Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 6 · Verse 26
Verse 26.
Behold the fowles of the heauen; for they sowe not, neither reape, nor carrie into the barnes: yet your heauenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better then they?
These words containe Christs second reason to disswade his Disciples2. Reason against distrustful care from distrustfull care for things needefull, drawne from the consideratiō of his prouidence ouer baser creatures then they were, for needfull prouision: the reason standeth thus.
If God prouide for the foules of heauen, then much more will he provide for you: But God prouideth for the fowles of heauen, and feedeth them: therefore much more will he prouide for you.
The first part of this reason is here confirmed two waies: First, because the children of God hauehave meanes of prouision, which the fowles of the heauen want; they sowe not, neither reape, &c. Secondly, Gods children are better then fowles, and therefore he will not suffer them to lacke, sith he prouideth for baser things then they be: both which are so sensible and familiar, that they may induce any man to depend vponupon Gods prouidence, without distrustfull care.
Christ in propounding this reason, bids vsus Behold the creatures, thatGods works must be considered. is, take a serious view of them, looke vponupon them wishly, & with consideration, as the word signifieth: whereby wee may learne, that eueryevery childe of God ought seriously to consider the works of God, (for that which we must doe to the fowles of heauen, we must do to al the works of his hands) & therein labour to behold the wisdome, iustice, goodnes, louelove, mercy and prouidence of God. This is Salomons lesson, Eccl. 7. 15. Behold the worke of God. & Iob. 36. 24. Remēber thou magnifie the worke of God which men behold. Why did God make the creatures distinctly one after another in sixe seuerall daies, and take a particular view of thē all after he had made them, with approbation of their goodnesse, and also sanctifie the 7. day for an holy rest, both by his own example & expresse cōmandement? vndoubtedly, among other causes, this was one, to teach vsus to consider distinctly of al the works of his hands: & among other holy duties, to meditate on the sabbath day, on the glorious works of our creator. This was Dauids practise: for, Psal. 19. 1. &c. he resembles the heaue…s to a great booke, wherein a man may read the glorie of God: and in the contemplation hereof did he exercise himselfe vponupon the Sabbath daies, as we may see in the Psalme which he penned for the Sabbath, Psal. 92. 4, 5.—I will reioyce in the works of thine hands: O Lord, how glorious are thy workes! And they which are negligent in this dutie, are here called to attendance by our Sauiour Christ.
But what must we behold in the foules of heauen? How they neither Vnreasonable creatures depend vponupon Gods prouidence.sow, nor reape, nor carie into barnes, &c. that is, they vse not the meanes of prouision that man doth, which shews they hauehave not that care which man hath. Man may lawfully be carefull to vse these meanes, for God ordaineth them for mans prouision: but the fowles of the heauen goe not so farre to hauehave care of any meanes. And this priuiledge of man to the meanes, doth strongly enforce Christs disswasion against distrustfull care: for the fowles wanting such meanes are free from that care. Quest. How then are they prouided for? Ans. They expect for foode at Gods hand: Iob 39. 3. The birds crie vntounto God, wandring for lacke of meate. Psal. 104. 21. The lyons ro…ring after their pray, seeke their meate at God. Psal. 145. 15. The eyes of all waite vponupon God, and he giueth them meate in due season. Psal. 147. 9. He giueth to beasts their foode, and to the young rauens that crie. But how can vnreasonable creatures crie to God? Ans. They doe not vse praier, as man doe; but yet they are said to crie to God, and to waite on God, because by a naturall instinct giuen them by creation, they seeke for that foode which God ordaineth for them, and are contented therewith; so that by these phrases God would teach vsus, that they depend vponupon his prouidence wholly for prouision, and rest contented therewith.
Here then we are to obserue, that the vnreasonable creatures madeVnreasonable creatures more obedient then …ā. subiect to vanitie by the sinne of man, doe come nearer to their first estate, and better obserue the order of nature in their creation then man doth: for they seeke for that which God prouideth for them, and when they receiue it are content: but man is deepely fallen from the state of his creation, in regard of his depending on Gods prouidence for temporall things: though he hauehave the vse of meanes which the fowles of heauen want, yet his heart is full fraught with distrustfull care, whether we respect the getting, or keeping, or imploying of earthly things. This sheweth that man is more corrupt then other creatures, and more vile and base in this behalfe then bruit beasts: which should humble eueryevery one of vsus deopely vnderunder the serious consideration of our sinnes, that hauehave so depraued our nature, that we are more rebellious to the law of our creator, and more distrustfull in his prouidence then the bruit and senslesse creatures.
And yet your heauenly father feedeth them.] In these words is couched a forcible reason, whereby Christ would perswade his disciples, and in them all beleeuers, to depend vponupon Gods prouidence without distrustfull care. God (saith he) is your father, yea your heauenly father, and you are his children, therefore depend vponupon him: for if oMat. 7. 1….earthly fathers will prouide and giuegive good things to their children, much more will your heauenly. In this reason also is couched a meanes and way,Howe to come to depend vponupon Gods prouidence. whereby a man may come to rest vponupon Gods prouidence. In the word of God there be two kind of promises: some of euerlasting life and saluation by Christ: others, of inferiour gifts and blessings concerning this life. Now if we would relie on God for temporall blessings, we must first labour to lay hold by faith on his spirituall and eternall promises; get assurance of thine adoption in Christ, and labour to know and feele that he is thy heauenly father; and then thou wilt easily depend vponupon his prouidence for temporall blessings: if thou be once perswaded truly that he will saue thy soule, how canst thou distrust him for prouision for thy bodie? If a Kings sonne know his father will make him heire, he will not doubt but he will affoard him food and raiment in the meane time.
Feedeth them] That is, the foules that neither sow, nor reape, nor carie into barnes. Here we may obserue Gods speciall and particular prouidence: for in reason those creatures that make no prouision in summer should sta…ue in winter, wherein the earth affoardeth not such meanes of nourishment as it doth in summer; and yet experience teacheth, that they are for the most part fatter, and fitter for the vse of man in winter then in summer: what argueth this but Gods speciall prouidence, attending vponupon the silly fowles of heauen, and feeding them in the dead winter? oh then how should any child of God distrust his prouidence? will he feede birds, and neglect his owne children? it cannot be. And yet this must not nuzzle an idle person, or bolster him vp in the neglect of lawfull ordinarie meanes for his prouision: for God would hauehave eueryevery man to eate his owne bread, deseruing his prouision by diligence in the duties of some lawfull calling: for he that will not labour should not eate. Howbeit we may here learne, when all meanes faile (without our default) yet still to relie vponupon Gods prouidence: for he feedes the foules in the dead of winter, and we are better then they.
Lastly, is God so mercifull to the poore foules of heauen, to prouide for them? then must we that professe our selues to be Gods children, shew our selues to be like to our heauenly father, in exercising merciemercyA mo…e to mercifulnes. 1. Tim 4. 10. towards all Gods creatures: God is the Saviour of all men, but especially of them that beleeue. And we must be followers of God as deere children, extending merciemercy to the poore of mankind, because they be our owne flesh: doe good vntounto all, but specially to them that be of the houshold of faith. This is needefull to be vrged vponupon our soules, for in times of dearth men grinde the faces of the poore, by hard bargaining; the rich take aduantage of poore mens want, and so make themselues fat by sucking the blood of the poore.