Sermons on Isaiah 11:1-10, Sermon · Verse 3
VERSE III.
And ſhall make him of quick underſtanding in the fear of the Lord. —
SOme read it, God ſhall make the Meſſias to be of a ſweet ſmell to all who believe, among whom he ſhall be preached in the Goſpel; according to that, 2 Cor. 2.16. We are a ſavour of life unto life to thoſe that are ſaved. And ſo they take the words in a paſſive ſignification, that Believers and the fearers of the Lord ſhall receive from him a ſweet and pleaſant ſent of his excellencies and bounty through the Preaching of the Goſpel: Others (whom we follow rather) underſtand the words in an active ſignification, to wit, that God ſhall make him of a quick ſentiment and ſagacity of judgement, to diſcern who fear God and ſerve him uprightly. Thus our bleſſed Lord did diſcern Hypocrites and Phariſees, notwithſtanding all their fair outward pretences of gravity in their ſmooth ſpeeches: He did alſo diſcern a true Nathanael before he had ſeen him with his bodily eyes, Joh. 1.48. Likewiſe he diſcerned the hypocriſie of many fair profeſſors, Mat. 22.18. John 2.24.
By the fear of the Lord, we underſtand all things that concern the ſervice and worſhip of God; as ordinarily in holy Scripture, the fear of the Lord is taken, if we compare Deut. 6.13. with Matth. 4.10.
Obſerv. 1. Spiritual diſcretion in the matters of God, is from the Spirit of God; for it is ſaid, he ſhall make him, &c. As the Lord Chriſt, the King of Saints, had that gift in a ſpecial and ſuperexcellent manner from the Spirit of God; ſo all his ſubjects in the Church, have in ſome meaſure, the gift of diſcerning truth and error, good and evil, from the ſame Spirit, 1 Cor. 2.14, 15. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are fooliſhneſs unto him; neither can he know them, becauſe they are ſpiritually diſcerned: but he that is ſpiritual, judgeth all things. This is evident by induction,
1. It is the Spirit of the Lord, which openeth the underſtanding to perceive and diſcern heavenly truths, Mat. 13.11. Mat. 16.17. Luk. 24.44. As it is not enough, that an object to be ſeen in a due diſtance be ſet before the eye, unleſs the ſame be inabled to ſee it; (for blind men ſee not what is ſet before them) ſo it is not enough, that the object of faith be ſet before us in the Word, unleſs the eye of our underſtanding be opened to perceive it.
2. The Lord makes us by the inward illumination of the Spirit, and by the light of his Word, to diſcern and put a difference between temptations and duties; as for example, when it is born in upon the ſpirit of an unlettered and unqualified man, in theſe our days, to preach the Goſpel, a ſpiritual-diſcerning privat Chriſtian looks upon it as a temptation from the Spirit of errour; and not upon it as a duty: becauſe he knows and diſcerns by the Spirit of the Lord from the holy Word, 1 Tim. 2. and Tit. 1.9. The Miniſter of the Goſpel, ſhould be a man able to teach, and to convince the gain-ſayers.
3. The Spirit of the Lord makes us to diſcern between ſin and duty. Ab…ſhai through want of this gift of ſpiritual diſcerning, thought it a duty incumbent on David to kill Saul: becauſe God in a providence, by appearance, had caſt his enemy into his hand: but holy David by the Spirit of God diſcerned it to be a ſin, if he ſhould make ſuch uſe of that opportunity; and he looked upon it rather as an occaſion to try his loyalty to King Saul, and to ſtop the mouths of calumniators, who ſpake of him as an enemy to the King.
4. He makes us to diſcern the opportunities of ſpeaking and doing things in due ſeaſon; it was the Lord that put it in the heart of Jacob to ſeek the bleſſing in time; for ſoon after he went out from his father Iſaac, his brother Eſau came in, Gen. 27.30. It was the Lord who put it in the heart of Abigail, both for her own and Davids good, to meet David in the way before he came to the houſe of Nabal, 1 Sam. 25.5. He makes us to diſcern our own ſpiritual eſtate, that we are under the banner of his love; and makes us, by a reflex act, to know the ſaving graces of the Spirit beſtowed upon us, 1 Cor. 2.12. Now we have received, not the ſpirit of the world, but the ſpirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
5. He gives us the gift of wiſdom and diſcerning matters civil and moral: He gave ſagacity unto David to ſmell out Joabs ſubtilty, and to perceive his hand in ſuborning the woman of Tekoa, 2 Sam. 14.19. He made Solomon in his ſagacity to diſcern between the true and counterfeit mother, by the affection of the one, and the unnaturalneſs of the other. Thus God put it in the heart of King James, of bleſſed memory, to ſmell out the Powder-plot, and horrid treaſon, Anno Dom. 1605. from a word in an unſubſcribed Letter, by one of the Conſpirators, to the Lord Mont-eagle, deſiring him to keep himſelf out of the Parliament-houſe on ſuch a day, whereon there would be a ſudden clap or blaſt: which the King by an act of ſpecial diſcerning, given him of God, did preſage was to be by Powder; and ſo after a narrow ſearch, the Plot was diſcovered, and through Gods gracious providence, and the Kings ſagacity, was diſappointed.
