Under the first use
Under the first use, we might learn these lessons—or deduce these ten corollaries.
1. God alone has power to curse any of his creatures. He who made us, can alone really and effectually make us a blessing—or a curse. Sin might meritoriously subject us to the curse—but God alone can inflict all the curse which sin deserves. Wicked men might wish others accursed, and do; but their wishing them to be so, does not make them so. By cursing others, they might sooner bring a curse upon themselves—than upon those whom they curse. Let them beware of this, who cannot speak of some people, but with a curse in their mouths: "As he loved cursing—so let it come unto, him; as he delighted not in blessing—so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing, like as with a garment—so let it cursing into his heart like water, and like oil into his bones," Psalm 109.17-18.
That cursings as well as blessings belong to God, Balaam himself taught: "Then Balaam uttered his oracle: Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. 'Come,' he said, 'curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.' How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?" Numbers 23:7-8
Therefore when we find holy men of God in scripture using imprecations and curses—we must not draw them into examples, to fill our mouths with curses against any—for there is not the same reason between us and them.
1. When they cursed, they had the gift of discerning spirits, whereby they perceived such were designed by God unto destruction, as a payment for their cursed sinnings, against whom they used such fearful imprecations of eternal damnation: "Peter answered: May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin!" Acts 8:20-23
The like is to be said of David's cursing his slanderous enemies, praying against their person, family, name, honor, estate, and eternal salvation: "They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. May his days be few. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars—may they be driven from their ruined homes. May a creditor seize all he has—may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. May his descendants be cut off—and their names blotted out from the next generation!" Psalm 109:5-13
2. The imprecations of such men in scripture might be taken rather as predictions , than as curses; or at least imprecating predictions. They, speaking by the Spirit of God, foretold what curses would be inflicted by God upon them for their sin—and in a way of sin overtake them.
3. There is a ministerial and a magisterial cursing. The minister is to make anything or person accursed, as the desert of sin. The magistrate is to pronounce, wish, or declare anything or person accursed—and this is all that men can do. Therefore, though men pronounce Anathema against some without cause, as the pope and his councils against Protestants—we need not be terrified therewith, else the most happy men might be the most accursed: "It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day!" 2 Samuel 16.12.
2. This teaches us the evil nature of sin, and what a cursed thing it is, as being the meritorious cause of all the curses that befall any of the creatures of God. If sin had been kept out of the world—then curses would never have come into it. But sin made way for the curse , and brought it in—the commission of sin, was the introduction of the curse: "And the Lord said unto the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Cursed is the ground for your sake, in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life!"
Sin and the curse are so linked together—that Christ alone, who can take away the sin, can remove the curse: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us," Galatians 3.13. If curses are heavy—then sin cannot be light. If the curses are great which are due to sin—then the sin that procures them cannot be so small a matter as the most make of it.
Would you flee from the curse—and yet run into sin?
Would you escape the curse—and yet live in sin?
What is this, but as if you would drink poison, and hope you shall live? That you would run into the fire—and imagine you shall not be burnt? Do you cry out under the curse as a grievous pain—and yet look upon sin as the greatest pleasure? Is the curse dreadful—and do you look upon sin as delightful? Is the curse intolerable—and can sin be profitable? O learn to look upon sin through the curse—and then sin will appear to be a cursed thing indeed.
3. Sin crosses and thwarts the natural principles which are engraved by the finger of God upon the hearts of all men. If you ask whether sin is now in man's lapsed state, according to the nature of man? I answer, with this distinction, there is the corruption of nature, and so sin is according to our nature—it is as natural for man to sin, as it is for heavy things to descend. Yet there are still principles of self-preservation left in corrupt nature—and so sin is still against nature. There are yet remaining principles which beget an aversion from misery—and an inclination for the obtaining of happiness; desires to avoid the curse—and to procure blessedness. But sin is thwarting of both these—so that you cannot sin, but you go against the very principles left in corrupted nature, as preservatives to keep down the corruption of nature.
All have an innate desire to escape the curse of the great God! Or can you desire to be accursed by him? Who is among you that has not innate desires to be happy and blessed forever? Or can you fling away, or shake off all desires of being blessed? Then you might as soon cast off the nature of men. A profane Esau cried out for a blessing: "And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said said unto his father: Bless me, even me also, O my father! Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" Genesis 27.34, 36.
