Christ Crucified, Sermon 11
SERMON XI.
ISAIAH LIII.I.
Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
IF we would ſoberly conſider the frame of the moſt part of Men and Women that live under the Goſpel, it would be hard to know whether it were more ſtrange that ſo few ſhould receive the Report, and be brought to believe for all that can be ſaid of Jeſus Chriſt; or whether that among the generality of Hearers that do not receive the Report, there are ſo few that will let it light but that they Believe; It's wonderful and ſtrange to ſee Unbelief ſo rife, and it's as ſtrange and wonderful that among theſe many Unbelievers there are ſo few that think they want Faith.
Ye remember the laſt day, we propoſed to anſwer this Doubt or Queſtion, What can be the reaſon, that when ſo few Believe, all, almoſt think they Believe? and then to ſpeak a word to the laſt Uſe that riſes from the Matter that formerly we have handled on theſe Words: We ſhew you, and we think the Scripture is very clear for it, That among the generality that hear the Goſpel, they are very rare and thin ſawen that do believe it, and yet go thorow them all, there will not one among many be found, but will aſſert they B…lieve, and they will (to ſpeak ſo) be crabbed and picqued to tell them that they want Faith, and ſo the moſt part of Hearers live and die in this Deluſion; a thing that Experience clears as well as the Word of God, and a thing that doleful Experience will clear at the great Day, therefore ſome are brought in ſaying, Luk, 13.26. We have eaten and drunken in thy preſence, and thou haſt taught in our ſtreets, to whom Chriſt will ſay, I know you not, depart f…om me; which doth import this much, that ſome will come (as it were) to the very Gate of Heaven, having no doubt of their Faith and Intereſt in God, or of their entry into it, and will therefore in a manner plead with Chriſt to be in, and who would never once doubt of it nor put it in queſtion, but they were Believers and in Friendſhip with Him; Although there will be no ſuch debate or diſpute after Death, or at the Day of Judgement, yet it ſays this …hat many Hearers of the Goſpel have drunken in this opinion which goes to Death with them, and no Preaching will beat them from it, that they are Believers, and in g…o… …erms with God, till the intimation of the S…ntence of Condemnation do it, and the Wrath and Curſe of God meet them in the Face; And O how terrible a diſappointment will ſuch meet with in that Day? May it not then very reaſonably and juſtly be enquired, what can be the reaſon …nd cauſe, when this is granted ſo generally to be a truth, that there are few Believers, that yet it ſhould be …s true that few queſtion or make any doubt of thei… Faith, and how this comes to paſs? I ſhall give you ſome reaſons of it, which if ye would think upon, and ſuff…r to ſink down in your Hearts, ye would not marvel that ſo many are in this Miſtake and Deſuſion, and would put many of you, to have quite other thoughts of your own condition then ye have; We ſhall only ſpeak to ſuch Reaſons as are ſinful, culpable upon your part.
