Ten Sermons Upon Matthew 6:1-4, Sermon 9
THE IX. SERMON.
MATH. 6.3.4.
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.
IN these words we are taught in doing the workes of charitie, to be contrary minded to hypocrites, who hunting after nothing but vaineglorie, or filthy lucre, do alwayes giuegive their almes to be seene of men. But true Christians must not onelyonly shunne popularity, and auoid worldly praise, but also they must beware of their owne priuate praise, and selfe-liking, and (not arrogating or conceiting to themselues any commendations, nor consulting with themselues how to be recompenced for the same) content themselues onelyonly with the approbation and allowance of their heauenly father, and comforting themselues in the holy obedience of his most glorious will, as a singular fruite of his Spirit, & of their faith, which is wrought in them by that Spirite, no whit doubting, but most stedfastly assuring themselues, that he to whom onelyonly, and for whole louelove onelyonly, and at whose bidding onelyonly, they hauehave done these things, though neuer so secretly (in respect of men) will one day reward them openly. Our Sauiour Christ in saying, Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth: vseth an hyperbolicall, or excessiue kind of speech (as Rhetoricians call it) to shew thereby, that with all possible care and diligence, the study of getting vaineglory must be auoided, and that we must neuer desire in doing good deedes to please the eares and eyes of men: except (as hath bene shewed before) to make them in louelove with our good maners, & good fashions, and so to hauehave them glorifie God with vsus: but otherwise in doing of our good deedes to be as secret as may be: as if he should say; be so farre from seeking the applause of the common sort, when thou doest thy good deedes (as the Pharisees did, and all other hypocrites do, who giuegive not but sell their almes for the praise of men) that thy left hand though it be most neare conioyned vntounto thy body, and a fellow worker of the deed with thy right hand: if it had any vnderstanding, may not know, what, or to whom, or how much, or when, or how often thou giuest, or doest good. His meaning is (to speake as plainely as I can) that thou which art a Christian, in doing the workes and duties of christianity, must be so farre from desiring to be looked vponupon of man, that if it were possible thou thy selfe shouldest not know that which thou doest aright, but shouldest forget thy owne deed: and neither impute it to thy selfe that thou hast done well: nor stand in thy owne conceit, thinking the better of thy selfe for it, but onelyonly reioyce inwardly that the poore and needie is refreshed, and that thy faith hath brought forth such fruite to the glory of God, and sealing vp of thy election in thee.
What if men know not, yea what if he that is relieued, do not know him that hath relieued him? (saith Erasmus.) It is inough for thee to hauehave a witnes of the father, frō whose eies nothing can be hid. He wil reward thee, although thou hauehave no thanke at all of man: yea though thou doest take no pleasure in it thy selfe, yea though thou doest vtterly condemne and mislike thy selfe, and iudgest thy selfe (as many do) altogether vnworthy of any fauour, yet thou shalt be rewarded at thy fathers hand. And this I take to be the simple and plaine meaning of these words.
Now let vsus come to the doctrine that ariseth from the same. And first, from hence we hauehave to obserue, that in doing of our good works, all selfe-liking, or conceit of our selues, must be auoided: that we must neither attribute any part of the worke vntounto our selues, as a thing done by vsus, as of our selues: nor yet thinke that we are euer the better for the same: but to be still as humble, and to carry as low a saile, and as vnworthy an opinion of our selues for all that good we hauehave done, as if we had done nothing but euill: or else in doing of good we offend God, and hazard his heauenly reward, which in Christ is layed vp for vsus.
The contrary to this,Hab. 1.16. is it as I take it, which the Prophet Habakuk condemneth in the wicked, when he sayth: They sacrifice vntounto their net, and burne incense vntounto their yarne, because by them their portion is fat, & their meate plenteous: Meaning that they imputed all their wealth vntounto their owne industry only, and to the meanes whereby they compassed the same. And surely it is neither good, nor safe, but very vngodly and dangerous in doing of good workes, to make our selues priuie thereunto (if we could chuse) or once to keepe account with our selues of the good that we do. I deny not but that a Christian soule truly humbled in the feeling of his owne vnworthinesse and inability, may with some comfort call to remembrance, what duties he hath performed the day or weeke that is past, through the grace and fauour of God, who hath wrought both in him, and by him: so that withall he be (as I say) truly humbled, and prepared thereunto, calling to mind withall, to that end, what graces he wanteth, what sinnes he hath committed, what dangers he hath incurred, and with what weaknesse and imperfection the good hath bene performed, which is a rare thing. But surely otherwise it is very dangerous to keepe account vntounto our selues, of any good deed that we do: For, by reason of our naturall corruption, which cleaueth too fast to eueryevery one, and hangeth on (if not presseth downe) the very regenerate themselues, we are so prone and apt to the study & affectation of vainglory (which is indeed plaine robbing God of his glory) that it is a very hard matter to do good, and not to be proud of it.
