Lectures Upon John 4, Part 15 · Lecture 66
Lecture the sixty sixth. September 18. 1610. IOHN IIII. XXXVI—XXXVIII.
THe Vse that the people of God, that are hearers of the Word, are to make of the former Doctrine, is this, That seeing there ought to be no emulation among the faithfull Ministers of Christ, but (how great inequality soeuer there be in their gifts, or in the fruit of their labours, or how great difference soeuer there be among them in iudgement, yet) they ought all to louelove and esteeme one of another. That therefore the people of God ought to esteeme and reuerence all Gods faithfull Ministers, heare all, reioyce in all, praise God for all, notwithstanding any diuersity of gifts, or difference in iudgement, that they may discerne among them. That as it is made a note of a mans sincerity, in the louelove of the Saints, when he loueth all the Saints, Ephes. 1. 15. Colos. 1. 4. Philem 5. because it is euident, such a one loueth a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, not in any carnall respect, Matth. 10. 41. so this is a note of a mans sincerity, in his louelove to Gods Ministers, when he loueth all Gods Ministers; because this sheweth he loueth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet, and not in any carnall respect, Matth. 10 41. True it is, that Christians may acknowledge a difference in the gifts of Teachers, and preferre one before another; yea, they should seeke to hauehave iudgement, that they may be able to doe it. It is Pauls prayer for the Philippians, Philip. 1. 9, 10. This I pray, that your louelove may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all iudgement, that yee may discerne the things that excell. Yea, they may desire to enioy the benefit of the best gifts, to heare him that hath the best gifts. The speech of the Apostle is generall, not to the Ministers onelyonly, but to the people in the Church of Corinth, 1. Corinthians 12. 31. Desire, euen with zeale and holy emulation, the best gifts. And the rule which you should follow, in discerning who hath the best and excellentest gifts, is this: As in generall, all men ought to esteeme that the best gift, whereby the Church is most edified; it is the Apostles reason, 1. Cor. 14. 4. He that prophesieth, is greater than he that speaketh with strange tongues, because he edifieth the Church more: So in particular, eueryevery man is bound to be most thankefull to God for, and esteeme best of that Ministry, whereby himselfe hath receiued most good. By this reason, Paul challengeth respect and reuerence among the Corinthians, aboue other Teachers, 1 Cor. 4. 15. Though yee hauehave ten thousand instructers in Christ, yee hauehave not many fathers. Thou hast cause to say, He is a good Preacher, by whom thou findest thou hast profited in knowledge and grace, whatsoeuer other men think of him. Thou maist say, as 1. Cor. 9. 2. If he be not a good Preacher vntounto others, yet doubtlesse, he is vntounto me. And indeed, he onelyonly is able truely to commend a Preacher, that can shew …e hath profited and receiued good by his Ministry; when not his tongue onelyonly, but his life commendeth his Teacher: when the knowledge, faith, and sanctification thou hast receiued by his Ministry commends him, then thou commendest him well. 2. Cor. 3. 2. Ye are our Epistle of recommendation written in our hearts, (that is, wherein we doe inwardly and heartily reioyce) which is vnderstood and read of all men. 2. Yea, more than that, eueryevery Christian should desire to heare such, to liue vnderunder such a Ministry, as he may profit by. It should not content a man, that the Ministry he liueth vnderunder, is a preaching Ministry, vnlesse it be such a one, as he may profit by; such a one, as if he be but a babe in Christ, can giuegive him milke, speake to his capacity, teach him plainely and familiarly; and such a one, as if he be past a childe, growne to further ripenesse, is able to giuegive him stronger meate. It is noted for a property of the ordinance of God, that it is able to build further, to goe forward with Gods building, Acts 20. 32. And Gods people should desire the sincere milke of the Word, that they might grow thereby, 1. Pet. 2. 2. Many Christians (doubtlesse) are too indifferent in this point; they respect not this in the Ministry they liue vnderunder; though it be such as they cannot profit by, they care not, they grieue not, they seeke not further, they make Gods seruice nothing but a matter of formality and indifferency. And this indifference in the people, maketh many Ministers more idle and carelesse, in stirring vp Gods gifts in themselues, than otherwise they would be.
