Practical Godliness, Sermon · Method 1
I. Improvement by way of Humiliation.
ARE we then throughly convinced that it ought to be the cautious care of all that Profess the Gospel, to Adorn the Doctrine of it, in all things? Let us then be humbled! Let us take up a bitter Lamentation over this bleeding, gasping, and if Grace prevent not, this dying Gospel. It has fared amongst us, just as the poor Man, Luke x. 30. Who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves: they strip him, wound him, and leave him half dead: but who could expect better quarter from bloody Thieves? In this dying and desperate state, there comes by a Priest; he sees him, but his Eyes did not affect his Heart, but passes by. A Levite next, he bestows a careless look upon him, but passes by on the other side. Might not better things have been expected from the Priests and Levites? Well! In the agony, and pangs of Death, comes by a Samaritan; one abhorred both by Priest and Levite; one that they damned for a wretched Schismatick; but yet he had Bowels of Compassion for the expiring Man: he binds up his Wounds, and takes care for his Cure. The Doctrine, the Gospel of God our Saviour lies here a bleeding, a dying! 'Tis in vain to inquire who has been the Assassin, who has committed the Massacre? For all will remove the guilt from themselves, though all be guilty: in the mean time Religion bleeds on, and is ready to give up the Ghost! Now it's usual when a Person is found sore wounded in the Streets, to ask who wounded him? At least to describe them by such Characters, that they may be pursued, seized, and brought to Condign Punishment: But have we Courage enough, Conscience enough to ask wounded Religion this question? How readily would it answer, though with the Accents of a languishing Voice, It was you, all, and every one of you that are guilty; and our own Consciences will accuse, and convict us that we are the Men!
When our Saviour, Matth. xxvi. 21, 22. Had told his Apostles that one of them should betray him. They were exceeding sorrowful and began to say one by one, Lord is it I? Lord is it I? He that knows his own deceitful Heart, and the Corruption that lies dormant there, will find Reason to suspect that a Temptation may awaken it to deny his Lord, nay to betray and sell his Lord and Saviour: Peter and James and John suspected themselves as much as Judas, and none of us but have cause to say, Lord was it I? I that denyed thy Truth? I that blemished thy Gospel? And if so, O let us mourn, and mourn bitterly over him whom we have pierced, as one that mourneth for an only Son, Zech. xii. 10.
It was a cutting word that would have wounded the Heart of any but an Obdurate Judas. Judas betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss: Do we pretend to Kiss him, and yet basely betray him? The smiling Face aggravates the Rancour of the false Heart. This was the baseness of Joab, that he saluted A…ner and stabbed him: do we Complement Christ, and Stab him?
The Gospel may say to us in the language of that Prophetick Scheme, Zech. xiii. 6. The Qucstion was asked, What are those wounds in thy hands? Religion will answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. This is that which wounds deeper than the Swords, the Nails the Spear, the Thorns, that wounded Christ: He has been wounded in the House of his Friends! Let not our deceitful Hearts think to evade the charge: by saying, Lord when did I Buffet thee, or Spit upon thee? It was the Soldiers! When did I Crown thee with Thorns, or put a Reed into thy Hands? Or nail thee to the Cross, or pierce thy side with a Spear? It was the Jews that Accused thee, Pilate that Condemn'd thee, the Souldier that Pierced thee. Nay, but it was thou even thou, who pretending to submit to my Scepter, didst make it at pleasure, but a broken Reed. It was thou that didst profess much love with thy Lips, and yet wast false to my Honour and Interest, thou didst betray me! Thou that didst call me Lord and Master, and yet disobey my Commandments: And if Christ and his Gospel finds no fairer Quarter from Friends, what may he expect when he falls into the Hands of Thieves?
