The Wise Gospel Preacher, Sermon · Part 40
Motive 1.
Firſt; This is the ready way to have God manifeſt his love abundantly to us, when he finds ſuch a frame of Spirit in us, as we have it Pſal. 11.7. For the righteous Lord loveth righteouſneſs, his Countenance doth behold the upright; that is, favorably, or as one that God loves and reſpects. Oh, with what favorable reſpect did God behold upright Abraham, and upright Job, not only to approve them, but alſo to reward them or priviledge them; as we find in that ſtory of Abraham's offering up of Iſaac; whereby was manifeſted his uprightneſs, and God acknowledges it Gen. 22.12. And when God ſaw that Abraham had ſuch a frame of Spirit, God doth not only give him his Iſaac from the dead, but tells him alſo, By my ſelf have I ſworn, ſaith the Lord; for becauſe thou haſt done this thing, and haſt not with-held thy Son, thine only Son, thine Iſaac, that in bleſſing I will bleſs thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy Seed as the Stars of Heaven, and as the Sand that is upon the Sea-ſhore; and thy Seed ſhall poſſeſs the gate of his enemies, verſ. 16, 17. And leſt this ſhould not be enough, hear further what God promiſes him in the next Verſe, ſaying, In thy Seed ſhall all the Nations of the Earth be bleſſed; and all, becauſe he was upright, and in uprightneſs obeyed the Voyce of God. Oh, ſee what favour God bears to upright Men and Women, as in Job, and David, and Paul, and others, might be largely manifeſted.
Secondly; Conſider, this is an encouragement, or an heart-ſtrengthening frame of Spirit. Oh, how wonderfully will uprightneſs ſtrengthen unto Truth; according to that of Solomon, The Lord is ſtrength to the upright, Prov. 10.29. How did Daniel's uprightneſs give him humble and holy boldneſs in the day of his trouble? as appears by his expreſſion to the King, Then ſaid Daniel unto the King, Live for ever; my God hath ſent his Angels, and hath ſhut the Lyons mouths that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me, and alſo before thee have I done no hurt, Dan. 6.21, 22. But on the contrary, How does the want of uprightneſs cauſe hearttrembling and weakneſs? as you may ſee in that ſtory of Haman, Heſt. 7.6, 7, 8. Oh therefore, get and maintain ſuch a frame of Spirit, as will cauſe and maintain in our Souls, a truly wellgrounded confidence and boldneſs to look God and Man in the face withal, without bluſhing in any ſeaſon. But again;
Thirdly; To move us to make it our buſineſs to get and maintain our Spirits in ſuch a frame; conſider, 'Tis a frame ſo deſirable and lovely, that not only God and all good men love this frame of heart, but all men, even the vileſt of men, approve of this in others, though they may be wanting in it themſelves; and this is the Apoſtles Argument, Whatſoever things are true, whatſoever things are honeſt, whatſoever things are juſt, whatſoever things are pure, whatſoever things are lovely, whatſoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praiſe, think on theſe things, Phil. 4.8. But again;
Fourthly; Take this for encouragement towards preſſing after ſuch a frame of Spirit: A deceitful Spirit is a vain Spirit, that goes about to deceive, or go beyond God or Man, by fraudes, by guiles, and deceits; nay, deceives himſelf; 'tis like cloathing our ſelves with Fig-leaves, or hiding our heads under the Spider's Web; 'tis vain work, as the Lord tells us, Iſa. 29.15, 16, 17. There is nothing covered that ſhall not be revealed, and hid, that ſhall not be known, Mat. 10.26. For the folly of fools is deceit, Prov. 14.8. For their folly ſhall be made manifeſt to all men, 2 Tim. 3.9.
Fifthly, and laſtly; To haſten, conſider but the danger of a contrary frame of Spirit to this Doctrine; and if former Motives cannot induce and move us to this frame, yet peradventure this lower Motive of ſelf-conveniency and concernment may. Though God is a reſolved enemy againſt all ſorts of ſin and ſinners, yet eſpecially is he reſolved to ſhew himſelf moſt quick and ſevere againſt perſons of this frame. God hath ſaid it, and will make it good; Bloody and deceitful men ſhall not live out half their dayes, Pſal. 53.23. Hypocrites, of all men, muſt have their woes, and no portion of woe is ſufficient for their puniſhment ſhort of the Devils, weeping and gnaſhing of teeth, which muſt be the portion of Devils, and of Hypocrites, Mat. 24.51. compared with Chap. 25.41.
