Heart Humiliation, Sermon 2
SERMON II.
Deut. 32. 4. 5.
He is the rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are Judgement: a God of truth, and without iniquity, Juſt and right is he. 5. They have corrupted themſelves, their ſpot is not the ſpot of his Children, &c.
THere are none can behold their own vileneſſe, as it is, but in the ſight of Gods glorious holineſſe: Sin is darkneſſe, and neither ſees it ſelf, nor any thing elſe, therefore muſt his light ſhine to diſcover this darkneſſe. If we abide within our ſelves, and men like our ſelves, we cannot wiſely judge our ſelves; our dim ſparkle will not make all the imperfections and ſpots appear; but if men would come forth in the preſence of his Majeſty, who turns darkneſs into light, and before whom hell is naked, O how baſe and vile would they appear in their own eyes? Is it any wonder that the multitude of you ſee not your ſelves, when holy Eſay and Job, had this leſſon to learn? Eſay gets a diſcovery of his own uncleanneſſe in the ſight of Gods glorious holineſſe, Ch. 6. 5. which I think made all his former light darkneſſe; He cryes out unclean as if he had never known it before; And ſo Job, ſince I ſaw thee I abhored my ſelf in duſt and aſhes; Ye hear much of him, and it doeth not abaſe you, but if ye ſaw him, ye would not abide your ſelves; you would prefer the duſt you trade on to your ſelves. Ye who know moſt, there is a myſtery of iniquity in your hearts, that is not yet diſcerned, ye are but yet in the coaſt of that bottomleſſe Sea of abomination and vileneſſe. Among all the aggravations of ſin, nothing doth ſo demonſtrate the folly, yea, the madneſſe of it, as the perfection, goodneſſe, and abſolute unſpottedneſſe of God. Its this that takes away all pretence of excuſe and leaves the famine nothing, no place to hide its confuſion and nakedneſſe and ſhame into. And therefore is it that Moſes, when he would convince this people of their ways and make them inexcuſable, he draws the paralel of Gods ways and their ways, declares what God is, how abſolutly perfect in himſelf and in his works, had given no cauſe of provocation to them to depart from him; And then how odious muſt their departing be? When both are painted on a brod before their eyes; it makes ſin become exceeding ſinful, When the Lord would pierce the hearts of his people, and ingrave a challenge with the point of an Diamond he uſes this as his pen, Have I been a wilderneſs to Iſrael, a Land of darkneſs, why ſay my people, we are Lords we will come no more to thee, Jer. 2. 31. What iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone from me and walked after vanity, Jer. 2. 5.
There are two things in ſin that exceedingly abuſe the creature, the iniquity of it, and folly and madneſs of it: Its contrare to all equity and reaſon to depart from him that hath made us, and given us a Law, to whom we are by ſo many obligations tyed. But what is the folly and madneſs of it? to depart from the fountain of living waters, and dig broken Ciſterns that can hold none. Ver. 13. This is a thing that the heavens may be aſtoniſhed at, and if the earth had ſenſe to underſtand ſuch a thing, the whole fabrick of it would tremble for horrour at ſuch a madneſſe and folly of reaſonable ſouls: And this evil hath two evils in it, we forſake life, and love death, go from him, and chooſe vanity. It's great iniquity to depart without an offence on his part; He may appeal all our conſciences and let them ſit down and examine his way moſt narrowly, what iniquity have ye found in me? what cauſe have ye to leave me? But when withall he is a living fountain, he is our glory, he is a fruitful land, a land of light, our ornament and attire, in a word, our life and our conſolation, our happineſs and our beauty; what word ſhall be found, to expreſs the extream madneſs of men to depart from ſuch an one? & change their glory into that which doth not profit? If either he were not a fountain of living waters, or if there were any fountain beſide, that could yield water to ſatisfie the unſatiabledeſires of men, it were more excuſable, but what ſhadow ſhall be found, to cover ſuch an iniquity, that is both infinite ſin and incomparable loſs? Its the Scriptures ſtile given to natural men, fools and ſimple, all ſin hath folly in it, but the people of Gods departing from him hath extremity of folly in it, beſide iniquity, becauſe they do embrace a dung-hill in inſtead of a Throne, they make the madeſt exchange that can be imagined, glory for ſhame, life for death, at leaſt conſolation and peace, for vanity and vexation and anguiſh of ſpirit.
If ye would be duely affected with the ſight of your own evils, look upon them in this conſideration, and in the view of God your large portion, ye will be forced to confeſs your ſelves beaſts in his ſight, Pſal. 73. 22. Oh that men would conſider how good and bleſſed the Lord is, how he is alone, and nothing beſide him in heaven and earth, all broken ciſterns, all dung and unprofitable, all vanity and vexation, he only ſelf-ſufficient, all others inſufficient, and therefore a proportioned good for our neceſſity & deſires, and I am ſure ye would be conſtrained to cry out with David, Whom have I in heaven with thee, or in earth beſide thee? It is good for me to draw near to God. Ye would look on drawing near, and walking with him, and before him, not only as the moſt reaſonable thing, but the beſt thing, moſt beautiful for you, moſt profitable for you, and all other wayes would be looked on as the wayes of death.