It was this which cut David to the heart, to be so treacherously dealt with by a pretending Friend, Psal. xli. 9. Min… own familiar friend in whom I trusted, that did eat of my bread, hath lift up his heel against me. May not we take up the same heavy and doleful Complaint on the behalf of Religion. They that have eaten her Bread, and drank her Wine have kicked and spurned at her. Hear the Psalmist, again, mournfully bewailing his Case, Psal. lv. 12, 13, 14. It was not an enemy that reproached me, sor then I could have born it; neither was it he that hated me, that did magnify himself against me, then I would have hid my self from him. But it was thou, a man, mine equal, my guide, my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company. This was the cutting, killing Stroke! And this aggravates the Case of Religion in this dismal day. Religion has been wounded, betrayed, reproached by pretended Friends; when yet the Upright like that holy dying Woman, 1 Sam. iv. 22. know not how to out-live the departing glory, but are willing to die with it. It's a matter of the greatest Difficulty to persuade us to Repent of our guiltiness in this Thing, and before I can hope to prevail, I must premise a few Particulars.
1. Whatever Reproach the Professors of Religion draw upon their own Persons, will certainly be fastned upon their Profession.
Now tho' this be an unjust Procedure to Reproach a Holy Truth, because he that owns it holds it in Unrighteousness; yet thus it will be in Fact, the Crimes, the Excesses of Men will reflect upon the Doctrine. They that will Reproach Men for their Duties, will much more revile them for their Iniquities; and from thence take a welcome occasion to revile their Principles and Professions.
2. Whatever Reproach falls upon Religion. will reflect upon the Author of it, even our Blessed Saviour himself. And this should sway with all our Consciences, to walk inoffensively, to give no just Occasion to them that seek it, and watch for it, to blaspheme the Name of our God: Hear, how affectionately the Psalmist prays, Psal. lxix. 6. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord, be ashamed for my sake; let not them that wait on thee be confounded for my sake, O Lord God of Israel. And he had reason to be sensible that some Pious Souls might be justly offended at him, and reproached for him, when by his sin he had caused the Enemies of God to blaspheme, 2 Sam. xii. 14.
But that I may more effectually Prosecute this Use in inviting you to Humiliation for, and Lamentation over those Scandals which our Holy Religion has contracted upon our Account, I will endeavour to lay before you these three things.
1. I will shew what an Excellent Religion we have reproached.
2. I will lay before you the great Zeal of the Primitive Christians to Adorn their Religion in those purest Times.
3. I will further open how unworthily we have defiled it in ours.
§. 1. Let me shew you what an Excellent Religion that is, which we have thus shamefully Reproached.
Amongst the many Great and Glorious Excellencies of the Christian Religion as it stands described and recorded in the Scriptures of Truth, this is one.
(1.) It is a sound Doctrine, 1 Tim. vi. 3. wholesome words, foreign such as are sound in themselves, and make sound. Tit. ii. 1. Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: foreign All is sound, all sincere, nothing rotten.
1. This Doctrine imbibed will make a sound Head, not filling it with empty Notions, aiery Speculations, much less with rotten Matter, which will breed Impostumes, and break out into Ulcers, but with such due Conceptions of God as will settle our Faith, engage our Fear, provoke our Love, command our Obedience, and in all, secure the Souls everlasting Interest.
2. It will make a sound Heart; the Psalmist prays, Psal. cxix. 80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I may not be ashamed. As the Truth received into the Head, will keep us sound from Heterodoxy, so the same Truth entertained in its Power into the Heart, will secure it from Hypocrisy.
3. It will make a sound Conscience; for herein alone is that Doctrine of Peace and Reconciliation with God revealed through Christ, whose Blood sprinkled on the conscience purges it from dead works to serve the living God. Heb. ix. 14.
4. It will produce a sound Conversation; we may lay it down for a Rule, that Religion which begins in Hypocrisy, will end in Apostacy. And there's little difference whether we go in a True way with a false Heart, or forsake that way through a false Heart; a sound Heart is the great preservative against both.
Now here we have cause to mourn till we have exhausted the Springs of Tears, and can weep no more; Lamenting over the rotten Doctrines of our Days, which have defied and defaced this Holy and Sound Doctrine; the rotten Conversations that have shamed it, and rendred it contemptible. The Truth is, we can neither bear our Remedy nor our Disease; we are sick with our Food, and sick with our Physick. The Scripture gives us True Notions of God, but Men are ignorant, and too proud to be taught, 1 Tim. vi 3. Proud knowing nothing. This Doctrin… would be a lamp to our feet, but we shut our Eyes against it; and a light to our paths, but we will not use it, nor admit it to be our Guide in the ways of Holiness.
