Gospel Holiness, Part 1 · Sermon 4
SERMON 4.
Iſaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have ſeen the King, the Lord of Hoſts.
TWo leſſons I obſerved from theſe words.
The firſt was, that
Every true Saint hath a peculiar ſight of God, even in this VVorld.
Secondly, that
A true ſaving ſight of God, is the way to true Humiliation.
Concerning the firſt, I opened it, and proved it to you, and have already made ſeverall uſes of it. The laſt uſe was, to examine your ſelves, whether God have beſtowed this priviledge upon you, or no. And that I ſhewed you is to be known.
By your apprehenſions of it.
By the impreſsions it hath on you.
By the expreſsions of it, as it ſhewes it ſelfe in your lives.
I have but two words of uſes farther of that Doctrine, and ſo I ſhall proceed to the other.
Firſt, you may learne hence the reaſon of that great difference of temper, and life that is between 1 Reaſon of the difference betweene godly and wicked.godly men, and wicked men. Godly men, and wicked men uſe often to wonder one at another, as if they were Monſters; Godly men doe wonder at the lives of carnall men, and at their temper, how they can laugh, and be merry, when they are ready to drop into Hell; and that they are merry, and joyfull, when they know they are in the hands of the Devill. And wicked men uſually wonder at the Saints, to ſee them ſad, and weep, and mourne, and the like.
Beloved, the main thing, that makes the difference betweene their temper, and life, it is this: Wicked men live on earthly things.the one lives wholly upon baſe earthly things, as credit, and preferment, and wealth, and the like; and the other wholly lives upon the face of God, upon the ſeeing of God. Give a carnall man credit enough, and honour enough; commend him highly, give him money, and meanes, and trading, and A Saint lives by ſeeing Gods face.wealth, and there he lives; then he hath a good life, then he is as a Fiſh in the water. Now the other that ſees the face of God in Jeſus Chriſt, though you put him in a cold Priſon, in iron chains, yet he is alive: Then give him honour, and riches, and credit, he cares not a ſtraw for them, if Gods face be hid: Therefore ſaith David, Pſal. 4. There be many that will ſay, who will ſhew us any good? That is, worldly men will aske, who will ſhew us a good bargaine? what courſe ſhall we take to encreaſe our trade? what courſe ſhall we take to be happy, and rich, & the like? Saith David, Lord, I wil none of this, I am of another temper, my whole deſire is, that thy bleſſed face may ſhine for ever on me.
This is the reaſon why carnall men wonder at the Saints, and that the Saints in a ſort wonder at them. Nay, this is the reaſon why there is ſuch a great difference betweene a Saint and himſelfe; Why Saints differ from themſelves ſometimes.not only between him, and wicked men, but between him and himſelf. A Saint, O! how full of joy is he one day, when (it may be) his houſe is bare enough, and his clothes are bare enough, and he is full of reproach, yet he is full of joy, and ſweetneſſe, and comfort. Another time, it may be it is better with him in the world without, yet he is full of heavineſſe, and ſadneſſe, and ſorrow, and ſighing: the reaſon is, the one day the Lord ſhines, upon his ſoule, but now the Lord hides himſelfe; now when the Lord ſhines upon him, he is full of joy; but when the Lord hides himſelfe he is full of trouble, as David ſaith. This is one word for your information.