It fareth with vsus, as it doth with wanton women, who when they vnderstand how faire they are, casting away all modesty, waxe proud, like the Peacocke that alwayes strouteth it, when his taile is spred. Take for example the Pharisee spoken of in the 18. of Luke,Luke. 18.11.12. whose prayer was proud, boasting of his owne righteousnesse. First, he keepeth a note to himselfe of what grosse sinnes he was free, that other men were ouertaken withall: then he scoreth vp his good deedes, and namely his integrity and vprightnesse in tithing, and then his due and constant course of weekely fasting. And hauing thus made his left hand priuy to that which his right hand did, that is, recounting with a wrong affection to himselfe, what he had well done, he spreadeth his taile, and falleth to crowing ouer his poore brother in this sort: I thanke God I am not as other men are, extortioners, vniust, adulterers, or as this Publican: I fast twise in the weeke, I giuegive tithe of all that I possesse: as if the proud Peacocke should hauehave sayd: behold my feathers are not of that colour that other birds are of, but his feete were: which he then remembred not.
In like manner do many keepe a score of their good deedes, and register in their note-bookes what they bestow weekely, or monethly, or yearly vponupon the poore, &c. I warrant you say some, it costs me eueryevery weeke so much, and so much ordinarily, besides that I spend extraordinarily. It were good for them, and others the like, to regard the admonition of Christ here: Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. Do good, and make no bodie priuy vntounto it, if thou canst: no, not thy owne soule: take no notice of any good thou doest thy selfe, least thou be proud of it.
It was the wisedome of God in creating of the woman, not to create her vntill he had first cast Adam into a sleepe, and while Adam slept, he tooke a rib out of his side, whereof he made woman, least if he had bene awake when this was done, he might hauehave thought that he had had a stroke in it, if it had bene no more but suffering, or consenting to hauehave one of his ribs taken from him; which yet had bene great folly in him so to hauehave done. So should it be the wisedome of Christians in doing of good deeds, to cast their carnall affections in a sleepe: least they (seeing and knowing what is done) should imagine that they had a stroke therein, and so should begin to filch and steale some glory to themselues which belonged not vntounto them.
The horse doth employ his strēgth to carry & draw, but yet he knoweth not so much: if he did, peraduenture he would not be so subiect vntounto man as he is. The sheepe doth yeeld vsus her fleece to cloth vsus, and her flesh to feede vsus, and her lambe for increase, but yet she knoweth not so much: if she did, perhaps she would if she could vpbraid vsus by her benefits, and not be so beneficial vntounto vsus as she is. The birds with their variety of notes do delight our eare, but God saw it not good that they should know so much, for if they should perhaps they would be as mute as nonresidents, scorning to affoord their musicke vntounto such fantasticall and vaine maisters as they now do serue. The flowers with their varietie of orient and beautifull colours, and fragant, and pleasant smels, do delight our eyes, and refresh our spirits: but God saw it not good that they should know so much, for if they did, perhaps they would disdaine to be abused so much, and so little regarded to the praise of their maker as they are.
In like maner, if we could do good workes to the glorie of our God. and profit of our brethren, and not let our left hand know thereof, that is, not consult with our carnall and crooked affections about them, we should not be so loth to go about them, nor so lazie in doing them, not so lustie when we hauehave done them, as we are. If the Peacocke were hatched blind: or could shut his eyes when he spreadeth his taile, surely his pride would abate, for it is not the hauing of such colours, but the knowing them, and viewing of them, that breedeth conceitednes, and causeth his nature to swell. So, if Christians, when they take any blessing from Gods hand, or enioy the graces of Gods Spirite, or bring foorth the fruites of the same Spirite, had not their minds and affections so much bent vponupon them, and set to vew the beauty of them: but could set them to looke narrowly downward vponupon their blacke feete, that is, vppon their sinne, and sinfull affections, it would be a meanes greatly to humble them. Therefore the Apostle sayth:1. Cor. 7.30.31. Let them that weepe, be as though they wept not, and them that marry, be as though they maried not. So sayth the Scripture too: Let him that giueth almes, be as though he gaue not. And in another place he saith of himself & his brethrē thus:2. Cor. 6.9.10. We are as men sorrowing, but yet reioycing, and as men reioycing, & yet sorrowing, as poore and yet making many rich, as dying, & yet liuing, &c. So on the other side, as making many rich, and yet as it were poore, & giuing nothing. To shew what manner of men Christians must be.