(2.) Another Excellency of the Gospel is, that it's a Doctrine according to Godliness, 1 Tim. vi. 3. And a Doctrine after Godliness, Tit. i. 1. foreign. As if the whole System of Divine Truth were squared and modelled by Godliness: It's not only true, that Godliness must be tried and proved by this Doctrine, but that the Doctrine is formed and fashioned by the Rule of Godliness; every Leaf, Line, Proposition, is adapted to the advancement of Godliness. Here's no Indulgence for Sin, no Toleration for Lust, not one loose Principle in the Body of Scripture Divinity; and if any Doctrine offers it self that breaths not Purity, we may safely reject it as that which is not after Godliness.
And let this also renew our Lamentation, that such a Doctrine has been tortured upon the Rack of unsanctified Wits, to abet filthiness and uncleanness: Men have reap'd what God never sow'd, and gather'd what the Holy Spirit never strew'd: when this Grace of the Gospel is turned into lasciviousness; and Men have abounded in sin, because the Grace of God has abounded towards Sinners.
(3.) It has this Peculiar Excellency, that in every respect it's Good and Profitable to Men. It is calculated expresly according to the Image of him that is good, and doth good. Psal. cxix. 68. Such is this Holy Doctrine; it's a sanctifying and a saving Doctrine. Prov. iv. 1, 2. Hear ye children, attend to know understanding, for I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. This Doctrine reveals Eternal Life, and the only way to it; it discovers what we must know, that we perish not in Ignorance; what we must believe, that we perish not in Infidelity; what we must do, that we perish not by Disobedience; what we must avoid, that we perish not in our Rashness: It reveals the end of Creation, Redemption, and how to reach the end of our Faith, Hope, Prayers, in the Enjoyment of God blessed for ever to Eternity. But if you would have the Particulars in which 'tis good and profitable laid before you at once, read that place, 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect thorowly furnisht unto all good works.
And upon this Account, if our Eyes were Rivers, and our Heads a Fountain of Tears, we could not enough mourn; that Men have turned God's glory into shame, Psal. iv. 2. The Divine Glory has displayed it self gloriously in the Gospel; the Glory of his Mercy manifested to lost, self-lost Sinners; the Glory of his Justice manifested and satisfied in his Son, the Glory of his Holiness shining out in the Precepts, the Glory of his Truth shining out in the Promises, the Glory of his Wisdom manifested in adjusting all Interests, and answering all the Pretensions of the Holy Law, and yet all these impiously turned into Shame.
§. 2. To shew the Zeal of the Primitive Christians to Adorn their Religion.
In those Purest Times, Religion had another Face than now it wears; it was delivered Pure to them by Christ and his Apostles, and they represented it suitably to the worst of their Enemies, and these things were their Glory.
1. First, There was nothing more eminently sound amongst them, than Love without Dissimulation: The Heathen among whom they dwelt, could not but say, O how these Christians love one another. Act. ii. 1. They were all together with one accord in one house; as if one Soul animated so many Bodies. They were of one Heart, one Lip, and one Shoulder, that they might bear one anothers burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Gal. vi. 2.
2. A second Excellency in them was their fervent Zeal for the Honour of their Redeemer; a Zeal so hot, that it quench'd the Flames, and the heat of the Fires which devoured their Bodies. This they copied out from Christ the Grand Exemplar of Holy Zeal for his Father's Glory. Joh. ii. 17. The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up. Christ's time for Sleep, Food, Rest, was all eaten up by his Holy Zeal to do his Father's Will, and finish his Work. Such was the Original which they propounded to themselves for Imitation, and they wrote after it with great Exactness; they minded, pursued more the concerns of their Lord than their own; the publick Interest of the Church drowned th…ir own private little Interests; as the Sun sh…ing upon our culinary Fires extinguishes them, so did their Zeal for Christ burn up all those petty Animosities, which when peace and rest from Persecution indulged them, broke out into dividing and consuming Flames.