There is another word for exhortation, and ſo I conclude this leſſon, the exhortation is this. All 1 Not to envy wicked mens proſperity.you that are Saints, and doe ſee the wicked proſper, and it may be you ſhall ſee it more and more hereafter, unleſſe God worke wonders; you ſhall ſee the wicked poſper, and Hypocrites proſper, and have more honour, and more wealth, and more preferment, and the like. Beloved, my exhortation to you is, that you would no way envy them, but rather pitty them. Why ſo? Why? becauſe this is all their Portion, and your Portion that God hath given you, is infinitly, incomparably beyond their Portion, your Portion, what is it? I remember as the Lord ſaith in Ezekiel, of the Levites, they had no portion or inheritance with the People, but ſaith he, I am their portion; and as it is ſaid of Elkana concerning Hannah, he gave her a worthy portion; he loved her, though Peninnah bare him Children, he loved Hannah that was a worthy portion: So you have a portion, that theirs, holds no compariſon with; that is, though you have nothing in the world elſe, yet you have portion enough, that Gods face ſhineth on you; that God in ſome meaſure, many wayes, and many times, makes knowne himſelfe to you in a ſpeciall manner through Chriſt, therefore envy them not, but pitty them; you that have taſted this by your owne experience, I appeale to you, (becauſe you will hardly believe, but that they are happy people) there are none of Saints ſadnes in deſertion.you that ever have ſeene God, but ſometime or other God hath hid his face; & it may be hath given theſe things of the world, at that time, he hath given you credit, much credit, and honour, and wealth, good meat, and brave cloathes, but he hath hid his face. I pray how merry were you in thoſe dayes, in that weeke when God did ſo, when you had meat, and brave cloathes, and the like? you know you were weary of your lives for all theſe▪ then judge what is to be thought of a poor carnall man that hath no other all his life long. Only, this makes it a little more bitter to you, becauſe they know no better, and you doe; they know nothing but merryment, and drunkenneſſe, and eating, and drinking, and roaring: Judge you by that weeke, or fortnight that you were in deſertion, and yet had the good things of the World, what the comfort of an Hypocrite, and a worldly man is all his life; envy them not. It is hard to learn this leſſon, doe not ſay you are neglected, and deſpiſed, and you can hardly live in the world, and every baſe Profeſſor, and every Hypocrite he gets up. Let him goe, and ſay with David, the Lord hath beſtowed a faire portion on you, he comes once, or twice, or thrice a day in Jeſus Chriſt to looke upon you: lay up theſe things. So I have done with that Leſſon.
Now I come to the next doctrine.
You have heard in the former point, that a Saint hath a peculiar, ſpeciall ſight of God in this world.
Now the next Leſſon is that,Doct. 2. The ſight of God in Chriſt, the way to true humiliation
That ſpeciall ſight of God doth truly humble the ſoule of a Saint.
OR
The ſaving ſight of God in Chriſt is the right, and ready way to true Goſpell humiliation.
VVoe is me, for I am undone; becauſe mine eyes have ſeene the King, the Lord of Hoſts.
Before I come to open this, I muſt lay down before hand for your underſtanding theſe three things.
Firſt, that when I ſpeak of Humiliation, becauſe it hath many ſenſes, and is taken variouſly, I doe not underſtand it as one act, for a faſt day, or a day of humiliation as you call it, to hang downe the head like a Bulruſh, or in a preparatorie way to make a man fit for Chriſt or the like; whether that be right or no, I ſpeake not now. But I ſpeak of that 1 What humiliation, here meant.grace of humiliation; that is, that gracious humble diſpoſition of heart in a Saint, that in Scripture is ſo called, when men are ſaid to be humble: it is a grace that is never away from a Saint; we ſhould be cloathed with it as Peter ſaith: I am to ſpeake of it in that ſence; it is the gracious, lowly, ſpirituall humble frame of heart that is in a Saint, and is in no wicked man, nor can be, as I ſhall ſhew afterwards.
Secondly, when I am ſpeaking, that the ſight of God in Chriſt humbleth the ſoule, you muſt not 2 Other meanes of humiliation excluded.miſtake here, and thinke that I exclude other meanes, inferiour meanes: For I told you before, as God ſhews himſelfe by any meanes, by any creature, by any providence, or any way: So he may ſo ſhew himſelf that way, that he may humble you in that way. Therefore you muſt not ſay, that therefore we ſpeake againſt meanes, becauſe I ſay the ſight of God doth humble a Saint; for I exclude not other meanes.