The Reaſons then are theſe. Firſt, The moſt part never ſeriouſly think on the matter whether they Believe or not, or they never put their Faith to a tryal, if the fooliſh Virgine light her Lamp, and never look whether there be Oyl in it, and take on a fair outward Profeſſion of Religion, and never look what is within it, or how it is lined, to ſpeak ſo, what wonder ſhe go up and down with the Lamp in her hand, and never know whether there be Oyl in her Veſſel or not, ſince ſhe never conſiders, nor puts the Matter to proof and tryal? The People are expoſtulated with (Iſai. 44. from ver. 9.) for making of Images, That a Man ſhould cut down a Tree, and with one piece of it ſhould warm himſelf, with another piece of it ſhould bake his Bread, and of a third piece ſhould make a god and fall down and worſhip it, and this is given for the ground of it, ver. 18, 19. They have not known and underſtood, and none conſidereth in his heart, or as the word is, ſeeth to his heart; they conſider not that that cannot be a god; Folks would think that natural Reaſon might eaſily diſcover this folly: We are perſwaded that ſome of you will think your Faith as great a Folly, when there ſhall be as clear evidences to prove the ro… tenne…s of your Faith and Hope, as there were even to common Senſe to prove the Image made of a piece Tree, not to be God; when it ſhall be found and …ecl…red, that though ye were never convinced of Sin, nor of your Miſery and loſt Condition, were never humbled nor touched under the kindly ſenſe of it, never fled to Jeſus Chriſt in earneſt, nor never had the exerciſe of G…ace, yet out over the want of all theſe, ye would needs keep up a good opinion of your Faith and Hope; We ſay, the reaſon why ye entertain this conceit and opinion, is, becauſe ye never ſit down ſeriouſly and ſoberly before God to conſider the Matter, nor do ye put your ſelv… to Proof and Tryal; Let me therefore poſe your Conſciences, if ye who have this opinion of your Faith, durſt aſſert to Him, that this Faith of yours is the reſult of your ſerious Examination and Tryal; is it not rather a gueſſing of fanciful opinion that ye Believe? And do ye think that ſuch a Faith as that will abide the Tryal before God, that never did abide your own Tryal? It will doubtleſs be a ſore beguile to go off the World with ſuch an opinion of Faith, and to have the Door ſhut in your very Teeth; Alace! there will be no amending or bettering of your Condition after Death; The Day comes when many of you, if God graciouſly prevent not, ſhall curſe your ſelves that ever ye ſhould have been ſuch Fools as to have truſted your own Hearts, or to have taken up this opinion of your Faith without ground: We would therefore ſeriouſly recommend to you the putting of your Faith more frequently to the tryal, and that ye would often read and think on that place, 2 Cor. 13.5. Examine your ſelves whether ye be in the Faith, prove your own ſelves, &c. O! do not think that a matter of ſuch concernment ſhould be left lying at conjecture and utter uncertainty, who loſeth, when ye are ſo palpably acceſſory to your own Ruine, by not endeavouring to put your ſelves to ſo much as a Tryal? Do not ſay here for excuſe, We have no more Grace then God gives us; when ye never endeavoured to be ſo much as at the form of the Duty, or to go the length ye might have gone in putting your ſelves to the Tryal; The deceit then, being deſperate and irredeemable, if continued in, do not, for the Lord's ſake, after all that is ſaid to you, continue beguiling your ſelves.
A ſecond Reaſon is, Folks ſettling themſelves on unſound evidences and principles of Peace that will not bear them thorow before God; I do not ſay that they have nothing to ſay in word for themſelves, but that all they have to ſay will be no ground to prove their Faith, or to bear it thorow before God that they do believe indeed; It will be found at the beſt to be but a lie, as it's ſaid of that Man, Iſa. 44.20. A deceived heart hath turned him aſide, he feeds on aſhes, he cannot deliver his ſoul, nor ſay, is there not a lie in my right hand? He may have a ſeeming reaſon for his Faith, but it's no reaſon indeed: If many of you were going now to die, what reaſon have ye to prove your Believing by? ſome will ſay, God hath always been good, kind, and gracious to me, I was in many ſtraits and difficulties, and I prayed and got many deliveries; Thus all the ground of thy Faith is but Temporal Favours or Deliveries, which is even as if Iſrael ſhould have made their receiving of Temporal Deliveries and their acknowledging of them, and having ſome ſort of Faith of them, to be ground enough to prove their receiving of Jeſus Chriſt …avingly; There is a doleful proof of the unſoundneſs of this ground, Pſal. 78.34, 35, 36, 37. When he ſlew them, then they ſought him, and returned and enquired early after God, they remembred that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer; They looked to God's by-gone Favours for them when they were in the Wilderneſs, and at the Red Sea, and they believed that he could do ſo ſtill; But they did flatter him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongue, for their hearts were not right with him, neither were they ſtedfast in his Covenant; whereupon He deſtroyed them, and through their Unbelief they did not enter into God's Reſt; It's alſo ſaid a little before in that Pſalm, verſ. 32. For all this they ſinned ſtill; There may be many Temporal Favours and Deliveries, and theſe acknowledged too, and yet no receiving of Chriſt for making our Peace with God, for removing the Quarrel betwixt Him and us, and for making us ceaſe from Sin: Conſider if it will be a good ground to plead with God upon, to ſay to Him, Lord thou muſt bring me to Heaven becauſe I was in Sickneſs and thou raiſed me up, I was in this and that ſtrait, and under this and that Croſs, and thou carried me thorow and brought me out of it; The Lord will ſay to ſuch that have no more to ſay, ye had ſo many evidences of my Power and yet ye ſinned ſtill; and yet this will be all the Pleading and Reaſoning that will be found with many of you, and the ſad Reply you will meet with from God.
