Forty-Five Sermons Upon Psalm 130, Sermon 26
SERMON XXVI.
Pſalm 130. Verſe 5. — And in his word do I hope.
WAiting on God being a moſt excellent and neceſſary Subject and Duty, in regard that only they that endure to the end, ſhall be ſaved; and that it is theſe whoſe Patience has had its perfect work, that ſhall underſtand the loving kindneſs of the Lord: we had need to ſtudy all theſe things, which may either ſet Patience on work, or keep it at work. And here I am upon the great ſupport of the Waiting Man, He waits for the Lord, becauſe he hope in his word. In the Forenoon I ſpoke to the firſt general Obſervation, in theſe words, That Patience and Waiting cannot be well cheriſhed, without Faith and Hope; Which I branched out in two, That the Tryals of the Saints may be ſuch, and ſo ordered for greatneſs and continuance; that Faith only will be able to diſcern an iſſue of them; and that faith chearfully employed, will diſcern this iſſue.
Now the Leſſon I am to fall upon in the 2d. general Obſervation is, That Faith enabling to endure hard lots, and to endure without ſuccumbing, muſt take the Word of God for its ground; and Faith having the Word for its ground, ſo long as God alters not his Sentence in his Word, Faith muſt believe and hope, expect the accompliſhment of that word, I hope in his word, ſaith the Pſalmiſt; hence it is (to allude to that of the Apoſtle. Rom. 10 6.) That the man that would live by Faith, he muſt not ſay in his heart. Who ſhall aſcend into heaven, to bring down Chriſt, or an iſſue from above, or who ſhall deſcend into the deep, to bring up a Chriſt, or an iſſue from the dead? But the word is near thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; The Word of Faith, the Word in the Goſpel which we preach.
This Point, becauſe there are ſeveral things in it of ſpecial concernment for us, I ſhall deduce and branch out to you in four Heads.
1. That really needy Saints, who are put to live by Faith, ought to be, and will be much converſant with the Word, that they may know what is for them, and ſuitable to their caſe there.
2. That as really needy Saints will be much converſant with the Word, ſo they will judge of things according to the Verdict of the Word.
3. That to fix them in that Reſolution, to judge of things according to the Word, they muſt fix this Principle, That the Word is of Divine Authority.
4. That having fixt this, That the Word is of Divine Authority, the Believer muſt ſend out his Faith to believe, and his hope to look for all that he finds in ſo Divine and ſure a Word.
For the firſt of theſe, I ſay, That really needy Saints, who are put to live by Faith, ought to be, and will be much converſant in the Word, that they may know what is for them there, and ſuitable to their caſe; This is clearly imported in the Text, while he ſaith, I hope in thy Word; He muſt know what is in the Word, to lean his Faith and Hope upon; for except he know he cannot lean his Faith and Confidence on it: Hence David, a great liver by Faith, was much converſant with the Scriptures, they were his meditation, his meat, his delight; the men of his counſels, his guides, as ye may read at length, what his eſteem of the Scriptures was in that 119 Pſalm. And this being ſo, it will infer not only, that really needy ſaints ſhould attend upon the Word preached; but more eſpecially, that they ſhould, and will be much at the privat ſerious reading of, meditation on, and peruſal of the Scriptures; a duty, that in the firſt place, I would prove to be a duty. And 2dly. preſs it on you.
1. I ſay, it is needful to prove that it is a duty, that the Scriptures be read by all, in oppoſition to that curſed Popiſh principle, that will not allow any laick or privat perſon, without a peculiar licence, to read the Scriptures, whereby they turn that in a priviledge, and confer on ſome only, which God hath impoſed as a duty on all; yea, further, ſo Tyrannical are they in this, that though they permit ſome to read the vulgar Latin, or Tranſlations according to it (as they have turned it in Engliſh) where Proteſtants are, leſt if they ſhuld hinder them in the uſe of that, they ſhould read other Tranſlations without their liberty; yet in other places, as Spain and Italy, they are ſparing of theſe Licenſes. This is a damnable error, not only contrair to the way of the ancient Church (wherein they glory ſo much) wherin privat perſons were ſo well acquaint with the Word, that they would make it the ſubject of their diſcourſe, while they were about their ordinary callings; but is clearly repugnant to Scripture, and principles deduced therefrom, both in the Old and New Teſtament. I ſhall not inſiſt on controverſial things, but lay down firſt, ſome inſtances from Scripture, to which I ſhall add ſome Scripture arguments for clearing that Truth.