O then say: Begone, O cursed sin! Begone! I will banish you out of my heart—for you are not only contrary to the nature of the blessed God, nor only contrary to innocent nature, but even also to my human nature, though corrupted. You are not only opposite to a principle of grace implanted in the new creature, but to the principles which God in mercy has left in my corrupt nature—that cursed sin might be opposed, striven against, and forever abandoned by me! I would be blessed—but you will make me cursed! I would avoid the curse—but you will bring it upon me! If I cannot be a willful sinner, but I must be a cursed creature—then I would rather cease to be such a sinner, than remain forever such a cursed creature. If I cannot have the blessing of God, and my sins too—then I had better be without my own sins, than be without God's blessings.
4. Men will be the most miserable, or the most happy, of all the visible works of God. For among these, man alone is capable of proper blessings, or proper curses. For those alone are capable of penal evils—that are capable of moral evils.
1. To show what man has done. "To Adam he said: Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it'—Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return!" Genesis 3:17-19. The barrenness with which the earth is cursed, in not bringing forth good fruit, and its abounding with briars and thorns—are both as rods for the scourging of sinful man.
So also is that catalogue of curses in Deuteronomy 28.15-20. "However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today—then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to—until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him!"
2. To show what man should do. Christ cursed the barren fig-tree , to teach man the duty of fruitfulness to the glory of God, or the duty of having faith in the power of God. For upon the disciples observing how the fig-tree was withered away, Christ said to them, "Have faith in God!"
The creatures without reason have no knowledge of God—and the senseless creatures cannot feel the power of God. Therefore these, as they cannot be properly blessed—so they cannot be accursed.
But man has understanding to know God, and has sense to feel the power of his anger. Therefore among all God's visible works—man is alone the subject of proper blessings, and proper curses. He will of all creatures—be the most happy, or the most miserable. If he obtains the blessings of God—then he will be the most happy. If he is under the curses of God—then he will be the most miserable. Those who get the blessing—shall dwell, and live, and reign with the blessed God, with blessed Jesus, and with his blessed angels. But those who lie under the curse—must be tormented with cursed spirits, cursed men with cursed devils, forever!
So then, unless you love Christ—it would have been better that you had been a toad, a dog, a serpent—as these will not be in so bad a case as you will be. In a natural sense—it is better to be a man than a beast; but in a supernatural sense—it is better to be a beast than a man who will never love the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Sins of omission expose men to the wrath and curse of God, and to eternal damnation—as well as sins of commission . For it is for not loving Christ, that a man is declared to be Anathema! And when the curse shall be openly and publicly pronounced, and by Christ be thundered out against men at the last day—the reason given is sins of omission: "Then shall the King say unto them on the left hand: Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry—and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty—and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger—and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes—and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison—and you did not look after me!" Matthew 25:41-43
These are charged, not with taking away their food, but with not giving their food; not with casting them out, and banishing Christ in his members—but with not taking them in; not with putting them in prison—but with not visiting them when they were there! And for this, they are declared to be accursed, and sentenced to depart from God—and go to cursed devils!
What a sandy foundation then is the hope of multitudes built upon—that because they are not openly profane, they bless themselves, and make no question but God will bless them too! Like the pharisee, "God, I thank you that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican!" Luke 18.11.
You proud pharisee! What if you are neither extortioners, or unjust, or adulterers—yet you are no lover of Christ, and for that you shall be eternally accursed!
You blind pharisee! What if you are no persecutor of Christ—yet you are no lover of Christ—and for this you shall be accursed.
You self-deluding pharisee! What if you are no blasphemer of his sacred name, no opposer of his holy ways, no drunkard, no adulterer, no thief nor robber—yet you are not a Christ-lover, and for this you shall be Anathema!
What if you are not as bad as other men are—while you are not what you ought to be? What if you are not as bad as this publican—while you are not as this man who loves Christ? The blessing of God does not belong to you—but the curse of God, and his wrath shall overtake you. O look about you, and search and see what sins of omission you are guilty of—repent and mourn for them, or else you will be cursed and damned for them forever!
6. It is an easy thing for a man to fall under the curse of God! It is but forbearing to love Christ—and how easy a thing is that! It is but denying Christ your heart, your hearty love—and the curse is your own—and how easy a thing is that!
