it signifies both unbelief and disobedience, and that very fitly; unbelief being in itself the grand disobedience, the mind not yielding to divine truth, and so the spring of all disobedience in affection and action. And this root of bitterness, this unbelief, is deep fastened in our natural hearts; and without a change in them, a taking them to pieces, they cannot be good. It is as a tree firmly rooted, which cannot be plucked up without loosening the ground round about it; and this accursed root brings forth fruit unto death, because the word is not believed; the threats of the law, and promises of the gospel: therefore men cleave unto their sins, and speak peace unto themselves while they are under the curse. It may seem very strange that the gospel is so fruitless amongst us; yea, that neither word nor rod, both preaching aloud to us the doctrine of humiliation and repentance, persuade any man to return, or so much as to turn inward, and question himself to say, What have I done? But thus it will be, till the spirit be poured from on high, to open and soften hearts. It is to be desired, as much wanting in the ministry of the word; but were it. there, that would not serve unless it were by a concurrent work within the heart, meeting the word, and making the impressions of it there; for here we find the spirit went and preached, and yet the spirits of the hearers still unbelieving and disobedient. It is therefore a combined work of this spirit in the preacher and hearers that makes it successful, otherwise it is but shouting in a dead man's ear; there must be something within, as one said in a like case. But, 2dly, We have the present condition of these hearers, To the spirits in prison. That is now their posture; and because he speaks of them as in that posture, he calls them spirits; for it is their spirits that are in that prison; and likewise calls them spirits to whom the spirit of Christ preached; because it is indeed that which the preaching of the word aims at; it hath to do with the spirits of men. It is not content to be at their ear with a sound, but works on their minds and spirits some way, either to believe and receive, or to be hardened and sealed up to judgment by it, which is for rebels. If disobedience follow on the preaching of that word, the prison follows on that disobedience; and that word, by which they would not be bound to obedience, binds them over to that prison, whence they shall never escape, nor be released for ever... Take notice of it, and know that you are warned; you will not receive salvation, offering, pressing itself upon you. You are every day in that way of disobedience, hastening to this perpetual imprison ment. Consider you now sit and hear this word; so did these that are here spoken of: they had their time on earth, and much patience was used towards them; and though you are not to be swept away by a flood of waters, yet you are daily carried on by the flood of time and mortality'. And how soon you shall be on the other side, and sent into eternity, you know not. I beseech you, be yet wise; hearken to the offers yet made you; for in his name I yet once again make a tender of Jesus Chritt, and salvation in him, to all that will let go their sins, to lay hold on him. Oh! do not destroy yourselves. You are in prison, he proclaims unto you liberty. Christ is still following us himself with treaties". Christ proclaims your liberty, and will you not accept of it? Think, though you are pleased with your present thraldom and prison, it reserves you (if you come not forth) to this other prison, that shall not please you: these chains of spiritual darkness, in which you are, unless you be freed, will deliver you up to the chains of everlasting darkness, wherein these hopeless prisoners are kept to the judgment of the great day; but if you will receive Jesus Christ 1 Psal. xc. 5. m Clamans dictis, factis, morte, vita, descensu, ascensu, clamans ut redeamus ad eum. AUG. presently, upon that, life and liberty, and blessedness, are made yours. If the Son make you free, you shall be free indeed". 2dly, We have the designation of the time or age of this preacher considered under the former head. When once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah.] There are too main continuing wonders in the world; the bounty of God, and disloyalty of man: and the succession of times is no other but new additions of these two. One grand example is here set before us, an oecumenical example as large as the whole world; much patience, and yet invincible disobedience. Here are two things in the instance: 1st. The Lord's general dealing with the world of the ungodly at that time. 2dly, His peculiar way with his own chosen, Noah and his family: he waited patiently for all the rest; but he effectually saved them. Obs. 1. The time designed thus, in the days of Noah. There were many great and powerful persons in these days, that overtopped Noah (no doubt) in outward