Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 2 · Lecture 23
Lecture XXIII. On Psalme 51.1, 2. Aprill. 25. 1626.
THe fourth and last thing wee are to observe for our imitation in the example of the Lords goodnesse, and bountifulnesse, which the Scripture propoundeth for our patterne, in giving to such as stand in neede of us, is this.
That the Lord is not only good and bountifull to them that are in misery, but to all his creatures, to all men especially. Psal. 119.68. Thou art good, and dost good. 1. Pet. 2.3. The Lord is gracious. Psal. 145.9. The Lord is good to all. Wee can looke no way, but wee shall see monuments of his goodnesse and bounty. Psalm. 33.5. The earth is full of the goodnesse of the Lord. And this is noted of our Saviour, that hee sought not himselfe, but in every place where hee came did good. Acts 10.38. Hee went about doing good. Though hee had many in his time that were most lewd men, and did well deserve it, yet did he never shew his power in the destroying or hurting of any man, but all his miracles still tended to the good, and benefite of all men, as himselfe answereth his Disciples, when they would have provoked him to command fire to come downe from heaven to consume the Village that refused to lodge him. Luke 9.…6. The son of man is not come to destroy mens lives, but to save them. And in this is he also propounded by the holy Ghost, as an example to us, Phil. 2.4, …. Looke not every man on his owne things, but every man on the things of others also; As if he had said, Labour to doe good to others, Let this minde bee in you, which also was in Christ Iesus. And Rom. 15.2, 3. Let every one of us please his neighbour, for his good unto edification; for even Christ pleased not himselfe, sought not himselfe. In this property, all Gods children doe strive to resemble their heavenly Father. They are not onelyonly harmelesse, peaceable, and quiet men, such as will not wrong, nor wrangle, nor hurt any that they live with. In which respect, David called them, Psalme 35.20. The quiet of the land. And this Hamor, and Shechem, witnessed of Iacob, & his family, that while they lived among them though contrary in religion to them, yet they lived peaceably with them. Gen. 34.21. Esa. 11.9. They shall not hurt and destroy in all my holy mountaine. But they that are Gods children in deed, and not in shew, and profession only, will strive to be profitable, and to doe good to the places they live in, and the more good they doe, the liker they are to their heavenly Father. That which God saith of Abraham, Genesis 12.2. Thou shalt bee a blessing; belongeth to all the true children of Abraham, they are a blessing to the places they live in. Not onelyonly 1. by their prayers; as Elias was to Israel, Iames 5.18. At whose prayer, the heavens gave raine, and the earth brought forth her fruit. And Amos, likewise, Amos 7.3, 6. The Lord repented for this (at his prayer) It shall not bee, saith the Lord. 2. Not onelyonly because the Lord for their sakes useth to doe good to the places where they live, Gene. 39.5. The Lord bessed the Aegyptians house for Iosephs sake. But even 3. In this respect also, because they seeke, and endeavour to doe good to them with whom they live; and that not in spirituall things only, but even in the things of this life; yea he doth this diligently, Prov. 11.27. He diligently seeketh good. A good Christian is not onelyonly Bonus vir, a good man, but Bonus civis, a good Common-wealths-man, a good Townes-man also. It is said to the commendation of Mordecai, Esd. 10.3▪ that he was accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people. This gained him love, and honour, in the hearts of all the people, he sought the publike good. And of Iehojada it is said, he was greatly honored after his death for this. 2. Chron. 24.16. Because he had done good in Israel. Object.But you will say these were publike persons, and great men, it became them well to be such.Answ. I answer, it is true, they were so, and indeed of such men this is chiefly required. For the thing that God aimed at, in advancing of any, was only this; that they might be Patres patriae, do more good to the Countrey & places where they live, then men in meaner degree can doe. Rom. 13 4. He is the minister of God to thee for good. and verse 6. For this cause pay you tribute also; for they are Gods ministers. And surely this is the onelyonly thing that will gaine true honour, and esteeme, and authority unto Gentlemen, and great men, in the hearts of all that know them, not their birth, nor their lands, nor their offices, nor their power, but their goodnesse, I meane the readinesse that is in them to doe good to the places where they live, Luk 32.25. The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them, and they that exercise authority upon them, are called benefactors. foreign This was it that gained them such authority in the hearts, even of Gentiles, that they sought not themselves in these great places, but the good of the people. But this belongeth not to publike persons, and great men only; the poorest Christian that is, must not live to himselfe alone, but strive to bee profitable, and to doe good to them he liveth with. See the commandement of God for this, Galat. 6.10. As wee have opportunity, let us doe good unto all men. A notable direction wee have for this, Ieremy 29.7. Seeke the peace of the city, whether I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it. For in the peace therof, shall ye have peace. Though that City were a most wicked place, yet (seeing God by his providence, had brought them to dwell there) they were bound, not only to pray for it, but to seeke the good of it, the Wealth, and Peace, and Prosperity of it by all meanes. Such as truly feare God, will not bee backward in any worke that tendeth to the publike good of the place they live in. Titus 3.14. Let ours also learne to maintaine good workes for necessary uses, that they bee not unfruitfull.
