SERMON XVIII. ROM. VI. 21. What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. THE first resolution, which every one should take in the conduct of life, is to deliberate seriously, as soon as he becomes capable of it, by what rule his future behaviour shall be formed. And one principal cause of the follies, which men commit, and the miseries into which they fall, is their strange neglect of this obvious duty: a duty impossible to be controverted; for it is only inquiring what will be most for our interest. And yet a very great part of mankind never once think of any certain rule at all for their conduct; but go on at random, indulging the present inclination, which way soever it leads, and how often soever it may vary and thus fill up a life of thoughtless inconsistency, aiming at no one end beyond pleasing themselves any how for the time, let what will follow. But surely a very little reflection might shew, that what pleases us now, may ruin us ere long, perhaps very soon: that different courses of life have very different consequences, highly deserving our attention and in particular, that those of a virtuous and a vicious life differ so extremely, that we ought not to continue an hour undetermined, longer than we must, which we shall pursue. What the prophet Elijah said to the Israelites belongs equally to all of this unsettled character: How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him*. Why this perpetual wavering and fluctuation, about the first thing that you ought to fix; the one point, on which all depends! If a profane and immoral conduct will produce and secure happiness to you, follow profaneness and immorality, yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sint. But if religion and virtue be the means of true and lasting self-enjoyment, let religion and virtue be your care, and yield yourselves servants of righteousness unto God. Choose ye therefore this day whom ye will serve §. And there are indeed multitudes, that would give sufficient proofs of having made a choice, and a very ill one, if running headlong into wickedness merited the name of choosing it. But rational choice presupposes due consideration: whereas these poor wretches have suffered themselves to be led on blindfold, by example and custom, unexamined appearances and ungoverned inclinations, with no more notion of inquiring, whether they are in the right road, than if there were no other at all. Or if ever they have deliberated, they have done it unfairly or superficially; or upon some one point of their behaviour, not the whole; and perhaps, only which of two interfering desires, both of them wrong, they should gratify. But surely the first division of human conduct is into religious and irreligious. Which of these two we ought to prefer, is the question that we are to begin with and it will be time enough to consider, 1 Kings xviii. 21. Rom. vi. 13. 19. + Rom. vi. 13. in what way we shall be bad, after we have examined, whether it is not our wisdom to be good. In this most important inquiry an imperfect view of things may easily deceive us, and doth in fact deceive the generality of mankind. We must therefore be very careful to lay before ourselves the whole of what is to be expected, hoped or feared. But indeed both our own passions and appetites, and the opinions and practices of the world, will be sure to remind us abundantly of what makes in favour of prohibited indulgences. And consequently, in order to keep our judgment upright, we must be diligent. in representing to ourselves what makes against them. And we cannot possibly do it in a better method, than that of the Apostle, addressing himself to the Roman converts: What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. In these words is proposed to our serious thoughts, I. The present unprofitableness of sin. II. The shamefulness of it. III. The punishment which awaits it. I shall be able in this discourse to consider only the first point, the unprofitableness of sin, even at present. And for this he appeals to the hearts and consciences of those, with whom he argues: What fruit had ye then in those things? well knowing they must own, that upon trial they had found none: a confession, which very few have ever failed to make, when after a life, spent in wickedness, they came to reflect coolly, what real advantage they had gained by it on the upshot. The language of those, who will be prevailed on to balance that great account, is almost universally the same, which Elihu in Job ascribes to the penitent, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not *. Some may imagine this to arise from a disposition, which we have, to be discontented; and to think, after a while, any other way better than that which we have chosen. But how comes it to pass then, that no pious and virtuous man was ever known, calmly and deliberately, to make the same declaration concerning his manner of life? Nothing hath been more common in all ages, than for the wicked to acknowledge their mistakes and their misery, and exhort others to take warning by them. But the good, as soon as ever they had time to become habitually such, have always pronounced themselves easy and happy; and thought it the greatest kindness, that they could do to those, whom they loved the most tenderly, to beg they would tread in their steps. Now, in other cases, we look on the agreeing testimony of those, who have experienced what they affirm, as being decisive. Why then should we distrust them in this alone; and obstinately insist upon trying what they forewarn us aloud will be fatal? Indeed have not some of us tried much too far already? And, for God's sake, let us ask ourselves, what fruit we have had from it, and what we are likely to have, in case we proceed further. But if we will reckon the experience of others incompetent, and our own imperfect, let us consider. the natural tendency of sin. Should we be unable to discover from thence, why it should do us harm, we may doubt whether it doth the harm that we are told, or will go on to do the harm that we have hitherto felt from it: but if we see, that in its nature it must be unprofitable and hurtful, as well as learn from the experience of others and our own *Job xxxiii. 27. that it is so, then surely nothing will be wanting to convince us. Now we all know, however apt we are to forget it, that reason is the principal part of our frame: thence therefore if we are made with any wisdom, we must expect the principal part of our happiness: and yet every sort of wickedness is absolutely contradictory to reason. Undutifulness to an almighty superior, and ingratitude to a gracious benefactor, such as God is; unkindness to our relations and friends, hard-heartedness to persons in distress, injustice or implacability to any one, or uselessness to those, who are useful to us: degrading ourselves below the rank of our nature, and living only or chiefly to brutal appetites, though we are men; or to trifling pleasures, though we have capacities for much worthier employments: all these things are evidently unreasonable and unfit, as any thing can be. And what advantage or what quiet can we hope in disobeying that principle, which was plainly designed to rule us? Besides, our affections were doubtless originally intended to accord with reason: and though much disordered by the fall of our first parents, yet in a considerable measure they do so still. Now can we question, but that disorder is the cause of misery to us here? And if so, the greater we make it by acts of sin, the greater our misery will be; and the more we rectify it by acts of piety and virtue, the nearer we shall return to our natural state, in which alone every thing flourishes and doth well. Right reason and right affection were the primitive rules, that God gave man to live by: and how can we fancy that we shall ever find our account in putting a force upon them, and wresting ourselves from under their government? |