with holiness and integrity. That is a cursed wisdom that forbids a man to launch any further out in the depths of religion, than he can see the land, lest he be taken in a storm before he can make safe to shore again.

Reason 4. There are some lusts espoused in 178the heart, that hinder a hearty close with Christ. Though they bid fair yet they come not to God’s terms: “The young man would have eternal life;” and he bid fair for it: a willing obedience to every command but one, but only one; and will not God abate him one? Is he so severe? Will he not come down a little in his terms, when man rises so high? Must man yield all? Will God yield nothing? No, my brethren, he that underbids for heaven, shall as surely lose it, as he that will give nothing for it. He that will not give all he hath—part with all for that “pearl of price”—shall as surely go without it, as he that never once cheapens it. The not coming up to God’s terms is the ruin of thousands of souls; nay, it is that upon which all that perish, do perish. A naked sinner to a naked Christ; a bleeding, broken sinner, to a bleeding, broken Christ—these are God’s terms.

Most professors are like iron between two equal loadstones. God draws, and they propend towards God.; and the world draws, and they incline to the world. They are between both; they would not leave God for the world, if they might not be engaged to leave the world. for God. But if they must part with all—with every lust, every darling, every beloved sin—179why, then, the spirit of Demas possesses them, and God is forsaken by them.

My brethren, this is the great reason why many that are come to be almost Christians go no farther. Some one beloved lust or other hinders them, and after a long and high profession, parts them and Christ forever; they did run well, but here it is that they give out, and after all fall short, and perish to eternity.

Thus having answered these four questions, namely,

1. How far a man may go in the way to heaven, and yet be but almost a Christian.

2. Whence it is that a man goeth so far as to be almost a Christian.

3. When it is that a man is but almost a Christian, when he has gone thus far.

4. What is the reason men go no farther in religion, than to be almost Christians?