Not that probably his life has been stained with deeper or more numerous offences than the generality of men: it may be that he has been “brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” and has never departed from serving his God; it may be that he has long ranked amongst those who strive to be “blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, amongst whom they shine as lights in the world.” [17a] But still there lives not the man who has not much to repent of, and to humble himself for, before the Lord. And when the sorrows of life, the judgments of God, or the approach of death, loosen the hold of earthly ties upon the affections, and the attention becomes intently fixed on that invisible world of spirits, whither all are hastening: then, even he, who has long sought to serve his God with devout reverence and holy obedience, feels with stronger force, and sees with clearer view, the fearful extent of his omissions of duty and commissions of sin. When he considers that one moment may suffice to usher him into the presence of that Great Being, of infinite purity, in whose sight the heavens are not clean; when he remembers the condemnation passed on all sin by a righteous law;—conscious guilt compels him to bow before the Lord with the deep self-abasement of him who “smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner;” [17b] and conscious weakness makes him call to the Saviour, with the imploring voice of him who cried, “Lord, save me.” [17c] For when the conscience is fully enlightened, and the heart sanctified by Divine grace, a clear perception of the holiness of God’s law, and a deep sense of personal unworthiness, are produced in the believer, which at once humble him to the dust, and lead him to throw himself entirely on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Then it is that he labours to devote himself more entirely to his Master’s service, “and adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things:” [18a] then it is he “sets his affections on things above:” [18b] “looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” [18c] And then it is that he takes for his song in the house of his pilgrimage, “I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be afflicted.” [18d] “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” [19a]
Such is the conduct of the true believer under the chastening hand of the Lord; such the improvement which, through the Divine blessing, he is enabled to make of those afflictive dispensations, which are sent in mercy to remind him, that he is only a “stranger and pilgrim upon earth,” and must “desire a better country, that is an heavenly.” [19b] And when God’s judgments are upon the land, when He has smitten the people with pestilence, the servant of the Lord rests with firm faith on the protection of Him, who has promised, as “thy days, so shall thy strength be.” [19c] He knows that whatever happens to him is by the appointment of God, without whom even “a sparrow shall not fall on the ground;” [19d] he has further, the blessed assurance, that “all things work together for good, to them who love God;” [19e] therefore he has all “the joy and peace in believing” of those, whose minds being “stayed on God,” [19f] abound in hope through “the power of the Holy Ghost.” [19g] Not that he supposes he will possess a necessary exemption from the power of the pestilence; this would be to presume on God’s protection: not that trusting to Divine Providence he neglects all human precautions, and unnecessarily exposes himself to danger; this would be, in the strong language of Scripture, to tempt God: not that he relies on human precautions as supplying any ground of security; this would be to distrust God. But believing that the pestilence can have no power over him, except by the Divine appointment; and being assured, that, if such be the Divine will, it will prove for his final and eternal welfare; he uses, with entire dependence on the Divine blessing, the precautions which prudence dictates; and commending himself to the safe keeping of God, he faithfully and diligently discharges the duties of his station and office, whether of pastor, magistrate, citizen, physician, or servant, or, as they may be included in one word, of Christian. Not that the believer, whilst he “wears this veil of flesh,” is elevated so far above human infirmity, that, through the power of faith, he knows neither weakness nor fear in the hour of danger, and in the discharge of duty. St. Paul—in allusion to the marvellous change wrought in the soul, “by the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,”—says, “but we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our flesh.” [21a] Still, they who have learnt, through grace, to confide, with the simplicity of a child, on the power, care, and love of their heavenly Father, will, amid difficulties and dangers, “prove more than conquerors, through Him who loved us, and gave Himself for us;” and will repose, with firm faith, pious hope, and holy confidence, on His protection, in whose hands are the issues of life and death; and who has said, by the mouth of his prophets, “Thou shalt not be afraid for any terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day; for the pestilence which walketh in darkness, nor for the sickness which destroyeth in the noon-day. A thousand shall fall beside thee, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee.” [21b]
