Lectures Upon John 4, Part 5 · Lecture 14
Lecture the foureteenth, May 30. 1609.
IT followeth, that we proceed to the second of those foure points, we obserued in these words. The sinne he discouers to her, was a secret sinne, vnknowne to all men. For though it were well enough knowne to her selfe, both that she liued in fornication, and that fornication was a sinne, yet may it well appeare, that she had the reputation of an honest woman, among her neighbours, and consequently, that her sinne was vnknowne to them. For, 1. VponUpon her motion, they came forth vntounto him, as vntounto the Messiah, vers. 30. 2. Yea, many of them belieued in him, for the report that this woman gaue of him, vers. 39. and from hence we learne,
That the Lord is priuy to all the sins of men, and able to lay them open, and Doct. 2.charge them with them, how secretly soeuer they hauehave been committed. Who knowes not this, may you say vntounto me? Or what needs any proofe of a thing that is so plaine and euident? Surely there is no man will seeme to make doubt of this, and yet it appeares euidently by the liues of men, that there be very few that belieue it indeed. But there is this secret Atheisme lurking in the hearts of all, more or lesse, that they either fancy to themselues such a god, as the Epicure did, that sits idle in the heauens, and knowes not, or regards not what is done here below; or at least are not fully perswaded of this, or neuer think seriously of it, that God seeth & heareth them. The Prophets make this secret Atheisme the root of all other sins that men commit, neither were they Heathen and Infidels whom they thus charged, but such as liued in the Church of God, Psal. 10. 11. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten, he hideth his face, he will neuer see it: Ezek. 9. 9. The land is full of bloud, and the City full of peruersnesse, for they say, the Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not. We hauehave all of vsus therefore need to be confirmed in this truth by the Word of God, whereby faith onelyonly is wrought in the hearts of men. Obserue therefore the proofe of this Doctrine in sixe points.
1. There is neuer a one of vsus, but the Lord knowes vsus perfectly, what we are, and what we hauehave beene, There is not any creature (saith the Apostle, Heb. 4. 13.) that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of him with whom we hauehave to do. There is nothing that euer any of vsus did, but the Lord is priuy to it, Psal. 119. 168. For all my wayes are before thee.
2. We neuer vttered any word, but the Lord is priuy to it, 2. King. 6. 12. The Prophet could tell what the King of Aram spake in his priuy chamber. Ps. …39. 4. There is not a word in my tongue, but loe thou knowest it wholly O Lord.
3. We neuer had euill thought in our heart, but the Lord is priuy to it, Iob 42. 4. I know (saith Iob) thou canst do all things, and that there is no thought hid from thee.
4. Yea, such of our actions, and words, and thoughts, as hauehave been most secret, most closely, and cunningly caried, those are not hid from him, but those chiefly, he hath an eye vntounto. The Lord is therefore called oft by Christ, Our Father which seeth in secret, Mat. 6. 4. 6. 18. Psal. 90. 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, and our secret sinnes in the light of thy countenance (saith Moses) When Elihu had said, Iob 34. 21. His eyes are vponupon the wayes of man, and he seeth all his goings, he adds vers. 22. there is no darknesse nor shadow of death, that the workers of iniquity may be hid therein.
5. He doth not carelesly cast his eyes vponupon that we doe, but obserues and markes diligently the things we doe, yea, he ponders and considers whence it proceeds, and whereunto it tends: Psalme 11 4. The Lords Throne is in heauen, his eyes will consider, his eye-lids will try the children of men. Prouerb. 5. 21. The wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his paths. Therefore Prouerbs 24. 12. the Lord is called, He that pondereth the hearts. The Prophet could tell Gehezi, not onelyonly what he had gotten of Naaman, but also to what vse he meant to imploy it, 2. Kings 5. 26. Went not mine heart with thee when the man turned againe from his Chariot to meet thee? Is this a time to take money, and to receiue garments, and oliues, and vineyards, and sheepe, and oxen, and men-seruants, and maid-seruants? Had Gehezi receiued oliues, &c? No, but Elisha in the Spirit, set his heart vponupon that Gehezi did, and considered his intent was to raise and make himselfe great by that money he got so.
