Thomas Manton Sermon..That any man should reject the Christian faith, so clearly promised in the predictions of the prophets, before it was revealed, and confirmed with such a number of miracles, when it was first set afoot, received among the nations by so universal a consent, in the learned part of the world, notwithstanding the meanness of the instrument» employed in it; and perpetuated to us throughout so many successions of ages, who have had experience of the truth of it. And yet still we have cause to complain: Isa. liii. 1, Lord, who hath believed our report ? Some cannot outsee time and look beyond the grave: 1 Peter i. 9, He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off; and 2 Peter iii. 3, There shall come in the latter times scoffers, and mockers, walking after their own lusts. Many dare not question the precepts of Christianity, because of their usefulness to human society and reasonable nature ; they doubt of the recompenses, and yet have a secret fear of them, and seek to smother it by their incredulity and unbelief. But alas! it will not do. They scoff at others as simple and credulous; none so credulous as the atheist; there is a thousand to one against him: at least, if it prove true, in what a case are they ? It will do them no hurt to venture upon probabilities until further assurance. What assurance would you have ? Luke xvi. 30, 31, You have Moses and the prophets ; if you believe not them, neither will you be persuaded if one came from the dead. Will you give laws to heaven ? God is not bound to make a sun for them to see that wilfully shut their eyes; yet that way what assurance would you have to prove this is no phantasm ? Doth God need a lie to persuade you to your duty ? But— 2. The greater miracle is that any should embrace the Christian faith, and yet live sinfully and carelessly; that they should believe as Christians, and yet live as atheists. You cannot drive a dull ass into the fire that is kindled before him: Prov. i. 17, Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird. How can men believe eternal torments, and yet with so much boldness and easiness run into the sins that do deserve them ? Many times not compelled by any terror, nor asked or invited by any temptation, but of their own accord they tempt themselves, and seek out occasions of sinning. On the other side, can a man believe in heaven, and do nothing for it ? If we know that it will not be lost labour, there is all the reason we should not grudge at it: 1 Cor. xv. 58, Be steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Now there are three causes of this :—(1.) Unbelief; (2.) Inconsideration ; (3.) Want of close application. [1.] Want of a sound belief. Most mens faith is but pretended, as appeareth by the effects...it is the most irrational thing to go to hell to save ourselves the labour of obedience... The whole world, promised as a reward, cannot induce us to enter into a fiery furnace for half an hour.... If one much desiring sleep, which is Chrysostoms supposition, should be told that if he once nodded he should endure ten years torment, would he venture ? (4.) By our carelessness in the matters of our peace. If we were in danger of death every moment, we would not be quiet till we got a Pardon. All men by nature are children of wrath, liable to this horrible estate that hath been described to you; but yet few run for refuge, Heb. vi. 18, 19, nor flee from wrath to come, Mat. iii. 7. Seek peace upon earth/ Luke ii. 14. Labour to be found of him in peace/ 2 Peter ii. 14. How can a man be at rest, till he be secured, and can bless God for an escape ? [2.] For lack of serious consideration. The scripture calleth for it everywhere: Ps. 1. 22, Consider this, ye that forget God; and Isa. i. 3, My people will not consider. Many that have faith do not act it, and set it to work by lively thoughts... When faith and knowledge are asleep, it differeth little from ignorance or oblivion, till consideration awaken it... Carnal sensualists put off that they cannot put away, Amos vi. 3. Many that know themselves wretched creatures are not troubled at it, because they cast these things out of their thoughts, and so they sleep; but their damnation sleepeth not, it lieth watching to take hold of them ; they are not at leisure to think of eternity. [3.] Want of close application : Eom. viii. 31, What shall we then say to these things ? Job v. 27, Know this for thy good. Whether promise or threatening, we must urge and prick our hearts with it. Self-love maketh us fancy an unreasonable indulgence in God, and that we shall do well enough, how slightly and carelessly soever we mind religion. We do not lay the point and edge of truths to our own hearts, and say, Heb. ii. 3, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? These are the causes. Now there is no way to remedy this but to get a sound belief of the world to come, and often to meditate on it, and urge our own hearts with it. Doct. 2. That unprofitableness is a damning sin. If there were no more, this were enough to ruin us. By unprofitableness I do not mean lack of success; to the best, gifts may be unprofitable: Isa. xlix. 4, I have laboured in vain, saith the prophet Isaiah; but lack the endeavour, omitting to do our duty. The scope of the parable is to awaken us from our negligence and sloth, that we may not prefer a soft and easy lazy life before the service of God, and doing good in our generation. Now, because we think omissions are no sins, or light sins, I shall take this occasion