Thirdly, and in a ſpeciall manner take notice, 3 Sight of God doth humble occaſionally.that this ſight of God; the ſeeing God of as Saints doe ſee him, doth not properly humble the ſoule of a man, but occaſionally as it were. It doth it not properly: becauſe you know that in Heaven; when we ſhall be in Heaven, we doe not read that we ſhall then be humbled. We ſhall then be in a ſtate of glory every way, and yet we ſhall ſee God there more then ever we did before. But (beloved) the ſight of God humbleth us here occaſionally; that is, by reaſon of the frailtie, and corruption that is upon us. Juſt as the Law made Paul to ſinne more, Rom. 7. Sinn taking occaſion by the Law: So I ſay, becauſe we are fraile and weake, and vile, and ſinfull, every apprehenſion of a glorious, and great and powerfull God abaſeth, and humbleth us, as in Luke 5. 8. when Peter ſaw a little of God in Chriſt, working a myracle (for I told you God many wayes, by any meanes can reveale himſelf to the ſoule of a Saint) ſaith he, Lord depart from me, I am a ſinfull man. Peters heart was taken downe, and he was amazed to ſee the glory of God, and why ſo? becauſe he conſidered he was a ſinfull man; that threw him downe, and humbled him. Now theſe three things being laid downe beforehand.
I ſhall briefly in a word prove this leſſon, Job 42. 5, 6. when Job had ſeen God, it humbled him. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare, but now mine eye ſeeth thee; wherefore I abhorre my ſelfe, and repent in duſt and aſhes. So likewiſe Peter, Luke 22. 61, 62. Peter having a glance of Chriſt, Chriſt, looked on him; and he ſeeing his Maſter looke on him, he went out, and wept bitterly. Paul having ſeene the Lord, he was ſtricken downe from his Horſe, and cried Lord, what wilt thou have me to doe? though God manifeſted himſelfe variouſly; and their humiliation is variouſly expreſt, and ſet forth in Scripture; yet it is but one, and the ſame thing; ſo it holds true, that this ſight of God doth truly humble the ſoule.
I ſhall in the next place ſhew you two things.
Firſt, I ſhall give you ſome reaſons to prove that it is ſo.
And ſecondly, ſhew you ſomewhat, why it is ſo.
Concerning the firſt, I ſhall give you but theſe two or three reaſons.
Firſt of all, I finde clearly in Scripture, that God Reaſ. 1. All graces wrought by ſeeing of God.works all graces in the ſoules of his Saints, by beholding him; I ſay, I find clearly in Scripture that every grace that is wrought in the heart of a Saint, is wrought by beholding God in Chriſt; and if every other grace be wrought thus; why not this? As for inſtance.
Firſt, for holines, take it in a general ſence 2 Cor. 3. Holineſſe.ult. VVe all with open face, behold as in a gloſſe the glory of the Lord in Jeſus Chriſt. We behold the glory of God as in a glaſſe, and are changed into the ſame image; that is, we are made like unto Jeſus Chriſt, holy, as he is holy, we are changed from glory, to glory; that is, by beholding the glory of God in Jeſus Chriſt, we are made holy.
And then you ſhall ſee for patience, that comes into the ſoule, by beholding God in Chriſt; as Patience.you ſhall have it, Heb. 11. 27. It is ſaid that Moſes, he endured, and feared not the wrath of the King; he endured, as ſeeing him who is inviſible.
How did Moſes endure all the threatnings of Pharaoh?
The Lord revealed himſelfe to his Soule, and by the grace of God, the Lord wrought him to a patiently bearing of all his threatnings. So Stephen in Act. 7. He ſaw Jeſus Chriſt ſit at the right hand of glory, and then he did quietly fall on his knees, to pray for his enemies, when they were ſtoning him to death.
So alſo for faith; how wil you have faith ſee in Heb. Faith.12. 2. Looking to Jeſus the author, and ſiniſher of our faith. We have not faith of our ſelves; neither can we make a faith of our ſelves, but by beholding of Chriſt; the Lord works faith in our hearts to receive Wiſdome.him. So, alſo I might ſhew, of wiſdom, and of ſtrength, as you may ſee Iſa. 45. 23, 24. an obſervable place, Strength.Chriſt would have them to looke upon him, Looke to me and be ſaved, ſurely ſhall one ſay, in the Lord have I righteouſnes, and ſtrength. Chriſt bids them looke to him, and then they ſhall crie out, they have ſtrength.
Nay, in Joh. 1. 12. you ſhall ſee that all graces are put together, VVe beheld his glory, as the glory of the only begotten Sonne of God, and out of his fullneſſe, we all receive grace for grace. By beholding the glory of God in Jeſus Chriſt, we receive grace for grace, that Jeſus Chriſt hath, we have it, as they ſay, the Paper receives the print from the Preſſe. Now, beloved, if this be the ordinary way in Scripture to beget all other graces in the ſoule, then why not the way to humble the ſoule before God?
