DISCOURSE: 1400
THE FEARFUL PROSPECT OF THE IMPENITENT
Matthew 26:24. It had been good for that man if he had not been born.
“KNOWN unto God are all his works, from the foundation of the world.” But the fore-ordination of God does not in any degree affect the responsibility of man. Man is altogether a free agent, in everything that he does, whether it be good or evil. The Spirit of God may move him; or Satan may tempt him: but he does nothing without the concurrence of his own will. Hence, when St. Peter tells the Jews that our blessed Lord was “delivered up to death by the determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God,” he still fixes the guilt of his death on them; saying, “Him ye have taken, and with wicked hands have crucified and slain [Note: Acts 2:23.].” So, in the passage before us, our blessed Lord speaks to the same effect. It had been written of him, “Mine own familiar friend, whom I trusted, who did eat of my bread, hath lift up his heel against me [Note: Compare ver. 23. with Psalms 41:9.].” And, in reference to this prediction, our Lord says, “The Son of man goeth as it was written of him; but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.”
That we may make a suitable improvement of this awful declaration, I will,
I. Shew of whom this may be spoken—
We must not confine this declaration to the person of whom our Lord spate; since it is equally applicable to a great variety of characters. It may be applied to,
1. The Traitor who sells his Lord—
[To Judas the words are primarily applied. But are there no other persons who sell their Lord? What is the conduct of the lewd voluptuary, the sordid worldling, the ambitious candidate for honour? Each of them says, ‘Give me but my price, and I will sell my Lord.’ Each of them, in his own particular way, acts the part of “Esau, who sold his birthright for a mess of pottage [Note: Hebrews 12:16.].” Tell them, when in the pursuit of their respective objects, what a loss they must sustain; and they regard you not: the pleasures, the riches, the honours, which they affect, are, in their eyes, of paramount importance; and follow them they will, though they must sacrifice all hopes of ever enjoying the favour of their God — — — I must say, that these may kiss their Saviour in the sight of men, but they are traitors to him in the estimation of their God; and, as such, must expect to be made monuments of his righteous indignation.]
2. The Infidel, who denies him—
[The Scribes and Pharisees rejected our blessed Lord, notwithstanding all the miracles he wrought in proof of his Messiahship: and “their end was according to their works [Note: 2 Corinthians 11:15.].” And are there not, at this day also, infidels who reject Christ, and, under an affectation of superior wisdom, pour contempt upon the Gospel, as a “cunningly-devised fable,” deriding its doctrines as enthusiastic, and its precepts as needlessly severe? These persons designate themselves rational Christians; as though “wisdom should die with them:” but they are the most irrational of all Christians; since they set up their own vain conceits above the inspired records, and their own wisdom above the wisdom of their God. And shall it not shortly be said, in reference to them, “Bring hither those that were mine enemies, and slay them before me?” Yes, “there remaineth for them no other sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful looking-for of judgment, and fiery indignation, to devour them [Note: Hebrews 10:26-27.].”]
3. The Apostate, who renounces him—
[We are told respecting those who, “after having once escaped the pollutions of the world, are again entangled with them, and overcome; that their last end is worse than their beginning; and that it had been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness, than, after having known it, to depart from the holy commandment that had been delivered to them [Note: 2 Peter 2:21.].” And how many are there, at this day, who have “left off to be wise [Note: Psalms 36:3.],” and “gone back to their evil ways [Note: Psalms 78:57.],” and “turned again with the dog to his vomit, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire [Note: 2 Peter 2:22.].” Yes, there are, alas! many who “run well only for a season [Note: Galatians 5:7.];” and, “under the influence of temptation,” like the stony-ground hearers, “fall away.” What, then, is their state? “They turn back unto perdition,” and seal up themselves under the everlasting “displeasure of their God [Note: Hebrews 10:38-39.].”]
4. The Hypocrite, who dishonours him—
[None have a severer doom than persons of this description. To have the most dreadful portion, is to “have our portion with the hypocrites [Note: Matthew 24:51.].” To cry with pretended zeal, “Lord, Lord!” whilst we do not the things which he commands [Note: Matthew 7:21-23.], can answer no other end than that of deceiving our own souls [Note: Luke 6:46.]. “Our hearts must be right with God,” if ever we would be accepted of him [Note: Psalms 78:37.]: and the retaining of a single lust, though dear as a right hand or a right eye, will plunge us into inevitable and everlasting perdition [Note: Matthew 5:29-30.]. The more distinguished our profession may be, the greater is our sin, if, “whilst we profess to know God, in works we deny him [Note: Titus 1:16.]:” our excellency may mount up to the heavens, and our head may reach unto the clouds; but the issue will be, that we shall perish for ever like our own dung; and they who have seen us will say, “Where is he? where is he [Note: Job 20:4-7.]?”
