Spiritual Death, and Its Misery
“Wherefore ‘he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Ep. 5: 14.
Tus scripture represents the miserable and lamentable state of the unregenerate, as being under the power of spiritual death, the cause and inlet of all other miseries. From hence, therefore, I shall make the first discovery of the wretched state of them that apply not Jesus Christ to their souls.
The design of the apostle in the context is to press believers to a circumspect and holy life; to “walk as children of light.” This exhortation is laid down and pressed from the tendency of holy principles to holy fruits and practice; from the efficacy of practical godliness on the consciences of the wicked as it awes and convinces them; and from the coincidence of such a life with the great design of the Scriptures, which is to awaken men by regeneration out of that spiritual sleep or death into which sin has cast them; and this is the argument of the text: “Wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Some think reference is made in these words to Isaiah 26:19: “Awake, and sing, ye that dwell in dust.” Others to Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine, for thy light is come,” ete. But most probably the words refer to neither particularly, but to the scope of the whole Seriptures, which were inspired and written with the great design to awaken and quicken souls out of the state of spiritual death.
In the words selected we may notice more particularly,
1. The miserable state of the wnregenerate, represented under the images of sleep and death; both expressions intending the same thing with some variety of illustration. The Christless and unregenerate world are in a deep sleep; a spirit of slumber and security is fallen upon them, though they lie immediately exposed to eternal wrath, ready to drop into hell every moment. A man fast asleep in a house on fire, and while the consuming flames are round about him, having his fancy sporting itself in some pleasant dream, is a very lively resemblance of the unregenerate soul. But he that sleeps has life in him, though his senses are bound and the actions of life suspended. Lest, therefore, we should think it is only so with the unregenerate, the expression is varied, and those that were said to be asleep, are affirmed to be dead, to inform us that it is not a simple suspension of the exercise, but a total privation of the principle of spiritual life, which is the misery of the unregenerate..
2. The duty of the unregenerate, which is to awake out of sleep and arise from the dead. This is their great concern; no duty in the world is of greater necessity and importance to them. ‘Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” Luke 13:24. And the order of these duties is natural. First awake, then arise. Startling convictions make way for spiritual life. Till God awake us by convictions of our misery, we shall never be persuaded to arise and move towards Christ for remedy and safety.
3. But you will say, “If unregenerate men are dead, to what purpose is it to persuade them to rise and stand up? The exhortation supposes some power or ability in the unregenerate, else in vain are they commanded to arise.” This difficulty is solved in the text. Though the duty is ours, the power is God’s. God commands that in his word which only his grace can perform. ‘Christ shall give thee light.” Popish commentators would build the tower of free-will upon this scripture, by an argument drawn from the order in which these things are here expressed; which is but a very weak foundation to build upon, for it is usual in Scripture to put the effect before the cause, as in Isa. 26:19; ‘““Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust.” The plain doctrine of the text is, that
All Christless souls are wnder the power of spiritual death.
Multitudes of testimonies are given in Scripture to this truth: “You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Eph. 2:1, 5. “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened. together with him,” Col. 2: 13; with many other places. The method in which I shall discuss this point will be to show in what sense Christless and unregenerate men are said to be dead; what the state of spiritual death is; and how it appears that all unregenerate men are in this sad state.
I, In wat SENSE ARE CHRISTLESS AND UNREGENERATE
MEN SAID TO BE DEAD?
To understand this, we must know there is a threefold death. Natural death is the privation of the principle of natural life, or the separation of the soul from the body. “The body without the spirit is dead.” James 2: 26. Spiritual death is the privation of the principle of spiritual life, or the absence of the quickening Spirit of God in the soul: the soul is the life of the body, and Christ is the life of the soul; the absence of the soul is death to the body, and the absence of Christ is death to the soul. vernal death is the separation both of body and soul from God, which is the misery of the damned. Christless and unregenerate men are not dead in the first sense; they are naturally alive, though they are dead while they live; nor are they dead in the last sense, eternally separated from
God by an irrevocable sentence as the damned are; but they are dead in the second sense, they are spiritually dead while they are naturally alive, and this spiritual death is the forerunner of eternal death.
