Sermons Experimental, Sermon 1 · Verse 16
VERSE. XVI.
Oh Lord, Truly I am thy ſervant, I am thy ſervant, and the ſonne of thine handmaid: Thou haſt looſed my bonds.
TO diſcern Connexion in matter of Devotion is difficult, the motions thereof being for the moſt part affectionate; Howbeit, here is no difficulty: There is before mention of the favours God had done him; here is the uſe of the favour.
Therefore I am thy ſervant: And it contains a Proteſtation, or acknowledgement of his obligations to ſo gracious a God, as had reſcued him from the jaws of death: wherein note we;
Firſt, The occaſion.
Secondly, The matter of the Proteſtation; amplified by the grounds of it.
Thirdly, The vowed expreſſion of it, Verſ. 17.
So ſee how favours of God work upon a gracious diſpotion; forcing, after a ſort, not onelyonly to acknowledgement of obligation, but to tendering of ſervice unto God, ſee 2 Cor. 5.14, 15. Iſa. 6.8. Lo! here I am, ſend me; hence Saint Auſtin, Da quod jubes, jube quod vis.
Reaſons why it ſhould be ſo, are; Firſt, It is all the Lord requires of us, Deut. 10.12. Secondly, It is the Condition of continuing them; wherefore, when either we grow ſlack in our acknowledgement, or divert our ſelves to other Authours, God is pleaſed to remove them from us; Rom. 1.21. Gentiles cared not to keep God in their acknowledgment, therefore Gods gives them over to their own hearts luſts; Hoſ. 2.8, 9. She knew not that it was I that gave her her corn, and wine, and oyl, &c. therefore I will take away my corn in the time thereof. Thirdly, Adde hereunto that hereto is linked, the increaſe of Gods favours, 2 Sam. 12.8. If that had been too little, I would have given thee more.
Oh that there were ſuch hearts in us! How would the Lord delight ſtill to do us good? marvellous have his favours been, in the preſervation, and deliverances of our State, yet what hath it bred, but increaſe of our rebellions? Should not the Lord be avenged on ſuch a nation as this? It is amongſt others a notable preſage of our approaching calamity, that we have ſo turned his grace into wantonneſſe; and as Saint Paul ſpeaks, abuſed his long ſuffering, and bountifulneſſe, to occaſion of hardneſſe of heart, Rom. 2.5.
See then, and examine how Gods favours work upon thee; It is ſomething not to be deſpiſed amongſt the teſtimonies of a gracious diſpoſition, to be wrought to acknowledgement, and dutifull tendring of our ſelves unto God, you ſhall never or ſeldome ſee that diſpoſition in the unregenerate; but the more they apprehend, or taſte the favours of God, the more indulgent they grow to their own luſts: Whether it be, Firſt, That they apprehend not Gods good in them, as they in the*Zeph. 1.12. Prophet, He will do neither good, nor evill. Secondly, Or whether they think him to work after the neceſſity of his Nature, in loading them with his benefits. Thirdly, Or whether they think them merited by their own formality, and lip-outward-performances. Fourthly, Or whether they miſapprehend the Nature of God, making him an Idoll made all of mercy, and goodneſſe; though Saint Paul command to behold the*Rom. 11.22. ſeverity, as well as the bounty of God. But let ſuch mindes be farre from Gods people; Certainly, it ſuits not with grace; is not in the ordinary courſe of it compatible with it; Hoſ. 3.5. They ſhall fear the Lord, and his goodneſse; and becauſe there is mercy with him, Therefore they will fear him, Pſal. 130.4.
Thus ye ſhall diſcern it in your ſelves, or others; excepting the common interruptions that accompany humane infirmity. Firſt, Every new favour brings acceſſe to the meaſure of ſerviceableneſſe to God; That which Ichu ſpeaks of Baal, Ahab ſerved Baal a little, I will ſerve him much more, 2 Kings 10. they much more truly ſay of their God; therefore ſee the greateſt Favourites have been moſt ſerviceable, Moſes more then Aaron, or Miriam, Num. 12. Saint Paul more then all the Apoſtles, 1 Cor. 15.10. The woman in the Goſpel loves much, becauſe many ſinnes have been forgiven, Luke 7.