But though the people may acknowledge a difference in the gifts of Teachers, and ought not to rest in any Ministry they cannot profit by, yet are they not to despise any. Many hearers offend much, in a partiall and factious estimation they hauehave the Ministers of the Gospell in. And this partiality I finde ariseth from two grounds:
1. The respect they hauehave to difference of iudgement, that is among vsus in smaller matters (such as I spake of the last day) for in this respect, there be many that affect such onelyonly as are of their owne mindes, with the dislike of all others, that are of another iudgement. One sort hauehave this preiudice against them that dislike the ceremonies, that for that very cause they despise them, refuse to heare them, speake all euill of them, whatsoeuer their gifts, or doctrine, or life be. Another sort conceiue such a dislike against them that are conformable, as they will not acknowledge, nor make vse of the excellent gifts God hath bestowed vponupon such, onelyonly for this cause.
2. The second ground of this partiality, is the respect they hauehave to the great difference of gifts that is among Preachers; and in respect of this, there be many that will heare, and follow, and admire some teachers, whom they iudge to be of excellent gifts, but despise and contemne all others.
This factious disposition in the hearers of Gods Word, hath in all ages beene the cause of much confusion in the Church of God, and greatly hindred the fruit of the Gospell of Christ. So when Paul complaineth, 1. Cor. 1. 11. that hee heard, there were contentions among them; he giueth this for the cause, Verse 12. EueryEvery one of you saith, I am Pauls, and I am Apollos, and I am Cephas. q. d. EueryEvery one maketh choice to himselfe of some one Preacher, whom he doth admire and follow, with contempt of all other; and how can it chuse then but there must needs be contentions among you? and 1. Cor. 4. 6. he forbiddeth them to swell one against another, for any mans cause. Christians grew very bitter, and swelled one against another in the quarrell of their teachers, because one would esteeme and admire the teacher he affected, another his, with the disparagement and disgrace of all others. And whereas they in whom this humour reigneth, are wont to glory, as if they had more iudgement, and could discerne better of gifts than others (Alas poore people, that esteeme so highly of such a mans gifts (say they) if they had any iudgement and vnderstanding, they would count him no body) the Apostle telleth vsus, it is quite contrary, and that this argueth rather, that they had very little iudgement or grace in them; yea this made them vncapable of profit by the word; while they were of this minde, they could not profit by it, 1. Cor. 3. 1. I could not speake vntounto you as vntounto spirituall, but as vntounto carnall men, euen as vntounto babes in Christ: and vers. 4. for when one saith I am Pauls, and another, I am Apollos, are yee not carnall?
I will therefore giuegive you some remedies out of Gods Word, against this humour, some reasons to disswade Christians from this partiality in iudging and affecting of their teachers. Of that former, which riseth from the respect they hauehave to our difference in iudgement about discipline and ceremonies, I will say nothing now, but referre you to that I spake of this matter the last day. For if these differences should cause no breach of louelove, or alienation of affections betweene vsus that are Ministers, (as I shewed you then at large) then much lesse may they giuegive iust occasion to Gods people, to dislike or despise any able and faithfull Minister.
I will therefore come to the second, and giuegive you some Reasons, why the difference and inequality of our gifts, should not cause you to dislike any, in whom you discerne any measure of gifts and faithfulnesse; but you ought to esteeme and reuerence all, be willing to heare all, reioyce in all, praise God for all.