Only with this difference, which is worth your Difference in the working of humiliation, and other graces.obſerving, that every other grace is wrought in the ſoule, by a kinde of aſſimilation; but this is wrought in a contrary way. I mean thus, by beholding the ſtrength of God in Jeſus Chriſt, my ſoule is made ſtrong: by beholding the wiſedome of God in Chriſt, I am made wiſe; by beholding the holineſſe of God in Jeſus Chriſt, I am made holy. But now of this humiliation, it is not ſo; by beholding the holineſſe, and power, or ſtrength, or any thing elſe in God, humiliation does not riſe by aſsimulation, by making me like, but every thing in God daſheth a man, and makes him nothing in his owne eyes. Thus the ſight of God works it.
Beſides, I finde in Scripture, that every thing that is in God (if I may ſo ſpeake) is of a humbling Reaſ. 2 All that is in God, is of a humbling nature.nature, I find, that God manifeſting any attribute of his, at any time, to any of his children, it doth humble them; as for inſtance, let the Lord ſhew his greatneſſe (in a ſpirituall way I meane) as he 1 Gods greatneſſe.did to David Pſal. 8. when he ſaw the greatneſſe of God, that the Sun and Moone were the workes of Gods fingers, then David cries out; VVhat is man Lord, that thou doeſt reſpect him? It made poore David to be as nothing. So alſo, his goodneſſe, his love, 2 Gods goodneſſe.as that in Samuell; when David daunced before the Arke; he cries, I will be yet more vile, Why ſo? Becauſe God hath choſen me, (ſaith he to Michel) rather then thy Fathers Houſe. He ſaw the goodneſſe of God, therefore he would be more humble, and more vile: And ſo I might ſhew of all the reſt, There is nothing in God, if it be diſcovered to a poore creature that is a ſinner, but it daſheth and abaſeth, and humbleth him; I will not ſpeake of the Scriptures that poſitively, and punctually prove it; for I ſpake ſomething of them before to you.
But if you aske, how can that be, that the Queſt. looking upon God ſhould make one humble? how can the beholding of God worke ſuch a grace in the heart.
Beloved, I have told you a little how it doth Anſw. it; and I can tell you no more, and if this will not ſerve; if you cannot ſee clearly how this can be, I muſt referre you to the works of God in the creature, and there you ſhall ſee ſome reſemblance of Secret works in grace and nature.it, if you can tell me how Labans ſheep conceived ſpotted Lambs, by beholding the peeled rods; or if you can tell me, how the men were healed of their wounds, by looking on the brazen Serpent; then I will tell you how a man by ſeeing of God in a ſpeciall manner in Chriſt is humbled.
We ſee in nature many ſuch ſtrange myſteries, that we cannot unfold. As they ſay, the Baſiliske with her eye, will kill a man at a diſtance: and as we ſee here in our owne home, an onion will make a man weep at a diſtance.
Wee can give ſomething that wee call reaſon, but there are a world of things in the creature, as the ebbing, and flowing of the Sea, and the like, that we cannot give a reaſon of. And if it be ſo in the creature; why ſhould it not in this, that a poore ſinner beholding God in Chriſt, by faith ſpiritually ſhould receive grace for grace from him? And if we be poſed in knowing the particular reaſon of the ſtrange operations of God in the work of creation; we might wel ceaſe our diſputes, how God humbles the ſoule, even by beholding him; when God beholds the ſoule, or the ſoule beholds God.
But the laſt thing I ſhall open is this, why the Queſt. Lord hath ordered it, that that ſhall be the way to humble our ſoules. Anſw.Why the Lord will humble men b… the fight of him.
We cannot goe far in asking ſuch queſtions as theſe: Why God will work it thus: but yet I will give you theſe two reaſons inſtead of all.
The firſt is this, that I find that it is a generall rule with God towards all creatures: marke it; all good is in God; every good, and perfect gift comes from him; and I find that it is a generall rule, God will have all to looke to him in giving.that when God gives any thing to Man or Beaſt, or Bird, to ſoule or body, he will make them looke up to him that is the giver. As in Pſal. 145. 15. The eyes of all (ſaith David) wait on thee, and thou giveſt them meat in due ſeaſon; thou openeſt thy hand, and ſatisfieſt the deſire of every living thing. That is, the meaning is, that all the creatures, though you know not how it is, yet, God makes the Birds and Beaſts in the Wilderneſſe, he makes them to eye, and to looke after him.
