Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 6 · Verse 3
vers. 3.
But when thou doest thine Almes, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth:
4. That thine Almes may be in secret, and thy father that seeth in secret, he will reward thee openly.
These words containe Christs second commandement touching the manner of Almes-giuing, with the reason thereof. The commandement is in the third verse, and it beareth this sense; that if the left hand could…he meaning. vnderstand, yet it should not know what our right hand gaue; and therefore much more must we conceale the same from men. Yet here Christ forbids not all giuing of Almes in open place, or in the sight of men, but his meaning is to restraine the ambition of the heart after the praise of men: the giuer must not intend or desire that men should see him giuegive Almes, that they might praise him: but his heart must simply and sincerely seeke to approoue it selfe vntounto God. This will appeare to be the right meaning of our Sauiour Christ, by comparing this verse with the first: for here Christ renueth the commandement there giuen, and forbiddeth the corrupt desire of the heart after vaine glorie in the giuing of almes.
Now for our better▪ vnderstanding of this commandement, first, we will shew what is here forbidden; and secondly what is commanded. Here are two things forbidden; first, all desire or intention of mens beholding of vsus, when we giuegive our Almes: secondly, all respect and intent to please our selues in Almes-giuing: for the left hand must not know what the right hand giueth: The thing here commaunded is this, that he which giues▪ Almes, must doe it simply intending and desiring onelyonly to please God, and to approoue his worke vntounto God without all by-respects of mens praise or approbation.
Here then first is condemned the doctrine of the Church ofVse. 1. Rhem. on Matth. 6. sect. 2. Rome, which teacheth men to doe good workes, with opinion of meriting life euerlasting thereby at the handes of God; for that is farre more then to doe them for this ende to get praise of men, which yet is here forbidden; and therefore the other must needes be abominable.
Secondly, seeing in our weldoing we must simply intend to approoue2 our selues vntounto God, it shall not be amisse here to shew, how weHow to doe good works well. may so doe our good workes that God may approoue thereof. Hereunto foure things are required; faith, louelove, humilitie, and sinceritie or simplicitie. For the first, in eueryevery good worke there must be a two-fold faith: Iustifying faith; and a generall faith. Iustifying faith, whereby1. in faith. the person doing the worke must be reconciled to God, and stand before God a true member of Christ: for of this it is said, aHeb. 11. 6.without faith it it is impossible to please God. And Christ saith, bIoh. 15. 2. 5.every brāch that beareth not friute in me, the father taketh a way: and without me yee can doe nothing: where it is plaine, that whosoeuer would doe a worke acceptable to God, must first be in Christ: and the reason is euident; for first the person working must be acceptable to God, before his worke can be approoued: but no mans person is approoued of God, before he be in Christ; and therefore iustifying faith whereby we are vnited vntounto Christ is cheifely necessarie. By generall faith I meane that, whereby a man beleeues that the worke he doth is pleasing vntounto God. Hereof Paul cRom. 14. 23saith, Whatsoeuer is not of faith, is sinne. A worke may be good in it selfe, and yet sinnefull in the doer, if he want this generall faith. Now vntounto this are two things required: first, a word of God commanding the worke, and prescribing the manner of doing it: secondly, a promise of blessing vponupon the doing of it: for eueryevery good work hath his promise, both of the things of this life, and of a better: these things must be knowne and beleeued: vponupon these grounds we must pray▪ giuegive Almes, and doe eueryevery good worke, and so shall they be approoued of God. Now by this double faith required in eueryevery good worke, we see, how those that are bound to practise good works, (as eueryevery one is more or lesse) ought to labour to be acquainted with the word of God, that they may doe their works in faith: for els though the worke be good, it may be sinne in them because it is not of faith; which is the miserable state of ignorant persons, who through want of faith, cannot doe good workes in a good manner.
