Isaiah 57:20-21

DISCOURSE: 991
NO PEACE TO THE WICKED

Isaiah 57:20. The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

WE need not wait till a future life in order to discern the difference between the righteous and the wicked: it is plainly discoverable now in their conduct; nor is it less so in the inward frame of their minds. To a superficial observer indeed the wicked may seem to have the advantage; they being light and gay, while the righteous are often weary and heavy-laden: but God, who sees through the veil of outward appearances, affirms the very reverse of this to be true. We shall,

I. Confirm this divine assertion—

There certainly is a kind of peace which the wicked may, and do, possess—
[By the “wicked” we are not necessarily to understand, those who are vicious and profane; but all persons who are not devoted to God in the habitual exercise of righteousness and true holiness. And when it is said that such persons have “no peace,” we must not imagine that they have no comfort or satisfaction in earthly enjoyments; for they are full of life and spirit; they shake off what they call melancholy; they banish all thoughts of God, and indulge in conviviality and mirth [Note: Isaiah 5:11.]; and, as far as animal gratifications can conduce to happiness, they are happy. Neither must we suppose them wholly destitute of what they mistake for peace: they often persuade themselves of the safety of their state, and in a very confident manner assert their relation to God as his children [Note: John 8:39; John 8:41.]. Having fixed the standard of duty according to their own mind; and finding that, for the most part, they attain to what they deem a sufficient measure of religion, they “speak peace unto themselves, when alas! there is no peace [Note: Jeremiah 6:14.]” —]

But of the peace of the gospel they are wholly ignorant—
[The peace, which our Lord gives to his faithful followers, and which he emphatically calls his peace [Note: John 14:27.], is very different from any thing which an unregenerate man has ever experienced. It consists in a well-grounded hope of acceptance through Christ;” and in “the testimony of our conscience” that we are walking agreeably to his mind and will. This peace is not a blind persuasion contrary to all the declarations of God’s word, but an humble confidence founded upon the sacred oracles, and a joyful expectation that God will fulfil his gracious promises. Now such a peace as this, the wicked never feel: they do not seek it; they would not even accept it upon God’s terms, because they would not submit to have their conduct regulated by his holy law: indeed they account the experience of it to be the height of enthusiasm, and suppose that they who profess to have attained it are actuated by pride, and blinded by delusion. Can it then be any wonder that such persons should never enjoy this peace themselves?]

The truth of this assertion will more clearly appear while we,

II.

Shew the grounds and reasons of it—

We need not look further than the text to find ample materials for confirming the declaration before us: for it asserts that the wicked are in a state absolutely incompatible with true peace. “Like the troubled sea they can never rest” by reason of,

1. Depraved appetites—

[However eminent for piety men may be, it is certain they will find much occasion for sorrow on account of their inward depravity: but they strive to mortify their lusts; they resist them in their first rise; and pray to God for strength to subdue them: whereas the wicked, however moral they may outwardly appear, encourage the growth of their vile affections: instead of repressing inward impurity, they enjoy the company, they relish the conversation, they read the books, they frequent the amusements, which have a tendency to foster their corruptions; and, though from prudential considerations they impose a restraint on their actions, they will harbour evil thoughts without resistance and without remorse. The same may be said respecting their worldliness, their ambition, and every other evil appetite. As the Apostle says of the impure, that they have “eyes full of adultery, and that they cannot cease from sin,” so, whatever else be the predominant passion of their hearts, they cease not from the indulgence of it; but yield to it as far as they can consistently with the preservation of their character in the world. How then can they possess peace, whose hearts are so disturbed and defiled by their depraved affections? —]