A third Reaſon is, Folks giving an external Countenance to Ordinances, and their formal going about of them; They trow they have Faith, becauſe they keep the Church and are not open Contemners and Miſregarders of Ordinances as ſome others are, becauſe they Pray, Read, Hear, &c. It ſeems it was ſomething like this, that the perſwaſion of theſe ſpoken of Luk. 13.26. is built upon, Lord (ſay they) we have heard thee preach, and have eaten and drunken in thy preſence; It's not ſimply that they heard Chriſt Preach, for many heard Him Preach who ſtoned Him, but that when others ſtoned Him, they followed Him and were not openly Prophane, nor profeſſed Contemners of Him and of His Preaching, as theſe others were; ſuch like words fall ſometimes from your Mouths: Ye will poſſibly ſay, what would we have of you? ye are not Prophane, ye wait on Preaching, and live like your Neighbours, and ye content your ſelves with that; Alace! this is a poor, yea, a doleful Fruit of Ordinances, and of your attendance on them; If there be more ſecurity, preſumption, and deſperate hazarding on the Wrath of God, and leſs taking with the Quarrel betwixt Him and you on that ground.
A fourth Reaſon is, Folks Hope, even ſuch a Hope, that contrair to the nature of Hope, will make the moſt part of you aſhamed; Ye trow ye Believe, becauſe ye hope ye Believe, and that ye will get Mercy, becauſe ye think ye hope in God's Mercy, and ye will not let any thing light to the contrair, nor ſo much as think that ye may be deceived; The opinion that Folk have of obtaining Mercy, that is maintained without any ground but their vain hope, is the rifeſt, moſt unreaſonable, and prejudicial evil that is among the Profeſſors of this Goſpel; henc… if any ground and evidence of their Peace be aſked for, they will anſwer, that they Believe; If it be again …ſked, how know ye that ye Believe, they anſwer, we hope and believe it is ſo, and can give no ground for it. Many are like theſe ſpoken of Iſa. 57.10. Thou hast found the life of thine hand, therefor… thou was not grieved; They have a Faith and a Hope of their own making, and this keeps them off, that the Word of God takes no hold on them; We preach that ye are naturally at Feed with God, and offer Peace and Reconciliation through Jeſus Chriſt, but ye are Deaf, for ye think your Peace is made already; and but very few come ſenſible of a Quarrel with God, to this Word as to the Miniſtry of Reconciliation; This is wondered at (in a manner) by the Lord Himſelf, Micah 3.11. where we have a People whoſe way is very unlike the Goſpel, The heads judge for a reward, and the priests teach for hire, and the prophets divine for money, yet will they lean upon the Lord and ſay, is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us; It is not for real Believing that they are charged, but for their confident aſſerting their Believing when there was no ground for it; So it is with many, they will ſay, they hope to eſcape Hell, and to get their Sin pardoned, and to win to Heaven, and they believe it will be ſo, when in the mean time there is no ground for it, but clear ground to the contrary.
