Part 33 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 34 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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OBJECTION. But the prayers of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, Proverbs 15:8, and 28:9; and he casts their sacrifices as dung in their faces, Isaiah 11-16, and Isa 58:1-7; their very prayers are sinful, and therefore they were better neglect prayer until God shall work graciously and savingly upon them, than to pray, and so to sin as often as they pray, etc. To this I answer,
(1.) First, The prayers of the wicked may be materially good, when they are not formally good; yes, when they are theologically evil, 2 Chron. 25:2. Amaziah did that which was perfect in the sight of the Lord, as to the matter—but not with a perfect or sincere heart. He failed not in the matter—but in the manner. He did not do that good which he did, fromprinciples of faith, love, etc., nor to a right end—divine glory. Many unsanctified people may have the gift of prayer—who have not the spirit of prayer, nor the grace of prayer, Mat. 7:21, and 23:14. [Psalm 78:36-37; Proverbs 1:27-28; Isaiah 58:1-4.]
Now certainly where God gives such a gift, he requires the use of it. The gift of prayer is from the Spirit, as well as the grace of prayer; and who can tell but that upon the use of the gift of prayer, the Spirit may give the grace of prayer? However, it is dangerous to neglect a gift. The slothful servant was not cast into utter darkness for rioting out his talent—but for not improving of his talent, Mat. 25:30. That the prayers of a wicked man are not formally good, must be granted, yes, that they are abominable and ineffectual, cannot be denied; they are like the precious stone Diacletes, which though it has many excellent powers in it—yet it loses them all if it be put in a dead man's mouth. Just so, prayer, though it has many virtues and excellencies in it—yet it loses them all when it is performed by a man who is spiritually dead—that is, dead God-wards, and Christ-wards, and heaven-wards, and holiness-wards; but if you consider the matter of a wicked man's prayers, so they may be good, yes, so good as that they may prevail with a good God for much temporal good, as I shall show you before I close up all my answers to this objection. But,
(2.) Secondly, It is a less sin for an unholy person to do a religious duty, than it is to omit it. Now of two sins, whereupon, not God—but a man's self has inevitably put him to commit one of them, he must choose the least, he must choose rather to sin in the manner, in not doing of it so well as he should, than to fail in the matter, and so quite neglect the duty itself. For this is most certain, when God commands a duty absolutely to be done, it is a greater sin not to do it at all, than to do it amiss, and the reason is evident, because our disobedience is total in not doing at all, and but only partial in doing it otherwise than we ought. As for a man willfully and peremptorily to refuse to hear the word, is a greater and fouler fault than to hear it with a forgetful or disobedient heart, there being more hope of the latter than of the former; for some that have come to catch, have been caught by the word, John 7:46. "And therefore come," says Latimer, "to the word; though you come to sleep, it may be God may take you napping."
When Mr. Henry Sulphen was preacher at Bremen, several Roman Catholics sent their chaplains to trap him in his words; but the power of God was so wonderfully seen in his preaching, that the greatest part of those who came to ensnare him, were converted by him. It is good to come to the word, though a man comes with an ill intent; to come, though he should come with a purpose to catch, for in so coming he may be catched, as Augustine was by Ambrose.
Without doubt there is no disobedience like that which is total. Partial disobedience is no disobedience, compared to that which is total. That wife who totally disobeys her husband, and that child who totally disobeys the father, and that servant who totally disobeys his master, is much more to blame, and do much more provoke—than those who are only partial in their disobedience. And so it is between God and sinners, etc.