His work is perfect] The Lord looked and behold all was good that was made; ſo it was at firſt, the fabrick of this world was an exquiſite and perfect work, a ſuitable demonſtration of his infinite wiſdom, wonderful in all the parts of it, and in the unity and harmony of the whole: But ſo alſo his work of providence is perfect. Divine wiſdom hath framed and contrived all, and it cannot be better. If any thing ſeem imperfect in it ſelf, yet it is perfect, in relation to his glorious ends he directs it unto; and ſo would we look on all the works among us; …f any thing ſeemed a ſpot and diſgrace of the creation, certainly the ſin of men and Angels; Nay, but even that is ſo ordered by his holy ſoveraignty, that in relation to his Majeſty, it may be called a perfect work. If ye do but conſider what a glorious high Throne he hath erected to himſelf for juſtice and judgement to be the habitation of it, and mercy and truth to go before it, upon the ruins of defaced man, what a Theater of Juſtice he hath erected upon the Angels falls, ye would call it as perfect a work as is in the world. His work is one in the world, ſubordinate to one great deſign of manifeſting his own glorious juſtice and mercy, omnipotency and wiſdom. Now what do ye ſee of it, but parcels, though ye comprehend all your time in one thought, yet certainly ye cannot judge it aright, for it is but one work that all the ſeveral buildings and caſtings down, all the ſeveral diſpenſations of his providence from the beginning to the end make up; and when we think upon theſe disjoyned, limit our conſideration within the bounds of our own time; can we rightly apprehend it? Nay, which is worſe, we uſe to have no more within the compaſſe of our thought, but ſome preſent thing, and how much more do we err then? What beauty, what perfection, can ſuch a ſmall part have? But its preſent to him, who beholds with a glance all theſe parts, though ſucceeding in many generations, he ſees it altogether, joyns the end with the beginning, ſees the firſt mould, the firſt foundation-ſtone, and the laſt compleating, all flowing from himſelf, and returning thither, and ending in himſelf: He hath made an interchange in nature, which might teach us; the night alone hath no beauty, nay, but it beautifies the day; Your darkeſt hours and tempeſts, publick and perſonal, are they perfect works? Yes certainly, if ye compound them with your Sun-ſhines, and calms; ſeveral colours make Pictures beautiful: the one is as needful as the other. And if ye did conſider your profit more then your honour and pleaſure, ye would ſay ſo. He doth not model his works according to our fancy to pleaſe us, but our good to profit us, and he is wiſer then we, and ſo then it is the moſt perfect work in it ſelf, that poſſibly diſpleaſeth us moſt. Therefore ye would judge of his dealing by another rule, nor your ſatisfaction; for pleaſe you and periſh you. If he ſpared the rod, he ſhould hate us indeed; fond love is real hatred. Chriſtians, if ye would judge his works by his word, and not by your ſenſe, by your well, and not by your will, certainly ye would ſay as the men did of Chriſt, he hath done all well, the world would diſcover to you a perfection, even in imperfection, a perfection in infirmities, that ye ſhould not only rejoyce in them, but glory in them: moſt gladly therefore will I glory, &c. ſaith Paul. Are infirmities a perfect work? Or is the ſuffering of Paul to be buffetted and tempted a perfect work? What comfort is in it? Yes much, infirmities alone are infirmities indeed; nay, bu… infirmities in me, and ſtrength in Jeſus, weakneſſe in me, and ſtrength dwelling in me, theſe make up one perfect work; that could as little want the infirmities as the ſtrength; the glory of God and our well and conſolation require the one, as well as the other; it could not be compleat without any of them. What do ye think of the times now, are Englands apoſtacy and Irelands deſolation perfect works? That great work of Reformation, that ſeemed to be above our ſhoulders, it's now razed to the ground, and the very foundations removed. I… deformation a perfect work? Certainly, if w… look on theſe things in the Scriptures light, and conſider them in relation to him who is the chief builder, and doth in heaven and earth what he pleaſeth, that deformation is a perfec… work, though not a perfect reformation, thoug… we could not inform you of the perfection of it yet the general might ſilence us, all this ſhall be no miſſe, no marr in the end. His work at the end of accompts ſhall appear ſo compleat, as i… it had never had interruption. He is wiſe, an… knows what he doth, if this were not for his glory and his peoples good, certainly it ſhould no… be. Was not the peoples wandering in th… wilderneſſe 40. years a moſt ſtrange work? … longer interruption of the expected and begu… voyage out of Egypt? What humane reaſo… would have ſtyled this work with perfection … Did they not often murmure againſt it? yet Moſes calls