Spiritual death is put in Scripture in opposition to a twofold spiritual life — the life of justzfication, and the life. of sanctification. Spiritual death, in opposition to the life of justification, is nothing else but the guilt of sin bringing us under the sentence of death. Spiritual death, in opposition to the life of sanctification, is the pollution or dominion of sin. In both these senses unregenerate men are dead; but it is the last which I am now to speak to, and therefore let us consider, i
Il. Waar ruts sprrirvaL peatH 1s, the absence of the quickening Spirit of Christ from the soul of man. That soul is dead to which the Spirit of Christ is not given in the work of regeneration; and all its works are dead works, as they are called, Heb. 9: 14. For consider how it is with the damned: they live, they have sense and motion and immortality; yet because they are eternally separated from God their life deserves not the name of life, but is everywhere in Scripture called death. So the unregenerate are naturally alive; they eat and drink, they buy and sell, they talk and laugh, they rejoice in the world; and many of them spend their days in pleasure, and then go down to the grave. This is the life they live; but the Scripture calls it death rather than life, because, though they live, it is without God in the world, Eph. 2:12; it is a life alienated from the life of.God. Eph. 4:18. So that while they are naturally alive, they are in Scripture said to remain in death, 1 John 3: 14; and to be dead while they live. 1 Tim. 5:6. And there is great reason why a Christless, unregenerate state should be represented in Scripture under the notion of death; for there is nothing which more aptly represents this miserable state of the soul.
The dead discern nothing, and the natural man perceiveth not the things that are of God. The dead have no beauty or desirableness in them: Bury my dead, said Abraham, out of my sight: neither is there any spiritual loveliness in the unregenerate. True it is, some of them have qualities and excellencies which are engaging, but they are so many flowers adorning the dead. The dead are objects of lamentation: ‘Man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets.” Eccl. 12:5. But unregenerate and Christless souls are much more the objects of lamentation. How are all the people of God, especially those that are naturally related to them, concerned to mourn over them as Abraham did for Ishmael: “O that Ishmael might live before thee.” Gen. 17: 18. Upon these and other accounts, the state of unregenerate man is represented to us under the idea of death.
III. How pbozs ir APPEAR THAT UNREGENERATE MEN ARE THUS DEAD?
1. The causes of spiritual life have not wrought wpon them.
The principal internal cause of spiritual life is the regenerating Spirit of Christ. “The law of the Spirit ‘of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Rom. 8:2. It is the Spirit, as a regenerating Spirit, that unites us with Christ, in whom all spiritual life originally is. “Verily I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” John 5:25, 26. As all the members of the natural body receive animation, sense, and motion by their union with their head; so all believers, the members of Christ, receive spiritual life and animation by their union with Christ their mystical head. Eph. 4:15, 16. Except we are united with him in the way of faith, we can have no life in us. ‘Ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life.” John 5: 40,
Now the Spirit of God has exerted no regenerating, quickening influences, nor begotten any saving faith in natural, unsanctified men. Whatever he hath done for them in natural or spiritual common gifts, he hath not quickened them with the life of Christ.
And as for the subordinate external means of life, the preaching of the gospel, which is the instrument of the Spirit in this glorious work, and is therefore called the word of life, Phil. 2: 16, this word has not been made a regenerating, quickening word to their souls. Possibly it has enlightened them and convinced them: it has wrought upon their minds in the way of common illumination, and upon their consciences in the way of conviction, but not upon their hearts and wills by way of effectual conversion. To this day the Lord has not given them a heart opening itself in the way of faith to receive Jesus Christ.