6. God gives the gift of skill unto men, both in their publick and privat imployments, as the ſpirit of Government to Rulers, whether ſupreme or ſubordinat; and alſo to men for their privat imployments, Iſa. 28.26.
Ʋſe 1. This ſhould humble us under the ſenſe of our own ſillineſs and want of knowledge of many things, that we may and ſhould know, in reſpect of the many means given to inſtruct us in things that differ; and alſo to humble us when we compare our knowledge with others, who know much more than we, though we have had the ſame or greater opportunities for learning. Socrates, upon a time, ſhewing the univerſal Mapp of the World to that vocky young man Alcibiades, ſaid unto him, Look there, and ſee how little your parcel of ground is: in like-manner, the knowledge of any particular perſon, is very little, in compariſon of that vaſt and univerſal knowledge men would have had, if they had continued in that firſt eſtate of primitive integrity.
Ʋſe 2. To convince many in this generation of petulant and luxuriant ſpirits, or the wits (as they are called) who are of quick underſtanding in many curious and unneceſſar ſpeculations, which the Apoſtle calls the Raveries of a ſick and diſtempered mind, 1 Tim. 6.4. and yet how ſlow and dull are they to diſcern and take up the neceſſar and fundamental truths of Religion? Of ſuch men we may ſpeak in the words of Eliphaz, Job 15.2. Should a wiſe man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the eaſt wind? How many are quick and ſagacious in their worldly matters, and no man is able to over-reach them? but they have little or no underſtanding in the great bargain of Salvation: to theſe I may ſay, as our bleſſed Lord ſaid to the Phariſees, This ye ſhould have done, and not left the other undone.
Ʋſe 3. As thou wouldſt have the gift of ſpiritual diſcerning, 1. Pray to the Father of lights to open the eyes of thine underſtanding, Pſal. 119.18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law. 2. Labour diligently to keep thine heart pure from carnal luſts, which as groſs vapours many times obſcure the judgement, that it cannot diſcern ſpiritual matters in the right colours, but oftentimes the judgement is miſcarried to a wrong ſentence by a deceived heart. The intemperat perſon diſcerns not the evil of intemperance, nor the incontinent the evil of his unclean ways, becauſe theſe vile luſts do diſtemper their judgement: The worldly-minded man diſcerns not the excellency of things heavenly, becauſe his heart is not purged from the love of the world, and his ſurfeit of worldly cares, obſtructs the ſmelling and relliſhing of things heavenly to his taſte. 3. Beware of curioſity in deſiring to know things unneceſſar, or ſecret, which God hath reſerved to himſelf, Deut. 29.29. for it is juſt with God, when men miſimploy the quickneſs of their natural underſtanding, many times ſo to blunt their underſtanding, in order to ſupernatural truths, that they become more dull and incapable, even than many others, whom they deſpiſed as ſilly ignorants: As the ſharper the edge of the new poliſhed Knife be, if it be uſed to cut hard Metalls, eſpecially at firſt it becomes ſo blunt, that it cannot cut ſuch things as are ſoft and more eaſie to cut, even by theſe who had not ſuch a ſharp edge, as themſelves ſeemed to have had.
Obſerv. 2. Our bleſſed Lord is quick of underſtanding; he has a piercing eye to diſcern the hearts of all his ſubjects, Heb. 4.13. All things are naked in his eyes, foreign, as blemiſhes and bruiſes are clearly ſeen upon the carcaſe after the skin is taken off. Rev. 2.18. His eyes are like unto a flame of fire for pierceing, and his feet are like braſs for cruſhing his enemies.