To obtain the blessing is hard—exceedingly difficult; for there must be weaning of our love from the world , and getting that under our feet, which was supreme in our hearts—and how hard a task is this! There must be calling off the love of the heart from sin , which is as dear as our right eye or right hand unto us—and how difficult a work is this! There must be a loving of Jesus above all—whom we once hated more than all! There must be a hating above all—what we loved most of all! And thus to turn the stream of a man's affections is exceedingly difficult.
There must be striving to an agony, Luke 13.24 , 25. There must be wrestling with devils, Ephesians 6.12. There must be wrestling with God himself, so as not to let him go, unless he bless us, Genesis 32.24-26. There must be fighting, and watching, and maintaining our spiritual warfare, 2 Timothy 4:7. There must be running as for life, 1 Corinthians 9.24. All of this is needed to get the blessing, when the Lord shall come! All of this is hard and laborious.
It is the easiest thing in the world to come under the curse and wrath of God —yes, it is hard not to have the curse come upon us. What do the most of men mean, by taking so much pains to bring the curse of God upon them? See what great need you are at—and so much labor to undo yourselves?
What do you mean, by such swearing and sweating in a way of sin, as if you were striving to get to Hell? As if you thought you could not go thither fast enough—nor get thither soon enough?
What do you mean, by railing at the people of Christ, and reviling the ways of Christ, and rending and tearing his holy name with your profane, polluted mouth? Hell might be had with less pains! If cursed you will be—then cursed you may be, without wearying yourselves in committing gross iniquities! Why must you run into Hell. Do nothing—and you will soon be there. It is but ignoring faith, and repentance, and Christ; it is but forbearing what you ought to do—and the curse will fall upon your soul, and stick fast to you forever!
It is easy to do what you should not—to love the world more than Christ. It is easier not to do what you should—not to love Christ; and for the easier of these you may be as sure of Hell, as if you were there already! Therefore hold your hands, and tongue, and feet, from sinning so fast, from making such speed and haste, from committing sin with all your might and power! For if not loving Christ, not believing on him, not repenting for sin—exposes you to the wrath and curse of God—then how easy a thing is it to be overtaken with it!
7. Must such as lack love to Christ be thus accursed? Then what great care and effort should ministers have to preach the Lord Jesus Christ unto the people with that plainness and power—that Christ might have their love, and they might have the blessings of Christ? If cursed must the people be who do not love Jesus Christ—then cursed must the preacher be who preaches himself, and not Christ, and studies to display his own gifts and abilities, that men might admire him . . .
for his eloquent oratory,
for his lofty style,
for his fruitful lively imagination,
for his fine English,
or for being a profound philosopher,
or for being a great theologian—
while, by his starched sentences, seraphic notions, and needless pulpit oratory, and manner of expressions—he soars aloft above the people's capacities, and casts a veil upon their eyes, as if he studied, in preaching Christ, to hide Christ from their understandings! If while he preaches to instruct them in the knowledge of Christ—he clouds the doctrine of Christ, and makes the plain necessary truths to be obscure, that, after his polite discourse—poor ignorant souls remain as ignorant as before! As if he stood among a thousand people that must be damned, and cursed with everlasting curses, if they do not love Christ—to display his oratorical abilities, or to get the name of a great scholar—in making easy things hard, and hard more hard—when the true use of great learning is to make hard things easy, and to bring things sublime and lofty, down to the capacity of the lowest in the congregation, who has a soul which must be damned or saved.
Alas! it would make a serious man tremble, when he thinks all these people stand upon the brink of eternity, and if death but gives them a jog—they will fall and enter into it! And when he hears the preacher speak with lofty rhetorical strains, great swelling words, as if he were making an oration in the academies—not considering the ignorance, the weak capacity, of hundreds of his auditors. Can he think that servants who have precious souls, and many ignorant and unlearned tradesmen, who are taken up with the matters of the world all the week—can be profited on the Lord's day with such a style, or manner of expressing the great things of God? Though it is their mother-tongue, he transcends their apprehension almost as much as if he spoke in an unknown language—and so indeed he is no better than an English barbarian to the people.
