Christ Crucified, Sermon 6
SERMON VI.
ISAIAH LIII.I.
Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
IF it were not recorded in the infallible Scriptures of Truth, we would hardly believe that there could be ſo much powerful and ſweet Preaching of the moſt excellent Inſtruments that ever were imployed, and yet that there ſhould be ſo little Fruit following on it; who would believe that Iſaiah, ſo excellent, ſo ſweet, and ſo evangelick a Prophet, ſhould have preached ſo many pleaſant, plain, and powerful Sermons to a People from the Lord, and yet that he ſhould have ſo many ſad complaints as he hath? Chap. 6, 28, and 58. that he ſhould be put to bring in the Lord, ſaying, All the day long have I ſtretched out my hands to a rebellious People, chap. 65. and that here, himſelf ſhould have it to ſay, Who hath believed our report? It's ſcarce one Man here or there that hath Savingly believed on Chriſt; and this is the third thing in the Words, that now we would ſpeak to, and it's a very ſad, though a very clear Truth.
The Doctrine is this, That there may be much powerful Preaching of the Goſpel, and yet Unbelief generally among the Hearers of it; Or take it with dependance on the former two, namely, 1. That the great work of the Miniſtry, is, to propoſe and make Chriſt known to a People. 2. That the great Duty of a People that have Chriſt propoſed to them, is, to Believe on Him. Then this 3. Follows on the back of theſe, That a People may have Chriſt propoſ…d to them, brought to their Heart and Mouth, and though it be but Believing that is called for from them, yet that cannot be obtained from moſt of them. This Goſpel-duty of Believing is often ſlighted by the Hearers of the Goſpel; this is clearly holden forth here, Who hath believed our report? we have called for Faith, but it's a rare thing among the multitude of Hearers to get one that believeth Savingly.
To make out, and prove this a little further, we would conſider this Complaint, with theſe Aggravations of it, which will make it the more clear, and ſo the more to be wondred at, As, 1. Theſe of whom the Complaint is made, it is not Heathens, but God's own People, as the Lord complains, Pſal. 81, 10, 11. My people would not hearken to my voice, and Iſrael would have none of me; our Lord Jeſus complains of Jeruſalem, Matth. 23. at the end, O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, how often would I have gathered thee, and thou wouldſt not; that the Lord's own profeſſing People ſhould not believe, nor receive the Report that is made of Him, hightens the Complaint, and aggravates their guilt exceedingly. 2. It is not a Complaint as to one Sermon, or as to one Time, but it's a Complaint frequently repeated as to many fruitleſs Sermons, and as to many Times, yea Generations; Iſaiah preached long in many Kings Reigns, and yet all along his Prophecy he complains of it, as Chap. 6.11. How long Lord ſhall their eyes be blind, and their ears heavy, &c. and Chap. 28.9. Whom ſhall I teach Doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breaſts, precept muſt be upon precept, and line upon line, here a little and there a little; and Chap. 65.2. All day long I have ſtreatched out my hands to a rebellious people, and here again, Who hath believed our report? much and long, or many years Preaching, much plain and powerful Preaching, and yet little or no Fruit; they are ſnared and taken, and fall backward, for all that: And this was not in Iſaiah's dayes only, but in Christ's days, John 12.37, 38. and in Paul's days, Rom. 10.16. where the ſame very words in the Text are repeated; nay, it runs down from the firſt ſpreading of the Goſpel, even to theſe latter days wherein we live, many hear, but few receive the Report. 3. Conſider how many they are that complain, it's not one or two, or a few, but all the Preachers of the Goſpel; it's not, Lord who hath believed my Report, but, who hath believed our Report? it's complained of by Iſaiah here, and in ſeveral other places named before; it's complained of by Micah, Chap. 7.1. Wo is me, for I am as they who have gathered the ſummer-fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage, there is no cluster to eat, the good man is periſhed out of the earth, and there is none upright among men, &c. it's complained of by Hoſea, Chap. 11.7. Though they called them to the moſt High, none at all would exalt him, that is, none would give Him the glory of His Grace in believing on Him; Ah ſad word! as is that alſo in Pſal. 81. the Lord calls, Hear O my people and I will teſtifie to thee, open thy mouth wide and I will fill it, but my people would not hearken to my voice, and Iſrael would none of me; and what Prophet is there almoſt (if I need ſay almoſt) but hath one way or other this Complaint? that though the Lord ſtreatched out His Hands all day long, yet it was to a rebellious and gain-ſaying People: Look forward, and ſee what our Lord ſays of John Baptist, and of Himſelf, Whereto ſhall I liken this generation, it's like children