A fifth Ground is, Folks ſpiritual and practical Ignorance of the Righteouſneſs of God, whereof the Apoſtle ſpeaking, Rom. 10.3. ſayeth, Being ignorant of the righteouſneſs of God, they go about to eſtabliſh their own, &c. that which I mean is, Folks being ignorant of their Natural Condition, of the Spiritualneſs of God's Law, what it requires, and of the way of Faith, and of the command of Believing, and the nature of it: It's from the ignorance of theſe three, to wit, of the Miſchief that is in them by Nature, of the Spiritualneſs of the Law, and of the Spiritualneſs of Faith, and of the Exerciſe of it, that they ſleep on in Security, and think they have Faith when they have it not; And though ſometimes they will ſay their Faith is weak, yet they cannot be beaten from it, but that they Believe; and their Faith is up and down as their Security ſtands or falls: This the Apoſtle makes clear from his own experience, Rom. 7.9. where before his Converſion he ſays, he was a living Man, but after his Converſion he begins to think himſelf nothing but a dead and gone Man, the reaſon is, becauſe before Converſion he knew not himſelf, he knew not the Law, nor the nature of the Covenant of Grace, Before the Law came (ſaith he) I was alive, he knew not the ſpiritual meaning of it, and therefore he thought he obſerved it, and ſo thought himſelf ſure of Heaven, and had no doubts nor diſputings concerning his Intereſt in God; But (ſaith he) when the commandment came, ſin revived, and I died; I ſaw my ſelf then to be loſt and gone, and in every thing guilty, that which I thought had been Humility. I ſaw it to be Pride, that which I took for Faith, I found it to be Preſumption an… Unbelief, and my Holineſs, I found to be Hypocriſie; not that his Sin grew more upon his hand, but the Sin that before was vailed, was now diſcovered, and ſtaired him in the face; This is a ſad truth, yet a moſt real truth; The good Believing (as many of you call it) and the Faith that ye have is a ſurer ground of your ſtrangeneſs to God, and of your Unbelief, then any other thing ye have can be a ground whereupon to conclude ye have Faith and are good Friends with God; ye are yet alive, Strangers to God, Strangers to your Selves, Strangers to the ſpiritual meaning of the Law, and to the exerciſe of Faith; If ye would ſet your ſelves to ponder ſeriouſly this one Conſideration, I think ye might be ſomewhat convinced of it; Do ye not ſee many that underſtand more of God then ye do, and that are more tender in their Walk then ye are, who yet are loather, more difficu…ted and affraid to aſſert their Faith and Confidence in God then ye are? and they are oftener brangled and put to queſtion their Faith, will ye then conſider what can be the reaſon that ye have ſo ſtrong a Faith that ye never doubted, and they are troubled with doubting ſometimes, yea often, though they Pray more, and are more diligent in the uſe of all the Means, and holier in their Converſation then ye are, and ye wil… (it may be) ſay, well's them that are like ſuch a Perſon; this is the reaſon of it, they ſee their Sin, and the ſpiritualneſs of the Law, and the nature of Faith, and are dead to the Law; but ye are yet alive in your conceit; Do ye, or can ye think, that much Praying, Reading, Meditation, and Tenderneſs in Folks Walk, will weaken Faith and occaſion Doubting? or is it not rather like, that Faith will be more confirmed by theſe, then by the neglect of them? how is it then that ye are ſo ſtrong in your Faith, when they find themſelves ſo weak and doubting? or have ye an infuſed Faith without the Means? or doeth God deal with you in a more indulgent way then He uſes to deal with His People? how is it then that theſe of whom ye cannot ſay but they are more tender then ye are, cannot almoſt name Faith, or aſſert their confid…nce in God, without trembling and fear that they preſume; and yet ye dare very confidently take a mouthful of it without any hi…k or …eſitation, and yet live carnally and without fear? Do not many of you wonder wh…t ails ſome Folks, what need they to be ſo much troubled, and why do they ſtand in need of ſome to Pray for them and with them, and to anſwer their Doubts, and ye (mean while) need no ſuch thing; and all your remedy is, that ye aſſure your ſelves ye Believe, and think the queſtioning of your Security is the very undoing of your Faith; God help, ye are in a woful taking.