Thirdly, It was their Glory that they lived in a continual waiting for, and exp…ctation of the coming of their Lord; which glorious Day, tho' they could not hasten, yet their longing, praying Souls hastened unto that Day. 2 Pet. iii. 12. Looking for, and hastning unto the coming of the day of God. How did they patiently wait, and yet passionately pray, come Lord Jesus, come quickly, Rev. xxii. 20. They longed to see their Lord upon his Throne; to see all the Kingdoms of the World brought into subjection to the King of Saints; and their preparations were answerable to their expectations, making ready for the blessed Appearance of their blessed Saviour.
Fourthly, Their Discourses, their Lives savoured of Heaven, their Business, their Conversation was above, whence they looked for their Saviour; their Persecutors, when they stript them of all the accommodations of their Pilgrimage, would say with scorn, We do but ease you of what you say is your burden, and impediment in running your Race; and others when they dragged them to the Stake and Fire would scoff, We do but send you whither you long and pray to go.
How wretchedly we have copied out those Excellencies, all the World sees better than they who have most cause to be ashamed. If we had holy Paul ▪s Heart, we should shed his Tears; Phil. iii. 19. Many w…lk (of whom I have told you often, and now tell you weeping) that th…y are enemies of th… cross of Christ, who mind earthly things. An earthly Conversation, bears the clearest Contradiction to a heavenly Revelation. And now what would dry up the Apostles Tears, or what would wipe off this filth from the face of Religion, but that gracious Temper of his, v…r. 20. Our conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile bodies, and make them like to his glorious body. And let us from thence draw this Inference: If we look that Christ should once at last vindicate our Bodies from the Dust, let us be ambitious to vindicate his Gospel from the Dirt: Do we look and hope that he will redeem our vile Bodies from the Grave, let us labour to recover his precious Gospel from its Tomb, and pray that at length it may have a glorious Resurrection.
§. 3. Let us in the last place consider how Unworthily this Glorious Gospel has been defaced in our Generation, and from thence furnish our Souls with Matter for Humiliation and Lamentation.
The Primitive Christians are remarkable for All Love; we may be justly reproached for All Hatred; they were united, we divided, and subdivided, and crumbled into Parties, when they were All one Bread. Love and Affection is now confined to some discriminating mode of Profession; and the Enquiry is not now, whether a Man bears the Image and Superscription of Christ, but whether he bears ours. The old Heat of Primitive Zeal is turned into a feavourish preternatural Heat against each other. It would be difficult to touch this Point, and not to break out into Satyr; but that we cannot Reprove another, but we must Reproach our selves. We have been so fiercely biting one another, that it's a Miracle of Divine Mercy that we are not devoured by one another. Sheep, whose Character has been Meekness and Mildness, are become Roaring and Ravenous Lions: How little do we express the likeness of Christ who was meek and lowly in heart. The Gospel would have taught us another Spirit, Col. iii. 13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And we have added to that Scandal, which we have brought upon our Holy Religion, that we have intitled Christ to all our reproachful Disorders; and the Argument runs now to divide, to quarrel for Christ's sake, when 'tis for Christ's sake that we should Unite and be at Peace. And yet farther, have we aggravated our Guilt in a foolish thought to exonerate and justify our selves by burdening and loading others, when the impartial can easily judge that all are wrong, but never determine who is in the Right. Thus are we blindly falling upon one another, when every Man should strike his hand upon his own heart, and cry out, What have I done? Wherein have I contributed to that Reproach and Scorn that has been thrown upon our Religion? We are sharp-sighted to espy the slips of our Brethren, but blind to observe our own scandalour Falls. And as the Rain that falls upon the Hills is discharged upon the Valleys, the Valleys again empty themselves into the Rivers, the Rivers throw all into the Sea. Thus are we discharging our selves, charging our Brethren, who with equal Zeal and Passion, and perhaps with equal Justice and Reason, are retorting the same Crimes upon us. In the mean time, we are mutually throwing Dirt in one anothers Faces, tossing of Firebrands at one anothers Heads, and thereby setting all in a Flame, that may …nvolve us all, our Liberty and Churches in the sa…ne common Desolation.