For Scripture inſtances, look to the Old Teſtament, it is marked, Acts 15.21. That in old time, Moſes had in every City them that preached him, being read in the ſynagogues every ſabbath day; and not the Books of Moſes only, but the Prophets: And therefore our Lord in his ſolemn Sermon, Luke 4.17. Read out of the Prophecy of Iſaiah, that Book being delivered to him: Beſide publick reading of the Scriptures, we find privat reading enjoyned, Deut. 17.18. The King was to have a Copy of the Law in a Book, out of that which was before the Prieſts and Levits, to be with him, and he was to read therein, all the days of his life. Joſh. 1.8. The Commander of the people was not to let the book of the Law depart out of his mouth, but to meditat therein day and night: It was alſo to be read by mean perſons, for Deut. 6.6. Theſe words commanded to the Jews, they were to teach them diligently to their children▪ to talk of them when they ſat in their houſes, when they did walk by the way, when they did ly down, and when they roſe up; and this they could not do in all the ages of their Church, unleſs they read the Books of Moſes, when Moſes was gone. We find that Eunuch in returning from Jeruſalem in his journey, reading the Scripture, Act. 8.30. We find Timothy from a child inſtructed in the Scriptures, 2 Tim. 3.15. drinking it in with his milk; and in a word, Pſal. 1.2. We find the bleſt man in thoſe days, and in all ages of the Church, to be that man, who hath his delight in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth meditate day and night: If again we turn to the New Teſtament, we find that Chriſt commands the Jews to ſearch the Scriptures, Joh. 5.39. We find the Bereans commended for comparing Chriſt Apoſtles Sermons with the Scripture, ſearching the Scriptures whether theſe things were ſo, Act. 17.11. We find it required, That the word of Chriſt a well in us richly, in all wiſdom, teaching and admoniſhing one another, Col. 3.16. which neceſſarily requires frequent reading of the Scriptures; we find the Apoſtle ſuppoſing the Corinthians read them, 2 Cor. 1.13. We wrote none other things to you than that you read and acknowledge, and Eph. 3.4. Whereby when ye read ye may underſtand my knowledge: We find him commanding it, Col. 4.16. When this Epiſtle is read amongſt you, cauſe alſo that it be read in the Church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewiſe read the Epiſtle from Laodicea; 1 Theſ. 4.27. He charges them by the Lord, that that epiſtle be read unto all the holy brethren; and if the Apoſtle John, Rev. 1.3. pronounces them bleſt, who reads the words of that propheſie, which is a dark obſtruſe Book. It is not the purpoſe of the Spirit of God, that other plain Scriptures ſhould be ſhut up from people.
But 2. Unto theſe Scripture inſtances, we ſhall add a few Scripture Arguments, as 1. For what end were the Scriptures plainly and legibly written, and at firſt in a known language, if not to be made uſe of and read; when the Viſion is written and made plain upon Tables, Habakkuk tells the end of that is, That he may run that readeth it. 2. If the Prophets, Chriſt and his Apoſtles, did not ſpare to preach their Doctrine in the audience of all, it cannot be rationally thought, but that we may read the Scriptures that contains the ſum of their Doctrine. 3. The Scriptures are not only written to all, but are recommended to all; therefore they concern all, and are to be read by all, Rom. 15.4. Whatſoever things were written afore-time, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope▪ The Epiſtles of Paul were directed to all the Saints. John's 2d. Epiſtle was written to an elect lady; his 3d. Epiſtle to Gaius. In his firſt, he writes to fathers, young men, and children, and how irrational is it to aſſert, that that which is directed to all, ſhould be keep'd up from any concerned. 4. The uſe that all have for the Scriptures, do prove, that they ſhould be read by all, they are the Rule by which we are to walk; and therefore the man that would walk right, muſt know the Rule: They are the Charter of our Inheritance, and that we be not cheated, we would know it. They are our elder Brothers Teſtament, and therefore we ought to read it, that we may know our Legacy: All the Epithets given to the Scripture in relation to our need, tell it is the will of God we ſhould be converſant with them. And Laſtly, There are many duties required of Chriſtians, that they cannot perform, unleſs they be converſant with the Scriptures; they are bidden try the ſpirits, whither they be of God, 1 Joh. 4.1. And how ſhall they try them, but by the Touchſtone of the Scriptures. They are bidden prove all things, 1 Theſ. 5.21. And how ſhal they do that, unleſs they make uſe of the ſtandard of the Scripture, they are bidden add to their faith vertue, and to their vertue knowledge, 2 Pet. 1.5. And how ſhal they increaſe in knowledge, if the Scriptures be not converſed with? nay more, How ſhall ignorance be proven to be a ſin, if the Scripture, the only Illuminator of the Underſtanding, be not to be converſed with? But I ſhall forbear further debating with Papiſts, the imitators (in this) of other Hereticks, whom Tertullian calls Lucifugae ſcripturarum, who while they prohibit the promiſcuous reading of Scripture, proclaim how little kindneſs they expect of the Scripture: It is with them as it is with a Tyrrant and his Subjects, he dares not truſt them with armsleſt they ſhould riſe againſt him; ſo they will not let people read the Scriptures, leſt thereby they ſhould ſoon diſcover their abominations and cheats; therefore it is that they keep them in a maſs of ignorance, and pleaſe them with that, That Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion.