ſitting in the market-places, ſaying one to another, we have piped to you and ye have not danced, we have mourned to you and ye have not lamented, that is, there is much Preaching of Men endowed with ſeveral Gifts, but none of them does the People much good; John preached with much holy auſterity, like one Mourning; the Son of Man moſt ſweetly, like one Piping, yet neither the one nor the other prevailed; there are ſome Boanarges, ſons of Thunder, allaruming and thundering Preachers; ſome Barnabaſſes, ſons of Conſolation, ſweetly comforting Preachers, yet all gain but little on the Hearers; our Lord ſayeth, Mat. 23. O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, how often would I have gathered you? this is the ordinary Complaint, ye would not. A 4th. Aggravation is, If we conſider who they are that meet with this Unbelief and Unfruitfulneſs in them they preach to, if it were poor coldrife Preachers, ſuch as we, alace in a great meaſure are, or ſuch as the Scribes and the Phariſees were, or if it were they who had Learning only, and not Piety, it were not ſo great matter to ſee them meet with Unbelief and Unfruitfulneſs in their Hearers; but its even theſe whom the Lord ſent and ſharpened, as Arrows out of His Quiver, as this Prophet was; it's even his Preaching that is Fruitleſs in a great meaſure, and was there ever a more ſweet, plain, powerful, and delectable Preacher than Iſaiah was? that even the very reading of his Preachings may affect the Readers, yet is there any that complains more, or ſo much, as he doeth in the Chapters before cited? it's like ye will think, that if Iſaiah were Preaching now, he would be as a Stone, that would not be moved thereby, and yet his Preaching got the ſame return and entertainment that our gets now; and Hoſea called his Hearers to the moſt High, yet none at all would exalt Him; it was their work to ſtreatch out their Hands all the day long, but they hardened their Necks, and refuſed to return, Jer. 8. and Zech. 7. But 5ly. Conſider all theſe are Servants and Preachers under the Old Teſtament, and you may be diſpoſed to think that ye under the Goſpel, when the Vail is laid by, and when Chriſt Himſelf, their Lord and Maſter, and His Apoſtles come to Preach the Goſpel, it ſhould be otherwiſe; yet John the Baptist, who was Chriſt's Harbinger, who was a burning and a ſhining Light, a ſtayed and fixed Man, not a Reed ſhaken with the Wind, (as many of us much are,) a Prophet, yea more than a Prophet, yet when he preached, many of his Hearers rejected the counſel of God againſt themſelves, Luk. 7. John comes preaching auſterely, and they ſay he hath a Devil, and if there was any rejoycing in his Light, it was but for a Seaſon; and Paul that choſen Veſſel, how often was he perſecuted? and he hath the ſame Complaint, in the ſame words that Iſaiah hath here of his Hearers, eſpecially the Jews, Acts 13.46. and 28.28. and was conſtrained to tell them, that he and his Fellow preachers behoved to quite them, and betake themſelves to the Gentiles; and how doeth he complain of the Corinthians and Galatians, and of their being bewitched, and ſuddenly ſeduced, and drawen away from the truth and ſimplicity of the Goſpel, by ſome Self-ſeeking Lown-Miniſters, coming with a glancing Countefite among them. We ſhall cloſe this with the conſideration of our Lord Jeſus, who was a none-ſuch Preacher, of whom it's ſaid, Matth. 7.29. that He ſpake with power and not as the Scribes, and Luk 4. when he is opening that ſweet Text, Iſa. 61.1, 23. it's ſaid, They all wondred at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth; and the Officers that came to take Him, ſay, that never man ſpake as He ſpoke, and yet this ſame is His Complaint, Matth. 23.37. How often would I have gathered you, and ye would not; and John 1.11. it's ſaid, He came to his own, and his own received him not: Chorazin, Bethſaida and Capernaum were lifted up to Heaven by the Lord's preaching to them in Perſon, and yet woe after woe is denounced againſt them, becauſe they believed not, for all His Preaching and Miracles; and it's a wonder, if we look thorow the Hiſtory of the Goſpel, how many a ſweet Preaching He had, and with what Weight and Power He ſpoke, and ſometimes with Tears, and withall, backed His Word with Miracles, that made His Hearers acknowledge the Finger of God, and yet how few were brought to Believe on Him? ſo that He was put to take up this very Complaint of Iſaiah here, John 12.38. Is it not a wonder, when He and His Apoſtles have preached ſo much, and ſo long, that the Church is ſo little a Flock, and that Believers are ſo few in number, even after His Aſcenſion? need we any further proof, that the Goſpel where it comes gets but little welcome? the Carriage of many among our ſelves is a ſad proof of it, for we are afraid that many of you do not Believe to this Day, though there hath been amongſt you, much, long, or many Years, and powerful preaching of the Goſpel, but are ſtill living without Faith, and Periſhing.
