Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 2 · Lecture 25
Lecture XXV. On Psal. 51.1, 2. May 16. 1626.
NOw for the second duty,Duty 2. which concerneth the Lord himselfe; it is that which the Prophet exhorteth us unto, Psal. 29.2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; that is, carry your selves toward him accordingly, give him his due. If we know, and beleeve indeed that God is so gracious, and mercifull (specially if we know, and beleeve he is so unto us) how can we choose but love him, and feare to offend him, and cry shame upon our selves that we are no more willing, and desirous to serve and please him? Therefore doth the Apostle pray for the Ephesians, Ephes. 3.18, 19. that God would make them able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the length, and breadth, and deapth, and height; and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that they might be filled with all the fullnesse of God; as if he should say. If once you fully knew this love that God hath borne to you in Christ, it would even fill you with all the fullnesse of God, that is, with all the sanctifying, and saving grace of God. Many deceive themselves miserably in this point; and challenge to themselves an interest in Gods speciall mercy, without any ground at all. I will therefore shew you five notable effects that the true knowledge of this marvellous mercy and goodnesse of the Lord, must needs worke upon them that have it. Whereby (as by certaine notes) you may try your selves, whether you do indeed beleeve and know, that this speciall mercy of the Lord doth belong unto you.
First, It will make men afraid to offend him. Nothing hath that force to work in a man the true feare of God as this hath. Psal. 130.4. There is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared: and Hos. 3.5. They shall feare the Lord, and his goodnesse in those daies. And that is the right feare of God, which the knowledge of Gods mercy doth breed in us.
Secondly, He must needs grieve, and be troubled when he hath offended him. Nothing hath that force to melt, and breake the heart with godly sorrow for sinne, as the true knowledge of the Lords marvellous mercy, and loving kindnesse towards us. Zach. 12.10. I will poure upon them the spirit of grace (that is, the spirit of adoption which shall perswade them of my fatherly love towards them, as it is called Rom. 8.15.) and they shall looke on him whom they have pierced, and then they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his onelyonly son. And what was it that made Mary Magdalen weepe so abundantly for her sinnes, Luk 7.38? Our Saviour telleth us, verse 47. it was her love that grew from the consideration of Gods marvellous mercy in pardoning her so many foule sinnes.
Thirdly, He must needs take delight in the service, and worship of God. Nothing hath that force to make the worship of God sweet unto us as the true knowledge, and consideration of the mercy, and goodnesse of God. As for me (saith David, Psal. 5.7.) I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy. That is that, that shall draw me to thy house, and make me love it; and Ier. 31.12. They shall come, and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodnesse of the Lord. So David giveth this for the cause, why he begged so earnestly of God that he might dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of his life. Psal. 27.4. to behold the beauty of the Lord; that is, how amiable, and gracious the Lord is: As if he should say. I can no where behold, and see that so well as in his house; and that is the thing that maketh me so farre in love with the house of God. O if men knew the sweetnesse, and infinitenesse of Gods mercy they would love his house, and delight more in it then they doe.
Fourthly, He must needs desire earnestly to know the will of God, and what he may do to please, and honour him. Nothing hath that force to worke in a man an appetite to the Word as this hath. 1 Pet. 2.2, 3. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word, that ye may grow thereby, if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. As if he had said; els you cannot, and then you cannot choose but do it. So Psal. 119.64. The earth ô Lord is full of thy mercy, teach me thy statutes; and verse 68. Thou art good, and dost good, teach me thy statutes. As if he had said; Who would not seeke to know the will of so mercifull, of so bountifull a God as thou art? and what may best please thee?
Fiftly, and lastly, He must needs be desirous to please him, and to doe his will when he knoweth it. Nothing hath that force to worke in a man a care of his wayes, a care to obey the Lord in all things even in those duties that are most painefull, and wherein hee is most to deny, and crosse himselfe, yea though it were to the laying downe of his life, as the true knowledge, and consideration of the Lords marvellous goodnesse, and mercy hath. Thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes; and I have walked in thy truth, saith David, Psal. 26.3. And the Apostle Rom. 12.1. I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice unto God. As if he should say, if this will not move you to it nothing will. The love of Christ constraineth us (saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 5.14) because we thus judge that if one dyed for all, then were all dead; and who can doe too much for him that hath so dearely loved him? The goodnesse, and mercifulnesse, and bountifull disposition wee discerne in some men, ô what force hath it to draw, and knit our hearts unto them? For a good man some will even dare to die, saith the Apostle, Rom. 5.7. And what is the goodnesse, and mercifullnesse of any man, if it be compared to the goodnesse, and mercy of the Lord? Surely not so much as one drop of water compared to the maine Ocean. And thus have I finished this use of exhortation, and shewed you what the duties are both towards men, and towards the Lord himselfe that this Doctrine doth most effectually stirre us up unto.