There are some sincere Christians, who, from natural timidity of disposition, or from constitutional debility, are peculiarly susceptible of fear; and distress themselves by considering such fear a proof that they do not possess the favour of God. Let them earnestly pray for that holy and firm faith, which disarms apprehension under great and imminent peril; but if they do not obtain it, let them not despond, but continue their prayers; it may be a blessing which Heaven has still in store for them. But if not, having learnt submission to the Divine will, let them draw comfort from words which should be so deeply engraved on the memory, as to be ever remembered, and speak peace, in their moments of doubt and alarm, to their troubled souls: “Fear thou not; for i am with thee: be not dismayed, for i am thy god: i will strengthen thee; yea, i will help thee; yea, i will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” [22a]—“The truth is, the greater our fears and sorrows and aversions are, the greater is our submission to God: it may be thought a great weakness of nature to be so afraid of our sufferings; but it argues the greater strength of faith, and is a more glorious victory over self, to make our very fears and aversions submit to the Divine will. Submission to God does not consist in courage and fortitude of mind to bear sufferings, which many have, without any sense of God, and which the profoundest reverence for God will not always teach us; but he submits, who receives the bitter cup and drinks it, though with a trembling heart and hand.” [22b]
Thus much having been stated, that the timid mind or the sickly frame; the tender plant of grace or “the bruised reed;” may not sink under a weight of obligation, the fulfilment of which is above their present strength; and may not despair, because they fear they can never attain to that measure of faith, “which, whilst it kisses with filial reverence the rod of correction,” can, in the strong language of St. Paul, “glory in tribulation also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” [23a] Let it be remembered, at the same time, that though none should despond, because they possess not a strength of faith bestowed only on the most highly-advanced Christians; still, all must earnestly seek grace to be enabled to “go on unto perfection;” [23b] by having implanted in their souls that “perfect love, which casteth out fear.” [23c] And, as undoubting faith, unrepining submission, and unwearied supplication, are amongst the leading features of the true Christian character, they alone can enjoy the consolations of the Gospel of peace, who are “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer.” [23d]
It is a painful, an awful consideration, how many, in this Christian land, “care for none of these things.” [23e] I speak not merely of the profane, the scoffer, the sceptic, and the infidel; of those who “make a mock at sin,” and, disputing or disbelieving the truth of Christianity, “live without God in the world;”—I speak also of the gay, the thoughtless, and the proud; of the worldly, the avaricious, and the sensual; of the envious, the malicious, and the censorious; and, with shame be it said, of unworthy and false professors and teachers; of the unsound in faith and morals; of the lukewarm, the self-righteous, and the hypocritical; in short, of all who, declaring a belief in the Christian faith, either mistake its doctrines, disregard its spirit, abuse its privileges, or live unmindful of its strict and holy obligations. Against all such the Gospel denounces condemnation and woe. How, then, are they prepared to meet the awful dispensation of Divine Providence, which has fallen upon the nation? Let the prophet’s enquiry be addressed to them:—“What will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help?” Will ye dare to say, “O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction?” What! can ye in sickness apply to God for relief, who in health were “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God?” [24] Can ye in affliction seek comfort of God, who in joy have by your actions denied God? Can ye in adversity flee to God, who in prosperity had not God in all your thoughts? [25] They who have never really sought, and submitted to the guidance of the Gospel, cannot hope to possess its support and consolations in the first hour of need. How dark, therefore, to such, is the season of sickness, of sorrow, and of adversity: they enjoy no light from above, no comfort from within, no consolation from without, which can brighten the gloomy mind, cheer the desponding heart, and soothe the alarmed conscience. Faithful and busy memory serves only to supply a painful retrospect of opportunities neglected, and warnings despised: and conscience, which had long slumbered in a deadly lethargy, often now inflicts her sharpest stings upon the wretched sufferer. And should they be arrested by the sudden stroke of a fatal malady, when living in forgetfulness of God, and intently occupied with the pursuit of pleasure, honour, or of gain; how terrible is the approach of death! How often, as this life is fading from the darkening eye, do the realities of the next burst upon the mind, with a distinctness and force never felt before! How often, as the soul is trembling on the fearful verge of eternity, is a vain wish entertained for the return of a brief portion of that time which has been spent in sin, folly, or the acquisition of what will not profit in a dying hour! But is the prayer for mercy, extorted by fear and suffering, never heard; is the tardy repentance never accepted? On the contrary, we believe the prayer of humble and contrite guilt to be never rejected: but, be it remembered, at the same time, that repentance is the gift of God, and that those who long trifle with their day of grace, and by silencing the admonitions of conscience, resist the Spirit, may be visited with the fearful punishment of judicial blindness and final impenitence. “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded: but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity, and will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord; they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof.” [26]