If this be not enough to clear the Doctrine, 1. See how Chriſt ſpeaks of it, Matth. 13. in the Parable of the Sower of the Seed, where there are three ſorts of Ground that never bring forth good Fruit, and there He ſpeaks, not only of the time of His own Perſonal Miniſtry, but of all times. 2. Look to the ordinary and dayly effect, or rather conſequent of this preached Goſpel, and it will prove it; do not many Periſh? do not many croud thick in the broad Way that leads to Deſtruction? do not but very few Fruits of Faith appear? is there not little, lamentably little, real Change in the Way and Walk of moſt to be ſeen? To clear it yet further, Go thorow the ſeveral Ranks of Perſons, that in God's account are Unbelievers, and lay them by, O! there will be exceeding few Believers in Chriſt found: Firſt, Then lay by the groſly Prophane, that are never ſo much as civilized. Secondly, The Ignorant, Stupid, and Senſeleſs, that never have mind they have Souls, are never feared for Wrath, nor in the leaſt exerciſed to make their Peace with God. Thirdly, The Earthly-minded, that mind no other thing ſave the World. Fourthly, Theſe of a Civil outward Carriage, that have ſome good Works, and as they think, good Days too, and yet come not near Chriſt to cloſe with Him. Fifthly, The Hypocrites, and that of all ſorts, both the preſuming Hypocrites, that will thank God they are better than their Neighbours, and yet lippen not to Chriſt, and free Grace through Him, but ſeek to eſtabliſh their own Righteouſneſs, groſs as it is; and the legal Hypocrites, that never denyed their own Righteouſneſs, nor ſubmitted to the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt: Lay aſide all theſe, I ſay, and we leave it to your own Conſciences to judge, how few will be found to have Saving Faith; and therefore I am perſwaded, if there be any truth of God delivered to you, that this is a truth, that though the Goſpel be preached to many, yet there are but few Hearers of it, that do actually Believe in Jeſus Chriſt to the ſaving of their Souls.