Take but an inſtance or two of this, of two great men in their day; the one a King, and a choice one, but found playing the Hypocrite; the other a Biſhop, or an Apoſtle, but a bad one, and an Hypocrite. And behold how ſevere and quick God is in puniſhing both the one and the other. The one is David, who playing not only the Murderer and Adulterer, but the unworthy Hypocrite with Ʋriah; pretending kindneſs, but contriving and effecting his death. How home doth God deal with this good man! now therefore the Sword ſhall never depart from thy Houſe: And if this were too light a puniſhment for ſecret but deteſtible iniquity and hypocriſie, God adds, Behold, I will raiſe up evil againſt thee out of thine own houſe. I will take thy Wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy Neighbour, and he ſhall lie with thy Wives in the ſight of the Sun; The ſtory you have at large in 2 Sam. 11 & 12 Chapters.
The other is Judas, one of the Twelve, that plaid the Hypocrite and Traytor with his Maſter, as you all know; And what became of him? No ſooner is his hypocritical Act performed, but he departed and went and hang'd himſelf. Being a Preacher, could not preſerve himſelf from burſting aſunder, and all his Bowels guſhing forth. Preachers of all Perſons are in moſt danger, if found playing the Hypocrites, as God tells us Pſal. 50.21. Theſe things haſt thou done, and I kept ſilence; thou thoughteſt I were altogethor ſuch a one as thy ſelf; but I will reprove thee, and ſet thy ſins in order before thine eyes. Now conſider this, ye that forget God, leſt I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you, verſ. 22.
Therefore to cloſe up this Uſe, and this Point; Let it be the care and labour of the Souls of all wiſe Preachers, to ſhare in the Commendation given to Chriſt by the Herodians, who ſaid, Maſter, we know that thou art true, and teacheſt the way of God in truth; neither careſt thou for any mar, for thou regardeſt not the perſons of men, Matth. 22.16.
And to you Hearers, that are wiſe Hea…ers of the Word of God, take that counſel of Zechariah, Theſe are the things ye ſhall do; ſpeak ye every man truth to his Neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts againſt his Neighbour, and love no falſe Oath: for all theſe are things that I hate, ſaith the Lord, Zech. 8.16, 17.
Thus I have briefly finiſhed this Point, and this Verſe, becauſe I am not willing to detain you any longer.
I ſhall proceed to the next Verſe and Words in the Text, Verſ. 11. The words of the wiſe are as Goads, and as Nails faſtned by the Maſters of Aſſemblies, which are given from one Shepherd.
This is the cloſe of this Argument, and of the Text, and is the third Particular aſſerted concerning all wiſe Preachers in the 9th Verſe; we have his pains and diligence mentioned in the 10th Verſe; we have his Doctrine vindicated; and in this Verſe we have the Original and Advantage of ſuch Preachers and Preaching declared; The words of the wiſe are as Goads, and as Nails faſtned by the Maſters of Aſſemblies, which are given from one Shepherd.
In which words generally we may obſerve two things.
Firſt; The Nature and Property of wiſe Words, or the words of the Wiſe; They are as Goads, and as Nails faſtned by Maſters of Aſſembles.
Secondly; We have preſented to us the Riſe and Original both of ſuch Preachers and Preachings, they are given from one Shepherd.
In the firſt we have alſo two Particulars; firſt, The Perſons ſpoken of, only the Wiſe, and the Words, or the Words of the Wiſe. Secondly, That where-unto the Wiſe and their Words are reſembled, and that is Goads and Nails.
In the ſecond general we have alſo two Particulars; Firſt, The Perſon or Spring from whom wiſe Preachers and wiſe Words come; that is, from the one Shepherd. Secondly; Note how they come from the one Shepherd voluntarily, freely they are given from one Shepperd.
Let me briefly open or explicate the Text.