2. The effects of spiritual life do not appear wn them. For,
They have no sense of misery and danger. f mean such as thoroughly awakens them to apply Christ their remedy. That spiritual judgment lies upon them: “And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes.” Isa. 6:9, 10.
They have no spiritual motions towards Christ or spiritual things. No arguments can persuade them to move one step towards Christ in the way of faith. ‘Ye will not come unto me.” John5:40. Were there a principle of spiritual life in their souls, they would move towards Christ and heaven. It would be in them a well of water springing up into eternal life. John 4:14. The natural tendency of the spiritual life is upward.
The unregenerate have no appetite for spiritual food; they savor not things that are spiritual. They can go from week to week and from year to year, all their lifetime, without any communion between God and their souls, and feel no need of it, nor hungerings or thirstings after it; which could never be, if a principle of spiritual life were in them; for then they would “esteem the words of God’s mouth more than their necessary food.” Job 23:12.
They have no heat or spiritual warmth in their affections to God and things above; their hearts are cold as a stone to spiritual objects. They are heated by their lusts and affections to the world; but O, how cold and dead are they towards Jesus Christ and spiritual excellences.
They breathe not spiritually, therefore they live not spiritually: were there a spiritual principle of life in them, their souls would breathe after God in spiritual prayer. “Behold, he prayeth.” Acts 9:11. The lips of the unregenerate may move in prayer, but their hearts and desires do not breathe and pant after God.
They have no cares or fears for self-preservation, which is always the effect of life. The wrath of God hangs over them in the threatenings, but they tremble not; they are on the very precipice of eternal ruin, yet use no means to avoid it. How plain is the sad case I have undertaken to demonstrate, namely, that Christless and unregenerate souls are spiritually dead.
Inrerence 1. If Christless and unregenerate souls are spiritually dead, how little pleasure can Christians take in their society.
Certainly it is no pleasure for the living to converse among the dead. It was a cruel torment invented by Mezentius the tyrant, to tie a dead and living man together. The pleasure of society arises from the harmony of spirit, and the hope of mutual enjoyment in the world to come; neither of which can sweeten the society of the godly with the wicked in this world. It is true, there is a necessary civil intercourse which we must have with the ungodly here; or else, as the apostle speaks, we must
Method. 22 go out of the world. There are also relative duties which must be faithfully discharged; but where we have our free election, we shall be much wanting both to our duty and comfort, if we make not the people of God our chosen companions.
Excellently to this purpose speaks Gurnal, in his Christian Armor. “Art thou a godly master? when thou takest a servant into thy house, choose for God as well as thyself. A godly servant is a greater blessing than we think: he can work, and set God on work also for his master’s good: ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master,’ Gen. 24:12; and surely Eliezer did his master as much service by his prayer as by his prudence in that journey. Holy David observed while he was at Saul’s court the mischief of having wicked and ungodly servants, for with such was that unhappy king so compassed that David compares his court to the profane and barbarous heathen, among whom there was scarce more wickedness to be found. ‘Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar,’ Psa. 120:5; that is, among those who are as wicked as any there; and no doubt but this made him, in his banishment before he came to the crown, resolve what he would do when God should make him the head of a royal family. ‘He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house; he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight” Psa. 101: 7.
“Art thou godly? show thyself so in the choice of husband or wife. Iam sure if some could bring no other testimonials for their godliness than the care they have taken in this particular, it might justly be called into question both by themselves and others. There is no one thing in which gracious persons have more shown their weakness, yea, given offence and scandal, than in this particular. The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair. Gen. 6:2. One would have thought that the sons of God should have looked for grace in the heart, rather than beauty in the face; but we see even they sometimes turn in at the fairest sign, without much inquiry what grace is to be found dwelling within.” Look to the rule, O Christian, if thou wilt keep the power of holiness: that is clear as the sun-beam written in the Scripture, ‘‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” 2 Cor. 6:14.