First, there may be great difference of gifts in Ministers, without any inequality at all, for which the one should be preferred before the other. You may heare many teachers, and obserue a difference in all their gifts, and yet not be able iustly to say which of them all hath the best gift, because eueryevery one of them excelleth in his kinde. God giueth his gifts to his Church in a maruellous great variety, insomuch as you shall scarsly heare any two Preachers, but you may obserue some difference in their gifts. 1. Cor. 12. 4. There are diuersities of gifts (saith the Apostle) but the same spirit. If any man hauehave receiued a gift (saith Peter) let him minister the same one to another; that is, imploy it, put it forth, as good disposers of the manifold grace of God. The grace of God this way, is very manifold and diuerse. Iohn Baptist had a very powerfull gift to terrifie secure and obstinate sinners. Luke 1. 17. He came in the spirit and power of Elias. Our Sauiour on the other side had a very milde gift, Matth. 12. 20. He would not hauehave broken the bruisedreede, nor quenched the smoking flaxe. The tendrest and weakest conscience might hauehave heard him without feare. No one man hath all gifts that belong to the Ministrie; but he that excelleth other men most in s…me gifts, hath other of his fellow-seruants, that match and excell him in other gifts. Among the twelue Apostles, it is very likely that Peter in some gifts did excell the rest, and that was one cause, among others, why Christ did in speciall giuegive to him the charge of feeding his lambes, Iohn 21. 15. And yet for a powerfull gift in reproouing sinne and denouncing Gods iudgements, Iames and Iohn excelled him, and were therefore surnamed by Christ, Bonarges, sonnes of thunder, Mar. 3. 17. Which also may seeme to bee the cause why Herod and the Iewes raged most against Iames, Acts 12. 2. Paul had many excellent gifts, both for knowledge, 1. Cor. 11. 6. and for vtterance too (though hee spake so of himselfe in the former place, according to that conceit the Corinthians had of him) Acts 14. 11. The people at Lystra called him Mercury, because hee was the chiefe speaker; hee had a better vtterance than Barnabas: and yet in a gift to comfort those that were afflicted in minde, it may seeme Barnabas excelled him, who had therefore that name giuen him by the Apostles. Hee was called of the Apostles Barnabas, which is by interpretation, the sonne of consolation, Acts 4. 36. And in respect of this gift we reade of him, Acts 11. 24. hee was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith.
So to one God hath giuen an excellent gift for interpretation of the Scripture, and to breed and increase knowledge in men; to another an excellent gift for application, and to breede conscience and good affections in men. This is the Apostles meaning, when he saith, 1. Cor. 12. 8. To one is giuen by the spirit the Word of wisedome (this is the Pastours gift) and to another the word or vtterance of knowledge by the same spirit, that is, the Teachers Spirit.
And if you obserue this, you shall finde, that though some one may hauehave some more of these gifts than another (as some are very good both at teaching and exhortation) yet no one man hath all gifts, nay none hath many in the like measure and degree. Many ascribe this diuersity of mens gifts to the difference of their education, or industrie, and thinke if such and such were as good schollers, or would study and take paines as much as others, they might teach as well as such a one doth, and exhort as well as such a one. And indeed much is to be ascribed to studie and diligence in this case; for God vseth now to giuegive his gifts by such meanes, giuegive attendance to reading saith the Apostle, 1. Tim. 4. 13. But this is not all; but this diuersity of gifts commeth of Gods free disposition, so as though we were all equall in learning, and equall in diligence, yet would there be diuersity in our gifts. This is that which the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 12. 11. All these things worketh the selfe same spirit, distributing to eueryevery man seuerally as hee will. Yea this maketh greatly for the glory of God and the benefit of his Church, that the Lord hath thus dispensed his gifts, that he hath giuen so great variety of gifts to his seruants, and not giuen all to any one man. For first, this doth much magnifie the largesse and bounty of God, and the riches of his mercy toward his Church, Christ in his great triumph ouer Sathan and all the enemies of our saluation, when hee ascended vp on high, and led captiuity captiue, gaue gifts vntounto men in this great variety. To some he gaue the gifts fit for Apostles, to some for Prophets, to some for Euangelists, to some for Pastours, to some for Teachers, Ephes. 48 11. Secondly, this was necessary in respect of the seuerall dispositions of Gods people: for as it is with the bodies of men, all like not the same meate, and therefore God in his goodnesse hath prouided such variety of his creatures to serue eueryevery appetite. So for some this mans gift is fittest, others will profit more by anothers gift; yea the same man may for knowledge profit best by one mans gift, for memory by ano thers, for conscience and affections by a third man, Iohn had one gift meete for the disposition of some kinde of men, and our Sauiour a very diuerse gift from his, yet more meete for the disposition of some kinde of men, Matth. 11. 17—19. Thirdly, the Lord hath done this for the increase of louelove and vnity among his seruants, that we might see the need we hauehave one of another, euen of eueryevery one of Gods seruants, and so might louelove and esteeme of all accordingly, 1. Cor. 12. 21. The eye cannot say to the hand, I hauehave no neede of thee, nor the head againe to the feete, I hauehave no neeede of you.
