Sermon 29 March 1648, Context – Text
THE CONTEXT.
OUr bleſſed Saviour directs his diſcourſe in this Chapter againſt the Scribes, and Phariſees, men of principall eſteem among the Jewes for piety, and learning: for Exactneſſe in the letter of the Scriptures: Eminency of skill to Interpret, and Comment upon the letter; Auſterity of Life. Thus much they arrogated to themſelves, and had aſcrib'd to them by the people.
Precious things theſe are, where they are true, and no more to be undervalued, becauſe they have their Counterfeits; than Jeſus Chriſt is, becauſe there are Anti-Chriſts.
The Lord notes Three things in theſe men:
1. Their Practice.
2. Their Principle.
3. Their End.
1. Their Practice. This is Two-fold.
1. Practice. Impoſalls upon men. They require Vniverſall Obedience. Men muſt Believe all, that they Say; though Themſelves Believe it not. Men muſt Obſerve their Rules; though themſelves neglect, and break them: v. 4. They bind heavy burthens, and grievous to be borne, on men's ſhoulders, but they themſelves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Thus it is for the moſt part: They are ſuch, as have too little in them, who take too much upon them.
2. Practice: Induſtry among men, v. 15. Wo unto you Scribes, and Phariſees, Hypocrites; for ye compaſſe Sea, and Land, to make one Proſelyte, and when he is made, you make him two-fold more the Child of Hell, than your ſelves. They ſpare no Care, Coſt, or Pains to make a Convert; but it is to themſelves; by a Blind obedience, and Implicite Faith. While they promiſe to bring a man to Heaven, they make his heart like Hell; full of bitter zeale, a violent heat, without any light at all. This was their Practice.
2. Their Principle, which is Hypocriſie. Wo unto you Scribes, and Phariſees, Hypocrites! v. 13. They pretended to come in the Name of God, as ſent forth from God: yet they had nothing of the Divine Preſence reſting on them, working in them, or going forth by them: but were, as other men.
It is a vain thing to hope to put Life into the Dead child by the Staffe, without the Perſon of Eliſha; or to divide the Waters with the Mantle, without the God of Elijah.
Whoever attempts to conjure down any Devill by the ſound of Chriſt's name, without his Spirit, and Preſence; let him take heed, leſt the Devil flie in his face more enraged.
This is the ſecond thing, which our Saviour notes in theſe men.
3. Their End. This is Two-fold:
1. Vainglory, v. 5. All their Works they doe to be ſeen of men.
2. Covetouſneſſe, v. 14. Ye devoure Widows houſes, and for a pretence make long Prayers.
Gold, and Glory are the baites, which the Devill layes for men. He hath eſcaped the hooke of the Devill, who cares not for theſe.
He that cares not to have any Poſſeſsion, or to make any Appearance in this World; he is already in Heaven, and dwells with God.
This is the Way of theſe men, whom the Lord reproves, and condemns.
He warns his own Diſciples to take heed, that they follow not their Examples. He gives them two Cautions to this purpoſe.
The firſt Caution is in the Verſe before my Text: And call no man your Father upon the Earth; for one is your Father, which is in Heaven.
The ſecond Caution is my Text: Neither be ye called Maſters: for ye have one Maſter, which is Chriſt.
You ſee the Context.
THE TEXT.
THeſe words, with thoſe foregoing them are to be opened by a two-fold Diſtinction:
1. Diſtinction, between Naturall, and Spirituall things. Theſe Cautions concern the Latter of theſe; but reach not to the Firſt. The Heaven, even the Heavens (the true Heaven of Spirituall things) are the Lord's: but the Earth (all things of Nature) hath he given to the Children of Men, Pſ. 115. 16.
Naturall things are ſhadows of Spirituall. The Naturall man is an Image of God, and no more. An Image may raigne, as Father, and Maſter among ſhadows. But in Spirituall things, which are ſubſtantiall, God himſelf, who is the only ſubſtance, and truth, will be, and appear All alone.
2. Diſtinction. The ſecond Diſtinction is a two-fold Conſideration of man: one, as he is in God; the other, as he is in himſelf. As man is in God, ſo he may be owned, and acknowledged for a Father, or Maſter in Spirituall things themſelves. Saint Paul attributes ſo much to himſelf; but marke, how he doth it. For though you have ten thouſand Inſtructers in Chriſt, yet have you not many Fathers: for in Chriſt Jeſus I have begotten you thorow the Goſpell, 1 Cor. 4. 15. Saint Paul hedgeth in his expreſſion on both Sides, with Chriſt, and the Goſpell; that the Glory might be all given to God.. In Jeſus Chriſt I have begotten you thorow the Goſpell. I, as I am, not in my ſelf, but comprehended in one Spirit with Chriſt, in one Myſticall Perſon, which is Chriſt: thorow the Goſpell, that is, thorow the preſence, power, and appearance of Chriſt Jeſus in me. Paul is ever carefull to ſpeak with abundance of caution in things of this nature. Now I live, yet not I, but Chriſt liveth in me, Gal. 1. 20. I wrought more abundantly, then they all: Yet not I, but the Grace of God, which was with me, 1 Cor. 15. 10. So here, I have begotten you; yet not I, but a man in Jeſus Chriſt; yet not I, but the Goſpel, the power of Chriſt, which was in me.
Man in this ſence is but the Garment, and God is the Perſon, that comes cloth'd with this garment.
While we call any man Maſter, or Father in this ſence, we do, as Thomas; who put his hand upon the fraile, the humane part of Chriſt, his wounds; and cried, My Lord, and my God; his eye being on the Divinity, while his hand was upon the Humanity.
But he, that attributes any thing in Spirituall things to man in the other conſideration, as he is in himſelfe: he makes him a member of that man of ſin, who ſets himſelf up in the Temple of God, ſhewing himſelf: 2 Theſſ. 2. 4.
The Text being thus opened is eaſily divided into two parts: a Rule; Be not ye called Maſters: the reaſon of the Rule: for ye have one Maſter, even Chriſt.