Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 6 · Lecture 90
Lecture XC. On Psalme 51.6. May 27. 1628.
IT followeth now that we proceed unto the application of the point, which is the fourth thing I propounded in the method. And surely there is no Doctrine hath more force to encourage us to the service and obedience of God then this hath. The application I will make of it shall be 1 unto them thar refuse to serve God and to be religious; 2 unto such as doe serve God and are religious indeed.
Applic. 1And in my speech to the former I will shew you, 1. That there be in the world yea in the Church of God, very many that doe so, doe refuse to bee Gods servants. 2. Why and upon what pretence they doe so, their folly in it, and that they have no just cause so to doe. 3. The dangerous estate, that they are in that do so.
For the first, I know well that all men (in the Church especially and among us) will say they are Gods servants. Are we not all Christians? Doe we not all professe the true religion? Doe they not come to Church, and say their prayers, and receive the Sacrament? Alas, many that doe so have as heathenish hearts, as any are to be found among the Turks or savage Indians. I grant the Lord hath in his Church a great number that serve him as retemers, and will be content (for their owne advantage) to weare his cloth, and to wait on him now and then. But they will not live in his house, nor bee his meniall servants. There belongeth more to the proving of one to be the servant of God, then this to say hee is his servant, and to weare his livery. Hee that is Gods servant indeed, must 1 Depend upon him and put his trust in him. As the eyes of servants looke to the hands of their masters (saith the Psalmist, Psal. 123.2.) so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, untill hee have mercy upon us. 2. He must doe him service, and daily service, he must doe what he commandeth him. Thus doth the Apostle describe a Christian servant even to an earthly master, 1 Tim. 6.1. Servants as under the yoke. Every servant is under a yoke, he may not doe what he listeth… And so is Gods servant described he must not onelyonly professe, but practise religion. This is the protestation of Gods servants, Iosh. 24.24. The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will wee obey. And certainely God hath but a few such servants, even in his Church. He hath many reteiners, but very few houshold servants; many professours at large, but few that will endure his yoke, the power and practise of religion. They professe they know God: (saith the Apostle, Tit. 1.16.) but in their workes they denie him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good reprobate. When it commeth to matter of practise and obedience then they renounce him, and say with those, Luk. 19 14. We will not have this man to reigne over us, As if they had said; any rather then him.
A strange and fearefull thing it is to be spoken, and yet not so strange and fearefull as true; as bad a master as the Divell is, men had much rather serve him, then the Lord. See the truth of this in three points.
First, The Divell (we know) hath many more followers and servants, then the Lord hath; and may in that respect boast against the Lord (as Papists doe against us) that universality and multitude is on his side. He is the prince of this world as our Saviour calleth him, Iohn 14.30. And the way that leadeth to destrution is abroad way, (Matth. 7.13.) and many there be that walke in it; he can want no servants. Whereas (on the other side) and Lord hath but a few to serve him. He is faine to take one of a city, and two of a tribe, as he speaketh, Ier. 3.14. His way, the way that leadeth unto life (Matth. 7.14.) is narrow, and but a few goe that way.
Secondly, All the services that Satan imployeth his servants in, all the worke that hee hath for them to doe (besides the hard reckoning that hee will make with them for it when the day of payment shall come) is for the present full of vexation of spirit, the worke and service it selfe is no better then most toilsome and base drudgery. That covetousnesse is so you may see in Ahab, 1 King. 21.4, 5. and that filthy lust is so you may see in Ammon, 2 Sam. 13.2. and that beastly drunkennesse is so you may see, Pro. 23.29. And the like I might shew you, of many other of the workes that this master imployeth his servants in. O what paines men are content to take in his service? How they toile and moile in it? They weary themselves to commit iniquity as the Prophet speaketh, Ier. 9.5. And yet though this be so Satan can have servants enough. On the other side the places and workes wherein the Lord imployeth all his servants, are honorable services, and full of freedome and liberty. That as it is said of Solomon, 1 King. 9.2… Of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen; So may it more truly be said of the Lord, he useth none of his servants as bond-men, they are all his freemen as the Apostle calleth them, 1 Cor. 7.22. He imployeth them in no drudgery not base services, but taketh them neare unto himselfe, to wait upon his owne person. In which respect they are called, Psal. 148.14. A people neare unto him. Nay he useth them as friends rather then as servants. Henceforth (saith our Saviour, Iohn 15.15.) I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what the Lord doth, but I have called you friends. Though this be so I say, yet can the Lord get nothing so many servants, no not in his Church, and among those that call themselves Christians, as Satan hath. Nay surely most men doe with all their endeavour shunne his service, and blesse themselves from it; they abhore it as if it were the greatest bondage in the world, to be truly religious, to bee the servant of God. Israel would none of mee, saith the Lord, Psalme 81.11. Of all masters they would none of him. Men had rather doe any drudgery in the service of Satan, and serve him as bondslaves, then to be the Lords freemen, and serve him in the most honourable place he can imploy them in.
