The Resurrection and the Reward to Come Considered, Discourse · Proposition 1
PROPOSITION I.
Christians must be Stedfast, well-grounded and rooted in the Faith, Established in the Truth.
That the Soul be without knowledge, it is not good, saith Solomon, Prov. 19 2. Here is a Litotes, not good, i. e. it is a sad and miserable condition. But in Heb. 13. 9. It is a good thing that the Heart be established with Grace; that is, in the Gospel, be grounded in the Truth of the Gospel (which is frequently called foreign, Grace, in the New Testament) in opposition to the Mosaical Law, which is here described by Meats, and in Chap. 9. 10. 'tis said to stand only in Meats and Drinks and diverse Washings, &c.
It is S. Paul's advice to Timothy, Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me, 2 Tim. 1. 13. The word foreign is a short form or draught, a summary, no long and tedious business for the Memory, nor made up of many Nice and subtle Speculations: The main Substantials of Religion lie in a little room; they should be delivered briefly, and in an easie and evident way; not clog'd with obscure and intricate Notions, with unnecessary or doubtful Opinions; sound or wholesome words and Doctrine, and what that is, is plain in 1 Tim. 6. 3. where wholesome words, and the Doctrine which is according to Godliness are the same: That Doctrine which is proper and powerful to beget and to encrease a Godlike disposition and Life, this is sound Doctrine, and it makes sound and healthful Christians: Being well digested, it makes strong Men in Christ, it strengthens the Heart, it makes the Soul lively and cheerful, able to Run a Race, the Race set before us, it mends the Constitution and Complexion of the Soul.
It was the commendation of the believers at Rome, that ye obeyed from the Heart that foreign, form of Doctrine delivered unto you, or unto which ye were delivered up, foreign, Rom. 6. 17.
It becomes Christians to be ready to give an Answer to him that asketh a Reason of their hope and Faith which they profess, 1 Pet. 3. 15.
They should be knowingly Religious, 1 Cor 14. 20. Be not Children in understanding: howbeit in Malice, foreign, in wickedness, be ye Children (as to innocency and harmlesness) but in understanding be Men.
Reason, Christians must be Stedfast, for else they cannot be Unmoveable.
There can never be Erected and Reared up a firm and lasting Structure of Religion, except a good and sure Foundation be first layd. In Building, that which requires the first and exactest care, is the Foundation and Groundwork; if that be not well ordered, the Builder Builds in vain, does as good as nothing. The Foolish Man that Built his House upon the Sand. (as it is Matth. 7. 26.) is said to Build without a Foundation, (Luk. 6. 49.) the Sand was a fluid and uncertain bottom, nothing could be fasten'd to it, as good as no Foundation at all: And therefore it was no wonder that the House Built upon the Sand fell immediately, (foreign, saith Luke) when the Rain, Floods and Winds beat upon the House: As on the contrary, the House which the Wise Man Built, was unmoveable, the Winds and Floods could not shake it, (saith Luke) because it was well Built upon a sure Foundation, for it was Founded upon a Rock, (say Matthew and Luke) he Digged deep, saith Luke, till he came to a Natural Mine of Stone, a Rock; and his Structure was sure and firm, it fell not, but held out, though it was assaulted by the Rain, and Winds, and Floods; by which Three Words, are meant all sorts of difficulties and trials in this Life, that try the strength and reality of our Christian Profession: Rain and Hail falls with violence upon the Roof and upper part: Winds try the sides of the House, the Walls: The Floods, and rushings of Water, Torrents and Land-floods, caused by the immoderate Rain, try the lower parts; (so that the House was tryed every way, how sure and firm it was) yet it fell not, but stood unshaken and unmoveable, for it was Founded upon a Rock. The House Built by the foolish Man, might to the Eye seem a fair and goodly Building, and as well Built as the other; the formal Christian may make a fair show, and his outward Profession may have the praise of Men (as our Saviour speaks of the vain glorious performance of several Duties in Religion, Matth. 6.) but when Afflictions and Temptations came, the difference between these Two Buildings (though when all was quiet and calm, they seem'd so like and equally exact) easily appeared: The Wise Builder's House stood, his Structure of Religion was firm and lasting: But the meer outward Profession of the other, the Foolish Builder's House, fell immediately when the Rain came, and the Winds blew, and the Floods beat vehemently upon it; and great was the fall of it; it made a great show while it stood, and it made as great a noise when it fell: The fall was the more notorious, by how much the former Profession was more specious.
The same Truth [That we must be Stedfast and well grounded in the Faith, else we cannot be Vnmoveable] may be Illustrated from another Similitude, in the Parable of the Seed and Sower. Mark 4. 16. we Read of some that receive the word, foreign, immediately, and foreign, with gladness: So Herod heard John Baptist gladly, foreign, (nay, further) and did many things, Mark 6. 20. Some things he did, and not a small some, yet he was but partial in Obedience; his Herodias he would not part with, his peccata in delicijs; in some less beloved Sins he would Reform. So they in Ezek. 33. 31, 32. heard with gladness.
But even these that with gladness, with some gust and affection, receive the Word immediately, when Affliction or Persecution ariseth for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended. Observe the double immediately here.
They for a while believe, (saith Luke Chap. 8. 13.) and in time of Temptation fall away.
What's the Reason of all? See it in Mark 4. 17. They have no Root in themselves, and so endure but for a time. They were not rooted, grounded and setled in the Faith; and being not Stedfast, they could not be Vnmoveable. There may be such Outward Christians as may receive the Word immediately with some kind of affection, yet such sudden flashes and motions and appearances of good affections are not to be trusted to; nor are they from thence to think highly of themselves.
See an Example in Luke 4. When Christ was Preaching in a Synagogue at Nazareth (the place of his Education) they all in the Synagogue did bear him Witness, and wondred at the Gracious Words which proceeded out of his Mouth, Vers. 22. and yet on a sudden, presently after, the same persons, all they in the Synagogue, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Christ out of the City, and led him to the brow of the Hill, that they might cast him Headlong, Vers. 29. Such an uncertain, slight and inconsiderable a thing is all that affection, that is begot by a slight, superficial and formal knowledge.
Before I conclude this, I shall only add, That to be unmoveable or unchangeable, fixed and setled, is not simply and necessarily a praise-worthy quality and disposition, but onelyonly as the matter and object thereof is, as the things are wherein we are unmoveable. Gal. 4. 18. It is good to be Zealously affected in all good things. To turn from Errour to Truth, from Evil to Good, is Vertue and Praise; and an happy change. Whereas to persist, to be stiff and unmoveable in an Opinion and Tenet, after strong Reason to the contrary, and all because it has been their Opinion and way, is a fault, and that no small one; it argues a great self-love, self-seeking, and undue affection to their own praise or profit, and a greater regard to their Credit, then to Truth it self.
Nor is it Vertue or Praise to be unmoveable as to all External indifferent things; for the Apostle Paul himself, for the promoting a greater good, was not so strictly tyed up and confined in his own Spirit to these lesser things of an indifferent Nature, but he put himself into all shapes (yet so as to keep from what was sinful) and became (as far as lawfully he might) all things to all Men, that he might by all means' save some, and win them unto Goodness. It was not out of Ambition or Love to the World, but out of a serious regard to the good of others, and that he might be in a capacity, and have the fairer advantages to promote the Interest of Christianity among Jews and Gentiles, that he denyed himself the use of his Christian Liberty, and framed himself to the observance of certain Mosaical and Jewish Rites, as on the contrary he behaved himself otherwise among the Gentiles, 2 Cor. 9. 20.