Uſe 1. The firſt Uſe of it is, To beſeech you to let this ſink deep into your Minds as the Truth of God, for theſe Reaſons. 1. Becauſe it's a moſt uſeful Truth, and if it were believed, it would make Folks very watchful over themſelves, and to tremble for fear, leſt they be found amongſt the multitude that Believe not, and put them t… ſecure and ſicker their Intereſt in God, and not to reſt on a Faſhion and Form of Religion, without obſerving what Fruit followeth on the Goſpel; among the many Evils that undo not a few, we think this is not the leaſt, that this Truth is never thorowly fixed in them; they think there are many Heathens and Turks without the Church, and many groſs Swearers, Drunkards, and others ſuch within it, that will Periſh, but none others, or at leaſt, that they are but very few, who among a profeſſing People Periſh; neither can they be induced to think it's ſuch a hard matter, to get one, or a very few that are Believers in a Countrey ſide, ſo that if Iſaiah were now alive to cry, Who believes our report? each of them would be ready to anſwer, I believe. 2. Becauſe for as certain and uſeful a Truth as this is, yet generally it's not believed, Folks cannot think that ſo few Believe, and that Believing is ſo difficult and rare a thing: I would aſk you this Queſtion, Was it ever a difficulty to any of you to Believe? If not, what is it that makes Believing ſo rare? what ſhould move the Prophet thus to complain, Who hath believed our report? I ſhall ſhortly give you ſome Evidences that many of you do not really believe this Truth. The first is, That ſo few of you tremble at the Word of God; the Hiſtorical Faith that the Devils have, makes them tremble, but ye have not that much; this is given as a Property of a ſuitable Hearer of the Goſpel, to whom the Lord will look, Iſa. 66.1, 2. that he is one who trembles at the Word; but the moſt part of you that hear this Goſpel, are like theſe Pi…lars on which this Houſe ſtands, who are never ſo much as once moved at the Word; ye either take not Faith to be an abſolutely neceſſary thing, and that ye cannot but Periſh without it, or ye think that the Faith ye were Born with, will do your turn; ye do not Believe that ye are naturally under the power of the Devil, and led Captive of him at his will, and that without Holineſs, and a ſpiritual gracious Frame, and ſtamp on your Heart and Way, ye ſhall never ſee God; what wonder then that ye come not to reſt on Chriſt, when the very Letter of the Goſpel is not credited. A ſecond Evidence is, That there is ſo little preparation made to prevent your eternal Hazard, it's ſaid of Noah, Heb. 11. that Noah being warned of God, prepared an Ark, and this is attributed to his Faith; it's not poſſible that ye would live ſo negligently and careleſly, if ye believed that the Curſe of God were purſuing you, and that ye will be brought to reckon for that which ye have done in the Body, and that ye will meet with God as an Enemy; if this were believed, though your Hearts were harder than they are, it would make you tremble, and put you to other ſort of thoughts and ſeriouſneſs. A third Evidence is, That there is no Fruit of Faith among many of you, for where it is, it will not be got altogether ſmuthered, but will kythe and ſhew it ſelf one way or other; and if ye will ſtill aſſert your Faith, I would ſay to you as James doeth to theſe to whom he writes, Shew me your Faith by your works; if ye ſhall ſay, God knows: I anſwer, that ye ſhall find that to be a Truth that He knows, and He will make you know that He does ſo; but alace! that poor Shift will not avail you when it comes to the Puſh, O try your Faith then by your Works; ſee what Mortification of Luſts, what Repentance from dead Works, what grouth in Knowledge, what ſhining of Holineſs in your Converſation, is attained to; many of you, as to your very Knowledge, are as if ye lived among Heathens, many of whom have been as free of Vice, and more profitable to others, than many of you are, and cared as little for the World as many of you do; how comes it to paſs then, that ye have lived as if ye could have Faith, and yet have no Fruit? ye muſt either ſay, that Faith is not neceſſary, or that ye may have Faith without Fruit, for we are ſure your Fruit is not the Fruit of Faith: To live honeſtly, as you call it, what is that? there are many Heathens who have gone beyond you in that; we will not ſay, that Moral Honeſty is nothing, but ſure it is not all; all the Fruits of meer Moral Honeſty, are but ſour Fruits, that will ſet your Teeth on edge: Neither is it your Hearing of the Word only, but your Believing and Doing of it, that will profite you; it's very ſad, that moſt plain obvious Duties are not at all followed, as the ſtudying of Knowledge, the exerciſing