So that to conclude this first reason, If Christians were as they should be, it would be a great benefit to them to heare (if it were possible) all Gods seruants. It was so to the first and Primitiue Church of Ierusalem, when all the Apostles and sundry other worthy men did exercise their Ministry at Ierusalem, the faithfull did greatly profit in knowledge and grace by the great variety of Gods gifts in his seruants, as it appeares by many testimonies the Holy Ghost giueth of them, Acts 2. 42—46. and 4. 32—37. We might see iust cause (if the fault were not in our selues) to praise God for his great bounty, in bestowing such plenty and variety of his gifts, and we might also receiue good by eueryevery one, whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas all are yours, 1. Cor. 3. 22.
But this that God hath giuen for so great a benefit, most men (through their corruption) hauehave turned to a great mischiefe. It were a great benefit to some, if they neuer had heard any but their own Pastours; for by hearing men of other gifts which they better affect, they grow to a loathing of the gifts of their own Pastour and of all other men; but this shall doubtlesse tend to their further condemnation, if they profit not but receiue hurt by this great variety of gifts God hath bestowed vponupon his seruants, as is plaine by that exprobration our Sauiour vseth against the Iewes that profited neither by Iohns ministry nor by his, Luke 7. 31—35.
Secondly, euen where there is apparant inequalitie of gifts to be discerned, yet no one should be so admired, as that others should be despised. For first, a man may be a faithfull Minister, sent, and approued of God, and yet his gift farre inferiour to other of his fellow-seruants: euen he that receiued but two talents, and gained but other two with them, had the commendation of a faithfull seruant, as well as he that receiued fiue and gained fiue, Matth. 25. 22, 23. Secondly, the Word of God should be esteemed, and receiued not for his sake that bringeth it, but for his sake that sendeth it, euen the Scribes and Pharisees so long as they sate in Moses chaire, and taught nothing but the Doctrine of Moses, were to be respected in that which they taught though they were most wicked men, Matth. 23 2, 3. And the contempt that is done to the Ministry of the meanest whom Christ sendeth, is done to him, Hee that receiueth whomsoeuer I send receiueth me, Ioh. 13. 20. and he that despiseth him despiseth Christ, Luk. 10. 16. Thirdly, thou maist profit by him that hath the least gift, if the fault be not in thy selfe, EueryEvery gift that the meanest of Gods seruants hath, is giuen him for the profit of the Church, 1. Cor. 12. 7. Yee may all prophecy one by one, that all may learne and all may bee comforted, 1. Cor. 14. 31. for thy profit dependeth not so much on the gifts of the teacher, as on Gods blessing, it is God that giueth the increase, 1. Cor. 3. 7. and who can tell whose Ministry he will blesse most? the winde bloweth where it listeth, Iohn 3. 8. And he oft worketh most mightily by the weakest meanes, my strength is made perfect in weaknesse, saith he, 2. Cor. 12. 9. And that which is said of the workes of mercy, Eccl. 11. 6. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the euening withhold not thine hand, for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that; may fitly be alluded to in this case, heare one of Gods seruants as well as another, at one time as well as at another, for thou knowest not whose Ministry it is, what Sermon it is that God will please to worke most within thy heart, and make most effectuall to doe thee good.