Sermons Experimental, Sermon 1 · Verse 6
VERSE. VI.
The Lord preſerveth the ſimple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
IN this Verſe we have; Firſt, A concluſion. Secondly, The proofe of it. In the concluſion again three things. Firſt, The bleſſing, Preſervavation. Secondly, The Authour of it, the Lord. Thirdly, The perſons capable, and their qualification, the Simple.
Preſervation, conceive their ſafeguarding from evill, from miſchief, as 2 Tim. 4.18.
Simplicity in Scripture often hears ill, as bad as folly, ſo Prov. 1.22. How long ye ſimple ones will ye love ſimplicity? and Prov. 7.7. Among the ſimple ones there was a young man void of underſtanding; and again, Prov. 9.4. Who ſo is ſimple, let him turn in hither: and ſo the word after the Genuine Etymon imports, A ſilly man; one that with any perſwaſion is lead, or miſlead, to any thing, as Pro. 14.15.
Here he ſtiles them ſo, whom elſe he calls plain men, and harmleſſe,*foreign. Phil. 2.15. Saint Paul calls ſuch men perfect; ſee alſo Rom. 16.19. and*foreign. 1 Cor. 14.20. They are ſuch as honeſtly keep the plain way of Gods Commandments, without thoſe ſlights, or creeks, of carnall policie, for which men are in the world eſteemed wiſe, ſee Gen. 25.27. Iacob called a plain man. Simple or fooliſh, he calls them foreign, becauſe they are generally ſo eſteemed amongſt the wiſe of the world; not that they are ſo ſilly as they are eſteemed, for if the Lord can judge of wiſdome and folly, the onelyonly fool is the Athieſt, and profane perſon, Pſal. 14.1. the onelyonly wiſe man in the world is the plain, down-right Chriſtian, Deut. 4.6. who keeps himſelf preciſely in all ſtates to that plain honeſt courſe the Lord hath preſcribed him: And to ſuch ſimple ones, Gods fools, who in their miſery, and affliction, keep them onelyonly to the means of deliverance, and comfort, which the Lord hath preſcribed them, belongs this bleſſing of preſervation, and ſafeguarding from miſchief, or deſtruction: ſo Salomon, Prov. 16.17. The highway of the upright is to depart from evill; the benefit is, He that keepeth his way, preſerveth his ſoul; ſee alſo, Prov. 19.16, 23. exemplification ſee in Aſa, 2 Chron. 14.9, 10, 11, 12. and 16.7, 8, 9. read the excellent ſpeech of Hanani the Seer.
Reaſon if ye ask, none can better be given then this, That it gives unto the Lord glory of wiſdome, more then all the turning of devices amongſt the wicked; How pleaſeth it the Lord to ſee himſelf magnified amongſt his children, to ſee them deny themſelves, their own wiſdome, and policie, and to relie ſimply on him? And where have you ſeen any perſon, or ſtate, leaving the direct broad way which the Lord hath preſcribed, ever proſperous? It was (in the eye of reaſon) a notable policie that Ieroboam▪ uſed to prevent the revolt of Iſrael to the houſe of David, ſee 1 Kings 12.26, 27, 28. but it became a ſinne to the houſe of Ieroboam, to cut it off, and to deſtroy it from the face of the earth, 1 Kings 13.34. This may learn us to bewail the wiſdome of ſome ſtates in the world, and to wiſh they were more ſimple; I mean, in Davids ſenſe, to keep Gods high way, to make hi… ſtatutes of our counſell; though Moab and Ammon be confederate together, theſe devices without God ſhall be unproſperous; though hand joyn in hand, yet ſhall not the wicked go unpuniſhed.
But for our own particular; Let us count it our beſt wiſdome to cleave cloſe to our God, to walk in his ways, to this belongs promiſe of Gods protection, Pſal. 91.11 Excellently David, Pſal. 5. compaſſed about with ſo many adverſaries, ver. 8. Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteouſneſſe, becauſe of mine enemies, make thy way ſtraight before me; this do, hereby thou ſhalt be ſafe, Pſal. 37.
Theſe Caveats remember. Firſt, It being a temporall bleſſing, is to be underſtood with limits ordinary to ſuch favours; As firſt, With exception of the Croſſe. Secondly, Reſervation of power to the promiſer to chaſten particular delinquencies. Secondly, Though perhaps we ſuffer loſſe, yet life given for a prey, Ier. 45.5. Thirdly, Manner of preſervation divers. Firſt, By ſuſtaining, 2 Cor. 12.9. Secondly, By taking us from evill, Iſa. 57.1. Thirdly, Or by deliverance out of evill, by giving iſſue, 1 Corin. 10.13. 2 Pet. 2.9. See Annotat. ad 2 Theſ. 2.16. pag. 210. Edit. 1627.
The proofe follows; I was brought low, and he helped me. Where we have two things conſiderable. Firſt, The ground of proofe choſen to make it good, and that is experience. Secondly, The ſufficiencie of the proofe. The ground of proofe is experience, or example; which, if any thing, moſt ſwayes, as moſt running into ſenſe: ſo is God pleaſed graciouſly to exemplifie his promiſes for the confirmation of our faith. And this generally obſerve, there is not a promiſe of God in any kinde, but we have ſeen, or may ſee it daily exemplified; that if for his bare word we beleeve not, yet for his works ſake we may beleeve him: Sure it is true, In dayes of famine we ſhall be fed, Pſal. 37. ſo we are ſure was the family of Iacob, ſo was Elias, ſo the widow of Sa…epkath: Surely it is true, God will deliver his out of temptation, though his wrath come upon the whole world of the ungodly, 2 Pet. 2.9. ſo was Noah, ſo was Lot delivered, &c. Sure it is true, In peſtilence we ſhall be preſerved, except either we our ſelves hinder it, or except God means us ſome greater good in it; Iſraelites were ſo, Exod. 12. Certainly it is a truth, God will not leave the righteous, nor their ſeed, except perhaps they degenerate; Kept he not ſo his mercies to David? It is undoubtedly true, God ſhall bring the innocencie of the righteous to light, and make it as the noon-day, Pſal. 37. Was it not ſo in Ioſeph? In a word, Ye cannot name the promiſe of this life, or of that to come, which God hath made to his Church, but he hath plentifully exemplified, according to the purport, and tenour, and intention of the promiſer: God ſhall certainly binde up the broken in heart, he ſhall give medicine to heal their ſorrows; David experimented it, Pſal. 32. Though the righteous fall, yet ſhall he not be caſt off, Pſal. 37.24, &c.
