Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 6 · Lecture 78
Lecture LXXVIII. On Psalme 51.6. Ianuary 22. 1627.
The second property of true goodnesse, and righteousnesse.IT followeth now that wee proceed unto the second property that is necessarily required in true goodnesse and righteousnesse, it must have a good root. We must therefore know, that nothing that we can do is truly good and pleasing unto God, unlesse the inward principle, the root that produceth it, and moveth us to doe it, be good. We read of holy Iob. 9 28. that he comforteth himselfe against the censures of his friends that judged him to be an hypocrite by this that the root of the matter was found in him, he knew he had in him the root of true righteousnesse and goodnesse, and therefore he was no hypocrite, therefore his heart was upright. And on the other side in the parable of the sower, our Saviour giveth this for the reason, why the hearer that is resembled to the stony ground, fell quite away and so shewed himselfe to bee an hypocrite, and that his heart was never upright, Matth. 13.21. because hee had no root in himselfe. Now if you aske me what is this root of true righteousnesse and goodnesse, that a man must have in himselfe, or els his heart cannot be upright? I answer it is that, which the Apostle speaketh of, Gal. 5.6. In Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith that worketh by love. Faith that worketh by love, is that root from whence all true goodnesse and righteousnesse doth spring. Here are (you see) two graces grow together in this root, faith and love. 1. Nothing that we doe is truly good and pleasing unto God, neither will the doing of it argue the uprightnesse of our hearts, unlesse we doe it out of love to God. 2. The love that wee beare to God is not sound, nor such as will argue the uprightnesse of our hearts, unlesse it proceed from faith, that assureth us of Gods speciall love to us in Christ.
For the first, The love of God is the root of all true obedience, and that heart that truly loveth God, is certainely an upright and true heart. Two branches you see there are of this point which I will severally and distinctly consider of. 1. The love of God is the root of all true obedience. 2. The heart that truly loveth God, is an upright heart.
Branch 1First, Nothing that we do is good in Gods sight, unlesse we do it out of love unto him. This is the root of all true obedience. God hath chosen us (saith the Apostle, Ephes. 1.4.) in Christ, before the foundation of the world that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love. When our Saviour giveth the summe of all the foure commandements of the first table he giveth it us in these termes, Matth. 22.37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soule, and with all thy soule, and with all thy minde. Then onelyonly wee pray well, and and heare well, and preach well, and receive the Sacrament well, and keepe the Sabbath well, yea then onelyonly we put our trust in him aright and serve him aright, when we doe all this, out of love to the Lord our God. So for the duties of the second table then onelyonly we performe the duties of righteousnesse and love and mercy towards men aright, when the thing that moveth us to do them, is the love we beare unto God. So speaketh the Apostle of the workes of mercy, Heb. 6.10. God is not unrighteous to forget your worke, and labour of love, which you have shewed towards his name, in that yee have ministred to the Saints, and doe minister. It was their love to God that moved them to minister to the Saints; and such workes of mercy as proceed from that root God will never forget to reward. So speaketh the Apostle Iohn likewise, 1 Iohn 5.2. By this wee know wee love the children of God, when we love God Before we can love the children of God, wee must first love God, and for that cause love his children. In a word (to conclude the confirmation of this first branch) this is made the root of all obedience in generall, to any commandement of God, of all good workes, Deut. 7.9. He keepeth covenant, and mercy with them that love him, and keepe his commandements. First, We must love him, before we can keepe any of his commandements well. In which respect the Apostle, Rom. 13.10. calleth love the fulfilling of the law. Hee that hath not this love can keepe no part of Gods law well, he cannot fulfill it, he that hath it, keepeth the whole law yea fulfilleth it; keepeth it so as God in Christ accepteth of it, as if he had perfectly kept it.
Now before I passe from this branch,Object. an objection must here be answered. Is nothing well done unlesse it bee done, out of love to God? Is nothing well done, that is done out of feare of Gods judgements? If a man abstaine from sinne and performe good duties out of feare of wrath, even out of the feare of hell, will God in no case be pleased with this?