A ſixth Reaſon is, That Folk drink in ſome Carnal Principles that have no warrand in the Word of God, and accordingly ſquare every thing that comes in their way. 1. They lay it for a Ground, that Folk ſhould never doubt of God's Mercy; we do not ſay that Folk ſhould doubt of God's being moſt real in His offer of Mercy to Sinners in the Goſpel, but from that it will not follow, that never one ſhould doubt of God's love to them, or of their coming to Heaven, whether they cloſe with the Offer or not; Are there not many whom God curſeth? and ſhould not theſe doubt? A ſecond Carnal Principle is, That there is no ſuch reality in the Threatnings of God as there is in His Promiſes, as if He were utterly averſe from executing a Threa…ning, and as if it were a rare thing to Him to condemn any; and is there any thing more oppoſite to Scripture then this Principle is? Hath He not ſaid in the ſame place, to wit, Ex. 34. where He proclaims Himſelf to be gracious, merciful, long-ſuffering, &c. That He is a God that will not clear the guilty; And hath not the Scripture ſaid, that it's but a remnant that are ſaved, but (as it were) here one and there one, and that there are many damned for one that is ſaved; But know it of a certain, that He will make you one day vomit up theſe Principles, with exquiſite torment, when out of your own Mouth He will convince you of your Miſtake and Deluſion. 3. When Folks want many things, they ſupply all with an honeſt Mind; This ſupplies your want of Knowledge, your want of Faith and of Repentance, and of every thing whereof ye are ſaid to be ſhor…; Though ye live and ſhould die Carnal and Unrenewed, yet ye think ſtil ye have an honeſt Mind or Heart for all that, and what, I pray is your honeſt Mind? but a rotten and prophane Heart that vails your Hypocriſie with a pretext of Honeſty; Would ye think that Man honeſt, ſpoke of Iſa. 44.19. who with one part of the Tree warmed himſelf, and with another part made a god and fell down and prayed to it? and yet in your Senſe, he hath an honeſt Mind, for he followeth his light which is but darkneſs, and the deceit of his Heart carrying him away from God, though he cannot ſee it; he diſcerns not, becauſe he conſiders not that there is a lie in his hand, and that a deceived heart hath led him aſide, ſo it is with you; and if many of you ſaw what is latent under that honeſt Mind and Heart, there would be nothing that would make you loath your ſelves more; a little time will convince you, that that which ye looked for moſt good from, was your greateſt and moſt traiterous Enemy; He that truſts in his own heart is a fool, ſaith Solomon, Prov. 28.26. it ſuppoſes that Folks are ready to lippen to their Heart, and to hearken to the language of it concerning their Spiritual Eſtate, but it ſays alſo, that they are Fools that do ſo, for it betrayes them, and there is no folly comparable to that whereby a Man betrayes his own immortal Soul; and that he doth who truſts in his own Heart.
A ſeventh Reaſon is from the deceitfulneſs of our Heart, and the natural Corruption that ſticks to us; There is naturally in us, Pride and Self-conceit, we are diſpoſed and given to think any thing that is our own, though it be but a ſhew, is as good as others reality; to think our own Light and Knowledge, our own other Parts and Gifts to be as good as thoſe of any others, whoſoever they be; And with Pride there is joined Self-love, we dow not abide to think evil of our ſelves, or to ſuſpect our ſelves; Though this Self-love be indeed Self-hatred, and is but love to our Corruptions, and makes us that when we live in hatred of God, to think that we love Him, ſo that we cannot be induced to think that we love Him not, for we know that love to God is good, and we love our ſelves ſo well, that we cannot endure to think that we want it; hence it's ſaid of ſome in the laſt Times, 2 Tim. 3.2, 3. That they ſhall he covetous, proud, boaſters, blaſphemers, diſobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, &c. having a form of godlineſs, and denying the power of it, and the foun…ain of all is Self-love, for (ſaith he) men ſhall be lovers of their own ſelves; And as Self-love is the fountain of much Evil, ſo it's the fountain of Self-deceit, and keeps out any thing that may make Men queſtion their own Condition, ſo that if a word come in and ſay, thou haſt no ground for thy Faith, the Heart will be ready to anſwer and ſay, it cannot be that I am a Self-deceiver, and Self-love as a partial Judge will offer to vindicate the Man, and ſo makes him ſhift the Challenge. Now when all