of Repentance, one of the very firſt Duties, which is never ſeparated from Faith, the humbling of the Soul before God, the loathing of your ſelves for all ye have done, the Love of God, &c. for there may be Challenges for groſs Evils in Heathens; and Fear is not Repentance, but Godly Sorrow that cauſeth Repentance not to be repented of. A fourth Evidence is, The want of that Work of God's Spirit that accompanies Faith, Faith is a ſpecial Work of the Spirit, and the gracious Gift of God, it's wrought by the exceeding mighty Power of God, whereby He raiſed Chriſt from the Dead, and by that ſame Power He worketh in them that Believe; now, knew ye ever what this Work meaned? found ye it ever to be a difficult Work to Believe? knew ye ever what it was to have the Spirit of God conſtraining your Heart to Believe? I ſpeak not of any extraordinary thing; but certainly, Faith is not Natural, nor cometh from pure Nature, and wherever it is, it manifeſts it ſelf by Works, and evidenceth the Power of the Spirit in the working thereof: There are ſome ſad Evidences of, and bitter Fruits that ſpring from this Root, to wit, Folks being Strangers to the experimental Knowledge of the Work of Faith: As, 1. When Men know no more difficulty to get Chriſt, and to reſt on Chriſt, then to believe a Story of Wallace, or of Julius Ceſar. 2. When Folks ſay that they believed all their Days, and believed always ſince ever they knew Good by Ill; and though their Faith be no true Saving Faith, but a gueſſing, yet they will not quite it, yea it's impoſſible for Men to get them convinced that they want Faith. 3. When Men never knew what it is to be without Faith; it's one of the great Works of the Spirit, John 16.8. to convince of the want of Faith; Folks will be eaſily convinced, that breach of the Sabbath, that Stealing, that bearing falſe Witneſs, &c. are Sins, where the ſpecial Work of the Spirit is not; but how many of you have been convinced of the want of Faith? we are conſtrained to ſay this ſad word when we look on this Text, that it is lamentably fulfilled in your Eyes, and in this our Congregation; think not that we wrong ſuch of you who have believed our Report; Ah it's few, even very few of you, that Receive and Believe this Goſpel.
Uſe 2. The ſecond Uſe is for Conviction, If it be ordinary for the great part of the Hearers of the Goſpel not to Believe, let it ſink in your Hearts that it is no extraordinary thing that hath befallen you; are ye not ſuch Hearers as many of theſe were, who heard Iſaiah, and Jeſus Christ? and if ſo, will not this follow, that there are many, yea, even the thick and throng of the Hearers of this Goſpel, that Believe not? and who if Chriſt were gathering Sinners by this preached Goſpel, would not be gathered; if where the Goſpel comes many do not Believe, then here in this City where the Goſpel is preached to a great multitude of profeſſing Members of the viſible Church, there are readily many that do not Believe; or let me aſk of you a Reaſon why ye do except your ſelves, either this Truth holds not ſo univerſally, or many of you muſt fall under it, or elſe give a Reaſon why you fall not under it; the Truth which Iſaiah preached, hath been preached to you, and yet ye remain Unbelieving, and Diſpiſers of the Invitation to the Marriage of the King's Son, as the Jews did; we are not now ſpeaking of Jews, Turks, nor Heathens, nor of the Churches in general, nor of other Congregations, but of you in Glaſgow, that have this Goſpel preached amongſt you, and we ſay of you, that there are few that believe our Report: Think it not our Word, the Application flows natively from the Text, not from neceſſity of the thing, but from the ordinary courſe of Mens Corruption; are not the ſame Evidences of the want of Faith, which we ſpoke of, among you? how many are there in their Life Prophane? how many reſt on Civility and Formality? is there not as little Repentance now as was in Iſaiah's time? as little denying of our own Righteouſneſs, and making uſe of Chriſt's, though the Word be taught by Line upon Line, here a little and there a little? It may be, though ye think that the Doctrine is true in the general, ye will not, ye cannot digeſt the Application, That among ſo many of you viſible Profeſſors of Faith, there are but few real Believers; therefore we ſhall follow the Conviction a little further, by giving you ſome Conſiderations to make it out, that we have but too juſt ground to make Application of the Doctrine to you, eſpecially conſidering the abounding of Corruption that is amongſt you, that ye may be put to fear the Wrath that attends Sin, and to flee to Chriſt for Refuge in time. 1. Conſider of whom it is that the Prophet is ſpeaking, and of what Time, Is it not of the Times and Days of the Goſpel? had not the Spirit (in dictating this Text of Scripture) an Eye on Scotland, and on Glaſgow? and do not our Lord Jeſus Chriſt and Paul apply it in their Days? and why then may not we alſo in ours? and when the Spirit ſpeaks expreſsly of the laſt Times, that they ſhall be perilous, and of the falling away of many, ſhould it not give us the hotter alarm. 