this a perfect work alſo. What if th… Lord be diging the ground deeper in England, that the foundation may be the ſurer? What i… he be on a work of judgement, filling the cup of many deluded blaſphemers, that he may have another cup of wrath prepared? What if this be his great purpoſe, to execute vengeance upon a prophane generation, that will not abide the very name and form of godlineſſe, by theſe who pretend to the name of it as their honour? What if the Lord hath defaced all that this Kingdom was inſtrumental in building of in England, that he alone may have the glory in a ſecond Temple more glorious? Many things there may be in his mind, and he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his ſoul deſireth, even that he doth; and this may be enough to ſatisfie us: He ſees and knows all his works from the beginning, and without all controverſie he hath provided it ſo, that the reproach of his Name ſhall be made up with the more ſhining of his glory, and the afflictions of his people ſhall be compenſed with ſongs of deliverance. May ye not give him ſo much credit as ye would give to a skilful man in his own Trade? Ye know it is his Name, Excellent in counſel, and wonderful in working; then take his work, expound it according to his Word, and not your apprehenſion. It may be his vvork appears not excellent, nay, but if ye knevv his counſel, ye vvould think it ſo. His vvonderful counſel makes all his vvorks excellent, and therefore do not take upon you to judge his vvorks, unleſſe ye could vvade the depth of his counſels, elſe ye declare your ſelves to be both ignorant and preſumptuous. There is a time to build, and a time to caſt down, a time for every thing, ſaith the vviſe man; novv I ſay, he knovvs the time and ſeaſon, he does every thing in his time. If ye come by a Work-man that is caſting dovvn a houſe that in your appearance ſeems good, vvould ye condemn him preſently? No, but ſtay till ye ſee vvhat he vvill do next, vvait till the due time, and vvhen ye ſee a better piece of workmanſhip, on that ground ye ſhall abſolve him. Though God often change his work, do not think he changes his Counſel and Purpoſes as men do. No, he is in one mind and who can turn him, therefore he had that change in his mind when he made the work, when he erected ſuch a throne, he had this in his mind to caſt it down within ſuch a ſpace, and ſo his change, his throwing down, is as perfect in his mind as his building up. Ye have large and big apprehenſions of temporal Kingdoms and Crowns of Government and ſuch like as if they were great yea only things: but they are not ſo to him: all this world and its ſtanding, all the Kingdoms and their affairs are not his great work and buſineſſe; he hath an great work, the bringing of many ſons to Glory, and compleating of Jeſus Chriſt, building of that glorious myſtical building, the holy Temple made up of living ſtones, of which Chriſt is the foundation and chief corner ſtone both; and its this that he attends to moſt; other works among men though they have more noiſe, they are leſſe concerned; all theſe are but in the by, and ſubſervient to his great deſigne, and like the Scaffolds of a building, that are, it may be, ſometime very needful, Nay, but when the building is compleated, he ſhall remove all theſe, he hath no more uſe of them; Kings ſhall he thy nurſe-fathers, Kings ſhall bow to thee. He is not much concerned in government nor in Governours; but for his little flocks ſake; and if theſe were gathered, all theſe ſhall have an end, and the flock alone abide for ever.
And all his ways are Judgement This is to the ſame purpoſe, his ways and his works are one, and this is the perfection of his work, that it is all right and equal, whether they be in Juſtice or mercy, they are all righteous and holy, no iniquity in them, his ways are ſtraight and equal, exact as if they were meaſured by an exact even rule; but becauſe we make application of a crooked rule to them, we do imagine that they are crooked; as the blind man judges no light to be, becauſe he ſees it not. How may the Lord contend and plead with us as with that people. Ezek. 18. 25. Is it poſſible that any can challe…ge him and clear themſelves, Who will be Juſtified of all when he is judged, and before whom no fleſh can be Juſtified? and yet behold the iniquity of mens hearts, there is a ſecret reflection of our ſpirits upon his majeſty, as if his ways were not equal; when ever we repine againſt them; and when we do not take with our iniquity, and ſtop our mouth with duſt. Behold, the Lord will aſſert his own wayes, and plead with all fleſh this controverſie, that all his proceedings are full of equity, he walks according to a rule though he be not tyed to a rule, he walks according to the rules of Wiſdom, Juſtice and Mercy, though his illimited ſoveraignty might be a ſufficient ground of clearing of all his proceedings. But we walk not according to a rule, though we be bound to a rule and a rule full of equity.