I answer,Answ. 1 First. Yes verily. The feare of Gods wrath, kept Iob from sundry sinnes. It kept him from uncleannesse. For hee professing, Iob 31.1. that he durst not give himselfe liberty in wanton looks, nor in wanton thoughts, he telleth us, verse 3. what moved him to it. Is not destruction (saith he) to the wicked, and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity? And professing, verse 21. that he durst not oppresse or wrong any poore man, hee giveth this for the reason whereby he was kept from it, verse 23. For destruction from God was a terrour to me (saith he) and by reason of his highnesse, I could not endure. As though he should say, I was not able to beare the wrath, and fury of that high and mighty God. And the Apostle speaking of Noahs obedience unto that strange commandement that God gave him to prepare the arke one hundred, and twenty yeares before the floud came (wherein doubtlesse hee made himselfe a scorne and laughing stocke, to all that knew him) telleth us, Heb. 11.7. that he was moved by feare to doe it. And the same Apostle professeth of himselfe, 2 Cor. 5.11. that he had not beene so diligent and conscionable in his ministery, as he was; if the feare of Gods wrath against all idle, and unconscionable, and unprofitable Ministers had not moved him unto it. Knowing (saith he) the terrours of the Lord, we perswade men. So that it is (certainly) lawfull and pleasing unto God, that we should both thinke oft of Gods wrath due to sinne, yea even of the torments prepared in hell for sinners, where the worme never dieth, and the fire never goeth out; and to abstaine and restraine our selves from evill, even out of that feare. Nay our Saviour commandeth us so to doe, Luke 12.5. Feare him, that after he hath killed, (and taken away your life) hath power to cast you into hell; yea, I say unto you, feare him.
But then I answer secondly,Answ. 2 That no godly man doth abstaine from sinne or doe good duties onelyonly out of this feare of Gods wrath, but out of the love hee beareth to God for his goodnesse, as well, nay more out of that, then out of the feare of his wrath. This is evident in the Apostle even in that very Chapter, 2 Cor. 5. wherein (as we have heard) he professed what force there was in the terrours of the Lord, to move him unto his duty, hee telleth us of this other motive, verse 14. and saith it was more forcible with him then feare. For the love of Christ constraineth us saith he. And of Noah it is said, Heb. …1.7. By faith he prepared an Arke. There is in the obedience of the godly, a holy mixture of feare and love. As their love to God is not a fellow-like familiarity, as is among equalls but is (out of an apprehension of his greatnes and holinesse, and justice) tempered with feare, and a dreadfull awe of him; so neither is that feare of God that is in them, a servile feare, like that of the slave, that hath nothing to move him unto duty but the feare of the whip, but is (out of an apprehension and assurance of his goodnesse) mixed with love. Like the feare that ought to be in every good child, towards his parents, Lev. 9.3. Yee shall feare every man his mother and his father. Yea the love they beare to God for his goodnesse, is the chiefe root of that feare they have of him; according to that, Hos. 3.5. They shall feare the Lord, and his goodnesse in the latter daies. The feare they have of God is not such a tormenting feare as wicked men have, but there is joy and comfort mixed with their feare. They rejoyce even in their trembling, as David speaketh, Psal. 2.11. Yea they have confidence in their feare, Psal. 56.3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. The feare of wicked men is like that of the souldiers that kept Christ Sepulcher when the Angell that rolled away the stone appeared unto them. For feare of him (saith the Text, Matth. 28.4.) the keepers did shake, and became as dead men; they had no comfort, no hope. But the feare of the godly is like that of the two Maryes of whom we read, verse 8. that when they had both seene the Angell and heard his glorious voice also they departed from the Sepulchre with feare and great joy. And thus have I finished the first branch of the Doctrine, and shewed you that we can do nothing well, we cannot please God in any thing we doe unlesse it proceed from the love we beare to God, unlesse it grow from that root, Cant. 1.4. The upright love thee.