Another thing is this, the Lord will doe this as God will draw our hearts to him by a fight of him.Chriſt ſaid in another ſence, that he might draw mens minds and hearts to him: juſt as we uſe to do, when we have a mind to bring our children to love us, we will have ſome fine thing to give them: we will give it, and the child muſt come to us; there is nothing in the childs comming, to make us give it: but becauſe we will not only beſtow the thing on the child for his good, but win his affections, and bring him to know us, and love us, and make a Leg, and to thanke us, and the like: ſo, the Lord will not give any thing to us, but we muſt come and looke to him, that we may not ſo much love the thing, as fall in love with that bleſſed hand that gives. Therefore, our life is hid with Chriſt in God, Why ſo? that our affections may be above where Chriſt is, Colloſ. 3. 2. So the Lord will not beſtow any thing upon us, but he will have our eye upon him, that we may love, and delight in him that beſtowes all upon us. So much briefly for the opening of it.
Now I ſhal conclude at this time with a word, or two of uſe, & leave the reſt for another opportunity.
The Uſe for the preſent is this, that you may clearely learne hence, that ſinners, and carnall men, men that are not borne againe, or are not new Uſe. 1. Unregenerate men cannot be truly humbled.creatures; they cannot be truly humbled; they can have no true humiliation: becauſe as it is evidently proved in the doctrine before, they have no true ſight of God: therefore they cannot be truly humbled: they may keep Faſts, and come to church, and heare Sermons, and do a great many things, but they cannot be truly humbled. They may have divers things like humiliation, but it is not true Goſpell Yet he may 1 See his ſins.ſaving humiliation.
As for inſtance, a wicked carnall man, he may ſee his ſins; and he may be convinced of them, in a naturallway; juſt for all the world, as a man by the Statutes of England, if he have broken any of them if he read the Statutes, by the ſtrength of reaſon, he may ſay I have brok the Statute. And ſo he may, by reading the book of God, God ſaith that whormongers, drunkards, and coveteous ſhal not enter into the Kingdome of God; and he may ſay, but I am ſuch a one; he may doe this in a naturall way; alas this is farre enough from humiliation.
Nay farther, the Lord may put wrath in the 2 He may be terrefied.Law, he may put wrath in judgements, and afflictions, and he may be terrified, and wofully troubled becauſe of ſinne, and yet not be humbled: So the Devils in Hell, though they have enough of that, yet they are not humbled. So Judas, and Cain, and Saul, they were troubled in this manner, and yet this was not the ſaving grace, that the Saints have, and that the Saints only have.
Nay farther, he may have many acts of humiliation, 3 He may doe acts of humiliation.or as it were, that that is like it; he may expreſſe humiliation, he may hang downe his head as a bulruſh for a day; he may keepe monethly Faſts as conſtantly as any; and be ſorrowfull, and heavy, and yet he hath not true humiliation. But as the Prophet ſaith of the Hypocrites, they hang downe their heads for a day as a bulruſh, but the Lord abhors them, and their Service. But the likeſt thing that I know to true humiliation, is that that wicked men ſhall have at the day judgement: Then I finde that there will be ſomwhat like it; I find then that the wicked man his mouth ſhall be ſtopped; he ſhall be ſo farre humbled, that he ſhall have no argument to plead for himſelfe, he ſhall have no cloake for his ſinne: then the pride of wicked men will be pulled downe in a great meaſure, in a ſort notwithſtanding it is not true humiliation: for, even then, and for ever in Hell, the wicked will be grumbling againſt God; and a man is not ſaid to be humbled truly, till he ſubmit to God in any thing: Therefore it is ſaid in Mat. 22. in hell, there ſhall be weeping, and wailing, and gnaſhing of teeth. There is gnaſhing of teeth, for vexation, and anguiſh. There is no true humiliation, or ſhall be in Hell world without end. Nor there is no carnall man upon earth that is truly humbled.