Vse 3.It followeth now that we proceed to the third, and last use of this Doctrine which is for comfort. For this Doctrine serveth most effectually for the comfort 1 of all men how wicked soever they have beene if now they desire to repent: 2 and chiefly of Gods own people that have already repented.
For the first, there is not the vilest sinner in the world, if he now feele his sins and desire to be reconciled unto God, but he may receive comfort, and encouragement from this Doctrine to turne unto God, and seeke to him for mercy. Nothing hath that force to keepe a poore sinner from repentance as this, when he doth despaire of finding mercy with God, if he should turne and seeke unto him. When a sinner doth resolve upon this, as Cain did, Gen. 4.13. My sinne is greater then can be pardoned. This was the maine thing that made those wicked Iewes to resolve, that they would walke after their owne devises, and every one doe after the imagination of his evill heart (as the Prophet saith, Ieremy 18.12.) because they said there was no hope. And on the other side, Nothing hath that force to encourage a man to repent, and turne unto God, as if he can be perswaded of this, that (how vile a sinner soever he hath beene) yet he may hope to find mercy with him, if he can seeke unto him for it. The Rebell, or Pyrat, that knoweth there is a proclamation out against him, will never come in, but if he once heare, and can beleeve, that there is a Proclamation of pardon, yea, and of some great advancement, if he will yeeld himselfe, and come in, this, and nothing else will cause him to come in, and change his course, & become a faithfull and legall subject. This is that which the Apostle teacheth, Rom. 2.4. The goodnes of the Lord (if it were rightly knowne and beleeved, not driveth, and draweth as his terrours doe, but) leadeth men willingly unto repentance. Insomuch, that as Benhadads servants perswaded him by this argument to seeke peace, and reconciliation with Ahab, when he had highly provoked him, 1. King. 20.…1. Behold, we have heard, that the Kings of the house of Israel are mercifull Kings. So have Gods Prophets and servants, sought to perswade the most hainous sinners, to seeke peace with God, and to turne unto him by this argument, because he is so mercifull a God. Foure notable proofes I will give you for this and no more. First, thus doth the Prophet Esay perswade all sorts of sinners. Esay 55.7. Let the wicked forsake his wayes, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him returne unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will aboundantly pardon. Secondly, thus doth Hezechiah perswade the ten tribes that had deepely revolted, unto repentance, 2 Cor. 30.9. For the Lord your God (saith he) is gracious, and mercifull, and will not turne away his face from you, if yee returne unto him. Thirdly, thus also speaketh the Lord to Israel, even after their captivity, when their case seemed most desperate, and irrecoverable. Ierem. 3.12. Goe, and proclaime these words toward the North, and say, returne thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord—for I am mercifull saith the Lord. And fourthly, thus doth the Apostle Peter perswade with those Iewes that had beene the betrayers, and murderers of the Lord of life, when they were even almost in despaire, and knew not what to doe, Acts 2.38, …9. Repent, and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Iesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and yee shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost, for the promise is to you, and to your children, and to them that are afarre off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. So that I may boldly say to him amongst you all, that hath beene the most notorious sinner, if God have now given thee a heart desirous to forsake thy sins, and to turne unto him, be not discouraged, thou needst not doubt of finding mercy with him, if thou canst seeke unto him.
Two maine objections there be, whereby some kind of men are kept from turning unto God, and seeking to him for mercy, specially at such times as they stand most in need of mercy.
First.Object. 1 Though God be mercifull, yet he is also just, yea, a most severe, and terrible judge to take vengeance on such wicked men as I have bin, Exod 34.7. He will by no meanes cleare the guilty, and Psal. 5.5. He hateth and abhorreth all the workers of iniquity.
I answer.Answ. This is not meant of such as feele their sins, and desire to repent, as thou dost; but of such as love their sins, Psal. 11.5. The wicked, and him that loveth violence; doth his soule hate. Of such as goe on in their sins, Psal. 68.21. God will wound the head of his enemies. Who are these? He answereth in the next words, which are an exegesis, or interpretation of the former, such as goe on in their trespasses. To such doe all the curses of the law, all those sentences of the holy Scripture, that set forth the severity of God, belong; not to such as feele their sins to be a burden to them, and desire to turne unto God, 1. Tim. 1.9, 10. Know this, that the Law is made, (the curses of the Law are written, and appointed) for the lawlesse, and disobedient, for the ungodly, and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, &c.