Here is the equity and juſtneſſe of his ways, the Goſpel holds it forth in a twofold conſideration, Firſt, If any man turn from his iniquity, and flie unto my Son as the City of refuge, he ſhall live, he hath eternal life, iniquity ſhall not be his ruine, although he hath done iniquity; O who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity? Is not this compleat mercy? whatever iniquity hath been, aggravat it as ye can, though it could have ruined a world, yet it could not have ruined thee, that turns in to Jeſus Chriſt from iniquity. What exception can all the world have againſt this, or his walking according to it. And on the other hand whoſoever continueth in ſin, though he appear to himſelf and others never ſo righteous, if he entertain and love any known ſin, and will not part with it for Jeſus Chriſt, ſhall not he dye in his iniquity? Is there any iniquity in this, that he receive the wages of his works his reward? that he eat of the fruit of his own wayes? and drink of his own devices? But how many hearts cenſure this way as a rigid and ſtrick ſevere dealing: the multitude think it cruelty to condemne any Chriſtened ſoul, to put ſo many in hell; the civil man will think it's too hard meaſure that he ſhould be ranked in hell with the prophane. But certainly, all mouths ſhall be ſtopped one day, and he ſhall be juſtified when he judges; Ye that will not juſtifie him in his ſayings and ſet to your ſeal to the truth of the word, you ſhall be conſtrained to juſtify him, when he executs that ſentence, ye ſhall precipitat your own ſentence and rather wonder at his clemency in ſuffering you ſo long.
This way of the Lord is equal and right in it ſelf, but it is not ſo to every one, the juſt man ſhall walk in it and not ſtumble, as in an even way, nothing ſhall offend him. Hoſea 14. laſt V. Yet for as equal and ſtraight as it is, many other tranſgreſſors ſhall fall therein; they ſtumble even in the noon day, and high way where no offence is, It's true often his own people ſtumble in it as David, Pſal. 73. and 94. Davids foot was ſlipping, yet a ſecret hold was by mercy. It often requires a wiſe and prudent man to underſtand it, becauſe his footſteps are in the deep waters. Pſa. 77. 19. his way is in the depths of the ſea, his paths in great waters, ſo that men muſt wait till the Lord expound his own wayes, till he come out of the waters and make them a dry plain, and this is our advantage, the word ſayes he is near thee in thy mouth, and neither above nor beneath in the depths that thou needs neither deſcend nor aſcend to know it, Deut. 30. 11, 12, 13, 14. But his way is in the depths, and his footſteps are not known, ſo that we ought to hold us by the word till he expound his vvork, his vvord vvill teach us our duty and vve may commit unto him his ovvn vvay, the vvord is a commentary to expound his vvays. David loſt the ſight of Gods footſteps and vvas like to wander, till he came to the Sanctuary, and this ſhined as a Candle in a dark place, he learned there to know the unknown footſteps and to follow them. By all means embrace the Word and be ſatisfied with it, when ye do not comprehend his Work, it teaches as much in general, as may put us to quietneſſe, all his wayes are Judgement, Juſt and True in all his Wayes is the King of Saints. If I do not comprehend how it is, no wonder, for he makes darkneſſe his covering, he ſpreads over his moſt curious Engines and Pieces of Workmanſhip, a vail of darkneſſe for a ſeaſon, and who can behold him when he hides himſelf ſayes Job, and though he withdraw the Covering, yet what am I; Who can by ſearching find out God? If I ſhall examine his way, what rule ſhall I take to try it by? If I meaſure by my ſhallow capacity, or by my crooked way, ſhall I have any juſt account of it? will my Arm meaſure the Heavens as his doth? If I examine it, or try it by himſelf, He is high as Heaven and unſearchable. Therefore it becomes us to hearken to his Word, and believe its ſentence of his Work, when reaſon cannot comprehend it.
One thing (if it were deeply engraven on our hearts) would be a principle of ſetling our ſpirits, in all the myſteries and riddles of providence, the knowledge and faith of his Soveraignty, of his Highneſſe and of his Wiſdome; ſhould he give account of his Matters to us? He is wiſe and knowes his Works, but is he bound to make us know them? His wayes are above our thoughts and wayes, as Heaven above the Earth, Iſ. 55. And therefore O Graſhopper in the Earth, that dwells in Tabernacles of Clay, do not preſume to model his ways according to thy conceptions. One thing is certain, this is enough for Faith, all his wayes are mercy and truth to theſe that keep his Covenant and his Teſtimonies, Pſal, 25. 10. And there is no Way or Path of God ſo far above our reach, and unſearchable as his Mercy in pardoning ſin, and this is only the ſatiſfying anſwer to all your objections and ſcruples, in theſe ye do but vent your own thoughts but ſayes the Lord, my thoughts are above you… thoughts, as Heaven above Earth. Ye but ſpeak of your own wayes, but my wayes are far above yours, they are not meaſured by your iniquity; and therefore, David ſubjoyns, Pſal. 25. Verſe 11. pardon my iniquity for it is great.