THE LOST STATE OF THE GE�TILE WORLD.

BY REV. CHARLES SIMEO�,

Rom. i. 20, 21. Theij are without excuse, because that, when

they knew God, they glorified him not as God.

HERE the plan of the Epistle begins to be deve-

loped. St. Paul, intending to prove that there was

one only way of salvation for the whole race of

mankind, begins with shewing, that the Gentile

world were altogether guilty before God, and lying

under a just sentence of condemnation. In the next

chapter he shews the same respecting the Jews :

and, in the third, he confirms, from the scriptures of

truth, all that he has spoken respecting both of the one

and the other ; and from thence deduces the general

conclusion, that they are all shut up unto the faith of

Christ, and must seek salvation by him alone.

In this present discourse we shall have to consider

the state of the Gentiles, against whom universally

the

12 ROMA�S, I. 20, 21. [904.^

the judgments of God are denounced ; " the wrath of

God beino" revealed from heaven against all ungodli-

ness and unrighteousness of men," and especially

against " those who hold (or imprison) the truth

in unrighteousness," which they have done in all

ages of the world \

But that we may bring the matter home to our-

selves also, we shall shew,

I. How inexcusable they are for their conduct to-

wards God —

The Gentiles have in every age had sufficient

opportunities of attaining the knowledge of God —

[The things of God which are exclusively made known

to us in the book of revelation, they could not be acquainted

with, because the light of revelation was not vouchsafed to

them : but the book of creation was open to them, and equally

lec^ible to all ; and from thence they might acquire a con-

siderable knowledge of God's nature and perfections. In be-

holdin<T the heavenly bodies all moving in their orbits ; and

the earth so abundantly furnished with every thing for the

accommodation of man ; and man himself the most noble of

all God's works, his body so curiously wrought, and his soul

so richly endowed; in beholding these things, I say, they

could not but know, that there was some superior Being, who

had formed them all. They could not but look upon any

work of art, — a house, for instance, or a watch, or any thing

that required skill, — but their minds must of necessity be led

to contemplate the maker of it : and a similar necessity was

imposed upon them by all the works of creation. Having

traced up every thing to a First Cause, they must see that, as

He was the cause of all that existed besides himself, there

could be nothing to give existence to him; and that conse-

quently, he must be self-existent and eternal. Moreover, they

must see, from the immensity and the excellency of all his

works, that there can be no limit to his wisdom, his power, or

his o-oodness ; but that these perfections of his must of neces-

sity be infinite. That these deductions were open to them

we are sure, because some of their more enlightened

philosophers have actually made these discoveries, though

certainly with less clearness and precision than we by the

means of revelation are enabled to do. And God himself af-

firms it in the verses preceding our text ; saying, that the

thino-s concerning him which were invisible to human eyes,

were nevertheless " clearly to be seen and understood in his

visible

" ver. 18.

904.] LOST STATE OF THE GE�TILE WORLD. 13

visible works, even his eternal power and GodheacP." St.

Paul also, when addressing Heathens, quotes to them their own

Poets, to shew, that, in the representations which they foolishly

made of the Supreme Being, they did in fact violate the law

that was in their own minds, and act contrary to the light that

was within them^]

But they did not improve these opportunities aright —

[They enicrta'tncd most unworthy conceptions oj' the Dcihj.

— Instead of regarding him as a Spirit who pervaded all space,

they " n'.ade images of him like to corruptible man, and to

birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things ;" and then

bowed down to the work of their own hands, and said, " Deli-

ver me ; for thou art my god 'V What could be more in-

sulting to the Divine Majesty than such conduct as this?

Mt)reover fhei/ testified no (rratitude towards hi-in for all the

benefits that he conferred upon them. — Innumerable were the

benefits which in constant succession he conferred upon them'";

yet " were they not thankful V but abused his gifts, instead

of taking occasion from them to love and glorify the Giver.

They sought not in any thing to please him, nor cared however

much they viight displease him . — The abominations they commit-

ted cannot even be thought of but with horror and amazement"^.

And, whilst they were thus bent on the gratification of their

lusts and appetites, and purposely cast out of their minds all

those notices of a Supreme Being, which from time to time

arose to check them in their excesses '', they were given over

to the dominion of every hateful disposition that could assimi-

late them to the god of this world, whose willing servants they

were. What an assemblage of evils was there accumulated in

their character ' ! Yet was this representation of them by

no means overcharged. Their own Historians, and Poets, and

Philosophers have justified every word that is here spoken.

What the Poet said of the Cretans might, with few excep-

tions, be applied to all ; " The Cretans are always liars, evil

beasts, slow-bellies'"," a wretched compound of falsehood, and

cruelty, and abominable sensuality.

�or were they merely impelled to these things by the im-

petuosity of their own passions ; for, whilst they had internal con-

victions of the impiety of this conduct, they deliberately approved

and honoured those who were most addicted to it.]

From hence it appears how inexcusable they were,

and how justly sentenced to eternal condemnation —

[Had

" ver. 19. 20. ¦= Acts xvii. 28, 29.