6. He so obserues vsus, and all our wayes, as he can neuer forget them. Therefore he is said, to write them in a booke. Esa. 65. 6. Behold, it is written before me, and I will render and recompence it into their bosome. And (as men do their chiefe euidences, which they are most carefull to keepe) he is said to lay vp these records in store with him, and to keepe them, sealed vp amongst his treasures, Deut. 32. 34.
The reason why this must needs be so, the Lord must needs be priuy to all the sinnes, euen the most secret sinnes of men, are two.Reason.
1. Because he is present eueryevery where. This reason is giuen, Ier. 23. 24. When he had said in the beginning of the Verse, Can any one hide himselfe in 1.the secret places that I shall not see him? he adds, do not I fill heauen and earth, saith the Lord. Psal. 139 7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or whither shall I flie from thy presence? Acts 17. 27. Doubtlesse he is not farre from eueryevery one of vsus: for, in him we liue, and moue, and hauehave our being.
2. Because he is the Iudge of the whole World, and is to iudge eueryevery man righteously, according to his workes: God shall bring eueryevery worke into 2.iudgement (saith the Holy Ghost, Eccl. 12. 14.) with eueryevery secret thing whether it be good, or whether it be euill. For though he shall not want witnesses at that day, yet it is necessary himselfe should hauehave perfect knowledge of all the actions of men, Esa. 11. 3. He shall not reproue after the hearing of the eares. Therefore Dauid Psal. 94. confuting the Atheisme of the wicked that said, verse 9. The Lord shall not see, vseth (among other) this argument to conuince them, ver. 10. He that chastiseth the Nations, shall not be correct; be that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
The vse of this Doctrine is double. 1. This Doctrine (if the Lord will be Vse.pleased to perswade our hearts to belieue it) is most effectuall, both to moue our hearts to speedy repentance for sinnes past, and to restraine vsus from sinne in time to come. The thing that most emboldeneth to sinne, is the hope of secrecy, as we may see, Gen. 39. 11. It is said of Iosephs Mistresse, that he comming into the house, when there was no body within but they two, verse 12. Therefore she caught him by the garment, &c. True it is, that there be many that are growne to that impudency, that they dare speake or doe any thing whosoeuer be by. They declare their sinnes as Sodome, Esay 3. 9. Such a one was Absolon, 2. Sam. 16. 22. Hee went in to his fathers Concubines in the sight of all Israel. Such a one was the vniust Iudge, Luke 18. 2. who neither feared God, nor regarded man. Yea, that will the rather, sweare and speake filthily, when such are by, as they know they may grieue by it; as counting it a disgrace, to be restrained by the presence and reuerence of any man: but these are farre gone, these sinne supernaturally; these are in a fit of frenzie and madnesse, company and mirth hath made them madd, and desperate, as indeed it will doe, Eccles. 2. 2. For naturally, and for the most part, the knowledge of men will 1. Restraine them from sinning; and 2. Will worke shame and trouble of mind in them, when they hauehave sinned. There are many sinnes that men would neuer commit, but that they hope, to keepe them secret: the presence of a godly man would restraine them; yea, the presence of a little childe would restraine them. Darkenesse and hope of secrecy, is the principall encourager of men vntounto most sinnes; they cannot sinne securely, vnlesse they may sinne in secret. And in this respect (amongst others) all sinnes are called the workes of darkenesse, Ephes. 5. 11. Therefore Iob speaking of sundry kinds of sinners, saith, Iob 24. 13. These are they that abhorre the light, verse 15. The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, and saith, none eye shall see me, and disguiseth his face, and verse 17. If one know them, they are in the terrours of death. Now, if the knowledge and priuitie that men hauehave of our sinnes bee of such force: how much more would the knowledge the Lord hath of them doe it, if men were fully perswaded of it. For, 1. A man may oft sinne so secretly, that no man shall know of it; but he hath the Lords eye vponupon him at all times; though no man seeth him, God seeth him: Yea, hee knowes all our waies, perfectly obserues them, and takes notice of them, so as he can neuer forget them. 2. No man can possibly dislike, or abhorre vsus so much for any sinne, as the Lord doth: Iob 10. 4. Hast thou carnall eyes, or dost thou see as man seeth? Hab. 1. 12. Thou art of pure eyes, and canst not see euill, thou canst not behold wickednesse. 