Object. 2The second objection is this; Though God be infinite in mercy; and his common mercies be over all his workes, yet his speciall mercy belongeth to none but to his elect, and they are but a few; Mat. 20.16. Many are called, but few are chosen. The greatest part of men are vessels of wrath, as the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 9.22. predestinated, and ordained unto damnation, Iude 4. And I have so lived as I see cause to feare, I am of that number, at least I cannot be sure that I shall find mercy with God, though I should turne unto him.
Answ.I answer. That though 1. the Lord did indeed in his eternall counsell predestinate some unto life, and some unto perdition, 2. and that the number of the Elect bee small in comparison of the reprobate; yet hath no poore sinner that desireth to turne to God, any just cause given him to be discouraged from it by this Doctrine. This I will prove to you by three reasons.
First. Because no man ought, no man can say and conclude, that he is a reprobate, because of the life he hath lead, That he is in the way that leadeth unto destruction, he may know, but that he is one of those that God did in his eternall decree appoint unto destruction, he cannot know. 1. Because God hath not by his word or spirit reveiled this to any particular man that he is a reprobate, excepting only him that hath sinned against the holy Ghost, which sin thou art farre enough from that desirest to repent, and to turne to God. Concerning the election of particular men, God hath indeed given testimony both by his word, 1 Thess. 1.4, 5. and by his spirit also, Rom. 8.16. The spirit it selfe beareth witnesse with our spirit, that wee are the children of God. 1. Iohn 5.10. He that beleeveth in the Sonne of God, hath the witnesse in himselfe. But Gods spirit never testified unto any man that he is a reprobate. So that to every man that is so conceited, we may say as Paul in another case doth, Galat. 5.8. This perswasion commeth not of him that calleth you. It commeth not of God. And as our Saviour saith, Matth. 5.37. Whatsoever is more then this, commeth of the evill one. Besides, 2. God hath hertofore, and may still call most wicked men at the very last houre of their lives, and so declare them to be his elect, who of all men in the world were most unlikely to be of his Elect; as wee see in the example of the thiefe, Luke 23.40.
Secondly. As no man can justly say he is a reprobate, because God neither by his word nor spirit hath testified any such thing of him; so such sinners as I now speake of, have just cause to judge that they are not reprobates, that God hath not appointed them to wrath, but to obtaine salvation by our Lord Iesus Christ, as the Apostle speaketh, 1 Thes. 5.9. For those whom God hath made vessels of wrath; are fitted unto destruction; as the Apostle saith, Rom. 9.22. They goe on still in the way that leadeth unto destruction, and are hardened in their sins. Though the greatest part of men shall not find mercy with God, yet the cause of this is not in the Lord, it is in themselves only, because they seeke it not, Hos. 13.9. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe. God sheweth himselfe ready enough to receive even such unto mercy, but they care not for it. So speaketh Christ even of Ierusalem, though she had killed and stoned his Prophets. Matth. 23.37. How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a Henne gathereth her chickens under her wings▪ and ye would not. That sinner therefore that findeth God hath wrought in him a desire to get under Gods wings, a desire to repent, and to turne unto God, is in the way that leadeth unto life, God is preparing, and fitting him for glory, and therefore he hath just cause to judge, that he is no reprobate, but a vessell of mercy, Rom. 9.23.
Thirdly, and lastly. No man is to judge of his present or future estate, nor of Gods purpose towards him, by the secret will of God, but by his reveiled will, Deut. 29.29. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things that are reveiled, belong to us, and to our children for ever. We may not in this case, pry curiously, nor enquire into the secret counsell of God, but reverently admire it; and cry with the Apostle, Rom, 11.33. ô altitudo, ô the depth. Remember what befell the men of Bethshemesh. 1. Sam. 6.19. God smote aboue fifty thousand of them for looking into the Arke of God. Looke thou, & enquire thou into the reveiled will of God, and there thou shalt find enough to encourage thee to turne unto him, and to assure thee that thou needest not doubt to find mercy, and grace with him, if thou canst now seeke it.