Applic.Now if wee apply this, that wee have heard of this last point, that hath beene observed for our imitation in the goodnesse, and bounty of the Lord, wee shall finde there are very many, that are so unlike to our heavenly Father, in this point, that wee have no cause to judge them to bee his children.
First. The Papists, who are notoriously knowne, to be so farre from seeking the peace and prosperity of their country, that they have for many yeares uncessantly sought the utter ruine, and subversion of it, and the betraying of it into the hands of strangers, yea, such strangers as are the worst nation, Ezek. 7.24. most bloudy enemies. And this is not the fault so much of the men that professe popery, this is the fault of the religion it selfe. Their chiefe teachers, the Iesuites, (the common incendiaries of the world) teach them, they ought to doe so, they shall merit heaven by doing so. Certainly this religion cannot be of God, nor they that professe it. And was there ever such a religion before in the world as this is? Other heresies, and religions there have bin (perhaps) that were as pernicious to the soules of men as Popery; that is, of the Gnosticks, and Arrians of old, of the Anabaptists, and Antitrinitarians of late; But a religion so pernicious to states, and Common-wealths, as popery is, was there never heard of in all the world. They have another father mentioned, Iohn 8 44. Ye are of your father the devill, and the lusts of your father ye will doe, he was a murtherer from the beginning. He whose name is in Hebrew, Abaddon, and in Greeke, Apollyon, the destroyer mentioned, Rev. 9.11. is the father of that religion, that teacheth men to practise the ruine and destruction of their owne countrey. Three things they pretend for all their practises against the state and Kingdome. 1. The wrongs and oppressions they endure among us. But to this I say; admit all their clamors, and complaints of this were most true; yet can this make it lawfull for them to doe as they do? The true ancient Catholike, and Apostolike faith, teacheth men thus, Rom. 12.19. Avenge not your selves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay saith Lord. And Mat. 5.44. I say unto you, love your enemies, blesse them that curse you, doe good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you. And can this then be any other religion then Antichrists, that teacheth them to revenge themselves, yea, to revenge themselves as cursed Haman did, Est. 3.6. But 2. they pretend zeale for Christ, and his religion in this, we are not onelyonly their enemies, but we are enemies to Christ, and his religion, they say; and therefore it were a meritorious deed, to destroy us all. So did Iames and Iohn, when they would have had fire to come downe from heaven, to consume those Samaritans, Lu. 9.54. But did Christ approve of that zeale? Looke the next verse 55. He turned and rebuked them for this zeale, yee know not what manner spirit ye are of. So may we say to these men, certainly this is not the spirit of Christ which descended upon him in a bodily shape like a Dove, Luke 3.22. this is not the spirit of Iesus the Saviour of the World (whose name your hypocriticall teachers will needs beare) this is the spirit of Apollyon the destroyer, that teacheth men to doe so. 3. They pretend the wickednesse of our nation, and of our religion also. Admit our religion were as bad as they can imagine, Noveltie, heresie, Idolatry, Calvino-turcism, as they blasphemously terme it; Admit that in our Land they were oppressed, persecuted, kept in extreame bondage, & servitude; Yet 1. our religion cannot be so bad as that was in Babylon; 2. nor the oppression be so great, which they indure in our Land, as those which Gods people indured in Babylon. 3. Our Land is their native Country, wherein they and their ancestours were borne and bred, & wherein they have (many of them) attained to great wealth, and state, the meanest to many more comforts then ever Gods people did in Babylon, that strange land, that land of miserable bondage, and captivity. And yet Gods people might not, nay durst not conspire the destruction of Babylon, or the betraying of it to a forraine enemy, but were bound to seeke by all meanes the peace, and prosperity of it, and to pray to God for it, as you have heard out of Ieremy. 19.7.