3. The more cunning any shall vse in concealing his sin, and keeping it secret, the more the Lord abhorrs him for it. Thus is Achans sin aggrauated. Ioshua 7. 11. They hauehave euen taken of the accursed thing, and hauehave also stollen and dissembled also. And so is the sin of Israel, 2. King. 17. 9. The children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God. 4 As he seeth and disliketh all our sins, so he certainely will one day charge vsus with them, either in this life to our saluation, (as to this woman here) by the ministery of his word, as he did that poore man that was before ignorant and vnbelieuing, 1. Cor. 14. 24, 25. which is indeed the naturall property of the word to do, it is a discerner (and discouerer) of the thoughts and intents of the hart, as the Apostle speaketh, Heb. …. 12. or in the life to come to our confusion, as he threatneth wicked men that he will doe, at one time or other I will reprooue thee, and set thy sins in order before thine eyes saith the Lord, Psal. 51. …1. and Eccl. 11, 9. Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to iudgement. 5. He will also bring the secretest sins of men to light one day, and lay them open euen to men, Pro 10. 9 He that peruerteth his way shall be knowne, 1. Tim. 5. 25. They that are otherwise cannot be hid. He doth oft in this life discouer Hypocrites (by giuing them vp to the committing of open sins) Psal. 125 5. Such as turne aside vntounto their crooked wayes, the Lord will leade them forth with the workers of iniquity. But this shall chiefly be done in the great day of the Lord, then will the Lord lighten all things that are now hid in darkenesse, and make the counsailes of the hearts manifest, 1. Cor. 4. 5. This is the reason our Sauiour vseth, to disswade men from hypocrisie, Luke 12. 1, …. For there is nothing couered, that shall not be reuealed, neither hid, that shall not be knowne. The conclusion then of this first Vse is, that we would not flatter our selues in the secrecie of our sinnes, but seeke the pardon of them, and pray with the Prophet, Psal. 19. 12. Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Seeke to hauehave them blotted out of the Lords Booke of remembrance, that he may neuer charge vsus with them. And the way to obtaine that, is now in the time of grace, to lay them open before the Lord, and to charge our selues seriously with them, with penitent and humbled hearts, Pro. 28. 13. He that confesseth and for saketh his sins, shall finde mercy. For as he to whom sinne is forgiuen, shall be sure to hauehave his sinne couered and hidden with the Lord: Psalme 32. 1. So he that by remission and repentance hath them not blotted out, shall be sure to hauehave them laid open, and brought to light: and though they were committed in secret corners, they shall be published on the house toppe.
The second Vse of this Doctrine is to exhort vsus to nourish in our hearts continually, the perswasion of the Lords presence, and priuitie to all our 2.waies, to walke with him continually. It is that that God required of Abraham, Gen. 17. 1. and that is spoken to the praise of Enoch, Gen. 5 22. Enoch walked with God.
For, 1. This is the best meanes to purge the heart from hypocrisie, and make it vpright, Walke before mee, and bee thou perfect saith the Lord, Gen. 17. 1. And therefore vprightnesse of heart is thus described. It is said of Dauid, 1. King. 3. 6. Hee walked before God in truth, and in righteousnesse and in vprightnesse of heart; and of Hezekiah, Esay 38. 3. I hauehave walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart. That which made them so vpright and void of hypocrisie in all their waies, was this, that they did walke before God, and had him alwaies in their eye.
2. It will yeeld vnspeakeable comfort to the conscience, euen in affliction: This was Iobs comfort, behold my witnesse is in heauen (saith he, Iob 16. 19.) and my record is on high, and also Hezekiahs, Esay 38. 3.
The meanes to try whether we walke with God, and are perswaded of his presence is this. 1. When a man is the same alone and in company, when the sinne that I would not commit in the presence and knowledge of men, I forbeare to do it, when I am by my selfe alone, and hauehave opportunity to commit it safely and secretly. Thus Ioseph shewed that he walked with God: he durst not sin against God in that sinne that he was most strongly tempted vntounto, though he had opportunity to hauehave committed it secretly enough, Gen. 39. 9. 11. 2. When the good duties I vse to performe in open places, in the presence of others, I accustome my selfe to them in secret. This our Sauiour prescribeth, Matth. 6. 6. Thou when thou prayest (saith he) enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy dore, pray to thy Father which is in secret.