2. Ungoverned tempers—

[There is indeed a wonderful difference in the natural tempers and dispositions of men, insomuch that one person, notwithstanding his real piety, shall have much to conflict with, while another shall feel comparatively but little temptation to transgress. Still however, the righteous will have peace, because they labour to bring their minds into subjection to Christ, and apply to the blood of Christ fur pardon under every renewed failure; but the wicked have not peace, because they neither cry to the Lord to pardon their evil tempers, nor pray to him for grace to subdue them. Whatever be their besetting sin, they will fall into it as soon as ever a temptation occurs. Is it pride? they will be inflamed at the smallest insult or opposition; and, like Haman, feel no comfort in life, because they are not treated with all the reverence they think due to them [Note: Esther 5:9; Esther 5:12.]. Is it envy? they cannot endure to behold the success of a rival; but, like Saul, would be glad to hear that he were brought down, or even that he were dead [Note: 1 Samuel 18:6; 1 Samuel 19:1.]. Is it covetousness? they shall have no enjoyment of all that they possess, because they have sustained a loss, or been, like Ahab, disappointed in their hopes of attaining something whereon their heart was set [Note: 1 Kings 21:1.]. Is it malice and revenge? they shall sometimes be so inflamed by the very sight of their enemy, or even by the recollection of the injury they have sustained, that their very blood shall boil within them, and their rest day and night depart from them. Now what room is there for peace in a bosom that is subject to such continual agitation; and which, like the sea, not only is disturbed by every wind, but the instant it is moved, “casts up nothing but mire and dirt?” —]

3. An evil conscience—

[Much as they strive to shake off reflection about a future state, they cannot wholly dissipate their fears: in the midst of all their boasted confidence they have some secret misgivings: and if a sickness, which they expect to be fatal, come upon them, they cannot help wishing that their life had been differently spent, and that they might be spared to obtain a better preparation for their appearance before God. Sometimes indeed they do hold fast their delusions to the last, and “God gives them over to believe a lie:” but, for the most part, they both live under the accusations of a guilty conscience, and die under an awful suspense, a dreadful uncertainty about their eternal state. If at any time their minds be awakened to a sense of their true condition, they will tremble, like Belshazzar, when he saw the writing on the wall [Note: Daniel 5:5.], or, like Felix. when Paul reasoned with him about righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come [Note: Acts 24:25.]. Is it possible that peace should consist with such a state as this? Or need we any thing more to confirm the testimony of God respecting them, That they have no peace? —]

This subject cannot fail of suggesting to us,
1.

The bitterness of sin—

[Men live in sin under the idea that it will make them happy; but though they “roll it as a sweet morsel under their tongue, it proves the very gall of asps within them [Note: Job 20:12.].” It is that which robs us of all solid peace: it is that which renders us altogether incapable of peace, as long as it retains an ascendant over us. We may appeal to the consciences of all who are indulging sin, whether in heart or act. Have you peace? Do you know what it is to have “the love of God shed abroad in your hearts;” to have “the witness of his Spirit” testifying of your adoption into his family; and to look forward with pleasure to your appearance at his tribunal? We are sure that no unregenerate man whatever can answer in the affirmative. And why can he not? is it not on account of sin, sin indulged, sin unrepented of? See, then, brethren, what an accursed thing sin is, which robs you of all that is truly valuable; of pence in life, and hope in death, and happiness in eternity. And will you yet harbour it in your hearts? O flee from it as from the face of a serpent; and let it be the one labour of your lives to mortify and subdue it—]

2. The excellency of the Gospel—

[Fatal as sin has proved to the present and everlasting welfare of thousands, the gospel offers a full and sufficient remedy. The words before the text are quoted by an inspired apostle in proof that Jesus is our peace, and that having made reconciliation for us through the blood of his cross, he preaches peace to them that are afar off, and to them that are near [Note: ver. 19. with Ephesians 2:13.]. Blessed be God, there is efficacy in the blood of Jesus to heal the wounds which sin has made: if it be sprinkled on our hearts by faith, it will purge us from an evil conscience, and speak peace to our souls [Note: Hebrews 10:22; Hebrews 12:24.]. Apply but that remedy, and you snail soon feel its transcendent worth and efficacy. “May the Lord of peace himself” reveal to you his truth, and “give you peace always by all means [Note: 2 Thessalonians 3:16.].” May you be so “justified by faith as to have peace with God;” and may that “peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus [Note: Philippians 4:7.]” —]