(3.) Thirdly, If there were any strength in this objection, it would lie as strong against a wicked man's civil actions, as it does against his religious actions: Proverbs 21:4, "The plowings of the wicked is sin;" not only the prayers of the wicked—but also the plowings of the wicked are sin, not only the spiritual but also the natural and civil actions of a wicked man are sin; and therefore, according to their arguing, a wicked man must not exercise himself in his calling, in his plowing and sowing, etc., because that his civil actions are sinful as well as his religious; and it is as impossible for him to please God in the one, as it is to please him in the other. Surely all men who are in their wits, will either sigh or laugh at such kind of reasonings. But,
(4.) Fourthly, This objection lies as strong against wicked men's natural actions—namely, their eating, drinking, and sleeping, etc.—as it does against their praying. When a wicked man eats, he is to eat to divine glory, and when he drinks, he is to drink to divine glory, 1 Cor. 10:31; and when he recreates himself, he is to recreate himself to divine glory; and when he sleeps, he is to sleep to divine glory. In all these natural and common actions, he is to make the glory of God his supreme scope. Now there is not a wicked man on earth who does or can eat or drink, etc., to divine glory; he does not—and he cannot set up the glory of God as the chief and ultimate end of his natural and common actions. Now who but fools in folio will reason thus: wicked men are to eat and drink, etc., to divine glory—but this they cannot do, Titus 1:15; and therefore wicked men must neither eat nor drink, etc. But,
(5.) Fifthly, The force and spirit of this objection, if there were any in it, lies as flatly and fully against all other pious duties—as it does against prayer. It lies as strong against hearing, reading, and meditating on the word, etc., as it does against prayer. And who but such who are sadly left of God, and woefully blinded by Satan, will be so wretched as to say, wicked men must neither hear the word, nor read the word, nor meditate on the word—because they cannot do these actions in faith, "and whatever is not of faith is sin," Romans 14:23. But,
(6.) Sixthly, There are those who can say by experience, that the first special work of God that ever they perceived on their own hearts—was while they were pleading with God at the throne of grace. There are those who have brought proud hearts to the throne of grace—but have returned with hearts humbled; and who have brought hard hearts—but have gone away with hearts graciously broken and melted; and who have brought carnal hearts—but returned with spiritual hearts; and who have brought worldly hearts—but returned with heavenly hearts. God sometimes hears prayers for his own sake, and for his Son's sake, and for his glory's sake, and for his promise sake—when he will not hear prayers for the sinner's sake. But,
(7.) Seventhly, Sinful omissions lead to sinful commissions, yes, sometimes they lead to ruin! As you may see in the angels—which fell from the highest heaven to the lowest hell; and in Adam—who fell in paradise from the highest pinnacle of glory to the lowest step of sin and misery. Those reprobates in that 25th of Matthew did not rob the saints—but only omitted the relieving of them, and this proved a damning to them. Rich Dives did not rob the poor—but his not relieving of them was his ruin, Luke 16. Moab and Ammon were banished the sanctuary to the tenth generation for a mere omission, because they did not meet God's Israel in the wilderness with bread and water, Deut. 23:3, 4, 6.
Look! as the omission of healthy diet breeds natural diseases in the body, so does the omission of good duties breed spiritual diseases in the soul. All sinful omissions make work for hell—or for the physician of souls. O man! you do not know what deadly sin, what deadly temptation—may follow upon a mere single omission. Origen, going to comfort and encourage a martyr who was to suffer, was apprehended by the officers, and constrained either to offer to the idols or to be tortured. Being thus hard put to it, to save his life, he bowed to the idols; but afterwards, when he came to himself, he sadly bewails his sin, and confesses that he went forth that morning without making his prayers unto God, which sinful omission God did so severely punish, by leaving of him to fall into so great a sin, which pierced his soul through with many sorrows.
I am apt to think that many a sin, many a snare, and many a fall might have been prevented—if such and such pious duties had not been omitted. Sinful omissions prepare the way to sinful commissions, and both prepare the way to a fatal destruction. I believe many men would never have been so abominable wicked—if they had not first cast off pious duties. He who lives in the neglect of prayer, tempts more devils than one—to ensnare his soul, yes, to destroy his soul, etc. But,
(8.) Eighthly and lastly, There are several weighty arguments that may be produced to prove that it is the DUTY of wicked and unconverted men to perform religious duties, as to pray and seek the Lord, etc. Among the many that may be brought forth, I shall only give you these six:
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