- Jan 1, 2024
- 730
- 346
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Messianic
- Marital Status
- Widowed
THE DANGER OF Speedy Degeneracy, Held forth in A SERMON Preached at the Lecture in Boston the 5th. of July, 1705.
By Solomon Stoddard Pastor of the Church at Northampton.
THE Danger Of SPEEDY Degeneracy,
JUDGES II. 11. v.
And the Children of Israel did Evil in the Sight of the LORD, and Served Baalim.
THAT Generation of the Israelites that Entered into the Land of Canaan, carried themselves com|mendably; and though they had Infirmities, yet they walked before God in much Integrity: But Joshua lived but Se|venteen Years after their Entrance into Canaan, and within a while the rest of that Generation were carried to their Graves: After them arose a Generation of another Spirit; the consequence whereof we have in this Verse.
Here are, 1. the Criminals. 2. The Crime.
1. The Criminals, or persons that were guilty: the Children of Israel: Had it been the Canaanites, or Moahites, or Ammonites, it had not been so strange; but they were the Children of Israel, the Posterity of Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob; the People that God had made glorious discoveries of himself un|to, the people that had been instructed in the Will of God. Again, they were the Children of Israel, not a few of the Israelites, not one or two Towns, not Ramah, or Bethlehem, or Hebron, not one of the Tribes, but it was a general Defection.
2. The Crime: 1. In general: they did Evil in the sight of the Lord, they sinned under the eye and observation of God; it may be some of them might do it in a more secret way, 2 King. 17. 9. The Children of Is|rael did secretly those things that were not right; but they did it in the sight of God. Again, they did evil in the sight of the Lord; that is, they did that which was evil in his sight: it may be in their own eyes, it might seem good, they thought there was no hurt in it;
but it was evil in the sight of the Lord: Again, they did evil in the sight of the Lord; they carried so as to provoke God to anger there was always sin and infirmity among them; but now they were so bad, that God was provoked by their carriages; he con|demns them as a people of a corrupt carriage. 2. In particular, they served Baalim. Baal signifies Lord, Baalim Lords; there were many of them, as Baal Peor, Baal Berith, Baal Zebub: by Baal you may under|stand the Sun, it was worshipped by divers Nations, under divers forms and representations, and Israel imitated them.
DOCTRINE.
The Covenant People of God do sometimes grow very corrupt in a little time.When the former Generation were dead that came into the Land of Canaan, they did evil in the sight of the Lord: People are wont to be very inconsistent in goodness; as they are subject to many other changes, so to changes in Religion; Piety is not natural to a people, and so they do not hold it long; sometimes when a people are grown cor|rupt, they hold that a great while; but when they are holy, it is not long before they lose their holiness; it is otherwise with particular persons that are once holy, such men will continue to be holy all the days of their lives, but if a people be an holy people, many times they lose it quickly; it is easy to go down hill: people are apt to grow degenerate; one would have thought, considering the piety of those that went in|to Canaan, the Divine Constitution of their Church, the great manifestations of the glory of God to that Nation, that they would have held their Religion from Generation to Generation, but it was otherwise.
QUESTION.
How does this come to pass?ANSWER.
The principal occasion is, that Godly men Dye, and there rises up an Unconverted Generation in their room: many other things may meet together to help forward this Degeneracy; there be many temptations that fall in to promote this corruption, as the example of Neighbouring Nations, the temptation of Wealth, the evil Opinions that are broached by particular persons; but the main reason of the degeneracy is that Good men dye, and go to Heaven one after another, and there rises up another Generation that are Unconverted, and they corrupt themselves; they are born in Sin, and continue in their natural condition; they profess holiness, but are not holy, and so the Land is corrupted; Judg. 2. 10. There arose another Generation that knew not the Lord.This occasions Degeneracy these ways.
1. Hence they want Grace to restrain them in a Day of Temptation. In length of time there will arise considerable temptations, but if a people be gracious, it is hopeful, that they will withstand those temptations: Gracious men will not live in evil ways: 1 Joh. 2. 9. He cannot sin, because he is born of God: they have a principle of faith, and do believe the dangerousness of evil ways, and will be a|fraid: Job 31. 23. Destruction from God was a terrour to me; and they hate sinful ways, and cannot endure them, they are like green wood that will not take the fire so readily as others: but if a temptation comes, car|nal men have not grace to restrain them, they have natural consciences, and a care of their reputation, but they want the prin|cipal thing to restrain them; it may be they will be commanded to do that which is sin|ful, and they have not grace to withstand the command: Hos. 5. 11. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment, i.e. of Jerebo|am, Mic. 6. 16. The statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab. It may be there will arise some false Teachers, and many carnal men will fall in with their de|lusions, 2 Tim. 3. 6. Of this sort are they that creep into houses, and lead captive silly women, laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. If persons don't fear God, they are liable to greatest iniquities in a day of temptation; Gen. 20. 11. The fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me for my wives sake.
2. There will be many bad Examples. Where there be many holy men, they will be giving good examples to others, they will walk in fear, carry humbly, and glorify God; Acts 24. 16. Herein do I exercise my self to have a conscience void of offence, towards God and to|wards man. Where there be plenty of Holy men in a Land, there will be many good examples; men will be provoking one another to an holy emulation: but where there be few good men, there will be a scar|city of good examples; many men will give bad examples, and others will be ready to follow them; especially the younger sort of people; men are apt to follow the multitude: when they see others sin, they are taught to sin; the pride of others draws out their Pride, & the covetousness of others draws out their coveteousness, as the fire in the coals draws out the fire that is in the wood: bad examples make men think, that there is no great danger in sin: bad examples make men think, sinful practices to be honourable, hence in time sins grow natural.