Branch 2Now let us proceed unto the second branch, That the true love of God wheresoever it is, is an infallible signe of a true and upright heart. This you shall heare confirmed unto you by three sorts of proofes.
First, This is oft made in the Word a proper note and character of the elect, and upright hearted man, that he is such a one as loveth the Lord. Yea these two properties are made convertible termes; every good man, every upright hearted man loveth the Lord, Cant. 1.4. The upright love thee. And every one that loveth the Lord is a good man, a sound elect Christian, an upright hearted man. Let them that love thy name (all good men, all sound hearted men, saith David, Psal. 5.11.) be joyfull in thee. So Psal. 119.132. Looke thou upon me, and be mercifull unto me; as thou usest to doe to those that love thy name. If any man love God (saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 8.3.) the same is knowne of him. As if he had said, Whatsoever men may thinke of such, howsoever men may account many of such to be no better then hypocrites, yea howsoever they may oft times thinke so of themselves also, yet God approveth, and highly esteemeth of them.
Secondly, All Gods promises are appropriated unto such as love the Lord, and therfore all such must needs be upright in heart. See this first in heavenly and eternall blessings, Iames 1.12. He shall receive the crowne of li…, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him; and 2.5. Hath not God chosen the poore of this world, rich in faith and heires of the kingdome, which hee hath promised to them that love him? All that love the Lord shall goe to heaven and none but they. See this secondly in spirituall blessings. All the comforts of the Gospell (righteousnesse, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, the fatnesse of Gods house, comfort in the Word and Sacraments) are promised to them that love the Lord, and to none but them, 1 Cor. 2.9. Eye hath not seene, eare hath not heard, neither have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. See this thirdly in temporall blessings. Because he hath set his love upon me (saith the Lord, Psal. 91.14.) therefore will I deliver him. Rom. 8.28. We know that all things worke together for the good of such as love God. They that love God, may be sure to be made the better by their prosperity and by their adversity, by their sicknesse and by their health, everything that befalleth them shall be sanctified unto them; and to none but such. And on the other side he that loveth not the Lord, hath no right to any blessing of God, no promise of God belongeth unto him, but a certaine looking for of judgement, and fiery indignation, which shall devoure the adversaries, as the Apostle speaketh, Heb. 10.27. If any man love not the Lord Iesus (saith the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 16.22.) let him bee Anathema, Maranatha; as if hee had said, let him bee accursed even unto the comming of Christ to judgement.
Thirdly and lastly, See this confirmed by a practicall experiment. When Peter was so dejected in the sense of his fearefull sinne, that hee thought himselfe unworthy ever to be imployed or to meddle any more in the worke of his Apostleship and ministery; see how, and by what argument our Saviour seeketh to raise him, and comfort him, Iohn 21.15. Simon thou sonne of Ionas lovest thou me? As if he had said, If this bee in thee, be of good comfort thou art not quite fallen from God, thy heart is upright for all thy fall. And thus may we comfort any poore Christian, in their greatest distresse of Conscience. You see then that that we doe out of true love to God, will give us a comfortable testimony that our hearts are upright; so will not that doe, that is done meerely out of such a feare of Gods wrath, as hath no mixture of love in it. See an instance for this in those false hearted Iewes that perished in the wildernesse, as wee shall find it set downe, Psal. 78.34 36, 37. When he slew them (sometimes by fiery serpents, sometimes by strange pestilence and other judgements) then they sought him, and returned, and enquired early after God, They made great shewes of repentance, great protestations of amendment, as you have knowne many lewd men in extreame sicknesses doe. But what came all these shewes unto? That you shall find, verse 36, 37. They did but flatter him with their mouth, and they lied to him with their tongues, for their hearts were not right with him. There is no truth of heart in those shewes of repentance and goodnesse, that are extorted from us onelyonly by the judgements of God, and sense of his wrath, that grow out of that feare that hath no mixture of love in it.