But how can that be (will some say) that a man should giuegive almes, or do any other good deed, and not make himselfe priuy to the matter? and count it nothing which he doth? Surely very well, or else truly do many dissemble, and speake against their owne consciences: for come vntounto them, and thanke them for such and such kindnesse bestowed, &c. they will say: Alas sir, for nothing, I know no such matter: it is not so much worth, &c. as if he should say, If I did any such thing, it is with me as if I did it not at al: I am to begin it againe: I keepe no reckning of it: my heart was not set vponupon it when it went from me: I weigh it not, &c. Againe, eueryevery true Christian is in part regenerate, and in part vnregenerate: the one part is called in Scripture by the name of flesh, and the other by the name of spirite;Gal. 5.17. the flesh rebelleth against the spirite, that is, the part regenerate against the part vnregenerate: Now this part that is regenerate by the spirite of sanctification and grace, may well be called also the right hand of the soule, and the other part which is still fleshly, carnall, and sensuall, and not sauouring the things of God, may well be called the soules left hand, for the vntowardnesse therof to any goodnesse: in which sense it may truly be said, whē thou doest any good deed, let the spirite, that is, the part regenerate as the right hand of thy soule do it, but let not the other part (which is so vntoward and not regenerate, and fitted for it) hauehave any thing to do in the matter, more then if it knew nothing at all of it. We must do as men that trauell in company together, and are so earnest in talke that they forget the length of their iourney: and to such ten miles seeme but as one mile: but if a man go alone, and thinketh of nothing but his iourney, then his left foote shall know what paines his right foote taketh, and will keepe account of all his sleps as it were, and thinke his iourney long, and his paines exceeding great. So we in trauelling towards heauen (which we must do so long as we liue, by walking in such good workes as God hath appointed for vsus Ephes. 2.10.) must count all things but losse and dung, for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus our Lord, to win him, and to be found in him, not hauing our owne righteousnesse, but the righteousnesse which is of God by faith in Christ, forgetting that which is past, and endeuouring our selues vntounto that which is before, and follow hard toward the marke, for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus. And no maruell though the Apostle made so light account of his owne workes, or righteousnesse: for, he knew they were too light to endure the triall of Gods iustice, & too vncleane to appeare in his most pure presence. Our good deedes are like a faire garment with a filthy lining: or (as the Prophet Esay speaketh) like a menstruous cloth,Esa. 64.6. The beauty and goodnesse of them is from God: the deformity and vncleannesse is of our selues. Shal the one part lift vsus vp to any proud conceipt of our selues? No: it is of God, giuegive him all the glory: and let the other humble vsus.
All the gifts and graces of God do beare some part of his image, and stampe, though giuen to diuerse persons, and in diuerse measure and maner: like the Princes coine, which hath the Princes image and stampe vpō it, to put the subiects in mind of their loyaltie and dutie which they owe to their Prince: that (as Christ said) when we see Caesars image and superscription we should remember to giuegive vntounto Caesar that that is Caesars: so when we see any thing with Gods image vponupon it, we may also giuegive to God that that is Gods. The Princes coine commeth out of the Mint faire and bright, but when it cometh into our hands it taketh soile, and looseth beautie. So the good graces of God come to vsus with a most heauenly beautie, but we cannot returne them so againe: for with vsus they take soile and loose their beautie. As eueryevery peece of coine hath on the one side the Princes image, and title certaine: so hauehave all the graces of God, Gods image, and Christes title, to admonish vsus of that holy dutie, and absolute praise which we must returne vntounto him for the same. Look vponupon thy faith, and thou shalt see this superscription vponupon it: foreign foreign: This is the worke of God,Ioh. …6.29. to beleeue in him whom he hath sent. Looke vponupon thy patience, and thou shalt find this grauen vponupon it: foreign:Philip. 1.29. to you it is giuen for Christs sake, not onelyonly to beleeue in him, but also to suffer for his sake. Looke vponupon thy louelove, thy knowledge and iudgement, and eueryevery one beareth the same stampe that thy faith doth foreign: the worke of God: and therefore saith Saint Paul, this I pray that your louelove may abound yet more and more in al knowledge & iudgement, Philip. 1.9.to shew that they come from God and not from our selues. Art thou filled with the fruites of righteousnes? thou shalt find this Poesie sent with them:Philip. 1.11. They are by Iesus Christ, vntounto the glorie and praise of God. Art thou conuerted vntounto God? looke vponupon the worke of thy conuersion, and thou shalt find this withall: The worke of God: and therfore saith Ioel: Ioel. 2.Turne vsus ô Lord, and we shall be turned. Hast thou a new heart? looke vponupon it, and thou shalt find Gods stampe vponupon it, and that is this: Created of God. Psal. 51. 1. Cor. 4.7.And ouer all one generall Poesie for all: and that is this: What hast thou, that thou hast not receiued? 1. Cor. 4.7.