From this fearful denunciation of Divine wrath upon obstinate and hardened disobedience, what an awful lesson may be learnt, under the present circumstances of this country. How descriptive are many of the terms employed of that fatal pestilence which has broken out in the land! in the suddenness of the seizure, it resembles “the whirlwind;” by its destructiveness, it causes “desolation;” and from the intensity of the sufferings which it produces, arise “distress and anguish.” God grant that the threatened vengeance be not equally verified;—“Then shall they call upon me, but i will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.” Oh! let not any individual risk incurring such a fearful doom by delaying his repentance! The Lord now calls every one with a voice that all must hear; He has “bared an arm,” which all must see; let not any longer refuse, let not any longer disregard, lest they should fill up the measure of their iniquity, and be swept away by the blast of Divine displeasure! Let not any trust to that, at all times presumptuous, if not always fallacious, hope, a death-bed repentance. That man, whose existence hangs upon a thread, which a moment may suffice to snap, should defer his preparation for death and judgment, is such an act of madness, that nothing but a knowledge of its certainty could make a religious mind credit the fact. What! risk an eternity of joy or misery on the chances of a moment! for beyond the present moment, man possesses no security of the continuance of life. And the very presumption which leads him to calculate upon long years to come may call forth that awful sentence,—“Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” But if the postponement of turning and calling upon God be, under ordinary circumstances, full of presumption and danger, what is it now in times of pestilence? From the many instances of mortality which encompass us on every side, “there comes a voice, which solemn sounding bids the world prepare.” The judgments of the Almighty,—to those who are living in forgetfulness of Him, and disobedience to His commands, but have not entirely thrown off His service,—speak the language addressed to Jonah, “What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, and call upon thy God.” [28a] But to those who refuse to turn, who “harden their necks against the reproof, and will have none of the counsel of God;” they resemble the characters of flame upon the walls of the palace of Belshazzar, which announced the terrible decree,—“Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” [28b]
The Christian writer, judging from the experience of the past, cannot close his eyes to the sad truth, that there are some whom mercy softens not, whom threatening warns not, whom danger alarms not. Who amidst manifestations of Divine wrath, display hardened unconcern or desperate wickedness. What a striking proof have we here of the effects of sin in hardening the heart, and deadening the conscience. But let not any imagine that such men will view the approach of the fatal malady without alarm. The bodily anguish will probably supply no parallel to the mental terror, when they find themselves clutched, as it were, in the grasp of the mortal disease which is destroying them. And in the ordinarily brief interval between seizure and that death, which so often ensues, if conscience resume her power, how terrible must be the remorse, how unutterable the anguish of the affrighted soul, which sees death, death eternal in view, and yet cannot pray: or if the cry for pardon and help to their long-forgotten God, burst from the quivering lip, it is the bitter cry of almost despairing terror. Sad as are many of the scenes which human life presents in its passage from the cradle to the tomb; and harrowing to the feelings of beholders as is the sight of corporeal anguish; how immeasurably do other scenes of human suffering fall short of the union of bodily and mental agony, often witnessed on the death-bed of terrified guilt! but still, to the religious mind, there are two death-beds still more fearful, as being more hopeless; and they are, when desperate wickedness, at its last hour, evinces hardened indifference or blasphemous despair; when no prayer is offered, or when curses are mingled with the prayer.
May the fear of such death-beds act, through the grace of God, as a salutary warning to those who are living in sin, and neglecting to improve the call to repentance sent in mercy: and let their thoughts extend beyond the present life, and draw further instruction from the awful truth—that whilst death terminates to impenitent guilt its present sufferings, it commences others far more terrible.
Were it permitted to a living man to pass the portals of the dark prison-house of disembodied spirits, and witness the punishments of the condemned,—the unceasing gnawing of the undying worm, the unremitting burning of the unquenched fire;—what words could express the joy and thankfulness of that man, on returning to the land of the living and the place of hope! Would he lose a moment in fleeing to the cross of Christ, for deliverance from sin, and refuge from the wrath to come? Would he still defer seeking for “repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ?” [30] The terrible realities he had witnessed of that state of untried being on which the soul enters at death, would doubtless haunt his waking and his sleeping hours, and he would find no rest till God, by his Spirit, had spoken peace to his affrighted soul. And then, long as life lasted, it would be his daily subject of grateful thanksgiving to his gracious long-suffering Lord, that he had borne with his iniquities, and had not cut him off in the midst of his sins: but through the Divine mercy he was allowed on earth “to praise the Lord with joyful lips,” instead of “in hell, lifting up his eyes, being in torments.” [31]
But such a visit to the place of condemned spirits is not necessary to learn all that in our present state of being it concerns us to know. The volume of inspiration has revealed the awful truth, that an eternity of torments awaits the condemned in a future world.