Part 34 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 35 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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[1.] First, This is evident from divine commands, as you may clearly see by comparing of these scriptures together, Isaiah 55:6-7; Acts 8:21-23; Psalm 65:21. 1 Thes. 5:17, "Pray without ceasing," is an indefinite injunction; and who are you, O man, who dares to prohibit what God commands? Are not his commands obliging? and may not disobedience to the least of them cost you your life, your soul, your all? God's commands are neither to be slighted, censured, nor neglected. Woe to him who looks upon great commands as little commands—and little commands as no commands, Mat. 23:23. O sirs, it is a very dangerous thing to act or run counter-cross to God's express command; it may cost a man dear, as you may see in that sad story, 1 Kings 13:24.
The heathens, indeed, would frequently run cross to their gods' commands, for when their gods commanded them to offer up a man, they would offer up a candle; and so Hercules, when he was to offer up a living man, he offered up a painted man. But does it befit Christians to deal thus with the great God, with the living God, with the God of gods—as the heathens did by their gods? Surely not! God's commands are not like unto the commands of the heathens—which might be contradicted and changed—but they are like to the commands of the Medes—which cannot be reversed nor changed; they must be evangelically obeyed, or you will be eternally destroyed. The Rechabites were very rigid observers of their father's commands; and will you make slight of God's commands? Jer. 35:2, 5-7. "The angels who excel in strength do his commandments," Psalm 103:20; and will youdespise them? Why should the peasant scorn that work in which the prince himself is engaged? But,
[2.] Secondly, Prayer is a natural worship, and is incumbent upon all men, as they are created by God. Prayer is a duty which the very law of nature, as well as the law of the word, lays upon men. And this you may see in those pagans, Jonah 1:5, "The mariners cried every man to his god." That there is a God, and that this God is to be called upon—are lessons which are taught in nature's school: Isaiah 45:20, "They pray to a god which cannot save." For any man to say a wicked man ought not to pray—is to say a wicked man ought not to worship God, nor acknowledge him to be his maker; and who but such who are either blind or mad dare speak such language? Certainly those who live in the neglect of prayer under the gospel—sin against a double light, the light of nature and the light of the gospel, and therefore they shall be double-damned. There is no hell compared to these men's hell—who sin against a double light, etc. But,
[3.] Thirdly, The neglect of prayer is charged upon wicked people as their sin; as you may see by comparing of these scriptures together, Psalm 14:2, 4, and 10:4; Jer. 10:21; Hosea 7:7; Zeph. 1:6. Now doubtless if it were not a duty for unregenerate people to pray, it could never stand with the holiness, justice, and righteousness of God, to charge the omission of prayer upon them as a sin, and therefore, without question, it is their duty to pray. But,
[4.] Fourthly, Wicked and unregenerate people are again and again imprecated against for not calling upon the Lord: Psalm 79:6, "Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name." Jer. 10:25, "Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name." Now certainly, if prayer were not a duty incumbent upon wicked men, they would never be thus imprecated against for the omission of it. To imprecate that vials, that full vials, that full vials of wrath and fury should be poured forth, suddenly and plentifully, upon those kingdoms and peoples who do not call upon the name of the Lord, is so dreadful a thing, that it would have never been mentioned in the Scripture, had it not been to alarm the worst of men to the work of prayer. But,
[5.] Fifthly, If absolute promises, or precious promises of special grace and mercy—are made to sinners, as sinners—then sinners may in prayer plead out those promises, and urge God upon making good his promises. But absolute promises, or promises of special grace and favor, are made over to sinners, as sinners, consequently, that such promises are made over to poor sinners, as sinners, is evident, "I was enraged by his sinful covetousness; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near. And I will heal them." Isaiah 57:17-19. These words drop nothing but myrrh and mercy. If Ennius could pick gold out of a ash-heap, oh, what gold, what comfort, may be picked out of these golden promises! In these words, let us consider two things: first, the precious promises which are here made; secondly, the people to whom they are made. In the words you have four precious promises of special grace and favor; they are as so many streams of grace flowing from the covenant of grace.
I. The precious PROMISES which are here made.
First, You have here a promise of healing: verse 18, "I have seen his ways, but I will heal him," or, as you may read the words, though I have seen his ways and courses, and well observed how unworthily, how exasperating, and how obstinately he has behaved, "yet I will heal him,"—"I will heal his backsliding nature." Though his disease is dangerous, though it is very dangerous—yet to an almighty physician no disease is incurable. I will heal his inside by pardoning his sin and purging his conscience; and I will heal his outside by removing of judgments and calamities from him; and all this I will do upon the account of my promise and covenant: Hosea 14:4; Jer. 32:38, and 40:2, compared; Psalm 103:3; Jer. 3:22; Mal. 4:2.
Secondly, You have in the words a promise of guiding; "I will guide him," or, as the Hebrew has it, "and I will guide him, I will conduct him in safety to his own country." So some sense it—but you may understand it, doubtless, of a spiritual, as well as of a providential leading. "I will lead him by my word, and I will lead him by my Spirit, and I will lead him by my counsel, suitable unto many precious promises of grace which are scattered up and down in the Scripture."
Thirdly, In the words you have a promise of comfort; "I will restore comforts to him," not comfort—but comforts; that is, in the room of all those discomforts, sorrows, calamities, and miseries brought upon himself—I will, says God, lay in abundance of comfort, yes, I will laden him with all sorts of comforts, both temporal, spiritual, and eternal, suitable to that word of grace that you have in Isaiah 40:1-2.
Fourthly, In the words you have a promise of peace: verse 19, "I will create praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near," says the Lord. The repetition of the word 'Shalom, shalom', 'peace, peace', imports a large extent of peace; it notes true peace, firm peace, sure peace, great peace, abundance of peace, yes, constant and lasting peace. Under the name of the Hebrew word 'peace' in is denoted all manner of prosperity, and the repetition of the word always notes a large measure of tranquility, plenty, prosperity, and felicity. O sirs, peace with God, and peace with conscience, and peace with the creatures—are all the products of God's creating power and grace, Eph. 2:16-18, and so must be referred to the covenant of grace.
Let us consider,
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Part 35 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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