2. How great and wholly supernatural is the change regeneration makes on the souls of men! It is a change from death to life. ‘This my son was dead, and is alive again.” Luke 15:24. Regeneration is life from the dead; the most excellent life from the most terrible death: it is the life of God imparted to a soul alienated from it by sin. Eph. 5:11. There are two changes made upon the souls of men, which challenge the highest admiration: that from sin to grace, and that from grace to glory. The change from grace to glory is acknowledged by all, and justly, to be a wonderful change. For God to take a poor creature out of the society of sinful men; yea, from under the burden of many sinful infirmities, which made him groan from day to day in this world, and in a moment to make him a perfect soul, shining in the beauties of holiness, and filling him with the inconceivable joys of his presence — to turn his groanings into triumphs, his sighings into songs of praise, is marvellous. And yet the former change from sin to grace is no way inferior to it, nay, in some respects it is beyond it. Great is this work of God; and let it for ever be marvellous in our eyes..
3. If unregenerate souls are dead, what a fatal stroke does death give to the bodies of all wnregenerate men. A soul dead in sin, and a body dead by virtue of the curse for sin, and both soul and body remaining for ever under the power of eternal death, is so full and perfect a misery, that nothing can make it more miserable. It is the comfort of a Christian that he can say when death comes,!
shall not wholly die; there is a life which death cannot touch. ‘The body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.” Rom. 8:10. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power. As death takes the believer from many sorrows, and brings him to the vision of God, to the general assembly of the perfected saints, to a state of freedom and full satisfaction; so it drags the unregenerate from all his sensual delights to the place of torment: it buries the dead soul out of the presence of God for ever; it is the king of terrors, a serpent with a deadly sting to every man who is out of Christ.
4. If every unregenerate soul be dead, how sad is the case of hypocrites, who are twice dead! These are those cursed trees of which the apostle Jude speaks, “Trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.” Jude 12. Though they were still under the power of spiritual death, yet in the beginning of their profession they seemed to be alive: they showed the fragrant leaves of a fair profession, many buddings of affection towards spiritual things; but wanting the root of regeneration, they quickly began to wither and cast their untimely fruit. Their original defect is the want of a good root, and therefore they who were always once dead for want of regeneration, are now become twice dead by the decay of their profession. Such trees are prepared for the severest flames in hell, Matt. 24:51; their portion is the saddest allotted for the sons of death. ‘For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” 2 Pet.2:20,21. Double measures of wrath seem to be prepared for them that die this double death,
5. If this be so, how lamentable is the state of wnregenerate persons. Were this truth heartily believed, we could not but mourn over them with the most tender compassion and sorrow. If our husbands, wives, or children are dying a natural death, how are our hearts rent with pity and sorrow for them; what cries, tears, and wringing of hands show the deep sense we have of their misery! O Christians, is all the love you have for your relatives spent upon their bodies? Are their souls of no value? Is spiritual death no misery? Does it not deserve a tear? The Lord open your eyes, and affect your hearts with the wretchedness of spiritual death.
Consider, my friends, while they remain spiritually dead, they are wholly unserviceable to God in the world, as to any acceptable service, 2 Tim. 2:21; they are incapable of all spiritual comforts from God; they cannot taste the least sweetness in Christ, in duties, or in promises, Rom. 8:6; they have no beauty in their souls, how comely soever their bodies: nothing but grace beautifies the inner man. Ezek. 16:6, 7. The spiritually dead have neither comfort nor beauty; they have no hope to be with God in glory, for the life of glory is began in grace, Phil. 1:6; their graves must be shortly made, to be buried for ever in the lowest hell, the pit digged by justice for all that are spiritually dead. Can such considerations as these draw no pity from your souls, nor excite your endeavors for their regeneration? then it is to be feared your souls are dead as well as theirs. O pity them, and pray for them; in this case only, prayers for the dead are our duty: who knows but at the last God may hear your cries, and you may say with comfort “This my son was dead, but is alive again; he was lost, but is found.” Luke 15; 24.