Three things there bee that move mee to insist so much upon this point. 1. To instruct you how to deale with such friends of yours as are addicted to Popery. I know well that that prophecy is now fulfilled which you read, Rev. 17.2. the Whore of Babilon hath made the inhabitants of the earth drunke with the wine of her fornication. It is vaine thing to reason with, or seeke to perswade drunken men. But surely if there be any of your friends that have not yet drunke so deepe of that cup, that they have lost their wits, this will be as likely an argument to perswade them that that religion cannot be of God, as any you can use unto them. 2. To confirme your selves in the dislike, and detestation of Popery, and that we may with comfort resist even unto bloud striving against this sinfull, this bloudy religion, Heb. 12.4. 3. To warne you of the great danger we, and our nation do continually live in, that have among us so mighty a generation of these vipers, that so we may be made more carefull to make sure our peace with God, and to cry instantly unto him as David doth, Psal. 3.7, 8. Arise O Lord, save me O my God, salvation belongeth unto the Lord; thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
The second sort of those that declare themselves not to be the children of our heavenly father, are such as are so farre from doing good in the places where they live, that they are the undoers of men, usurers, extortioners, decayers of townes, and depopulatours of them; Of whom it may be said as Esa. 59.7. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, wasting, and destruction are in their paths. Mic. 2.1, 2. They devise iniquity, and worke evill upon their beds (there they hammer it) when the morning is light they practise it, because it is in the power of their hands, they covet fields, and take them by violence, and houses, and take them away, so they oppresse a man, and his house, even a man, and his heritage. These men I take the readiest way to bring ruine upon their owne houses. You know who it is that hath said Esa. 5.8. Wo unto them that joyne house to house, and field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth; but what followeth, verse 9. In mine eares said the Lord of hosts, of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great, and faire without inhabitant. And Hab. 2.9. We to him that coveteth an evill covetousnesse to his house, that he may set his nest on high: Thou hast (saith the Lord, verse 10, 11.) consulted shame to thy house, by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soule, For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beame out of the timber shall answer it. 2. Certainely let all oppressours, and cruell persons of what kind soever, all usurers, and extortioners, that like great pikes devoure all the little fishes that come neere them, pretend religion never so much, make never so faire shewes; Gods children they are not, they beare not his image, they are nothing like him, his children they are whom they resemble in their disposition, they are the children of Apollyon, the children of the destroyer.
Thirdly, All lewd persons even in this point shew themselves not to be the children of God but of the divell, even because they doe no good to the place they live in, but are a burden, a plague, and a curse to it. That which the Prophet speaketh of swearers; Ier. 23.10. because of oathes the land doth mourne; may be said of drunkards also, and whoremongers, and idolaters, and profane wretches they will make the place mourne they live in; they are as Ionah was in the ship they will endanger all that live with them; they are as Achan was to the whole host of Israel, Iosh. 7.1. For Achans sake the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. Of them it may be said as Esa. 14.20. Thou shalt not be joyned with them in buriall, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slaine thy people. Zach. 7.14. For they laid the pleasant land desolate. Therefore 1 do what you can to keepe such out, to get such out of your families, and townes you live in. 1 Cor. 5.13. Therefore put away from among you such wicked persons. 2 If you did beleeve this you would all joyne together to restraine, and punish these lewd persons according to the exhortation of the Apostle, Heb. 12.15. Looking diligently, lest any root of bitternesse springing up, do trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.
Fourthly, Such as live idly, and without a calling or in such a calling as is unprofitable to the Common-wealth, such as whereby others receive no benefit or profit at all; that serve for no other use but to devoure Gods creatures, and make a dearth. This is noted for a grievous sinne, and a chiefe part of the corruption of our nature. Rom. 3.12. They are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth good foreign, that is profitable, and usefull to others. And religion, and grace, where ever it prevaileth, maketh men profitable, as it did Onesimus Phil. 11. The Papists dote much upon the monasticall life, and count it a state of great perfection, because in it men spend their whole time in prayer, and heavenly contemplations. But the Scripture teacheth us it is a state of greater perfection, to live in such a calling wherein a man may be most profitable, and usefull to others. David counted it a great affliction, and matter of humbling to him, Ps. 31.12. that he was (in the time of his banishment) like a broken vessell that none could make any use of. And certainely the poorest servant, and drudge that is, may have more comfort in his estate, then the greatest Gentleman that doth nothing but eat, and drink, and play; nay then the greatest Scholler or Divine in the world, that doth no good to others with the knowledge, and learning that God hath given him. 1 Cor. 12.7. The manifestation of the spirit, is given to every man to profit with all. And that is the reason why the Apostle preferreth prophesying before all other gifts, because it tendeth most to the benefit, and profit of others, 1 Cor. 14.4.
Fiftly, Such as are all for themselves, and have no care of the common good. This is the common sinne of our times. 1. In any businesse that concerneth the good of a whole towne, how hardly are men drawne to yeeld their helping hand any way? 2. In bearing the common burden, and charge of a towne, how ready are all men to withdraw, and exempt themselves? 3. Such as are put in trust to deale in businesses of the country or towne they live in, are a great deale more carelesse, and more lavish in expences then they are wont to be in their owne businesses. These men I would have to remember. 1. The expresse commandement of God, 1 Cor. 10.24. Let no man seeke his owne; but every man anothers wealth. 2. That the good men have done to others, and the care they have had that way, will yeeld more comfort to their conscience, and give them more assurance that they are now in the state of grace, and shall hereafter come to the state of glory, then the care they have had, and paines they have taken to gather to themselves. 1 Tim. 6.18, 19. Charge rich men that they do good, that they be rich in good workes ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on etrnall life. For the more good we doe to others, the liker we are to our heavenly father as we have heard now. 3. This will get us a good name, and esteeme both while we live, and when we are gone. For this was Iehojada so honoured at his death, 2 Chron. 24.16. because he had done good in Israel. And a good name is more worth then all our wealth. Pro. 22.1. A good name is rather to be chosen then great riches. 4. This is the best way to assure us of Gods blessing even in these outward things. Ps. 37.3. Trust in the Lord, and doe good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.