Oh, we of little faith, why doubt we? have we a promiſe from God? and are we ſure, we rightly underſtand it? and that we have our due qualification? Then we be aſſured, that heaven and earth ſhal paſſe, ere a title of that promiſe ſhal fall to the ground: God hath pleaſed by promiſe to make himſelf our debter, and the better to confirm our faith, hath exemplified his promiſe; and yet doubt we? Yes; For though to ſome we ſee them exemplified, yet as many we ſee deſtituted, and our ſelves experiment them not? With the limits intended, I dare ſwear, they have been exemplified, if they have failed, we fail in the condition. Secondly, We erre, Toto coelo, if we think all Gods promiſes are intended after the Letter, ſome are made good in the equivalent. Thirdly, We deceive our ſelves, if we think our habituall being the children of God, gives us title to the fruition of all his promiſes; there is Actus and Exercitium alſo required. Fourthly, How farre are we wide, if we think God hath not reſerved power to try our faith, and patience, by removing ſenſe of love, by writing bitter things againſt us? &c. But rightly underſtood, thou haſt ſeen, doeſt ſee them all exemplified: And ſeeing God hath for this end exemplified, that he may confirm our faith, and expectation; The wiſdome that from hence I do commend unto you; is, Firſt, To acquaint your ſelves with Hiſtories Divine, written for this end, ſaith*Rom. 15.4. Paul, that we might have hope; in reading them, this wiſdome let me commend unto you. Firſt, To diſtinguiſh perſonall from generall promiſes; there are perſonall promiſes made to ſome of Gods children, as that of David, He ſhould not want a man of his ſeed to ſit upon his Throne; but is it a generall promiſe, then ſee and obſerve, perhaps you ſhall finde they not pertaking in it, have failed in particulars; or elſe, ſeeſt thou any to whom it is not made good, ſee then, if thou canſt not obſerve God to have in ſome (other) way, or kinde made good his promiſe, 2 Sam. 10. God will do me ſome good for this evill.
Secondly, There are ſome promiſes peculiar to ſome ſpeciall times, ſome univerſally belonging to all times; See an example of the firſt of theſe, Mar. 16.17, 18. Theſe ſignes ſhall follow them which beleeve; peculiar to the Primitive times of the Church, while the ſtate of religion was now in altering, and the Goſpel planting amongſt the Gentiles: He that now ſhall attempt it, the end being ceaſed, ſhall be prodigium; That of Ioel ….28. Sonnes and daughters ſhall propheſie, young men ſee viſions, old men dream dreams &c. was the privilege alone of the firſt age of Chriſtianity, Act. 2.17. But is it a generall promiſe to all perſons, times, ſtates of the Church, not one but hath had, hath, and ſhall have plentifull exemplification? Thirdly, There is conſiderable the manner of performance, and the thing it ſelf promiſed; the manner may be ſeverall, when the thing is generall▪ not all by miracle fed as Elias, nor as Eliſha by Angels delivered; but this give me leave to ſay, Infidelity towards any of Gods gracious promiſes, is fouler in us, then it could be in the ancient Patriarchs; What had they but bare word to reſt upon? Behold us compaſſed with a cloud of witneſſes, from Abraham to David, from David to Chriſt, from Chriſt to this day; and if we now waver in faith, after ſuch plentifull exemplifications, our infidelity ſhall be moſt haynous. The ſufficiencie of proofe comes next to be handled, It is here from a particular example, or experiment; Is that true what Logick teacheth us, From one particular inſtance to conclude truth of a generall Rule? Yet in Divinity it is frequent, from particular examples to prove generall concluſions: Let us ſee ſome, Rom. 11.1, 2. God hath not rejected any of the Jews whom he foreknew; How is this proved? For I alſo am an Iſraelite: Again, Rom. 3.28. All that are juſtified, are juſtified by faith, How proved? Rom. 4.1. Abraham was ſo juſtified; 1 Tim. 1.15, 16. Chriſt came into the world to ſave all penitent, and beleeving ſinners; How proved? I a perſecutour, a blaſphemer, was received to mercy. And this firmly holds according to the Rule of Reaſon, when the Ratio formalis, The Reaſon of the bleſſing is generall; For example, Is this the Reaſon why David was preſerved, becauſe ſimple? Then from that inſtance follows the inference, All ſimple ſhall be preſerved. Was the reaſon of Abrahams juſtification, his faith? Then whereſoever is true faith, there alſo is juſtification, &c. Secondly, We muſt know that Gods dealings are exemplary, 1 Tim. 1.16. Rom. 4.23, 24. Thirdly, God is no reſpecter of perſons, Rom. 2.14. He is rich in mercy to all that call upon him, Rom. 10.12, 13.
Make much even of particular examples, Ʋse they may ſtead much in day of triall; and it oft falls out ſo, that many promiſes help not to our comfort ſo much as one example; uſually we think our caſe a None-ſuch, without peer or parallell.