If there be any thing besides this that commeth from God, that is of Sathan, or else of our selues. We commonly looke on the one side of the garment, but not on the other. Now, if we thinke vponupon our defectes and staines, nay filthie and rebellious pollutions, we would neuer take notice to ourselues of any good we do: but say whē we hauehave done neuer so wel, as Nehemiah did, when he had most zealously reformed the Lords sabbath, and set eueryevery thing in very good order:N…h. 13.22. Remember me ô God in this, and pardon me in thy great merciemercy: and as Christ commaundeth vsus:Luk. 17.10. When ye hauehave done all that ye can do (saith he) say that you are vnprofitable seruants, and hauehave done but that which was commaunded you.
Further it is to be obserued, that Christ saith, the right hand must do the worke, and the left hand must not know of it. He appointeth the right hand to the worke, because that is readiest, and quickest, and handsomest in working. The left hand is not so fit, nor ready, but is rather a hinderance of the work then a furtherance of the same. Christs meaning is, that we must not only not arrogate any glorie to our selues, or liking of our selues: but when we do any good, we must do it with our best affections, and not once to consult with our carnall, proude, and vntoward affections: for they are like the left hand, and hauehave many froward cauillations, and odde reasons, and false perswasions to hinder the worke, like so many crooked fingers, which are good for nothing but to pull backe, and hinder, and are altogether vntoward to eueryevery good worke.
Our affections are compared in Exod. 3.5. to feet:Exod. 3.5. Put off thy shooes frō off thy feete (saith the Lord to Moses:) that is, put away all carnall and fleshly cogitations, and earthly reasons from thy affections when thou commest before me, and come with holy affections. And in Eccles. 4.17 Looke vntounto thy feet before thou goest into the house of God:Eccl. 4.17. that is, examine with what affections thou goest. For, as the feete do carrie the bodie vp and down in the world: so do our affections carrie our minds and studies and hale vsus both in soule and bodie to such things as they like.
Here they are compared (as I thinke) vntounto hands, because they are necessary (when they are sanctified) to worke the wil of God, as hands to do externall duties, and as forcibly they effect things, or thrust men forward, or pull mē backward as the hands do, vntounto good or euill. Look what the bodie hath after a visible manner, the same hath the soule after an inuisible and spirituall manner. An eye of knowledge to see good from euill, and the right way from the wrong: a taster of iudgemēt to discerne things that differ: as what is good, and what is better, &c. legges of faith, whereby we stand without sinking vnderunder our burden, and go therwith to God. Shoulders of patience and long suffering, to beare iniuries & crosses manfully: hands and feete of affections and desires. Of all which there be two sorts: as there be belonging to the bodie, a right eye and a left eye, a right hand and a left hand, a right eare and a left eare, &c. Now, some be in the seruice of God, and in all other good workes as it were left handed: hearing with their left eare, that is, with a lazie desire to learne: vnderstanding with a grosse vnderstanding, as Nicodemus did vnderstand Christ, when he spake of being borne againe: and marking with a drowsie attention, & taking all things with the left hand, that is, very frowardly, & vntowardly. But in worldly matters and vanities, which they louelove and like well of, they are right handed, and right eyed, and right footed, and right eared: that is, they can worke apace, and see quickly, and go swiftly, and heare readily, &c. Therefore let not thy left hand, that is, thy vntoward affections and sences hauehave ought to do when thou doest any good work: as we vse to say; tell not such a man of it, for he will hinder it as much as he can possibly. These lefthanded Christians will soone murmure and grudge at a little cost that is bestowed vponupon Christ in his poore Church or members, like Iudas who was offended at the boxe of ointment that Mary bestowed vponupon Christ: and cauill at eueryevery thing that is spoken, like the cauilling Iewes, which set themselues to carp at eueryevery thing that Christ spake, or his seruants the Prophets and Apostles. And if they once conceiue an hard opinion of the doctrine, or doctour, they will forsake that man, and in time giuegive ouer hearing the word, as the Capernaits did, and most vntowardly, and vnseemely will they performe whatsoeuer els they go about in Church or commonwealth, if they hauehave no mind vntounto it: and will soone be wearie of well doing, their shoulders of patience and courage being out of ioynt: and in learning and doing of the best things, are as men that altogether worke with their left hand, hauing no list to worke.