But 2. To preſs this Duty upon you (for I would not ſo much have us Diſputants for this Truth, as Practiſers of this Duty) I would not have men having Bibles in their Houſes, and yet as little acquaint with them, as if they had none; if this be a duty, it would be followed forth in practice. I ſhall not enter upon the way of reading Scripture here, but in bearing home the practice of the duty, I ſhall ſay this: 1. Ye that have Children, train them up at Schools, a thing wherein the heat of perſecution made the ancient Church very deficient, they had no Schools to put their Children to: But how made they up that loſs? by procuring Copies of the Scriptures, they got in ſome to read to them, whom they lodged with them, or going far to hear them read, by ſuch as could read them. And I might here inſtance Pambo, who came to a Friend, that he might read a Pſalm to him; and he beginning the 39 Pſalm, I ſaid, I will take heed to my way, that I ſin not with my tongue; hold there, ſaid he, till I learn that well; and when he came again, being asked why he tarried ſo long away; O ſaid he, I think that one leſſon of the Government of the Tongue, ſhall ſuffice me all my life: But this I leave as a digreſſion. But if theſe who wanted Schools, were put to ſuch pains and charges to ſupply that defect; what a great defect is it in you that have Schools; and yet there are ſo many of you in the place and Countrey about, that can read none at all; Is not this a great neglect of a ſpecial mean of Salvation, and to find it in ſuch a place, where Religion has had countenance, and where Learning might be had with eaſe, that ſo many perſons ſhould be found not able to read the Scriptures; O what a lamentable defect is it, and I wiſh it may not be continued in, in this generation. And I ſhall add to this, of putting your Children to read, ye would beware of indulgence to them while they are learning. This ſinful indulgence of Children is an ill ſymptom for the generation to follow; and more, it is a ſad preſage, that theſe your ſinful indulged Children, ſhall prove your greateſt plague, experience hath proven it, and ye would look to it; if the Children ye have indulged, do skaith to Church or State, readily ye may get the firſt draught of the Cup, they will be your greateſt croſs.
But 2. I would recommend to you, that ye that can read, would make uſe of that gift, that is a thing ye may do with little interruption to your lawful affairs, and a thing ye have liberty to go about without hazard; ye are not like Incodemites, as many are called in other parts of the world, wherein Inquiſitions are ſo terrible to people, that if they have a Bible, or any portion of it, they muſt hide it for fear of the Inquiſition; ye are not in that hazard; and if ye refuſe to make uſe of the Scripture when it is dadded on you, and have liberty to be converſant with it; it ſhall be righteouſneſs with God to take that liberty from you, and give you up to Inquiſitions, as a puniſhment for that dreadful neglect. I ſee Bibles among you, and bleſs God for it; but it is not enough to have them, go through them, and ſeek to be acquaint with the mind of God held out to you in them.
But to preſs this duty a little more diſtinctly, I would briefly point at four or five things, which I would have you to conſider:
1. I would have the excellency of the Scripture conſidered; ye know men of Spirits, if they hear of an excellent Book written by a very learned perſon O how would they long for it, be at pains to have it, and read it? how greedily will ſome ſeek after, and peruſe Hiſtories and Romances, who are little in reading the Scripture; but I ſhall come nearer you: If there came News to Scotland, that there were a Book written by God in Spain, or ſome other remote Countrey, how would it be longed for? how would ye be earneſt to ſeek and peruſe it? and if ſo, what a ſin and a ſhame is it, when that Book inſpired by the Spirit of God, written by infallible Inſtruments, is among your hands? and yet how many are there, that neither in their Families, nor in ſecret have a teſtimony of their reading of it? what a monſtruous neglect is it?