theſe are put together, you may ſee how many Grounds Folks have to go wrong upon, and Men having Hearts diſpoſing and inclining them to go wrong, and little pains being taken to diſcover the deceit of them, is it any wonder that they think they Believe, when indeed they Believe not, and be empty and toom-handed, having little or nothing to reſt upon, while they think they are Rich and want nothing; Theſe are not fancied and far fetched things but obvious, and at Hand, and may eaſily be gathered from your daily Practice; In all which, it's our deſign and ſcope to bring you to try your long unqueſtioned Peace; do not therefore think that it is impoſſible to be thus perſwaded, as many of you are, and yet to be miſtaken, (which is another Ground of Folks deceit,) for Laodicea was very confident in thinking her ſelf to be rich and encreaſed in goods, and to stand in need of nothing, when ſhe was in the mean time, poor, blind, miſerable, wretched, and naked; and the Galatians, as we may ſee chap. 5.8. had a perſwaſion which was not of God; As there may be a perſwaſion of a point of Doctrine as being right, which yet is an errour, ſo there may be a perſwaſion of a Man's Spiritual State as being right, and which he will ſtoutly maintain to be ſo, while in the mean time that perſwaſion is not of God that calleth him, but a ſtrong Deluſion; If all that be Faith that ye call Faith, then certainly the way to Heaven is much broader then the Scripture hath chalked it out, and Miniſters needed not ſay, Who believes our report? for all ſhould thus believe it: It will then, and muſt then turn to this, that your perſwaſion is not of Him that calleth you; and if a deceit may ly and lurk under this perſwaſion of yours, ye have certainly ſo much the more need to put the buſineſs to tryal.
And this is the laſt Uſe, which we cannot now inſiſt on, That ſeeing ſo many think they Believe who Believe not, and that there are but few that believe the Report, and indeed reſt on Chriſt for their Salvation, as He is offered to them in the Goſpel, it is of your concernment to endeavour to put your ſelves without the reach of this Complaint, and to make it ſure that ye have believed and received the Report; Is there any thing of concernment if this be not? even to mak… your Calling and Election ſure; and that cannot be made ſure as to you, till your Faith be made ſure; If we could prevail this far with you, we would count it a bleſſed Fruit of this and of many other Preachings, even that ſome of you who have never qu…ſtioned your Faith, might be engaged firſt ſeriouſly to cloſe with Chriſt, and then to put your ſelves to the tryal, that on diſtinct grounds ye might be able to ſay, I know in whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him againſt that day; There are many of you that talk of Faith, and yet cannot only not aſſert your Intereſt in Chriſt diſtinctly, but cannot ſo much as give any ſolid grounds of your Believing, and ſhould not this, think ye, put you to try it? Is there not a Day coming wherein ye will all be tried, whether your alledged Faith was true Faith, or but Preſumption? and wherein the Conſcience which is now quiet, and which it may be never keeped you from an hours Sleep, ſhall awake and put forth its Sting, and ſhall bite and gnaw, and ye who ſhall continue under the power of this Deluſion, will be put to gnaw your Tongues for pain and horrour under the gnawings of your Conſcience; Ye that never knew all along your life what theſe things mean'd, had need to ſtand the more in awe, and to be affraid when ye come near Death. Though it be a ſad matter, that when we ſhould be Preaching, and would fain preach the Doctrine of Faith, it ſhould, by reaſon of your Deluſion, be the great part of our work to be thus digging you out of your Preſumption, and overturning your carnal and ill-grounded Hope; yet we have the greater confidence and the more peace, to ſpeak to, and inſiſt in theſe Truths, becauſe they ly ſo near to the great deſign of the Goſpel, and to your immortal Souls Salvation; and though we were able to preach more plauſible and ſweet things to you, yet if theſe Doct…ines profite you not, theſe would not; S…ing therefore they are ſo profitable, we ſhould not weary to ſpeak, and ye ſhould not weary to hear them ſpoken of; Would to God ye were ſeriouſly …nd ſincerely aiming to be clear and through in the matter of Believing, and that ye ſtood in need, and were more capable of more pleaſant Truths; if ſo, we might have more comfor…able, though we will not ſay more profitable Doctrines to inſiſt upon to you.