A man may easily perceiue a difference betweene those that do good deedes with good affections, and those that consult with flesh and bloud about the matter. Those that do worke with their right hand will shew it by their willingnesse, by their forwardnesse, by their zealousnesse, by their venturousnesse, by their bountifulnesse, by their chearefulnesse, and by their perseuerance. If they bestow any thing towards the building vp of Gods Church, by maintaining of religious exercises, they will giuegive as the Israelites did to the building of the tabernacle:Exod. 35. they brought till they were stayed by proclamation. If they bestow any thing on the poore mēbers of Christ, they say not as worldlings do: any thing is good inough for them: but they bestow the best they hauehave, like Mary who would not bestow any oyntment vponupon Christ except it were costly and precious.Ioh. 12.3. If they contribute to any necessarie vses, they do as the poore widow did, who cast in all the substance that she had,Mar. 12.42. not doubting but God will prouide more. If they go about to reforme things in Church or commonwealth, being in authoritie, they do it zealously and throughly, with great courage, and constancie, and resolution:Neh. 13. like Nehemiah whē he reformed the sabbath. If they venture for louelove of their Prince, they will breake through an host of men,2. Sa. 23.16. as Dauids worthies did, when Dauid longed for the water of Bethlehem: nothing will be too hard for them.
And on the other side, those that make their left hand priuie to that which their right hand doth, doe consult with flesh and bloud about the matter, and being ruled, and perswaded altogether by carnall reasons, and vaineglorious or gainefull inducements, do that good which they do vnwillingly, and niggardly, and cowardly, and sluggishly, and frowardly, and negligently, and are soone wearie of well doing: all which may well be called lefthanded Christians for their backewardnesse, and vntowardnesse to any good thing. If you aske their reliefe for poore distressed Christians: before you get a peny of them, they wil reason as churlishly against you and them too, as Nabal did agaisnst Dauid: Who is Dauid? 1. Sam. 25.and what is the sonne of Ishai, &c? If they giuegive one groate,Act. 5. they will boast of two, as Ananias did. If any thing be giuen to Christs poore Church, that comes not to their share, they repine at it, as Iudas did.Ioh. 12.4. If you require them to do any matter but of smal difficulty, they will answer with the sluggard,Pro. 26.13. There is a lion in the way, that is, it is as much as a mans life is worth. And euen the best of vsus all are manie times too much left handed, that is, vntoward to the best things: if Christ calleth vsus to heare what he hath to say vntounto vsus, and to communicate with him at his table, we answer, as the slouthfull Church doth in Cant. 5.Cant. 5. I am in bed, how can I rise? I hauehave put off my clothes, how shal I put them on againe? I hauehave washed my feete, how can I defile them? That is, whē we hauehave no list to heare the Sermon, or to call vponupon God, or to receiue the holy Sacrament, a small excuse will hold vsus backe, a shadow is euen as good as a wall to stop vsus. And otherwise it will not be, so long as we consult with flesh and bloud about Gods matters: therfore saith Christ; Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. And that we may do al indeed with our right hand, that is, with our best affections cheerfully, and comfortably, and prosperously: let vsus still consult with the word of God, that we there may learne what is to be done: for our good workes if they be not warranted by the word, are abhominable vntounto God, as glorious sinnes. And next, let vsus confer with him by praier, that we may be enabled to do that good we know must be done: & as for carnall reason, and worldly perswasions shut them out, and do not once call them to counsell about the matter, for they wil both hinder thee, and spill thy good deed.