Thirdly and lastly, The service that men doe to Satan though it be never so toilesome a drudgery, yet they doe it willingly and cheerefully, it is no trouble to them; The lusts of your father ye will doe, saith our Saviour, Iohn 8.44. But the service that most men doe unto God, is most irksome unto them, they had rather doe any labour in the world then that. You that feare God have oft I doubt not met with such servants as would be content to take any paines, to doe any drudgery you can put them to, so as they be not urged to serve God, to come to prayers, to be catechised, to give account of the Sermons they heare, to be kept in on the Sabbath; and certainely this is the disposition not of poore servants onelyonly but of the most men to the service of God; as the Lord complaineth, Mal. 1.13. Ye said also, what a wearinesse is this? What a toilesome thing this service of God, this practise of religion is?
Now let us consider what should be the cause of this that men even such as call themselves Christians, should thus shun and abhorre the service of God, that it should be so odious a thing to be religious (which is the second thing I propounded to speake of) and we shall find (whatsoever they pretend) they have no just cause at all to doe so. Certainely there is an evill report a slaunder raised and received in the world of the service of God (as once there was of the land of promise, Numb. 13.32.) that doth discourage men from entering into it. See how God expostulateth with Israel about this, Mic. 6.3. O my people, what have I done unto thee? (how have I used thee, tha thou shouldst thus complaine of my service?) and wherein have I wearied thee? Testifie against me. He wondereth what should be the cause, why men thinke so hardly of him and of his service. It is good for us to enquire a little, upon what grounds this should rise. Six of the principall of them, which I have observed I will mention unto you. But the first five of them I will onelyonly name, and insist only a little upon the last, which doth concerne the point, that I am to make application of.
The first of them is this, They see few goe that way. And they thinke it an absurd thing, that none should be saved but those few. Are there few that bee saved? saith one to Christ, Luk. 13.23. As if he had said, It were strange if no more should be saved, but those few that follow thee and receive thy doctrine. Men see that the most of their neighbours whom they live amongst, though they be not religious, yet they are good honest men and such as they doubt not shall be saved; and if themselves should be more religious then they, they should be among their neighbours as an owle among the birds, and they would be neighbour like, they cannot abide to bee singular. This tentation did (for a time) discourage Eliah himselfe, 1 Kings 19.14. I, even I onelyonly am left.
Secondly, Another is, that they see nothing would make them so odious in the world, as to be accounted religious. Concerning this sect, (say they with the Iewes, Acts 28.21.) we know that every where it is spoken against. To bee accounted a thiefe, a drunkard, a papist, or any thing will not make a man so odious to many as to be counted a Puritan.
A third is that they that are conscionably religious are much subject to trouble in one kind or other; Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Iesus, shall suffer persecution, saith the Apostle, 2 Tim. 3.12. On the other side they see that they that are not so religious as themselves, live quietly and prosper in the world This is a shrewd tentation, and for a while troubled the Prophet himselfe, Psalme 73.5. They are not in trouble, as the other are; and verse 12. Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world, and increase in riches
A fourth is, the blemishes they discerne in them that professe religion; at this many stumble. Wo be to the world because of offences, saith our Saviour, Matth. 18.7.
A fift cause of it is this, that the service of God and the practise of religion is spirituall, and therefore such as the naturall man cannot savour, but counteth it a most foolish and ridiculous thing. The naturall man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, (saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 2.14.) for they are foolishnesse unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Any will-worship or superstition hee can much more easily brooke and like of though it bee never so painefull (such as the Apostle speaketh of, Col. 2.23. such as popish confession, and penance, and fastings, and pilgrimage) then of the true service of God; for that is agreeable to nature, and but bodily, but this is spirituall and in that respect not sutable to the fleshly and corrupt nature of man.