What cursed pride is this—to seek applause from men—when he should be gaining sinners to Christ! To seek to have their perishing breath—when he should seek to save their immortal souls! What cursed doing is this, to stand in Christ's stead, and commend himself —instead of commending Christ! What though Christ is the subject of his discourse—when his discourse is so managed, that it glides away from Christ unto himself, both as the subject, and the end!
What cursed preaching is this , wherein dying self is sought to be advanced in the esteem of dying people; when blessed Jesus should be so set forth, that he might be magnified in the hearts of all, be loved by all, be received by all; and immortal souls so loving, and receiving him—might be forever saved and blessed by him!
And what is the end of all this? That the preacher might be reverenced for his abilities, extolled for his profound adorned language, and have the common approval as a man of great wisdom—and through his wisdom, ignorant souls are perishing! A wise man! and by his preaching with the enticing words of man's wisdom, even by the preaching of the only Savior, in the words which man's wisdom teaches, and not the Holy Spirit—the devil goes away with, and makes a prey of the hearer's souls, who, in hearing, do not hear, neither do they understand; not because the hearers are such fools—but because the preacher is so wise.
Let him pass for a wise man in his own conceit; let him be esteemed a wise man by those who admire him, because they do not understand him, nor the worth of souls, nor the weighty work and end of preaching. But with me he shall never pass for a wise preacher! I had rather be a fool for Christ, than wise for myself; for in such a place and work in being wise for myself—I would be found an detestable fool.
He who preaches so that no man can rationally despise him, and yet every man understand him, and thereby wins souls to set their love on Christ—is a wise man, and a learned preacher.
Those who preach so that few or none of the lower mental capacities, which are the greater number of people, can understand him—so that the people perish for lack of knowledge, under the sound of profoundest knowledge, shall have little thanks from such people at the judgment day; and what reward he shall have from Christ, when he comes to take an account of ministers for preaching, and people for hearing! Let him take into his serious thoughts, and learn of learned Paul, who has left a pattern of the wisest preaching: "For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake," 2 Corinthians 4:5 lest not preaching Jesus the Lord, but himself, as if he were more than a servant, and Jesus not Lord—he finds, when preaching and hearing are ended and cease, Maranatha and Anathema be joined together in his sorry case.
8. Must they be cursed who do not love Christ? Then know that worldly prosperity may co-exist with the curse of God. A man might be prospering in this world—and cursed in the world to come.
Do you see many whose lives declare they have no sincere love to Christ in their hearts—thrive and abound in outward enjoyments?
They do not love Christ—and yet are strong and healthy!
They do not love Christ, and yet are rich!
They do not love Christ—and yet are honored!
What then? Might not a man be in health—and be a cursed man? Nay, the more strength he has, the more able he is to serve the devil—and so his strength is a curse unto him. The more worldly trinkets a man has to love—the more he enjoys of the world—and the more he loves it. And so his enjoyments are a curse unto him, when they keep him from placing his love upon Jesus Christ.
Have you not read, that men's blessings are cursed: "If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty—then "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me!" Malachi 2:2. God threatens to curse wicked men's blessings: "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them."
Many are apt to call the proud—happy, "But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape!" Malachi 3:15. The rich, though evil—are thought by many to be blessed. This is a great mistake! All men can see their outward blessings—but they have no eyes to behold the inward curses which lie under those outward blessings.
Is it not a curse to have riches without saving grace?
Is it not a curse to have our portion and blessings—all in this life?
Is it not a curse to prosper in the world—and to be every moment in danger of falling into Hell?
Do you look upon it to be happiness—to have all for the body, and nothing for the soul? to have much of earth—and nothing of Heaven?
You read of some who "have their portion in this life"—and you read that their portion on earth is a cursed portion! It was so with the rich man spoken of in the gospel—who while on earth had his "purple robes, and fine linen, and sumptuous costly dishes every day."
Oh, happy man! But wait until you hear the end. He died—and where then? To Hell! Where is now your happy man? What is his condition there? What! There he finds more pain—than all the fleeting pleasures he had while on earth! There he feels more torment and terror—than he had pleasure and delight all his days on earth! "Abraham said: Son, remember that in your life-time you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and you are tormented!" Luke 16:25.
Remember that your pleasures were short and sweet—but Hell is long and bitter!
Remember that Lazarus is blessed—and you are cursed!