I cannot comfortably, yet know not how to forbear enlarging a while upon this ungrateful Subject.
First, Let us bitterly Lament that any of the Precious Doctrines of the Gospel have been so miserably abused, their Gracious Designs frustrated upon us, and perverted by us.
For Instance: 1. What more endearing Truth than that of the Patience of God waiting upon, and striving with Sinners to lead them to Repentance. Rom. ii. 4. And yet what Doctrine more impiously abused? God is long-suffering, and Men will be long sinning; God waits, and they will find Work for his Patience. Thus he gave Jez…bel space to repent and she repented not. Rev. ii. 21. He affords Day after Day to repent in, and they turn them into Days to be repented of. Like zealous Gamesters that have but an Inch of Candle left, and they will play it out; and if the Light had la…ted longer, they would have drawn out their Sports longer, and go to Bed in the Dark. Such are all impenitent Sinners, who having a Day of Grace, an Hour of Mercy, a Moment of Life wherein to turn to God, sport away those precious Hours and Moments not lent them for those Ends; and if Life were prorogued a thousand Years, they would sin those thousand Years; if their Days were Eternal, their Provocations would be Eternal. And thus that Goodness of God which should mollify, hardens their Hearts; and they will be worse, and therefore worse, because God is better. As if it were not enough to be Evil, tho' God be Good; but they will be therefore Evil because God is Good. But this Treatment of the Divine Patience has been foretold. 2 Pet. iii. 4. There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For sinc… the Fathers fell asleep, all things continu… as they were from the beginning of the creation: Where is the promise? A Promise indeed it is, a most Gracious one to them that wait and prepare for his coming; but a Threatning, a most dreadful Threatning to them that harden their Hearts by it; Impenitency turns a Promise into a Threatning. But upon what Presumptions do they thus harden their Hearts? Because all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation. O most perverse Gloss upon the Text of Divine Forbearance! for, ver. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2. And what more comfortable Doctrine than that of the Free Pardon of Sin, and Justification through Faith in the Righteousness of Christ. Rom iii. 24. B…ing justifi…d freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. We cannot mention this without bitter Tears, that Men will therefore freely sin, because God will freely pardon. If his Grace abound, they will abound in Ungraciousness. His Mercies are Great, and they will therefore provide great Sins to employ and exercise his great Mercy. What a poisonous Heart must that be that converts, or rather perverts so sweet a Doctrine into Mortal Poyson?
3. Nor has it fared better with the Doctrine of the Perseverance of Saints, which has not been cried down only by such as deny it, but Reproached by those that own it. The Gospel would teach us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; because it's God that works in us to will, and to do of his own good pleasure; Phil. ii. 12. Not to be slothful because God works, but to work more diligently, because we have the Divine Assistance. The same Gospel would engage us, 2 Pet. i. 5. To make our calling and election sure. To make it out that we are effectually brought home to God, and from thence to infer our Election, and not to delude our Souls with the Sophistry of Hell. If I be elected I shall be saved, tho' I wallow in all manner of abominable Filthiness.
Secondly, Let us renew our Lamentations, that the Lives of Professors express no more of the Power of the Truths and Precepts of that Gospel which they do Profess. The Temper of Religion as described in the Scrip…are is Meekness, Humility, Compassion, Beneficence, Charity, Heavenly-mindedness; but these are so ill Copied out by them, that we may seek for Religion among those that are Religious and not find it. And by this means Christ himself is represented unlovely, undesirable, and the inward Enmity in the Hearts of Men is provoked, exasperated and inflamed in Persecution.
And from hence it is that wicked Men think they have got sufficient Matter to justify all their Revilings, their Blasphemies against our Saviour and his Doctrine, and think they do God Service, while they are endeavouring to root out of the Earth, a Religion which is rendred Odious by the unsuitable Conversations of those that seem to glory in it.
The Offences that are given will not justify those that take them: There is a Woe denounced against the World because of Offences, and there is a Woe denounced against those that give them. Matth. xviii. 7. Wo be to the world because of offences, for it must needs be that offences come, but woe unto them by whom the offence cometh. Thus they that take the Offence fall into Hell, and Justice sends him thither that gave it.