Ʋſe. Therefore let us walk humbly and circumſpectly in the fear of our Lord, who obſerves our moſt ſecret counſels, courſes and wayes. 1. Look to thy thoughts and purpoſes, although men ſee them not, yet the Lord is of quick underſtanding to perceive them and ſee through them, Iſ. 10.7. Luk. 24.39. 2. He knoweth the ſecret frettings of the heart at his Word, when at any time thou murmureſt againſt the Word preached, becauſe contrair to thine opinion or intereſt, Luk. 5.21, 22. he knoweth the ſecret fretting of the heart againſt his holy Commands, when they are contrair to fleſh and blood, and to our carnal deſires, Numb. 14.27. he knoweth our frettings at the reproof of his Miniſters, Exod. 16.7, 8. he ſeeth our frettings of heart at the proſperity of others, Gen. 4.6. and our frettings againſt our own perſonal afflictions, Jonah 4.9. 3. He knoweth our ſecret ſpeeches, Pſ. 139.4. our ſecret reaſonings of unbelief, Mat. 16.8. our ſecret whiſperings and backbitings to ſeparate friends, Pſ. 50.20, 21. Mat. 9.11. 4. He ſeeth our moſt ſecret actions, Job 26.6. Pſ. 139.12. 2 Sam. 12.12. Joh. 4.18. He knew Judas his ſecret bargaining with the Phariſees, and ſaid to him, What thou doeſt, do quickly. Remember as now he knoweth, ſo there is a day when he will judge the ſecrets of all hearts; he will make many then to know, what now they will not believe and lay to heart, for their more humble and circumſpect walking in time coming; then ſhall the damned acknowledge their ſins, and their neglect of the day of their merciful viſitation on earth; which convincing light of conſcience will not comfort them, but confound them with ſhame and horrour.
Obſerv. 3. Our bleſſed Lord improved and exerciſed his quickneſs of underſtanding, not about the matters of this preſent world; but eſpecially in matters of Religion, pertaining to his ſpiritual kingdom; for it is ſaid, he ſhall make him of quick underſtanding in the fear of the Lord. In the dayes of his Humiliation on earth, he would not interpoſe as a Judge in civil debates, Luk. 12.24. nor in criminal cauſes, Joh. 8.10. becauſe the condition of his Kingdom and Government is ſpiritual; the Ordinances of his Kingdom are ſpiritual, to wit, Word, Sacraments and Prayer; the Benefits and Priviledges are ſpiritual, Rom. 14.17. Righteouſneſs, peace, and joy in the holy Ghoſt. The duties are ſpiritual, to wit, repentance, faith, hope, love and new obedience: the end of the Adminiſtration is ſpiritual, to wit, to make a man wiſe unto ſalvation; and the means whereby his Kingdom is enlarged are ſpiritual, Zechar. 6.4. 2 Cor. 10.4.
Ʋſe 1. The uſe of this Doctrine is ſpecially to correct four errors, which ariſe from the miſtake of the nature of the Kingdom of Chriſt.
1. The jealouſies of the ſecular powers of this world, as if the Kingdom of Chriſt within his Church, were not conſiſting with their civil power: Herod the King was troubled, when he heard that the King of the Jews was born, Mat. 2.3. But our bleſſed Lord ſhews them, they need not be ſo jealous and fearful, Joh. 18 36. My kingdom is not of this world. It is in it, but not of it, but of men ſeparate from the evil of the world. Auguſtine, Tractat. on John, ſayeth to the powers on earth, Venite credendo, & nolite metuere ſaeviendo; Come to Chriſt by believing, and do not fear by raging againſt the Church. He who giveth an heavenly Kingdom, doth not by his Government in the Church, take away mortal Kingdoms from them; whatever has been the pride, violence and uſurpation of Church-men on the civil Government in divers Ages, it was altogether from their own corruption, and not from the nature of the Kingdom of Chriſt, who clearly teacheth his ſubjects in his ſpiritual Kingdom, to give unto Ceſar that which is Ceſars, and to God, that which is Gods, Mat. 22.21. Our bleſſed Lord and King of Saints teacheth them, not only ſubjection and ſubordination at all times to lawful Authority, but alſo obedience to all their lawful commands, Tit. 3.1. and forbids them to uſe their Chriſtian liberty, as a cloak of maliciouſneſs againſt lawful Authority, 1 Pet. 2.16.