Therfore to conclude, do not wonder; I ſay, ceaſe Not to wonder that the wicked grow worſe.wondring; (for indeed, a man cannot chooſe but wonder) but endeavour to ceaſe wondring, when you ſee carnall men, and Hypocrites, notwithſtanding all thoſe meanes, wherein you ſee God comes clearly in the eyes of them, yet notwithſtanding they grow worſe and worſe, prowder & prowder, and more hardened, and more coveteous, and more carnall: wonder not at it, becauſe in all theſe, though you ſee God, and are bettered, and more humbled: as now in the carriage of things in theſe times; every honeſt heart makes a holy uſe of it, and God will diſcover himſelf to many of his people through that, they ſhal be better for it. But wonder not at worldly people that they are worſe; they never had a ſight of God: wonder not that ſinners, and wicked men under the meanes of grace, are nothing better, as I feare there are many in this, and in other congregations, that notwithſtanding all the meanes of grace, notwithſtanding all the teaching and preaching, and beſeeching, and exhorting; yet they ſometimes in ſecret can laugh, and jeere at religion, and perſecute thoſe that embrace it. A man would wonder at this, how men ſhould be ſo ſottiſh, as to learne nothing; how men ſhould be ſo prophane under ſuch meanes, and miniſterie, and amend nothing: I ſay, a man would wonder; but only that it comes from this, God hath not ſhewed himſelfe to them: if they had but one ſight of God, as thou that art a Saint haſt, it were a wonderfull Carnall men ſee not God in Ordinances.thing indeed: but it is becauſe the Lord never revealed himſelfe to them: they only ſee a poore weake creature, weaker then themſelves; and they heare the Word read in the Bible, or they read a Chapter, but there is not one jot of the ſight of God in it. So the other Nor in mercies.day, we had abundance of Victories; and ſtrangely God came into the hearts of his Saints by it; how gloriouſly did the Lord appeare in them? and raviſh their ſoules, that their hearts are yet nearer to God, and they walke more humbly, and cloſely, and thankfully. But we ſee the gang of the world, Magiſtrates, and Miniſters, and all carnal people are more proud, and wicked, and carnall, and ready to beat their Fellow Servants; they are worſe, and worſe, and no wonder, becauſe God hath not diſcovered himſelf in theſe mercies, they will not learne.
And then for corrections; a man would think that Nor in corrections.God did deale with us more palpably then he did with Aegypt; they had ten plagues, we had twenty or thirty, God hath puniſhed us, and then God ſtops his hand; and then we break out into miſcheif, and cruelty and oppreſſion. And then God turnes the ſcale another way, and then we begin to amend a little. The other day the Lord did begin very fairly; the Lord turned the Scales divers wayes, you know how it was with Scotland, and with the King. One would thinke that there were no Magiſtrate, nor Miniſter, nor no man that hath the name of a Profeſſor, but he would learne ſomewhat by all this; yet how many are bettered? nothing in the World. Wonder not; becauſe God hath never ſhewed himſelfe in mercy, in any ordinance, in any correction, or affliction, or judgement to any carnall man.
I conclude with this word, carnall, wicked men, wicked men ſhall one day be humbled.are never humbled in this world, that is certaine, unleſſe the Lord change them, and reveale himſelf to them: but there is no wicked man in the world, but he ſhall have a Humiliation, ſuch as it will be. There will be a day when the worſt man in the world, ſhall in ſome part be humbled: you ſhall read in Luke 2…. how men ſhall be at their wits ends, for feare of what ſhall come upon them. And in Revel. 6- when the Lord Jeſus ſhall come to judgement, they ſhall runne to the Rocks, and to the Caves, and to the Mountains to hide them from the preſence of God; their pride ſhall be pulled downe, there ſhall be a kinde of Humiliation, but no true humiliation, but even in hell, they ſhall be there grumbling againſt God for evermore.
Be pleaſed to learn from theſe few broken words, that it is the will, and way of God, that you get your ſoules humbled, which is the thing that I, and you principally (it may be) want, you ſee it is by ſeeing of God in Jeſus Chriſt: therfore labour to ſee him, and ſtudy this bleſſed skill of ſeeing him; and though we know not how it is, yet you ſhall finde that that grace, and every other grace, will come more, and more into your Soules.