By THOMAS BOSTON.
VII.
(Continued from p. 416.)
Fourthly, Christ had not only the good of souls before His eyes, but He was much affected with their case; it lay heavy on His spirit. There are these four things wherein this appeared, that occur to me, with which He was much affected: 1. He had compassion on the multitude, because they were as sheep without a shepherd—Matth. ix. 36. That the people wanted true pastors, was affecting to Him; he had compassion on them. Follow Christ in this, O my soul; pity them that wander as sheep without a shepherd. And let this consideration move thee, when thou goest to preach in planted congregations, where thou wilt even see many that are wandering, though they have faithful pastors. Look on them as sheep not better for them than if they wanted a shepherd. But especially when thou goest to vacant congregations, pity them, commiserate their case as sheep wanting a shepherd; which, no doubt, will be a notable means to make thee improve well the little time allowed thee for gathering them in. Be affected with their case and for this end, consider—(1.) That such are in a perishing condition: Where no vision is, the people perish. They are ignorant; no wonder, they have none to instruct them. They have lean souls; no wonder, they have none to break the bread of life to them. They wander from God’s way; they have none to watch over them, and so the devil takes his opportunity. (2.) Consider that for the most part, here at least,* people are deprived of watchmen, in regard to the malignancy and ticklishness of their superiors; so that, though the people would ever so gladly receive one to break the bread of life to them, yet they cannot get their will, by reason of these keeping it from them. It would make thy heart to relent, if thou sawest a child that would be content to have a pedagogue to guide him, seeing he acknowledges he cannot do it himself, if, notwith-
standing, his tutor should not allow him one, but stand in the way of it, and so the child be lost for want of a pedagogue. So, O my soul, commiserate thou the case of those who would fain have one to watch over their souls, but yet they that should employ their authority, power, wit, &c., to find out one for them, either lie by, or oppose the same. (3.) Consider the many souls that go out of time into eternity during the time that they want a shepherd. They have none to instruct them, none to let them see their hazard, none to comfort them when death comes; but they slip away, many of them at least, as the brutes that perish. Thou hast found this to have been a cause of thy commiserating such before now, when thou hast spoken to such being a dying. If this be well considered and laid to heart, thou canst not but pity them on that very account, which will stir thee up to employ the little time thou hast among them, so as they may be fitted for death. 2. Christ wept, because people in their day did not know, i.e. do, the things that belonged to their peace, Luke, xix. 41, 42. When he thought upon this their stupidity, it made the tears trickle down his precious cheeks. O my soul! thou hast this ground of mourning this day wherever thou goest. Who are they that are concerned to do what is necessary to be done, in order to their peace with God? Few or none are brought in to Christ. It is rare to hear now of a soul converted; but most part are sleeping on in their sins in this their day, like to sit the day of God’s patience with them, till patience be turned into fury. Many heart-melting considerations to this purpose may be found. Such a case is most deplorable, in the noontide of the day that people should venture on the feud of such a dreadful enemy as God is, and should sit as quiet, even when the sword of vengeance is hanging by a hair over their heads, and notwithstanding that very day may be, for ought I know, their last day, every sermon the last that ever they shall hear, and that ere the next day these enemies shall be made to rencontre with the terrible and dreadful Majesty, who shall go through them as thorns and briars, and burn them up together, by the fire of his
wrath, world without end. O my soul, how canst thou think of this, and not be more affected with the case of people as they are now-a-days? Sure, if thou couldst weep, here is ground enough for tears of blood. 3. He was grieved for the hardness of people’s hearts, Mark, iii. 5. It was ground of grief to the Lord Jesus, that people were so hardened that no means used for their amendment would do them good. Follow Christ in this, O my soul; be grieved and affected with the hardness of the hearts of this generation. O what hardness of heart mayest thou seest in every corner, whither thou goest and where thou preachest, most part being as unconcerned as the very stones of the wall; and say what thou wilt, either by setting before them alluring promises or dreadful threatenings, yet people are hardened against both, none relenting for what they have done, or concerned about it, though thou wouldst preach till thy eyes leap out. O happy they, whose time God has brought to a period and taken to himself! Happy servants, whom God has called out of the vineyard before the ground grow so hard that almost all labour was in vain! This is a time of mourning for the preachers of the gospel, for people who are strangely hardened. Which is the more lamentable, O my soul, if thou consider, (1.) What God has done even for this generation. He has taken off from our necks the yoke of tyranny and arbitrary power, and has given deliverance from the Prelatic bondage; and yet, for all this, the generation is hardened. (2.) If thou consider how the Lord has been dealing with us by rods. For some time there was great dearth of fodder for beasts; yet that stirred us not up. Afterwards was death of cattle; yet we have not returned to the Lord. Then followed death of men, women, and children. He has sent blasting among our corn. This is now, I suppose, the fourth year of our dearth. And for all these things we remain hardened. O Lord, thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they refuse to receive correction; they make their faces harder than a rock, they refuse to return. What shall be the end of such hardness as this? (3.) It is yet more lamentable, in regard the plague of hardness seems
to be universal. It is not only the wicked, or openly profane, or those that have no religion, but the professors of religion that are hardened in part. O my soul, this is a day wherein Scotland’s pillars are like to fail—a day wherein the hands of our Moseses are like to fall, and Amalek is like to prevail. Many professors desire to hear the causes of God’s wrath searched into, but they are not mourning over them; and truly it is most lamentable, that those among us who, as so many Joshuas, should be discovering the Achans in our camp that are the troublers of Israel, by a strange kind of dealing are very wary in meddling therewith, or to show them unto people. And it is much to be feared, that there are among us some accursed things that are not yet found out. O that God would put it in the hearts of Zion’s watchmen to discover what these Achans are, and that preachers were obliged, even by the Church, to speak more freely of the sins of the land. But, alas! O Lord, why hast thou hardened all of us from thy fear? (4.) If thou consider that this hardness of heart is a token of sad things yet to come. Who hath hardened himself against God and prospered? Job, ix. 4. Alas! It is a sad prognostic of a further stroke, that, seeing we will not be softened either by word or rod, therefore the Lord will thus do to us; and seeing he will do thus, we may prepare to meet the Lord coming in a way of more severe judgment against us. Sad it is already; many families are in a deplorable condition, and yet nothing bettered by the stroke; and what a sad face will this land have if it be continued? Spare, O Lord, thine inheritance, thy covenanted people, and make us rather fall on such methods as may procure the removal of the stroke. These, and many other things, O my soul, may indeed make thee grieved for the hardness of this generation.
(To be continued.)
“As God justifies the ungodly, it cannot be on the ground of their own merit, but must be by the imputation of a righteousness which does not personally belong to them, and which they received by faith.”—Dr. C. Hodge.