Remember that he is eternally happy—and you are eternally miserable!
Behold the change! The world's blessed man—is now God's cursed man! And he who was the miserable man in the esteem of the world—is now the blessed man!
Therefore, do not judge of blessedness or misery by the prosperity or poverty of this world—but by the graces of the Spirit, or lack of them, in your hearts; particularly by your love, or lack of love, to Jesus Christ. For it is not said, "Let him who is poor, be Anathema"—but "Let him who does not love Christ, be Anathema, Maranatha."
9. Must all who do not sincerely love Christ be cursed? Then tremble at the thoughts of the great number who shall be cursed!
"If any man does not love the Lord Jesus Christ—let him be Anathema! (or accursed)." 1 Corinthians 16:22. There are comparatively few who have sincere love to Christ—therefore but few comparatively that shall be blessed by entering into eternal blessed life. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction—and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life—and only a few find it!" Matthew 7:13-14
Many, for lack of love to Christ, will not bear his cross—but all who lack this love finally, shall bear his curse. The number of the curse-bearers, and non-lovers of Christ—shall be an equal number; so many—and no more.
Consider then what multitudes there are, who love other things more than Christ—and see what vast numbers of men shall be accursed!
1. How many are lovers of pleasures—more than lovers of Christ! 2 Timothy 3:4.
2. How many are lovers of money—more than lovers of Christ! They prize their silver above the Savior—and part with Him to keep that! Luke 16:14, 2 Timothy 3:2.
3. How many are lovers of honors—more than lovers of Christ! John 5:42, 44. and 12:43.
4. How many are lovers of themselves—more than lovers of Christ! 2 Timothy 3:2. Indeed sinful self-love is the very heart and core of the carnal man, and the great idol of all unconverted sinners! Principles of selfishness are the cause of all their actions—and self is the end and scope at which they aim in all they do. And so they set up self—in the place of Christ; and love carnal self—when they should love Christ. And so shall lie under the curse of Christ!
Few love Christ—and few are blessed by Christ. Most are void of love unto Him—and most shall be accursed at His coming. Is it a hard saying? Though it is hard—yet it is true. Is it a hard saying? It will be harder feeling—when the curse shall be fully inflicted!
10. Shall every one that does not love Christ be Anathema when Maranatha—accursed when the Lord shall come? Then the day of Christ's coming will be a doleful day to the non-lovers of Christ.
Then all the world shall be divided into only two classes: cursed ones—and blessed ones. You do not love Christ—and yet bless yourself; but I pray you consider Maranatha —the Lord comes! You glory in your estate, though Christ has not your heart; but I beg of you, that you would remember Maranatha . You put the curse, and the evil day, far from you; but I beseech you to let Maranatha sound in your ears.
Then! Oh then —you shall curse the day that ever you were born! You shall curse the time that you lived under the gospel, and heard of Christ, but did not love him. You shall curse yourself for your wickedness, madness, and folly—that so lovely a Christ was set before you, and you had not a heart to set your love upon him! You will say, Oh cursed heart —that would love the world, and not love yonder glorious Christ! Oh cursed will —which chose the vanities of the world before the Son of God! Oh cursed was that love which I gave unto the creature—and denied to Christ! How can I hold up my head now to behold that Christ, whom I never had a heart to love? How can I hear that voice—and yet it is so great, so thundering, and so loud, that I cannot but hear it, commanding me to depart like a cursed wretch—when I never did, and never would hearken to his voice, calling to me to love him, and to give my heart and affections to him?"
"Woe is me! Now Maranatha —and now I am Anathema . Woe is me! The Lord has come, and with him wrath has come, and banishment from Heaven has come! Woe, woe, woe is me! The Lord has come, and I feel that fear and trembling which has come! Ten thousand woes to me—for the Lord has come, and now complete damnation comes! The Lord has come—and I must depart. I, poor wretch, must depart. Depart! Where must I depart? To a cursed place! To whom must I depart? Alas! to cursed company. Woe is me! Like a cursed wretch—I am cursed most bitterly! I am cursed finally, totally, body and soul, and all eternally—for I had no love for Christ, and now Christ has no blessing for me!
When it is said throughout the world, Maranatha!—then the world will ring with this cry, "Everyone who does not love Christ, is now Anathema!