3. They will indulge their Children in Evil. Godly men may be too indulgent to their Children; but more generally Godly men will be careful in the Education of their Children, Gen. 18. 19. Abraham will command his Children and his Household after him, and they shall keep the ways of the Lord. David was very careful to principle Solomon, Prov. 4. 3, 4. So was Bathsheba, Prov. 31. 2, 3, 4. They are solicitous for Gods Glory, and the Salvation of their Children, and will be careful in Educating of them; but if the Generation be carnal, they will be negligent in Educating them; they would have them be good husbands, and follow their business diligently; and they can't a|bide that they should do any thing that should occasion them to be fined; but there be abundance of miscarriages that they do not much regard; they don't much mind it, if they be rude and misbehaved, if they run abroad in the night time, and be absent from Family Prayers, if they be vain and proud, and don't sanctify the Sabbath carefully; and if they do indulge their Children in evil, they will grow very bad: Children will be very corrupt, if not well governed; Eccles. 11. 10. Childhood and Youth are vanity; Prov. 29. 15. A Child left to himself, bringeth his mother to shame.
4. Godly men that are among them will be tainted. When a Country abounds with Godly men, they will stir up one anothers graces, they will quicken and confirm one another, and strive to excel: but when they are generally a carnal people, it will be a wonder, if they do not taint those that be good; sweet liquor put into a cor|rupt vessel will be tainted; so Good men in a corrupt Town or Country. It is true, that when wicked men carry very filthily, that does by an Antiparistasis stir up the graces of Godly men; Psal. 119. 126, 127. They have made void thy Law, therefore I love thy Commandments above gold. But when men are carnal, and carry on a profession of Religion, their miscarriages do mightily taint Godly men, the air of the Country is infectious, and sound men may be infected thereby; Joseph learned to Swear in Egypt; Barnabas was carried away with the dissi|mulation; Gal. 2. 13. Some of the good King of Judah did not take away the High Places.
5. They will grow very blind. When God converts men, he gives them light and understanding; Acts 26. 18. They are turned from darkness to light: And Spiritual Light received in Conversion, strengthens the reason of men, and makes the law of nature more legible; but when a people are a carnal people, they will grow as blind as moles: they don't know the mercy, and wisdom, and holiness of God, and so are not sensi|ble how such carriages do reflect upon him: they think there is weighty reason for some carriages that are indeed sinful; their affections do darken their minds, they don't judge that pride that is pride, nor that to be intemperance that is intemperance: besides, such men will not study the mind of God, nor pray for light as Godly, men do, and so they grow blind; Isa. 5. 20 They call light darkness, and darkness light: Conscience in some cases gives them a liberty to sin, and in some cases it urges them to sin.
6. They won't much regard the warnings of the Word, or the Judgments of God. When God gives warning in his Word, Godly men are wont to fear; Isa. 66. 2. They tremble at the Word of God: So did He|zekiah; Jer. 26. 18, 19. So did Josiah: and when Judgments come upon the Land, they are greatly affected with the anger of God. But when a people are a carnal people, they don't much mind warnings; many times they make a derision of the warnings of the Word; Isa. 5. 19. They say let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it, let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it. Godly men would lament upon such an occasion; Judg. 2. 4. When the Angel spake these words to the Children of Israel, they lift up their voice and wept. But carnal people don't believe warnings, Jer. 5. 12. They have belied the Lord, and said it is not he, neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword or fa|mine. Or they think if Judgments do come it will be a good while first; Ezek. 12. 27. They say the vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the things that are far off: Amos 6. 3. They put far away the evil day. Yea, if Judgments do come, many times they are like Pharaoh, they don't lay them to heart, unless they be very heavy, and if they be very heavy, yet they soon for|get them, and the promises that they made, Psal. 78. 37. They were not stedfast in his Covenant.
7. They will grow weary of Religious Duties. Godly men love Religious Duties, Psal. 26. 8. I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth: they find a great deal of Comfort in drawing nigh to God, Psal. 84. 10. One day in thy Courts is better then a thousand else where. Psal. 87. 7. All my springs are in thee: Religious Duties suit the new principle that God has put into them: but carnal men grow weary of such Services: in some pangs they may delight therein, Isa. 58. 2. They ask of me the Ordinances of justice, and take delight in approaching to God. But generally they grow weary after a while; for their hearts are set upon other things, and so duties are a burden to them, Amos 8. 5. When will the new Moon be gone, that we may sell corn, and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat. They don't meet with God in Religious Duties, and so they are empty things to them: they don't relish them, hence they are weary of them, and if they must attend them, they had rather do it in such a way as has a pretty deal of Ceremony in it, then in a more Spiritual way.
8. Many of their Leading men will be Carnal men. The People must take up with such men as they have. And they will have some carnal Men for Magistrates, and they will help forward the corruption very much: they will give bad examples, they will have respect to persons; they will be very dull in the matter of Reformation: Neh. 3. 5. Their Nobles put not their necks to the work of the Lord. So some of the Ministers will be carnal men: and though generally they Preach sound Doctrine, yet they have not experience of the ways of God: and they want zeal in the cause of God. They don't rightly understand the work of Regeneration, and are very dead and flat in their Ministry. As the Scribes were; it is said Christ Jesus taught with authority and not as the Scribes, Matth. 7. ult. And they make others to Stumble at the Law, Mal. 2. 8. So other leading men in the Church and in the Town will be carnal men. Some that are aged, and of good understanding, and good Estates, and have a great sway in Public affairs are but carnal men; and that helps forward the corruption of a People: they won't do what they might to promote the building of Gods House, or to reform the place: if they would join with the Minister, they might do great Service, but they have not a Spirit to do it: they clog and hinder a great deal of good work which would go forward, if they did heartily assist therein.
Continued here, (this goes to end of page 14)