respects, as well as in their stature, the proud giants; and they begot children, mighty men of old, men of renown, as the text hath it. And yet, as themselves perished in the flood, their names are drowned. They had their big thoughts certainly, that their houses and their names should continue, as the Psalmist speaks", and yet they are sunk in perpetual oblivion. And Noah's name, who walked in humble obedience, you see, in these most precious records of God's own book, still looks. fresh, and smells sweet, and hath this honour, that the very age of the world is marked with this name, to be known by it: In the days of Noah. That which profane ambitious persons do idolatrously seek after, they are often remarkably disappointed of: they would have their names memorable and famous, yet they rot; they are either buried with them, or remembered with disgrace; and rotting above ground as carcases uninterred, and so are the John viii. 35. • Gen. vi. 3.. P Psal. xlix. 11. more noisome; and it is as little credit to them to be mentioned, as for Pilate that his name is in the Confession of Faith. But the name and remembrance of the righteous is still sweet and delightful: as the name of Abraham, the father of the faithful, and of Isaac and Jacob: their names are embalmed indeed, that they cannot rot; embalmed with God's own name, [Eternal]; that name is wrapt about theirs, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Thus is Noah here mentioned as preferred of God; and so in the second epistle, as a preacher of righteousness; and among these worthies whose honour is that they believed. This is only a name, a small thing not to be mentioned in comparison of their other privileges, and especially of that venerable life and glory which they are heirs to. And indeed it is a thing they regard very little; yet this we see, that even this advantage follows them, and flies from the vain and ungodly that haunt and pursue it. Obs. 2. The Lord's dealing with the wicked in those times, before he swept them away by the deluge, is represented in these two particulars: 1, Long-suffering; and withal, 2. Clear warning. Long-suffering; long forbearing to be angry, as the Hebrew word is in his name, which supposes a great provocation, and the continuance of it, and yet patience continuing. And in this appears the goodness of God, considering how hateful sin is to him, and how powerful he is to punish it; were it, if it pleased him, in one moment to cut off all the ungodly, high and low, throughout the whole world; yet he bears, and forbears to punish. Oh! what a world of sin is every day committed in nations, in cities and villages, yea in families? and therefore how wonderful is it that he doth not strike with present judgments, and not only forbears to punish, but multiplies his common mercies on them; Sun and rain, and fruitful seasons! Yea, there is so much of this, that it falls under s Acts xiv. 17. 9 Heb. xi. r Exod. xxxiv. 8. a gross misconstruction; yet he bears that too. Because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed, therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Because there is not so much as a word of it for the time, (so the word is), this swells and fills the heart of man, and makes it big to do evil. And not only is the Lord's longsuffering mistaken by the ungodly, but even by his own that should understand him better, and know the true sense of his ways; yet sometimes they are misled in this point: beholding his forbearance of punishing the workers of iniquity, instead of magnifying his patience, they fall very near into questioning his justice and providence". Our narrow hasty spirits, left to their own measures, take not in these larger views that would satisfy us in the ways of God, and forget the immense largeness of his wise designs, his deep reach from one age to another, yea, from eternity to eternity. Consider, 1. How easily he can right himself, in point of justice, when he will; that none can make escape from him, how loose soever their guard seem, and how great liberty soever appears in their present condition. 2. That as he can most easily, so he will most seasonably, be known in executing judgment; and that his justice shall shine the brighter, by all that patience he hath used, by the sun of prosperity. 3. We think not how little that time is to him, that seems long to us, to whom a thousand years are as one day. It seemed a long time of the church's distress, and their enemies triumph, in those seventy years of the Babylonish captivity; and yet in God's language, it is spoken of as a moment, a small moment. However, in the issue, the Lord always clears himself; he is indeed long-suffering and patient; but the impenitent abusers of his patience pay interest for all the time of their forbearance, in the weight of judgment when it comes upon them. t Eccles. viii. 11. " Psal. xiii. Jer. xii. Job. xx. &c. y Psal. xc. 4. * Nemo decoquit huic creditori. |