CHAPTER V.

UNREASONABLENESS OF DESPAIR.

FIFTHLY, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered in the first place, to the greatest sinners? then this shows how unreasonable a thing it is for men to despair of mercy. As for those that presume, I shall say something to them afterward. I now speak to them that despair.

There are four sorts of despair. There is the despair of devils; there is the despair of souls in hell; there is the despair that is grounded upon men's deficiency; and there is the despair that they are perplexed with that are willing to be saved, but are too strongly borne down with the burden of their sins.

The despair of devils, the despair of the damned, and that despair that a man has of attaining life because of his own deficiency, are all reasonable. Why should not devils and damned souls despair? Yea, why should not man despair of getting to heaven by his own abilities? I therefore am concerned only with the fourth sort of despair, namely, with the despair of those that would be saved, but are too strongly borne down with the burden of their sins.

I say, therefore, to thee that art thus, And why despair? Thy despair, if it were reasonable, should flow from thee, because found in the land that is beyond the grave, or because thou certainly knowest that Christ will not, or cannot save thee.

But for the first, thou art yet in the land of the living; and for the second, thou hast ground to believe quite the contrary. Christ is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him; and if he were not willing, he would

not have commanded that mercy, in the first place, should be offered to the greatest sinners. Besides, he hath said, “And let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely;" that is, 'with all my heart.' What ground now is here for despair? If thou sayest, The number and burden of my sins; I answer, Nay; that is rather a ground for faith: because such an one, above all others, is invited by Christ to come unto him, yea, promised rest and forgiveness if he come. Matt. xi. 28. ground then to despair? Verily none at all. Thy despair then is a thing unreasonable and without footing in the word.

What

Object. But I have no experience of God's love. God hath given me no comfort, or ground of hope, though I have waited upon him for it many a day.'

Thou hast experience of God's love; for he has opened thine eyes to see thy sins: and he has given thee desires to be saved by Jesus Christ. For by thy sense of sin thou art made to see thy poverty of spirit, and that has laid thee under a sure ground to hope that heaven shall be thine hereafter. Also thy desire to be saved by Christ, has put thee under another promise; so there are two to hold thee up in them, though thy present burden be ever so heavy. Matt. v. 3, 6.

As for what thou sayest, as to God's silence to thee; perhaps he has spoken to thee once or twice already, but thou hast not perceived it. Job xxxiii. 14, 15.

However, thou hast Christ crucified, set forth before thine eyes in the Bible, and an invitation to come unto him, though thou be a Jerusalem sinner, though thou be the greatest sinner; and so no ground to despair. What, if God will be silent to thee, is that ground of despair? Not at all; so long as there is a promise in the Bible that God will in no wise cast away the coming sinner, and so long as he invites the Jerusalem sinner to come unto him. John vi. 37.

NO GROUND FOR DESPAIR.

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Build not therefore despair upon these things; they are no sufficient foundations for it; such plenty of promises being in the Bible, and such a discovery of his mercy to great sinners of old; especially since we have withal a clause in the commission given to ministers to preach, that they should begin with the Jerusalem sinners in their offering of mercy to the world.

Besides, God says, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles." But perhaps it may be long first. "I waited long,” saith David, "and did seek the Lord." And at length his cry was heard: wherefore he bids his soul wait on God, and says, For it is good so to do before thy saints. Psalm. xl. 1; lxii. 5; lii. 9.

And what if thou waitest upon God all thy days? Is it below thee? And what if God will cross his book, and blot out the handwriting that is against thee, and not let thee know it as yet? Is it fit to say unto God, Thou art hardhearted? Despair not; thou hast no ground to despair, so long as thou livest in this world. It is a sin to begin to despair before one sets his foot over the threshold of hell-gates. For them that are there, let them despair and spare not; but as for thee, thou hast no ground to do it. What! despair of bread in a land that is full of corn! Despair of mercy when our God is full of mercy! Despair of mercy, when God goes about by his ministers, beseeching sinners to be reconciled unto him! 2 Cor. v. 18-20. Thou scrupulous fool, where canst thou find that God was ever false to his promise, or that he ever deceived the soul that ventured itself upon him? He often calls upon sinners to trust him, though they walk in darkness, and have no light. Isa. 1. 10. And they have his promise and oath for their salvation, that flee for refuge to the hope set before them. Heb. vi. 17, 18.

Despair! when we have a God of mercy, and a redeeming

Christ alive! For shame, forbear. Let them despair that dwell where there is no God, or that are confined to those chambers of death which can be reached by no redemption.

A living man despair! when he is chid for murmuring and complaining! Lam. iii. 39. Oh! so long as we are where promises swarm, where mercy is proclaimed, where grace reigns, and where Jerusalem sinners are privileged with the first offer of mercy, it is a base thing to despair. Despair undervalues the promise, undervalues the invitation, undervalues the proffer of grace. Despair undervalues the ability of God the Father, and the redeeming blood of Christ his Son. Oh unreasonable despair! Despair makes man God's judge; it is a controller of the promise, a contradicter of Christ in his large offers of mercy: and one that undertakes to make unbelief the great manager of our reason and judgment, in determining about what God can and will do for sinners.

Despair! It is the devil's fellow, the devil's master; yea, the chain with which he is captivated and held under darkness for ever: and to give way thereto in a land that flows with milk and honey, in a state and time of mercy, is an uncomely thing.

I would say to my soul, 'O my soul! this is not the place of despair; this is not the time to despair in! As long as mine eyes can find a promise in the Bible, as long as there is the least mention of grace, as long as there is a moment left me of breath or life in this world; so long will I wait or look for mercy, so long will I fight against unbelief and despair.'

This is the way to honor God and Christ; this is the way to set the crown on the promise; this is the way to welcome the invitation and inviter; and this is the way to thrust thyself under the shelter and protection of the word of grace. Never despair so long as our text is alive, for that doth sound

REASONS AGAINST DESPAIR.

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it out, that mercy by Christ is offered, in the first place, to the greatest sinner.

Despair is an unprofitable thing. It will make a man weary of waiting upon God. 2 Kings vi. 33. It will make a man forsake God, and seek his heaven in the good things of this world. Gen. iv. 13-17. It will make a man his own tormentor, and flounce and fling like a wild bull in the net. Isa. li. 20.

Despair! it drives a man to study his own ruin, and brings him at last to be his own executioner. 2 Sam. xvii. 23; Matt. xxvii. 3-5.

Besides, I am persuaded also, that despair is the cause that there are so many that would fain be Atheists in the world. For because they have entertained a conceit that God will never be merciful to them; therefore they labor to persuade themselves that there is no God at all, as if their misbelief would kill God, or cause him to cease to be. A poor shift for an immortal soul, for a soul that liketh not to retain God in its knowledge! If this be the best that despair can do, let it go, man, and betake thyself to faith, to prayer, to wait for God, and to hope, in despite of ten thousand doubts.

And for thy encouragement, take yet (as an addition to what has already been said) the following scripture: "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." Whence note, They fear not God, that hope not in his mercy. Also God is angry with them that hope not in his mercy: for he only taketh pleasure in them that hope. He that believeth, or hath received his testimony, "hath set to his seal that God is true;" but he that receiveth it not, "hath made him a liar," and that is a very unworthy thing. 1 John v. 10, 11. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."