Concerning every one of these persons, so living, and so dying, it must be said, as of Judas, “It had been good for that man if he had not been born.”]
And shall I not now,
II.
Take up a lamentation over them—
Our blessed Lord “wept over Jerusalem,” which he saw devoted to destruction. And shall not “mine eyes be a fountain of tears, to run down day and night [Note: Jeremiah 9:1.]” for so many of you as, I have reason to fear, are perishing in your sins? Alas! respecting multitudes, I must say,
1. How awful are their delusions!
[All of these persons promise themselves impunity. One is too high to be called to account; another too low to attract the attention of the Deity. One is so immersed in business, that he may be well excused; and another too intelligent to be deceived: and all have an idea that God is too good and too merciful to proceed against them. But there is for every one of us a future state of retribution, when every one “shall receive at the hands of God according to what he has done in the body, whether it be good or evil.” If it were not so, we might adopt at once the Epicurean maxim, “Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die.” But “we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ,” and receive at his hands our doom in happiness or misery, to all eternity. Our foolish excuses will then avail us nothing. Our duty was plain; namely, to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness:” but we chose to prefer other things before it, and to seek it last: we must therefore for ever lose the blessedness we would not seek, and endure for ever the misery which we would not deprecate. And, if men will not believe this now, they will surely be convinced at the very moment of their departure hence. Then “they will know whose word shall stand, whether God’s or theirs [Note: Jeremiah 44:28.].” And then,]
2. How bitter will be their reflections—
[Let us suppose a man “lifting up his eyes in the torments of hell,” and looking back to the means of grace which he once enjoyed, and the offers of mercy that were made him in the Saviour’s name: how bitterly will he bewail his folly! how will he wish that he had been born a heathen, or an idiot; or rather, “that he had never been born at all!” We are told how such persons will be occupied in “weeping, and wailing, and gnashing their teeth,” with impotent rage against their God. And what will they then think of the gratifications for which they sacrificed all the felicity of heaven, and incurred all the miseries of hell? How will they stand amazed at their folly and their madness! and what language will they find sufficient to express their feelings of self-reproach? My dear brethren, I would that you would all place yourselves for a moment in the situation of a person at the first moment of his entering into the presence of his God; looking back upon the scenes which he has just left; and looking forward to the scenes on which he is about to enter, and which must continue without mitigation or end to all eternity. Could I prevail on you to realize for a moment that situation, methinks it would be impossible for you not to flee to the Saviour, and lay hold upon him, and cleave to him, till he had pardoned your offences, and spoken peace unto your souls.]
3. How infatuated must you be, if you will not improve your present opportunity of obtaining mercy!
[My dear brethren, in the name of Almighty God I declare to you, that if only you will come to him in humble dependence on the Saviour’s merits, “not one of you shall ever be cast out.” Nay, more; I declare, that God will seal his pardoning love upon your souls; so that, instead of wishing you had never been born, you shall be able, with most heartfelt delight, to say, “We thank thee, O God, for our creation [Note: See the General Thanksgiving.].” Yes, indeed: this is an expression which none but a true Christian can fully utter: for all others, whoever they may be, must feel some secret misgivings in relation to their eternal state. But the man who truly gives himself up to his God, can look forward to the eternal world with joy; knowing that he shall be received into the bosom of his Saviour, and reign with him in glory for evermore. Then I ask you, my brethren, Why will ye, after having lost so much time already, and having, for aught ye know, so little remaining to you, why, I say, will ye defer, even for an hour, that repentance which your state calls for, and that application to the Saviour which he is so ready to hear? Fain would I prevail upon you to go home and prostrate yourselves before the throne of grace, and to implore mercy of God in the Redeemer’s name. If ye will not do this, what can be expected, but that the time shall come when you will curse the day of your birth, aye, and the day that ye ever heard this faithful address? I tremble to think what a swift witness I must be against those who shall still harden themselves against these faithful admonitions. I tremble to think how soon many of you will be found in that state, when it must be said of you, “It had been good for that man if he had not been born.” But some of you at least, I hope, will take warning ere it be too late, and “lay hold on eternal life,” before “the wrath of God shall come upon you to the uttermost.”]