But the sixt ground of this hard conceit men have of the service of God is this, that it is an hard service, and requireth more of men then flesh and bloud is able to doe. They cry out of many a duty, that God in his Word requireth of his servants, as the Iewes did of one of Christs doctrines, Iohn 6.60. This is an hard saying, who can heare it? And of the faithfull Ministers of God, as if we were like the task-masters of Egypt, Exod. 1.11. that afflict men with the burdens we lay upon them. Or like the Pharisees of whom wee read, Matth. 23.4. that they bound heavie burdens, and grievous to be borne, and laid them upon mens shoulders; And of whom Peter saith, Acts 15.10. that they put a yoke upon the Disciples necks, which neither they nor their fathers were ever able to beare. Of us they exclaime principally, and say that we by our strictnesse and precisenesse make the service and religion of God, more burdensome to men then ever God himselfe made it. Let us breake their bands asunder (say those, Psalme 2.2, 3. who did indeed set themselves against Christ, though they pretended onelyonly to mislike his ministers) and cast away their cords from us. And certainely this conceit men have of God, and of his service, as if hee were the hardest master; and his service and religion the greatest bondage and slavery in the world, such a yoke as no man is able to beare. Wee cannot bee religious, but wee must bee abridged of all liberty in our mirth, and recreations, and good fellowship. Wee must spend the Sabbath in religious duties, wee must spend so much time in hearing, wee must pray so oft at Church, and in our families, and in secret too; and many such like things wee must doe; yea all this must bee done, with our whole heart, or else all is to no purpose; yea wee must bee so mortified, wee must crucifie that flesh with the affections and lusts. Galat. 5.24. And who can doe all this? Wee know there bee some that professe, and pretend they doe all this; but certainely they are all hypocrites that pretend this, it is impossible for flesh and bloud to doe so indeed. These are the conceits that men have of Gods service; they thinke the life of a Christian the most uncomfortable life, and the service of God, the greatest bondage and drudgery in the world. But (alas beloved) this is but a false slander that is cast upon the wayes and service of God. And wee must say of it, as our Saviour doth of the tares that were sowed in Gods field. Matth 13.28. The enemy hath done this. The devill hath raised this slaunder, and suggested it into the minds of men, to terrifie them from Gods service by it. There is no truth in it at all. For though indeed wee must goe under the yoke if wee will bee his servants, and obey his commandements; wee may not be allowed to live as we list; yet if wee can once humble our selves to beare this yoke of Christ, wee shall never have cause to complaine of the hardnesse or uneasinesse of it, Take my yoke upon you (saith our Saviour, Matth. 11.29, 30. even to the humbled sinner who was like the bruised reed, who was already weary and heavy laden, and therefore unable to beare any heavy burden, or to weare a yoke that would pinch and gall him; even to this man saith Christ, take my yoke upon thee, feare it not) for my yoke is easie, and my burden light? If this yoke doe pinch or gall any man, the fault is not in the yoke, but in himselfe, because hee taketh it not upon him, but like an untamed and unruly bullocke, strugleth with it, and is unwilling to beare it. If any of Christs burdens seeme intollerable to any man, the fault is not in the burden, but in himselfe, hee hath some bile or corrupt sore upon him, that maketh him unable to beare the lightest burden, that can bee laid upon him. And thus speaketh the Apostle Iohn also of all Christs burdens and commandements, 1 Iohn 5.3. This is the love of God that we keepe his commandements (if wee bee his servants, and beare any love to him, wee must indeed keepe his commandements) but his commandements are not grievous, it is no bondage to bee tyed to keepe them. In which respect also the Apostle calleth it the law of liberty, Iames 1.25. It is the greatest freedome and liberty in the world to bee obedient unto God. Certainely no man hath just cause to complaine of the hardnesse of Gods service, nor to bee afraid of it. There is no life under heaven so pleasant as the life of Gods servant; there is no service in the world so easie and comfortable, as the service of God is. If men obey and serve him (saith Elihu, Iob 36.11.) they shall spend their dayes in prosperity, and their yeares in pleasure.
This I know will seeme to many of you a strange paradox; but if you will marke well what I shall say, I will make it evident that it is so, and that in three respects.