to show the heinousness of them; and here I shall show two things:— First, That there are sins of omission. Sins are usually distinguished into sins of omission and commission. A sin of commission is when we do that which we ought not; a sin of omission, when we leave that undone which we ought to do. But when we look more narrowly into these things, we shall find both in every actual sin; for in that we commit anything against the law, we omit our duty, and the omitting of our duty can hardly or never fall out but that something is preferred before the love of God, and that is a commission. But yet there is ground for the distinction, because when anything is formally and directly committed against the negative precept and prohibition, that is a sin of commission; but when we directly sin against an affirmative precept, that is an omission. We have an instance of both in Eli and his sons. Elis sons defiled themselves with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 1 Sam. ii. 22. Eli sinned in that he restrained them not, 1 Sam. iii. 13. His was an omission, theirs a commission. Secondly, That sins of omission may be great sins appeareth— 1. Partly by the nature of them. There is in them the general nature of all evil; that is, a??µ?a, a transgression of a law, 1 John iii. 4; a disobedience and breach of a precept, and so by consequence a contempt of Gods authority. We cry out upon Pharaoh when we hear him speaking, Exod. v. 2, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice ? By interpretation we all say so; this language is couched in every sin that we commit, and every duty we omit. Our negligence is not simple negligence, but downright disobedience, because it is a breach of a precept; and the offence is the more, because our nature doth more easily close with precepts than prohibitions. Duties enjoined are perfective, but prohibitions are as so many yokes upon us. We take it more grievously for God to say, Thou shalt not •covet, than for God to say, Thou shalt love me, fear me, and serve Die·. We are contented to do much which the law requireth, but to be limited and barred of our delights, this is distasteful. To meet with than precepts; eight negatives, the fourth and fifth commandments only positive. To be restrained is as distasteful to us as for men in a fever to be forbidden drink; nature is more prone to sin. But to return, there is much disobedience in a sin of omission. When Saul had not done what God bid him to do, he telleth him, Eebellion i» as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry, 1 Sam. xv. 11; implying that omission is rebellion, and stubbornness parallel to idolatry and witchcraft. 2. Partly by the causes of them. The general cause is corrupt nature: They are all become unprofitable, Bom. iii. 12, compared with Ps. xiv. 3, They are altogether become filthy. There is in all by nature a proneness to evil, and a backwardness to good. Onesimus before conversion was unprofitable, good for nothing, Philem. v. 11; but grace made a change, make him useful in all his relations. The particular causes are—(1.) Idleness and security; they are loath to be at work: Isa. Ixiv. 7, None stirreth up himself to lay hold thee; They forget his commandments, Jer. ii. 31, 32. (2.) A lack of love to God: Isa. xliii. 22, Thou hast been weary of me, 0 Israel ;* and Eev. ii. 4, Nevertheless I have something against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. And (3.) Lack of zeal for Gods glory : Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, Where there is a fervour, we cannot be idle and neglectful of our duty. There is an aversion from God before there is an express disobedience to him. 3. Partly by the effects—internal, external, eternal. il.] Internal; gifts and graces languish for want of employment: Quench not the Spirit. Thomas ..his omission made way for his unbelief, John xx. 24. [2.] External; it bringeth on many temporal judgments. God put by Saul from being king for an omission: 1 Sam. xv. 11, It repenteth me for setting up Saul to be king, for he hath not done the thing that I commanded him; forbearing to destroy all of Amalek. For this he put by Elis house from the priesthood: 1 Sam. iii. 13, ? will judge his house for ever, because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. Elis omission is punished as well as his sons commission, yet it was not a total omission. Compare 1 Sam. ii. 23- 25, And he said unto them, Why do ye such things ? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people; nay, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear of you; ye make the Lords people to transgress: if one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him ? Notwithstanding they hearkened not to the voice of their father. His admonition was grave and serious, yet it was not enough. All Israel knew their sin before; Eli took upon him to reprove them secretly, whereas the fact was open, and he should have put them to open shame: and then his rebukes were mild and soft; he should have frowned upon them, punished them, but his fondness would not permit that. [3.] Eternal, here in the text: Cast the unprofitable servant, &c. These sins Christ will mainly inquire after at the day of judgment; and ver. 42, 43 of this chapter, and Mat. vii. 19, Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire; though not bad or poisonous fruit... By all these arguments it appeareth that sins of omission may be great sins.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 16:26:13 +0000