¦* Comp. ver. 23. with Isai. xliv, f) — 20. *¦ Acts xiv. 16, IT-

f ver. 20. « ver. 26, 27. '' ver. 28.

' ver. 29—31. " Tit.i, 12. '

14 ROMA�S, I. 20, 21. [904.

[Had they been able to plead ignorance, they would have

had some kind of excuse : but they could not do this : for

" they did really know God ;" but " did not choose to retain

him in their knowledge :" and so far were they from having

this plea to extenuate their crimes, that the light which they

resisted constitvites the heaviest aggravation of their guilt :

" This is their condemnation, that they loved darkness rather

than light, because their deeds were evil '." Again, if they

could not plead ignorance, neither could they plead necessity ;

for they were under no necessity to dishonour God in this

way, either from without or from within. They were per-

fectly free agents in all that they did : and though they could

not, nor can any Child of man, fulfil all the Divine will, or of

themselves do any thing spiritually good, yet they might have

abstained from much which they did amiss, and done much

which they neglected to do : and therefore they are justly

chargeable with all the guilt that they contracted ; and are as

reprehensible before God for not using the powers which

they possessed, as they would have been, if those powers had

been ever so enlarged.

All that has been spoken in reference to the Heathen in

former days, is still applicable to them at this time. The

notices of a Deity may be much more obscured in the minds

of some than of others ; and the criminality of all must be esti-

mated in some measure according to the peculiar circum-

stances under which they live : but, inasmuch as all violate

the law that is in their own minds, and neglect to improve the

advantages they enjoy, they all are obnoxious to the charge

contained in our text, and are therefore " without excuse."]

But, that we may bring this matter home to our-

selves, let us consider,

n. How much more inexcusable we are, if we re-

semble them —

We have opportunities of knowing God, far beyond

any that the Heathen ever enjoyed—

[Even in reading the book of creation, we, by means of

our superior advantages, are enabled to see much that was hid

from them, or, at least, to discover with incomparably greater

clearness the unity and perfections of God, which they could

but faintly and doubtingly discern. But we have a revela-

tion, wherein God has proclaimed his own name, " The Lord,

the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suftering, and

abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,

forgiving iniquity, trangression, and sin ; and that will by no

means

' John iii. 19, •

904.] LOST STAtE OF THE GE�TILE WOULD. l5

means clear the guilty ' '." We have also a yet clearer revela-

tion of God in the person of his own Son, who is " the imao-e

of the invisible God""," " the brightness of his Father's glory,

and the express image of his person"." �or is it from ivords

only that we discover his excellency, but from actions also.

We behold our God incarnate : we behold his glory veiled,

so that, without being blinded with the overwhelming splendor

of his majesty, we may contemplate him, and familiarize our-

selves, as it were, with his adorable perfections. In this

especially the most ignorant amongst us excels all the greatest

philosophers of Greece and Rome ; we behold the attribute of

mercy ; we can tell how that may be exercised in perfect con-

sistency with ;//.>7/ce : we can tell how God can be "just, and

yet the justifier of the ungodly"." In a word, all the wonders

of redeeming love are set before us in terms so plain, that

" he who runs may read them."]

But how have we improved these advantages ?

[Have we glorified God as God, or his blessed Son as the

one hope of a rubied world P Alas ! alas ! if we take a survey

of our own spirit and conduct through life, we shall find, that

there has been but little difference between us and Heathens.

Consider our defects. — " We have not glorified God as God,

neither been thankfvd." What might justly have been ex-

pected of persons privileged as we have been ? Might it not

have been reasonably hoped that persons redeemed from

death and hell by the blood of God's only dear Son should

have been incessantly pouring out their souls in grateful adora-

tions, and dedicating to his service their every faculty, and every

instant of their time ? Methinks, it should have been a work of

pain and self-denial to devote so much as a thought to any

other subject, especially to any subject unconnected with this.

But have our hearts been thus exercised ? Has it been thus

our delight to anticipate the employment of heaven ? Or

rather, have not the wonders of redemption had far less in-

fluence on our minds than the things of time and sense ? Yea,

have they not for the most part been passed by, as though

they were only " a cunningly devised fable," wherein we had

no interest 1

Consider also our errors. — We have not, it is true, trans-

formed our God into an idol : but we have had scarcely more

worthy conceptions of him than if he had been an idol. In

theory we have ascribed to him the different perfections of his

nature ; but in practice we have denied them all — his omni-

science, his holiness, his justice, and his truth, by vainly ima-

gining, either that he did not behold, or would not punish, our

iniquities. We, as he himself tells us, have " thought him to

be

" Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. " Col. i. 15. " Htb. i, 3.

' Rom. iii. 26. & iv. 5.

16 ROMA�S, I. 20, 21. [904.

be even such an one as ourselves :" whilst exalting in

our minds his- attribute of mercy, we have, in fact, divested

him of all that belongs to him as the Governor of the Uni-

verse : A God all mercy, is a God unjust.

