EZEK. 33. 11.
THis Text hath informed us how unpleasing the death of a wicked man is to God. We now proceed to the inference made from that proposition, Therefore the wicked should turn from his evill wayes. Turn ye, turn ye. The ingemination denoteth the vehement affection and desire of God, as also our stupidity and love to our sins, when once calling will we not awaken, but we must over and over again be called upon. I am therefore now to treat on that famous and necessary work, conversion or turning from sinne. As Satan and the Angel did once strive about Moses his body, So now the great controversie between God and his Angels, and the Devil and his instruments, is about a wicked man, whether he shall still be kept in the bonds or chains of sinne, or whether he shall be loosened from them, and set free to walk in Gods Commandements. I shall, because of the usefulnesse of this point, handle it doctrinally, and practically. And the foundation upon which we will build our discourse shall be this Doctrine, viz.
That conversion or turning, from our evill wayes, is necessarily required (Doctr) to an happy and eternall life. The Text hath this in the affirmative and the contrary, Let the wicked man turn, that he may live. Turn ye, Why will ye dye? See how life is the necessary consequent of Conversion, and death the fruit of neglecting it. Life and death are the great Arguments in the world. What will not a man give for life? and death is the King of terrors. We use to say, such a man is so earnest and busie in that matter, as if life and death depended on it. To be sure, such ought your cares, prayers, and endeavors to be about the avoiding of sin, and cleaving to that which is good; for life and death are in these things. Oh that men by faith and an effectual Meditation would apply these things more.
For Introduction into this matter, consider some particulars.
First, That the phrase in the Text, To be converted, or turn our selves, is a metaphor1 taken from the outward situation or position of bodies, and is applyed sometimes to things, sometimes to persons. To things; so God is said to turn joy into laughter, and to turn the captivity of Sion: unto Persons, and sometimes it is applyed to God, when of angry he becomes loving and propitious unto men, when they leave their lusts, and turn to him, both are comprized in this Text: Turn unto me, and I will turn unto you. Turn unto me by an holy change, and I will turn to you by a gracious change, though all the change be in man, not God. The Texts of Scripture which command and commend this conversion are so many, that it is endlesse to name them; so then as bodies, are said to have such a locall posture, (as for example) a man may stand with this posture, as to have his back upon the Sun, and his face clean contrary to it; Thus it is with the soul, the affections of the soul are its feet, and when it turneth from God, the back is turned upon the Sun; and in that posture he continueth, till by faith and repentance he be turned again. Consider therefore in what posture thy soul is, whether thou art not clean opposite to God and his way. As naturally we came into the world, with our faces towards hell, and our backs upon God; so it is with our souls.
Secondly, As by sinne we are thus turned from God, which is terminus a quo, so the Creature, and the lusts of sin are the terminus ad quem, to which they turn. Conversion2 is a motion; Now in all motions, there is the term from which, and the terme to which. Thus in the motion of the soul to sin: The term from which, is God; the term to which, is sin: and the contrary is, when we turn to God; so that if there were no other arguments, this might easily perswade us to come out of that custome and delight in sin, which we have been used unto; for how reasonable and happy is the change, to leave sinne, that hath guilt, torment, condemnation, and all curses in it, and to turn to God, the fountain of all happinesse and joy! Oh, we might think, that all the violent temptations of sinne, should never be able to hold us, but that we would quickly break all those bonds, and run to God.
Thirdly, This phrase of turning to God, and from sin, implyeth thus much, That while we live in sinne, we make sinne our Lord and Master; and therefore follow3 that, turn up and down after that, as the Servant after his Master: but when we cast off these transgressions, then we follow the Lord our Master, and go after him; so that all men in the world are divided into those two ranks, either they are such as goe after their lusts, turn after them, as the shadow after the body, or else such as cleave unto the Lord, and as the herb Heliotropium, turneth up and down after the Motion of the Sun, so doe they in obedience and affections after the commandments of God. Now this service and obedience to the lusts of the flesh, is a tedious and toilsome life indeed, though to the corrupt heart it may seem otherwise: Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, Matth. 11. 22. A man that turneth into the way of sin, is like a traveller that should turn into a way full of Quick-sands and Bogs, and dangerous Precipices, having also a sore and intollerable burden on his back, pressing him down with exquisite pain.