2. Do not all things agree to us as to them? is not this Goſpel the ſame? is our Preaching any better than theirs? nay, had they not much more powerful Preaching? and if that Preaching which was much more powerful had not efficacy as to many to work Faith in them, what may we expect to do by our Preaching? are not your Hearts as deceitful? are not your Corruptions as ſtrong? are ye not as bent to Back ſliding as they were? what ſort of Folks were they that were unfruitful Hearers? were they not Members of the viſible Church as ye are, circumciſed under the Old Teſtament, as ye are baptized under the New? was it not theſe who had Chriſt and His Apoſtles preaching to them? yea, they were not among the more Ignorant ſort who did not Believe, but Scribes and Phariſees, and theſe not of the prophaneſt ſort only, but ſuch as came to Church, and attended on Ordinances, as ye do, yea, were ſuch as had Gifts, and caſt out Devils, and preached in Chriſt's Name, as you may ſee, Luk. 13.26. Now when there are ſo many, and of ſuch Ranks, who get no good of the Word, and of ſuch, a great many that will ſeek to enter in, and ſhall not be able, to whom Chriſt will ſall ſay, depart, I know you not ye Workers of Iniquity; What can be the reaſon that many of you do ſo confidently aſſert your Faith, when there are ſcarcely any characters of Unbelief but ye have them? or, what can be your advantage in keeping your ſelves carnally Secure, when the ſtrong Man, in the mean time, is in the Houſe? and to ſhut your Eyes, and make your Necks ſtiff, and to reſolve, as it were, not only to ly ſtill, but to die in your Unbelief; I perſwade my ſelf, that many of you ere long, will be made to wonder that ever ye thought your ſelves Believers, and will be galled when ye think upon it, that what ever was ſaid to you, ye would needs maintain your preſumptuous Faith. When we bid you ſuffer the Conviction to ſink, let none put it from themſelves to others, but let every one take it Home to himſelf; although we would not have any of you caſting looſe what is indeed made faſt and well ſecured, nor overturning a ſlender and weak Building, though it were, to ſpeak ſo, but of two Stone height, if it be founded on a right Foundation, on the Rock; but we ſpeak to you that cannot be brought to ſuſpect your ſelves, when ye have juſt reaſon to do ſo; ſure, this Challenge and Charge belongs to ſome, yea to many, and we would aſk what ground have ye to ſhift it? how can ye prove your Faith more than others that have none at all? that ye hope ye have Faith, will not do your turn, that's no ſolid proof; ye cannot come to Chriſt except made ſuitably ſenſible of your diſtance, and of that ye have never been convinced as yet; do ye think to roll your ſelves on Chriſt ſleeping, and ye know not how? certainly when the Pins of your Tabernacle come to be a looſing, ye ſhall find that your fancied Faith ſhall not be able to keep out a Challenge; ye could never endute to think your ſelves to be Chriſt's Enemies, or that ye wanted Faith, but when Death comes, Conſcience will awaken, and the Challenge will needs be in upon you, whether ye will or not; many of you think that ye get wrong when your Faith is queſtioned or reproved, as if it were an odd and rare thing to be Graceleſs, or to be living as Members of the viſible Church, and yet want Faith; and it irritats you to be expoſtulated with in private for your lying in Unbelief: But ſuffer this word now to take hold of you, I b…ſe…ch you, and if ye could once be brought to ſuſpect yourſelves, and to think thus with your ſelves. What if I be one of thoſe many that Believe not? I fear I be in hazard to be miſtaken about my Faith, and from that, put to follow on to ſee how ye will be able to ward off the Challenge, and to prove your Believing to be ſound, we would think ye were fair on; O if ye had the Faith of this Truth, that among the many Hearers of the Goſpel, there are but few that Believe, and were brought thereby to examine and try your ſelves; there is no Truth that Chriſt inſiſts more on than this, that ſtrait is the Gate, and narrow is the way to Heaven, and that but few find it, and that there are few that Believe, and few that be Saved; If ye did once in earneſt look on your ſelves as in Hazard, and were brought to reflect on Matters betwixt God and you, it might be the Lord would follow the Conviction, we deſire Him to do it, and to Him be Praiſe.