Consider yet further our excesses. — These, as to the overt

act, do not proceed to such extremes, as were common am^ong

the Gentiles : but the abominations that we do commit, suffi-

ciently shew, that we are not restrained by any regard to

God, so much as by public laws and popular opinion. Chris-

tianity having elevated the general tone of morals, those

hideous crimes which were but too frequent among the Gen-

tiles are scarcely so much as thought of amongst us : but, in

all that we can do consistently with the laws of society, we

are not a whit superior to the Heathen themselves. What

juster picture could the Apostle have drawn, if he had intend-

ed to describe, what is improperly called, the Christian world ?

Take us as a people, and say, Whether we are not " filled

with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetous-

ness, maliciousness ; yea, whether we be not full of envy, mur-

der, debate, deceit, malignity ; whether we be not whisperers,

backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, in-

ventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without under-

.standing, covenant-breakers, implacable, vnnnerciful p : and

say particularly, whether, notwithstanding we know the evil

of such things, we do not both practice tliem ourselves, and

choose for our friends and companions those who are guilty

of the like practices ? Who, I would ask, are the favourites

with the world ? the godly, and they who are conformed to

the Saviour's image ? �o : but the ungodly, who by their

conduct and example sanction all the corruptions of the human

heart 1.]

How mexcusable then must we be !

[Verily, " the men of �inevah will rise up in judgment

against us ;" yea, the Gentiles also, throughout the universe,

will condemn us, because of the extent to which we have

imitated their evils, and abused our infinitely superior ad-

vantages. " The Gospel which we enjoy, if it prevail not

with us to put away our sins, and to walk as Christ walked,"

will only prove to us " a savour of death" to our more aggravated

and heavier condemnation"". If Christ had not come and

spoken unto us, we had not had sin : but now we have no

cloke for our sin^]

See then,

I. How thankful we should be for the Gospel of

Christ!

[Doubtless

p ver. 29—31. •« ver, 32. ' 2 Cor. ii. 16.

' John XV. 22,

W4.] LOST STATE OF THE GE�TILE WCRLD. 1/

fDoiibtless one reason why the world was left without a

Saviour for four thousand years, was, that the world might

see how little they could do to restore themselves to the tavour

and image of God. At no period were the powers of human

intellect carried to a greater extent, than at the tune ot our

Saviour's advent: but what did philosophy effect? Avliat

did it eflect even amongst those who most exalted it ^ ^o-

thincr to any good purpose. The poets and philosophers

themselves were as much addicted to sin, as the vulgar, whom

they looked down upon with contempt : and, if it were not tor

the lifrht of the Gospel, we should be as much immersed in

sensuality as they. Let this be borne in mind, that whether

born in a Christian or a Heathen land, we are all by nature

equally corrupt and helpless; and all need a Saviour, the one

as much as the other. To us a Saviour is revealed, and pre-

cisely such an one as we stand in need of. O let us then bless

our God for the revelation of his grace : let us be thankful

that we see what many prophets and kings desired to see,

but desired it in vain : and let Christ, who is the sum and sub-

stance of the Gospel, be truly "precious" to all our souls.]

2. What effect our superior advantages should

produce upon us —

[We should aspire after the highest possible attainments,

in love and gratitude, in purity and holiness. We should aim

at "glorifying God as God," and Christ as Christ. Let us

then contemplate Christ in all his offices, as our Prophet, as

our Priest, as our King. Let us not be contented with a

theoretical or superficial survey of his character, but let us

search into it, and ruminate upon it, and get our souls suitably

impressed with it. Let us get such views of him, as shall ren-

der us insensible to all created excellency ; as a man who looks

at the meridian sun is blinded to all inferior objects. Let us

in these holy exercises seek to obtain a conformity to his

iniacre; agreeably to what the Apostle has said, " We be-

hoklin^ his olory are changed into the same image from glory

to <Tlo?y, even as by the Spirit of the Lord^" Let no mea-

sure of resemblance to him ever satisfy us ; no eftorts m his

service ever content us. Let us, even if we have attained an

Apostolic measure of zeal and holiness, " forget it all, ard

reach forward" to higher attainments". Let our trust in him

be simple ; our fellowship with him intimate ; our confidence

in him assured ; our expectation from him large ; our devo-

tion to him ardent ; our obedience uniform ; our surrender of

ourselves to him entire, and unreserved. Let us live for him,

and " walk worthy of him ;" so that he may be glorified yea,

and "be magnified in us" also, both in hfe and death \ J

' 2 Cor. iii. 18. " Phil. iii. 13, U. " Phil- i- -'0.

1. MY TOPICAL I�DEX OF 40 THOUSA�D SERMO�S

http://www.scribd.com/doc/213026970/My-Topical-Index-of-Scribd-

Uploads

2. 68 FREE BOOKS

http://www.scribd.com/doc/21800308/Free-Christian-Books

3. ALL WRITI�GS

http://www.scribd.com/glennpease/documents?page=1000