Now let us make some application of this that we have heard.Applic. And seeing whatsoever good thing we doe out of love to God, is pleasing to him and nothing els; if we truly love the Lord our hearts are upright; if the love of God be not in us, there is no truth in our hearts, but we shall be sure to have our portion with hypocrites. Let us therefore try our owne hearts by this note. Let us every one of us seriously bethinke our selves, if the Lord should speake to every one of us particularly and by name, and aske us that question that he did Peter, Iohn 21.15. Simon thou sonne of Ionas lovest thou me? what answer wee would be able to make unto him. Certainely your answer to this question would be very indifferent. Some of you that have no love of God in you at all, but hate him in your hearts, would be ready to answer him most confidently; and some others of you that doe indeed intirely and unfeignedly love him, would make a very doubtfull and fearefull answer unto this question. Let mee direct my speech to you both severally and apart.
For the first of you, I know you will be ready to say, Is there any man so ungracious, so lewd that he doth not love the Lord, that he doth hate the Lord? Yes yes; alas there be many such in the world, and in the Church too. They hate the Lord not as he is their Creatour and preserver (for in those respects they will seeme to love him) but as he is a law-giver, and hath given them such lawes as do curbe them, and are most crosse and contrary to their nature, as he is their Soveraigne Lord and King, that requireth obedience of them unto those lawes; as he is God the avenger (as the Prophet calleth him, Psal. 94.1.) that will take vengeance of them, for their sinnes; in these respects they hate him. His Citizens hated him, (saith our Saviour in the Parable, Luke 19.14.) we will not have him to reigne over us. Yea they hate him with a mortall hatred, Their soule abhorred me, saith the Lord, Zach. 11.8. and wish with all their hearts as to their most mortall enemy (a fearefull thing to be spoken or thought) that he had no being, that he were quite rid out of the world. Many such wretches I say there be in the world and even in the Church too; and if thou knewest thy selfe well, thou wouldst find thy selfe to be of that wretched number. But though thou knowest not thy selfe, the Lord knoweth thee well, and will one day say to thee as he said to a great number, that were members of the true Church as thou art, professours of the true religion as thou art, Iohn 5.42. But I know you that ye have not the love of God in you. 1. If thou be a profane person and goest on in a course of sinne, thou canst not leave thy drinking, nor thy swearing, nor thy whoring, then the Holy Ghost pronounceth of thee, that thou lovest not God, thou hatest him, and art an enemy unto him, Psal. 68.21. God shall wound the head of his enemies (hath God any enemies? So it appeareth. Why who are they? That he telleth you in the next words) and the hairy scalpe of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses. 2. If thou be a superstitious person, and such a one as dotest upon any will worship that is of thine owne or of any other mans devising, whatsoever thou thinkest of thy selfe, then the Holy Ghost pronounceth of thee, that thou lovest not God, but thou hatest him in thy heart. For so the Lord speaketh of the transgressours of the second commandement, Exod. 20.5. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third, and fourth generation of them that hate me. 3. Nay if thou be but a meere naturall man unregenerated, unconverted, there is no love of God in thee, but thou hatest him in thy heart. For so saith our Saviour, Iohn 15.18. of the whole world, of all men in their naturall estate, Yee know that the world hated me, before it hated you. And verse 23. He that hateth me, hateth my father also. Neither is this the state of the reprobate in the world onelyonly, but even of Gods elect also, while they are of the world before they be regenerated, they cannot love the Lord, but hate him in their hearts. This is plaine by that promise God maketh to his elect, Deut. 30.6. The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. Till God circumcise our hearts, and take away the hard fore-skin that is upon them, we can never love the Lord with all our heart, that is, unfeignedly. And the Apostle speaking to the elect Colosians putteth them in mind of this, Col. 1.21. You were sometimes alienated, and enemies in your mindes. As if he had said, you were not onelyonly void of the love of God, but you were quite alienated from him, and enemies in your mind, you hated him in your hearts.