The second thing required, in the doing of a good worke, is louelove; 2. in louelove.louelove (I say) ioyned with faith; for faith worketh by louelove: Gal. 5. 9. indeed faith doth some things of it selfe; as apprehend, receiue, and applie Christ and his righteousnes to the beleeuer, which is the proper worke of faith. But other things it doth by the helpe of an other: and so faith bringeth forth the workes of merciemercy, and performeth the duties of the first and second table; not properly by it selfe, but by the helpe of louelove: and therefore here I say, that in eueryevery good worke is required that louelove whereby faith worketh. Now the kinds of louelove, required in weldoing are two: first the louelove of God in Christ, for as we know God in Christ, so must we louelove him: secondly, the louelove of our bretheren, yea of our enimies: for howsoeuer in our vnderstanding these two may be distinguished, yet in practise they must neuer be seuered: but must alwaies goe hand in hand, to mooue vsus to doe the workes of merciemercy, and all the duties of our calling; as Paul saith of himselfe and the rest of the Apostles, The louelove of God constraineth vsus to preach the Gospel, 2. Cor. 5. 14.
The third thing required in doing a good worke well, is humilitie, 3. in humilitie.whereby a man esteemeth himselfe, to be but a voluntarie and reasoable instrument of God therein. This vertue will make a man giuegive the honour of the worke to the principall Agent, that is to God himselfe: who worketh in vsus both to will and to doe of his good pleasure.
The fourth thing required in wel-doing, is simplicitie, or singlenes 4. in simplicitie.of heart; whereby a man in doing a good worke intendeth simply and directly to honour and please God, without all by-respects to his owne praise, or the pleasing of men. This is a speciall vertue directing a man to the right ende in eueryevery good worke, which is the obedience and honour of God in mans good. This vertue was in Paul, d2. Cor. 1. 12who in simplicitie and godly purenesse had his conuersation in the world: thus he preached the Gospel: and so ought we to doe eueryevery good worke. Now that this sinceritie may shew it selfe, we must take heede of a speciall vice which is contrarie vntounto it, namely, the guile of the spirit, mentioned Psal. 32. 2.Spirituall guile in weldoing. which maketh a man intend and propound false ends and by-regards in doing good workes; as his owne praise and delight, or to please men thereby. And that we may auoid this spirituall guile, we are to know, that it may and doth vsually preuaile with men in foure cases: I. whenIt preuailes in 4 cases. those doe practise vertue in whome God onelyonly restraines the contrarie1 vice: thus ciuill honest men that hauehave no religion, may practise iustice, temperance, merciemercy, and other morall vertues, because they are not inclined to iniustice, intemperance, and the contrarie vices: but these actions in them are no good works before God, because they proceede not from sanctified hearts, sincerely intending to obey & glorifie God hereby. II. When men doe good works for feare of diuine iustice, and the2 penalties of mens laws: and such for the most part is the repentance of the sicke: I graunt indeede that some doe truly repent in this estate, but commonly such repentance is vnsound, and proceedeth not from a single heart, but from feare; whereby, being vnderunder Gods hand, they seek to auoid his iudgement. Such also are the outward duties of religion performed by our common Protestants, who come to Church, and receiue the Sacraments chiefly for custome sake, and to auoide the daunger of mens lawes. III. When men doe good works for the honour & praise3 of men. This is a dangerous thing: vponupon this ground a man may preach the word, vse prayer, and professe the Gospel; yea, and be zealous for Gods glorie as I…h… was: and hence it comes, that many fall away to loosenes of life from a strict profession of religion, because they receiued not the truth in simplicitie of heart, with purpose onelyonly to obey & please God, but rather to get the praise of men. IV. When men doe4 good works from some corruption of heart preuailing in them; as whē a man is both proud and couetous, yet more proud then couetous: couetousnes bids him, not to giuegive to the poore; but yet pride desiring the praise of men preuailing in him, causeth him to giuegive to the poore: And so when couetousnes preuailes in a proud man, it will cause him to abstaine from riot & proud apparell, which yet his pride would perswade him vntounto. In all these cases spirituall guile corrupts the worke that otherwise is good in it selfe: and therefore we must hauehave a watchfull eye vntounto singlenes of heart in our well-doing, and to the rest of the vertues before named, that so we may be able to say with good conscience, that our works are such as God approoueth.