The means to frame our hearts thereto are. Firſt, Obſervation, and due record of Gods ſpeciall favours to us; they are*Lam. 3.23. renewed with every morning; if we had the wiſdome to keep a Diary of them, a daily Regiſter; (Experto credite) they would warm our languiſhing affections. Secondly, There is a holy Reminiſcentia, calling to minde of ancient favours; ſuch eſpecially, as in times of our ignorance, and vanity, God beſtowed on us; even when we knew not God, ſerved luſts, and divers pleaſures, how many his loving kindneſſes did we experiment? David thus fetcheth it Ab ovo, Thou art my God, even from my youth, and on thee have I been caſt, even ſince my mothers womb; ſee Saint Auſtin in his Confeſſions. Thirdly, Next ſee, how little we have merited at Gods hand, as*Gen. 32.10. Iacob, I am leſse then all thy goodneſse, and trueth, which thou haſt ſhewen me. Fourthly, How contrary our merits have been, as Saint Paul amplifies it, Eph. 2. Tit. 3. 1 Tim. 1.15, 16. Fiftly, How we have requited the Lord, Deut. 32.6. ſince we have received mercy from him. Sixtly, How notwithſtanding our ſlender retailings, God ſtill is pleaſed to crown us with mercy, and loving kindneſſe. Seventhly, How in our beſt performances, we come ſhort of our duties, Iſa. 64.6. Rom. 7.18. ſo that all we can ſay is this, we would do good, yet evill is preſent. Eighthly, See how many are behinde us in the favours of God we enjoy; He hath not dealt ſo with other nations, Pſal. 147.20. And my ſervant Moſes is not ſo, Num. 12.
Follows now the matter of the Proteſtation; in which obſerve we the manner of utterance in two things. Firſt, Rhetoricall Apoſtrophe. Secondly, Ingemination, expreſſing either vehemencie of affection, or ardour, and heat of affection. Secondly, The grounds of ſervice, two; Firſt, Filius ancillae, ſee Pſal. 86.16. Secondly, Thou haſt broken my bonds, ſee Nah. 1.13. Thirdly, The expreſſion of it, ver. 17. I will ſacrifice praiſe.
We alſo have cauſes the ſame to ſubſcribe, and profeſſe our ſelves the ſervants of God; yea more by many then David here alledgeth, for he inſtanceth in Temporall favours onelyonly. Firſt, We alſo are filii ancillae, ſonnes of his handmaid. Firſt, Borne children of the Church. Secondly, Many of us having had Chriſtian education under Chriſtian Parents; Certainly, theſe much increaſe our obligation. It is no ſmall favour of God to be borne in the Church of God, no ſlender tie to his ſervice that accrues from our imitation by Baptiſme thereunto; if ye conſider, Turks, Pagans, Infidells, what can you ſay of them but as Saint Paul of Epheſians, Chap. 2. They are without God, without Chriſt, without hope, aliens from the covenants of promiſe, from the common wealth of Iſrael. They do not-derogate from Gods mercy, who ſay, That without Gods extraordinary mercy, they periſh all in their ſins, & die under guilt of eternall damnation. Reaſons. Firſt, No name given under heaven whereby we can be ſaved, but onelyonly the*Act 4.12. Name of Ieſus. Secondly, No means to partake him, but the knowledge and faith of him; The*Iſa. 53.11. Knowledge of my righteous ſervant ſhall juſtifie many. Thirdly, No means to know him ordinary but the*Rom. 10.14 Word; Nor Creatures, nor any Naturall notice can reveale him. 1. Cor. 1.21.