2. This Doctrine ſerveth to correct the incroachments of the ſpiritual Guides at any time upon the civil Authority; as was that of Pope Gregory the 7th, becauſe Henry 4th the Emperor, would not come to a ſynodical Anſwer for his inveſtiture of Church-men in Eccleſiaſtical Dignities: For this cauſe did the Pope excommunicate him, abſolve the Subjects from their Allegeance, ſtirred them up to rebellion, and in end, gave the Imperial Crown to Rodolph Duke of Swabland. Pope Alexander the third, did inſolently inſult and trample upon the Emperor Fredericus Barbaroſſa, and blaſphemouſly, to his wicked purpoſe, abuſed that place of holy Scripture, Pſ. 91.13. Thou ſhalt tread upon the Lyon, &c. This is not to be quick and active in the fear of the Lord, as our bleſſed Lord was; but in the pride and violence of their own ſinful courſes: How far is ſuch inſolent uſurpation from the precept and practice of Chriſt and his Apoſtles, and alſo from the humble ſubjection of the primitive Chriſtians unto lawful powers? How diſadvantagious ſuch pride and violence has proven unto the advancement of the Kingdom of Chriſt, and propagation of the Chriſtian Religion, ſad experience has made it evident, both in former and latter Generations: Such violent dealing has made many men become either open enemies to all true Religion, or hypocrites, and ſecret bitter enemies, waiting for a time of revenge. Devout Bernard, his advice to Pope Eugenius 4th. was, Seing thou art appointed to be a planter in Chriſts Vineyard, know that thou has need of the Dible, and not of the Scepter: If thou be content with Chriſts Legacy, (to wit) Feed my ſheep, thou ſhalt not inherit glory and pomp, but care and labour.
It ſerveth to curb the inconſiderat zeal of too many, who would have this Kingdom to be propagat by force of armes; they conſider not that it is ſpiritual about Religion and the fear of the Lord, and ſuitably to be enlarged by ſpiritual means and midſes; ſuch as are eſpecially the preaching of the Word, Mat. 28.19. frequent and fervent prayer to God, 2 Theſ. 3.1. a Goſpel-like converſation, 1 Pet. 2.12. 1 Pet. 3.1. and patient, ſuffering perſecution for the truth, without tumult or ſedition, Phil. 1.12. Phil. 1 29. Revel. 13.10. Therefore it was a bold and arrogant ſpeech of Neſtorius unto Theodoſius the younger, Give thou to me, O Emperor, the earth purged from hereticks, and I ſhall give unto thee heaven; ſcatter thou the hereticks, and I ſhall with thee ſcatter the Perſians thy enemies. Theſe ſpeeches became not a Church-man, whoſe weapons are not carnal, but ſpiritual; our bleſſed Lord, though he had power and might, would not command fire to deſtroy the Samaritans, who refuſed to receive him into their City, Luk. 9.55, 56.
4. And it is of good uſe to correct the obſtinat unbelief of the Jews, who wait for a Meſſias in outward pomp and glory; they miſtake the nature of this Kingdom, by miſunderſtanding ſuch places of holy Scripture, wherein the Spirit of God ſpeaks of the inward beauty of his Kingdom, in an alluſion to the outward beauty of earthly Kingdoms, Pſal. 45.3. But (if they were not prejudged and obſtinat…) they might learn ſomething of the nature of this Kingdom, from Iſa. 53.2. and Zechar. 9.9. where the Prophets foretell, that the Meſſias ſhall not come in outward pomp and glory.
Ʋſe 2. The Spiritual Guides and Miniſters of the Church, in imitation of Chriſt the chief ſhepherd of our ſouls, ſhould go about the buſineſs of this ſpiritual Kingdom, and therein eſpecially exerciſe their quickneſs and activity: this was moſt minded by the holy Apoſtles, Act. 6.4. Col. 1.28, 29. The ſenſe of the burden of this great work made the Apoſtle Paul to cry out, Who is ſufficient for theſe things? It was the Apoſtles counſel, 1 Tim. 4.15. Meditate on theſe things, and give thy ſelf wholly unto them. Famous Gerſon, lib. de vit. Spirit. ſpeaking to Church-men, Tell me (ſaith he) whether it is a more holy thing to ſerve the world by thy ſelf, and to ſerve God by a Viccar and Subſtitute; or to ſerve God by thy ſelf, and the world by a Subſtitute? Pope Damaſus compared the Miniſters of the Church, who, to attend their worldly affairs, did commit their flocks unto Subſtitutes or Suffragans, he compared them (I ſay) unto ſome wanton women, who having full breaſts, yet that they might give themſelves to their pleaſures, did give out their Infants to be nurſed by others.