Part 3 cont'd

First Use: INFORMATION.

1. From this word, "I will spare them as a man spares his son", take notice that even the best need sparing. "If you, Lord, should mark iniquities—who shall stand?" (Psalms 130:3). The Papists speak of merits—but how can we merit—when our best services are so defective that we need sparing! How can these two stand together, our meriting and God’s sparing? What will become of us without sparing mercy? We need to pray as Nehemiah, "Remember me, O my God, concerning this also—and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy!" (Nehemiah 13:22). Let us fly to this asylum, "Lord, spare us as a father spares his son!"

2. See God’s different dealing with the godly and the wicked. The Lord will not spare the wicked: "I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy—but destroy them!" (Jeremiah 13:14). It is sad when the prisoner begs of the judge to spare him—but the judge will show him no favor. God’s cup of wrath is unmixed! (Revelation 14:10). Yet it is said to be mixed. The cup of wrath God gives the wicked is mixed with all sorts of punishments. But in this sense it is unmixed— it is without the least drop of mercy in it! (Psalms 78:45-51). God for a while reprieves men—but forbearance is not forgiveness. Though God spares his children—yet obdurate sinners shall feel the weight of his wrath!

3. If the Lord spares his people as a father does his son—then they should serve him as a son does his father.

1. They should serve him WILLINGLY. "Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought!" (1 Chronicles 28:9). Cain’s sacrifice was rejected, because he brought it grudgingly and against his will. It was rather the paying of a tax than a free-will offering. The best obedience is that which is voluntary, as that is the best honey which drops from the honeycomb. God sometimes accepts of willingness without the work (1 Kings 8:18)—but never of the work without willingness.

2. They should serve God UNIVERSALLY. True obedience is universal; it observes one command as well as another; it fulfills difficult duties and dangerous duties. As the needle points the way that the magnet draws, so a gracious heart inclines to those things which the Word teaches (Luke 1:6). It is the note of a hypocrite to be partial in obedience; some sin he will indulge (2 Kings 5:18), some duty he will dispense with; his obedience is lame on one foot.

3. They should serve God SWIFTLY. Beware of a dull temper of soul; the loveliness of obedience is in the liveliness of it. We read of two women, "The wind was in their wings" (Zechariah 5:9). Wings are swift—but wind in the wings denotes great swiftness. Such swiftness should be in our obedience to God. If God spares us as a father does his son, we should serve him as a son does his father.

Second Use: EXHORTATION.

If God spares us as a father does his son—let us imitate God. It is natural for children to imitate their parents; what the father does, the child is apt to learn the same.

Let us imitate God in this one thing—As God spares us, and passes by many failures—so let us be sparing in our censures of others; let us look upon the weaknesses and indiscretions of our brethren with a more tender compassionate eye.

Indeed, in cases of scandal we ought not to bear with others—but sharply reprove them. But if through inadvertence or passion they act wrongly—let us pity and pray for them. How much God bears with us! He spares us, and shall not we be sparing to others? Perhaps they have been wronged, and false things may be said about them. Athanasius was falsely accused by the Arians of adultery; Basil was falsely accused of heresy. It is usual for the world to misrepresent the people of God; therefore let us be sparing in our censures. God spares us--and shall not we be sparing towards others?

Third use: COMFORT.

Here is comfort to the children of God in case of failings. The Lord will not be severe to mark what they have done amiss—but will spare them. He passes by many infirmities: "He will rest in his love" (Zephaniah 3:17); in the original it is, "He will be silent in his love". As if the prophet had said, though the church had her failings—yet God’s love was such, that it would not allow him to mention them. God turns a blind eye to our many oversights: "My eye spared them from destruction" (Ezekiel 20:17).

I do not speak of presumptuous sins—but of failings such as vain thoughts, deadness in duty, sudden surprises by temptation. These being mourned for, God for Christ’s sake will spare us as a father does his son. This is one of the richest comforts in the Book of God. Who is he who lives—and sins not? How defective we are in our best duties! How full our lives are either of blanks or of blots! Were it not for God’s sparing mercy—we would all go to hell. But this text is a choice cordial; if our hearts are sincere, God will spare us as a father does his son. "I will not execute the fierceness of my anger" (Hosea 11:9).

I know not a greater rock of support, for a fainting Christian than this—God will abate the severity of the law. Though we come short in our duty, he will not fail of his mercy—but will spare us as a father spares his son.
The Difference Between Righteous and the Wicked

"Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." (Malachi 3:18).