2. Conſider that it is a mean of God's Converſe with us; There is a double mean of intercourſe and converſe betwixt God and us; on our part, we converſe with him by Prayer, by ſending up our beggar ſupplications to Him; we traffick with Heaven by our neceſſities vented in Prayer to God, upon the one hand; and upon the other hand, it is by theſe Scriptures that God correſponds viſibly with us, and ſends meſſages to us: Hence I infer, (and look to it) That neglecters to converſe with the Scripture, not only obſtruct God's intercourſe, and provocks him to give up correſpondence with them in his Word: nay his dwelling in them, for Joh. 15.7. Speaking of his abiding in us, and we in him, he ſays. If ye abide in me, and my words in you, he in ſtead of putting in his abiding, puts in his words abiding in us; becauſe it is by his word he abides in us: But I ſay, it is to be feared, that neglecters of converſe with the Scripture, not only obſtruct God's correſpondence with, and dwelling in them; but that they alſo cut ſhort the converſe on their ſide with Heaven, by needy Prayer. Let them never ſay, that they are ſerious in Prayer, that neglect to read the Scriptures; though a man may read much, that prays not (for theſe are not reciprocal) yet he can never be ſerious in prayer, that reads none; he muſt be a delighter in the Scripture, that converſes with God by prayer; if then ye neglect reading, ye not only obſtruct Gods intercourſe with you, but yours with him.
And I ſhall add in the 3d. place, there is not a more infallible mark of Grace and Regeneration, nor to be much acquaint and converſant with the Scripture, delighting therein, and feeding thereon. I ſhall not urge that natural Axiom iiſdem nutrimur ex quibus conſtamus we are nouriſhed of the ſame things we are made of; but I ſhall give it you in Scripture terms: Compare theſe two, 1 Pet. 1.23. and 2.2. …n the one paſſage, it is ſaid, Ye are born again, not of corruptible ſeed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. In the other paſſage, as new born babes deſire the ſincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If a man be begotten and born by the word, he will deſire the ſincere milk of the Word, that he may grow and be nouriſhed by it; and in this, I may allude to that of David, Pſal. 119.93. I will never forget thy precepts, for with them thou haſt quickened me. A man that hath found the Word powerful, pulling him from Nature to Grace, from the power of Sathan to God, will not forget it, but muſt be converſant with it.
And I ſhall add in the fourth place, as the frequent uſe of the Scripture is a bleſſed proof of Regeneration, ſo it is an evidence of a tender man: The untender man takes advice from any thing, that may bring him pleaſure, advantage or preferment, and accordingly ſteers his courſe; but the tender man muſt have directions from the Word, elſe he will not ſtir in any thing; he far tranſcends theſe Grecians, who being at their Sacrifice, would not ſtir from it, though the enemy approached, and killed ſome, and wounded others, till they got ſome good ſigns, and then they got up, and went to it: So the tender man in all his caſes and difficulties, will take his directions from the Bible, and then he goes to it for his encouragements; and hence Pſal. 1.2. The bleſt man is he who delights in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth meditat day and night. He muſt not want his Bible, what ever he want: and that is a tender man who like David in a diſtreſs, muſt encourage himſelf in the Lord his God, 1 Sam. 30.6. or elſe he will not be encouraged.
There is a 5th. thing that preſſes this duty of converſing with the Scripture, and it is the thing in hand, the godly man hath ſo many needs, that he muſt not want the Bible to make up and ſupply them, he is put to fend by Faith and Hope, and Faith and Hope muſt not want the Scriptures, the ground of both; there is no paſture for Faith and Hope but the Scripture: Therefore the godly man muſt be converſant with it, he muſt have his all in God, and muſt ſtudy to know the mind of God that he may pleaſe him in all things. The godly man is called to live by Faith, and muſt know what Faith hath to feed on, and this puts him to converſe with Scripture. As I ſaid before, The Bible is the Charter of his Inheritance, the Rule that he muſt walk by, his Elder Brother's Teſtament, the Compaſs he muſt ſteer his courſe by in ſtorms, his Magazine for weapons and furniture, his Touch-ſtone, that he muſt try all Duties and Comforts by; in all theſe, and many mo, he hath need of the Bible: and therefore if his grace be in exerciſe, he muſt be much converſant with it.
I ſhall not fall on any of the other Heads, but exhort you, while ye have the light, to walk in the light, and while ye walk in the light, make uſe of the Bible; let this Word not be ſown in the wind, but let it be as a good and a nail faſtened by the Maſters of Aſsemblies. Acquaint your ſelves with the Bible through and through, read it, and depend on God for the bleſſing, delight in it, meditat…on it, hereby ye ſhall evidence your eſteem of it, as moſt excellent above all other Books. Hereby ye ſhall evidence your eſteem of, and converſe with God, your Regeneration and walk with God, that ye dwell in God, and have your all in him, and that ye reſt on what he has ſpoken in the Scriptures, for making up all your wants. God bleſs his Word to you for Chriſts ſake.