Six evident demonstrations there be that may convince every naturall man that there is no true love of God in his heart. First, He loveth not God because he loveth other things more then God. For so speaketh the spirit of God expressely, 1 Iohn 2.15. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. Secondly, He loveth not God, because he doth not desire to enjoy him, to be where he is, to have any communion with him neither in heaven, nor in the assembly of his Saints, and use of his ordinances. For this hath beene the voice of such as have loved God, 2 Cor. 5.8. We are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. And Psal. 42.1, 2. As the hart panteth after the water brookes, so panteth my soule after thee ô God; my soule thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appeare before God? And 26.8. Lord I have loved the habitation of thy houses, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. And can he then have any love to God that cannot abide to thinke of death, that if he might have his will, would never go to God? Can he have any love to God that careth not how seldome he commeth to Gods Sanctuary, where (of all places in the world) the Lord sheweth himselfe to be present with his people, in the most gracious and comfortable manner. Thirdly, He loveth not God, because hee hath no delight to doe that that might please him, nor feareth to doe that that he knoweth will offend, and displease and dishonour him. The carnall mind is enmity against God, (saith the Apostle, Rom. 8.7.) For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. He that hath my commandements and keepeth them (saith our Saviour, Ioh. 14.21.) is he that loveth me, and none but he. Fourthly, He loveth not God because when he knoweth he hath offended him, and lost his favour, hee is not troubled with it, nor seeketh (in any good earnest) to be reconciled to him againe. I love them that love me (saith the Lord, Pro. 8.17. But how shall that be knowne? That he telleth you in the next words) and those that seeke me early shall find me. As if he had said, Those that love me, will seeke peace with me when they have offended me, yea they will doe it early, they cannot rest, they cannot sleepe, till they have made their peace with me; and thus will I shew my love to them againe, I will be found of them, I will be easie to be intreated by them. Fiftly, They love not God, because they love not them that feare God. Every one that loveth him that begat (saith the Apostle, 1 John 5.1.) loveth him also that is begotten of him. Nay there is a certaine signe they hate God, because they beare a mortall hatred to all such as in whom they see any life or power of religion, for that cause onelyonly because they beare the image of God, they reproach them, nickname them, slander them, use them with all the despite they can. He that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked, saith Solomon, Pro. 29.27. Like the Leopard, and Tiger of whom we read that they doe so hate man that they will expresse their hatred, to the very picture of a man, wheresoever they see it. Sixtly and lastly, They love not God, because they have no assurance of his love to them in Christ, and of the forgivenesse of their sinnes. We love him: (saith the Apostle, 1 Iohn 4.19.) because he loved us first. And it is no more possible there should be any true love in the heart of man towards God till then; then it is possible there should bee, heate in the pavement before the sunne in his strength, have showne upon it.
Now then to conclude this first part of my application; let no man bee too confident that he loveth the Lord, but let every one examine himselfe by these sixe arguments; and if thou find by them (as I dare say many of you may) that there is no love of God in thee but that thou bearest in thy breast such a canckered and malicious heart against God; 1 Bewaile thine estate; 2 Thinke not so well of thy selfe as thou hast done; but loath, and abhorre thy selfe for it; 3 Admire the patience and goodnesse of God towards thee; 4 Let this drive thee to Christ who is our onelyonly peace (as the Apostle calleth him, Ephes. 2.14) and who by his crosse hath slaine the enmity that was betweene God and us, as hee saith, verse 16. 5 Let This patience and bountifullnesse of his move thee to turne to him; and cry to him that is the God of love, 2 Cor. 13.11. that by that blessed spirit of his which is the spirit of love, 2 Tim. 1.7. hee would give thee an heart to love him; And if thou canst seeke to him this way, thou hast no cause to despaire, For he that commandeth us, Matth. 5.44, 45. Love your enemies, blesse them that curse you, &c. will (doubtlesse) love thee if in truth of heart thou desire to love him.