Malachi 3:14-15 :

Here follows the close of the chapter, which I shall little more than paraphrase. These words are spoken to the wicked, as learned expositors assert; for though the godly shall at last discern what a difference God makes between them and the wicked, how merciful he is to the one, and how severe to the other—yet this text is chiefly spoken to the wicked: "You have said, It is vain to serve God!" (verse 14) "From now on we will say, ’Blessed are the arrogant.’ For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them go free of harm." (verse 15). Well, says God, though now you call the proud happy and the godly foolish—yet when I have made up my jewels—then you wicked ones shall see clearly what a difference I make between the righteous, and the wicked; between him who serves God—and him who does not serve him. Then, when it is too late, when the day of grace is past, and the drawbridge of mercy is pulled up—then shall you discern a difference between the holy and the profane!

Doctrine 1: The wicked at present have their eyes shut! "To this day the Lord has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear!" (Deuteronomy 29:4). Natural men have the sword upon their right eye, "The sword will cut his arm and pierce his right eye! His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind!" (Zechariah 11:17). They see no difference between the pious and the impious; they imagine that it fares as well with the wicked as with the righteous; nay, it seems to fare better with the wicked. The wicked flourish: "These are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches" (Psalms 73:12). Whereas those who pray and fast, are oppressed. The wicked bless themselves, and think they are now in a better condition than the righteous; the matter is not to be wondered at, for "the god of this world has blinded the minds of sinners" (2 Corinthians 4:4). But at last their eyes shall he opened; and that brings me to the second doctrine.

Doctrine 2: There is a time shortly coming when impious, grossly wicked sinners, shall SEE an obvious difference between the godly and the nicked. The tables will then be turned! "Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

Question: When is the time when the eyes of sinners shall he opened, and they shall see a difference between the righteous and the wicked?

Answer: There are two times when sinners shall see a manifest difference between the righteous and the wicked.

Firstly, at the day of judgment. That will be a day of manifest difference. Things will then appear in their proper colors; the difference will easily be seen between the godly and the wicked; the one being absolved—the other condemned!

Secondly, at the hour of separation, when God shall eternally separate the reprobate from the elect, as a winnowing fan separates the chaff from the wheat—and there shall be a visible discerning between the righteous and wicked. "All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life!" (Matthew 25:32-33, Matthew 25:46). Jesus Christ will take his saints up with him into glory—and will cast the wicked down to hell. He will make up the godly as jewels, and tie up the wicked in bundles to be burned! "Bind them in bundles to burn them" (Matthew 13:30). Now sinners shall be convinced with a vengeance, that the state of the righteous and the wicked is different! They shall see the righteous advanced to a heavenly kingdom, and themselves cast into a fiery prison!

Oh, the dreadfulness of that place of torment! Could men lay their ears to the infernal lake, and but for one hour hear the groans and shrieks of the damned—they would tell us that they now see what before they would not believe—the infinite difference between the righteous and the wicked! In hell is torment upon torment, "blackness of darkness" (Jude 13), "chains of darkness" (2 Peter 2:4). These chains are God’s decree ordaining, and his power binding men under wrath! And that which accentuates and puts a sting into the torments of the wicked—is that they shall be always scorching in the fire of God’s wrath! "The smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever" (Revelation 14:11 ).

Christ said of his suffering on the cross, "It is finished!" But sinners shall never say of their sufferings in hell—that they are finished. No! if the damned had lain in hell as many thousand years as there are drops in the sea—eternity has yet to begin!

First use: INFORMATION. This may inform all wicked men that, no matter how blind they are now—yet at last the veil shall be taken from their eyes! They now count themselves the only happy men, and look upon the people of God with derision. They load them with invectives and curse them with their slanders. Well, the time is not far off—when the wicked shall clearly discern who belong to Christ—and who belong to the devil. As Moses said to Korah and his company, "Tomorrow the Lord will show who are his" (Numbers 16:5), so at the day of judgment the Lord will show who are his—and who are not. Nay, sooner than that: at the day of death the wicked shall see how it will be with them for eternity!

Oh, that the eyes of sinners may be speedily opened—that they may see the difference of things, the beauty which is in holiness, and the astonishing madness that is in sin!

Second use: CONSOLATION to the righteous.

Though at present they are slighted, and have the odium of the world cast upon them—yet shortly God will make a visible difference between them and the wicked. As it was with Pharaoh’s two officers, the butler and the baker; at first there seemed to be no difference between them—but in a short while there was difference made. The chief butler was advanced to honor—but the chief baker was executed (Genesis 40:21-22). So though now God’s people are low and despised, and the wicked treat them with boastful insolence—yet when the critical day comes, there shall be a final separation made between the righteous and the wicked. The one shall be dignified—the other damned! "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life!" (Matthew 25:46). Be encouraged therefore, saints of God—to persist in a course of holiness. Though now you seem to be lowermost—yet in the resurrection you shall be uppermost: "The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning" (Psalm 49: 14). That is, they shall have dominion over the wicked in the morning of the resurrection. They shall then laugh the wicked to scorn (Psalms 52:6). "Then you will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." Malachi 3:18