Secondly, If we look back to ancient Times, where was a feed of Election, the Lord was pleaſed extraordinarily to grant means of Vocation; ſo to Naa…an, he ſends him to the Prophet; ſo to the Eunuch, he ſends him to Hieruſalem, and Philip to him, Act. 8. Secondly, If we conſider other Aſſemblies of men that boaſt themſelves to be orthodox Churches of God, and are not; ſo will the Bleſſing farther appear. Falſe and erronious faith in Fundamentalibus is as perilous as flat Infidelity; for example; To beleeve; that there is a God, and to beleeve that this God is not Juſt, or True, or Mercifull, is as perillous in point of Salvation, as to be an Atheiſt, and to think there is no God: To beleeve that there is a Mediatour twixt God and Man, the Man Chriſt Ieſus; and to beleeve he mediates, or merits by us, is as perillous as to beleeve, There is no Mediatour twixt God and Man: To worſhip God, and the Creature as God, is as perillous, as to worſhip the Creature in ſtead of God: To worſhip God otherwiſe then he will be worſhipped, or then he hath preſcribed us to worſhip him in his Word, is as dangerous as to be meerly without all worſhip: 1 Sam. 15.21. Rebellion is as the ſinne of Witchcraft, and in vain they worſhip, who worſhip after doctrines of men, Mat. 15.9. And if this be the Faith and Religion of ſome ſo utterly unwarrantable; ſo croſſing to the word of our Faith, the ſalvation of our ſouls, I ſay, If this be ſo, then ſay not but it is a favour of God to be born in the Church, where God is worſhipped as he out, and himſelf hath preſcribed, and wherein we have the true means of ſalvation; and as they ſpake ſcoffingly to our Saviour, The way of God taught truly.
This favour of God we all enjoy; yet who is there who thinks his obligation to ſerve God hereby increaſed? We dream of the Priveleges of the Church, and think it ſufficient we are born members of it, without taking notice of what they binde us unto. Firſt, Know every favour of God is an obligation to duty, and the greater the favour, the greater the obligation, ſee Pſal. 118.2, 3, 4. Secondly, Where the favors are vouchſafed, and the ſervice not performed, the greater, and heavier will be the vengeance; They that ſinned without*Rom. 2.12. Law, ſhall periſh without Law, they that in Law, by Law; and Matth. 11. Tyre and Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah are not ſo ſeverely tormented as children of the Church. Thirdly, Take heed leſt hereby we occaſion the Lord to remove our*Apoc. 2.5. Candleſtick, to take from us the being of our Church; and make us by wofull experience know the difference twixt ſerving God, and ſerving Idols, beleeving Chriſt, and giving way to Antichriſt.
If in the other Senſe filius ancillae be interpreted, Son of a gracious Mother, ſuch as Lois and*2 Tim. 1. & 3. Eunich were to Timothy, certainly the favour is great, and much increaſeth our obligation to ſerve God, to be borne, and have education from religious Parents. Firſt, Such birth brings us within the Covenant, Gen. 17.7. 1 Cor. 7.14. entitles us to the promiſes of this life, and upon condition of reſemblance, and imitation, to the promiſes of the life to come. Secondly, Advantageth us much towards Heaven, whiles we have; Firſt, Our information, and nurture in the fear of the Lord. Epheſ. 6.4. Secondly, The ayd of their Prayers, and Counſells, and Admonitions, as*1 Sam. 2.23. Eli, Oh my ſonnes, do not ſo wickedly. Thirdly, Their daily example, which by a kinde of naturall inſtinct we are inclined to imitate.
Lord me thinks what a ſhame, and horrour is it to ſee a degenerous ſeed; and how do I perſwade my ſelf horrour of conſcience ſhall be one day augmented, torments of Hell encreaſed to them, who beſides the ordinary and common means of ſalvation in the Church, have had their birth and breeding under religious Parents?
I know not how we pride our ſelves in this, that we can talke of the Devotion, and Religion hath been in our progenitours; and there are who ſtick not, though profanely, to ſay, They hope for their Parents ſake, and through their faith and piety to go to heaven, though themſelves walke in the wayes of the wicked. Firſt, Have you forgotten who ſaid, Think not to ſay, We have *Ioh. 8.39.Abraham to our father. Secondly, Do you not remember who ſaid, That if the righteous beget a *Ezek. 18.14, 24Sonne that commits abomination, He ſhall die in his ſinne; yea, be the more tormented becauſe he had ſo gracious birth, and education? Thirdly, Have ye forgotten the diſtinction, of children by birth, and children by imitation; As the righteous ſonne of a wicked father, dieth not for his fathers wickedneſſe; ſo lives not the wicked ſonne of a righteous father by the fathers righteouſneſſe, ſee Ioh. 8. Wherefore you to whom God hath granted this favour of all others, ſtrive to excell in goodneſſe, and think as David, your very birth of ſuch Parents binds you to extraordinary ſerviceableneſſe towards God.