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النشر الإلكتروني

XIII.

THE SCORNER'S HIGHEST SEAT AND DEEPEST

FALL.

Psalm xix. 13.

“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression."

PRESUMPTION is a bold, daring, and audacious, venturing to lay a claim upon God, while the man is living in all manner of wickedness, without any reverence of him, faith in him, or scriptural warrant from him; and without any internal evidence of interest in him, or likeness to him. Thus Balaam ventured against a positive command from God upon a wicked and vile attempt; hence the angel of the covenant withstands him with a drawn sword, and tells him his way is perverse before him. He seeks for enchantments after this awful vision of the Almighty, with his eyes wide open; yea, after God had met him twice in his way to the high place, and had both times sent him back with a fresh message, yet he must seek a definitive answer from Satan, namely, "There is no enchantment against Jacob, nor divination against Israel." And he claims God as his God,

when he had no other faith than that of devils, "I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do more or less ;" when, at the same time, he loved the wages of unrighteousness, and would have cursed the whole family of heaven for a little money; yea, and tempted God with repeated sacrifices, in hopes that he would alter his mind and change his word to gratify his covetousness, that he might thereby curse the people, get the rewards of divination, and be promoted to great honours. And just so, many covetous professors in our days presume upon God; while the love of money, the root of all evil, is deeply fibred in every faculty of their souls; it sears their conscience, they mind earthly things; they will be rich, though they fall into divers temptations; they love the mammon of unrighteousness, and yet they will call God their God, and their Father, when he tells them in his word that his righteous soul hates them. They speak well of the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth. And is not this presumption, for a sinner whom God abhors to lay a claim upon him? And they lay the same claim upon Christ, and call him their Lord and Saviour, when they know in their own consciences that the thorns have sprung up in their hearts, and choked the word; and that the cares of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches, have rendered them unfruitful. And, although Christ tells them in his word, that that which beareth briers and thorns is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned, and

that a camel shall go through a needle's eye sooner than such shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, yet they venture on, like Ananias and Sapphira, serving God and Mammon, with their hearts fixed on their earthly treasure, and yet dream of treasure in heaven. These covet the worst, though they will feign to covet the best gifts and in this matter they imitate and run after the error of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, and yet wished to die the death of the righteous, and that his last end may be like theirs. But the hope of this hypocrite perished, for he fell in the field of battle, fighting against God and his people; and afterwards his soul fell by a worse sword, namely, the sword of justice: and this the angel shewed him before, for his sword was drawn against him when in the way to curse Israel, and, how much more when fighting against them! Surely he hated blessing, therefore let it be far from him; and, as he loved cursing, so let it come, says God, like water into his bowels, and like oil into his bones, Psal. cix. 17, 18. "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins."

Presumption is venturing without a divine warrant, and persisting in a course contrary to the word of God, and expecting God's help and blessing in a way that is repugnant to his revealed will. And thus many professors, who give themselves up to idleness, and go from house to house, busy bodies in other men's matters, but mind no business of their own, presume upon the

providence of God, and tell you that they live by faith; they have had this promise applied, and the other promise sent home, and they believe them, and so expect to be fed by the ravens, as Elijah was; when the whole of this work is the work of Satan. He first tempts them to idleness, which God hates; he then stuffs their heads with various promises, which the fool believes to come from God; then they are looking out for the fulfilment of them; they boast of their faith, and tell of the power that attended the promises, and so draw many eyes upon them; and, when the issue comes, their promises come to nothing, their faith fails, the devil laughs at their folly, and they rebel against God: Thus, "The foolishness of a man perverteth his way; and his heart fretteth against the Lord."God tells us to be diligent in business, and fervent in spirit; to work willingly with our own hands, and with quietness to eat our own bread; and, if they will not work, neither shall they eat.

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Idleness, and fulness of bread, were some of the reigning sins of Sodom. Adam and Eve must both work; but these hypocrites mump a living out of other people's labour. "He that provides not for his own house hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." And can those who deny the faith, and are hypocrites in Zion, who are worse than common infidels, expect God to feed them, and indulge them in idleness, when their boasted faith is nothing but presumption, and the promises, which they say God hath

applied to them, are only the delusions and perversions of Satan? And this is plain, for their predictions fall to the ground, and their false confidence too, being disappointed of their hopes, and having their expectations all cut off; for what they have spoken in the name of the Lord follows not, nor comes to pass; and that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but they have spoken it presumptuously, Deut. xviii. 22. "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me."

What presumption must they be guilty of who thrust themselves into the ministry without any call or commission from God, and without any qualifications for it? Idleness, a genteel appearance, their own honour, or a wife with money, is all they have in view. They are fitted for the work at an academy by men, at the expense of those who subscribe to carry on the work, and who, according to prophecy, heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And some of this stamp have had the audaciousness to call the power of the gospel enthusiastical cant: this is the best name they can give to the kingdom of God, which stands not in word but in power. There is scarce a damnable heresy advanced, revived, or published in our day, nor few arch heretics in sheep's clothing to be found, but what are sent out of these forges-I mean the academies. What can be more presumptuous than taking the highest seat, when they never took the

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