First, God hath reveiled in his Word, that he doth not desire nor take pleasure in the destruction of any wicked man; no not in his temporall destruction. Hee gave the old World warning of the Floud, an hundred and twenty yeares before it came, that by their repentance, they might have prevented it, as you shall see by comparing. 1 Peter 3.20. with Gene. 6.3. He gave Pharaoh, and the Aegyptians warning of the plagues they enforced him to bring upon them, that by their repentance they might prevent them. And in giving them warning of the fiery haile, he expressely saith, he did it to that end that they might save their servants, and their cattell from that destruction. Exod. 9.19. Send therefore now, and gather thy cattell, and all that thou hast in the field, &c. When his people had so deeply provoked him, to bring them into miserable captivity, and he had assured them by his Prophets, that he would do it; yet how oft was his heart turned within him, and his repentings kindled together? as the Prophet speaketh, Hosea 11.8. How oft, and how earnestly doth he warne them of it? How many meanes doth hee use to perswade them, that by their repentance they would prevent it; See for proofe of this, Ieremy 26.2, 3. And 36.2, 3, 6, 7. And if hee take no pleasure in the destruction of the bodies of wicked men, is it possible hee should delight in the destruction, and damnation of their soules? No, no, hearken how deepely he protesteth against this, Ezekiel. 33.11. Say unto them, as I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Yea, he protesteth this so deepely, even for this very purpose, that hee might encourage every poore sinner to turne unto him. I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth saith the Lord God, Ezekiel 18.32; wherefore turne your selves▪ and live yee.
Secondly, God hath reveiled in his Word, that he doth earnestly desire the repentance and salvation of the most wicked man, and taketh great pleasure in it,; and therefore earnestly seeketh to reclaime them, Ezek. 33.11. As I live saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in his death, but that he turne from his way, and live; turne yee, turne yee from your evill wayes, for why will yee dye ô house of Israel. And this thou hadst heretofore, and hast this day experience of in thy selfe. How earnestly, and how mightily hath God laboured with thee this way? Yea, he beseecheth thee, and prayeth thee to be reconciled to him. 2. Cor. 5.20. Yea, there is nothing would so much delight him, as to see thee repent; as is set forth in the father of the prodigall, ô what mirth and joy made he when he returned to him? Luke 15.23, 24.
Thirdly, God hath reveiled in his Word, that Christ with all his merits, should be in the ministery of the Gospell offered unto all that feele themselves to be sinners (as the brazen serpent was listed up, for all to looke upon that were stung, Num. 21.9.) unto thee as well as unto any other is he offered, and thou art commanded to beleeve he dyed for thee. Mar. 16.15. Preach the Gospel to every creature. And what is it to preach the Gospel to him? Surely, to say to him as Lu. 2.11. VntoUnto you is borne this day, in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. So Christ inviteth all. Ioh. 7.37. Iesus cryed saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drinke. And of his invitation of sinners in this sort, the Lord saith, Esa. 45.19. I said not in vaine seek ye me, I the Lord speake righteousnesse. If a poore sinner being thus invited, should come to Christ for grace, would he reject him? No, in no wise. Ioh. 6.37. All that the father giveth mee, shall come unto me, and him that commeth unto me, I will in no wise cast out.
Fourthly, God hath not in words only, but really given thee cause to feele by manifold experiments, that he loveth thee, and wisheth thee well. Even this is an argument of his love, that he hath preserved thee from so many dangers, Ps. 41.11. By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me; that he feedeth and cloatheth thee, Deut. 10.18. He loveth the stranger in giving him food and raiment; that thou sleepest so safely, and quietly on nights,Object. Psal. 127.2. He giveth his beloved sleep. Thou wilt say, these are but common mercies.
Answ.I answer. True, yet concerning them, observe foure things. 1. That to the faithfull, these are pledges of his speciall love, as these places have proved. 2. That they are arguments of his goodnesse, even towards all men that enjoy them. For so saith the Apostle, Rom. 2.4. And if any man should have done this for thee, saved thy life but once, when thou wert in danger to have lost it, delivered thee out of debt, and danger, maintained thee with food, and raiment all thy life, thou wouldest not doubt but he loved thee unfainedly. Thou wouldest count it a foule sin to suspect or doubt of his love, or to entertaine such a thought, ô but for all that he hath done this for me, I doubt I have not his heart, I doubt hee hath purposed in himselfe to be my destroyer in the end. And is it nothing for thee to suspect this of God? 3. Though these be but common mercies, yet it is a great sin to despise or set light by them. Rom. 2.4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse, and forbearance, and long suffering? 4. Thou depisest them if thou be not by them led, and encouraged to repent, and turne unto God Rom. ….4.