Heaven taken by storm - Watson - VII - Chapter 13

Required reading
Heaven taken by storm by Thomas Watson (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 13 (Arrows of reproof to those not offering violence).

My summary
This week Watson reproves those who are not taking heaven by storm.

Watson rebukes the:
(i) slothful;
(ii) formalist;
(iii) violent in a bad sense;
(iv) one who forsakes violence;
(vi) one who delays till old age
(v) scoffer;
(vi) ignorant;
(vii) profane.

What grabbed me
It is incredible that people would die rather than reform:

'The profane, who hate to be admonished, and had rather die than reform. Amos v. 10. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate. These keep off heaven by force. -- Such were those, Acts xiii. 46. Seeing you put away the word from you. The Greek word may be rendered, seeing you shrug it away with your shoulders. As if a sick man should bolt out the physician lest he should cure him. Job xxi. 14. Who say unto the Almighty, depart from us God is loathe to be gone; he woos and beseeches sinners to accept his terms of mercy; he is loth to be gone, but sinners will have him gone; they say to him depart. May not we say to these, quis effascinavit? who hath bewitched you?

What madness beyond hyperbole is this, that you should not only forsake mercy, but fight against it; as if there were danger in going to Heaven. These who put away salvation from them, are felo de se, they do wilfully perish; they would not hear of anything that should save them. Were it not be a sad epitaph if a man had written upon his tomb-stone, here lies one that murdered himself? This is the condition of desperate sinners; they keep off Heaven by force; they are self murderers. Therefore God writes their epitaph upon their grave, Hosea xiii. 9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself.'

The fact that some embrace death and judgement demonstrates how warped the human heart can become.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 14 (Examining whether we are offering violence) and Chapter 15 (Objections against offering violence).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.