The Mortified Christian, Sermon 2
SERMON, II.
I Come now to the second part of the Text:
There is not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Before I come to handle the words expresly, I would give you this caution, Caution. to take heed that you do not pervert this History (of healing ten Lepers by one word of Christs mouth) to a wrong sense: and say that these nine Lepers were a type of the Jewes rejection, and this one Leper a type of the Gentiles vocation, which some affirm. So Gorran and Gualter: but this is meerly a historicall relation of what was past, not a typicall signification of any thing to come. Beloved, what need we strain this History to prove that, for which there are expresse Scriptures enough besides, My Text is only an Historicall narration of ten Lepers healed by Christ.
And from this one Leper, that (after he was healed by Christ) returned to give glory to God, there is much of the minde of God to be given: I shall but briefly hint things to you.
This one Leper that Christ commends, if you look into the circumstances of the Text, you shall finde that he was a man praise-worthy, and deserved his commendation: which will appear, if you consider the grand hinderances, that might have interrupted him from coming to give glory to Christ.
(1) He might have pleaded, Here are nine of my companions healed as well as my self, and they have as much cause to give glory to God as I, am I wiser then all the rest that were healed? if they will go with me, I will goe; otherwise if I return alone, I shall be accounted singular, and render my self wiser then the rest, and the like. Beloved, had any of us been in his stead, this objection would have taken more place in a 1000. of our hearts, then it did in his. This poor Leper overlooks all these disswasions and interruptions, and though he could get no company, yet he resolves to go to heaven alone. From whence I would note this Doctrine.
That it is more commendable to do well alone, Doct. then to do evill with a multitude.
Had this man taken example by others, he would have been an unthankfull man as well as the rest; but he thought it better to do good alone, then to do evill with company. And this was Joshua his resolution, in Josh. 24.15. Chuse you (saies he) whom you will serve; whether the Gods which your fathers served, or the Gods of the Amorites; but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
To do well alone is a good and commendable singularity, but to do evill with a multitude, is an impious conspiracy against God: when you walk in solitary paths, you have God to be your companion, while you follow the thing that good is: 2 Tim. 4.16, 17. At my first answer, no man stood with me, notwithstanding the Lord stood with me. Such a man may say as Christ did, Joh. 16.32. You leave me alone, and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me: and as that Philosopher said, Nunquam minus solus quam eum solus, he is never lesse solitary then when he is most solitary.
I will only draw three or four inferences from hence, and so proceed. Inferences
(1) If a godly man will not do as a wicked man does, nor run with others to the same excesse of riot; do not look upon this as a fantastick and a humorous singularity, do not repute that man that will not sin as you do, to be a humorous man.
(2) Another inference is this, Take heed you do not make example your rule to walk by. Make Scripture rules the Canon whereby you regulate all your actions. Christians are to walk by Scripture rule, not popular example. Had this man made example his rule, he had never come to Jesus Christ. foreign Multos, sive magnates.Exod. 32.2. Follow not a multitude to do evill, and do not go with many to pervert judgement. If you live as the most do, you live as the worst do, Ephes. 2.2. Eliah made Scripture his rule, and therefore he followed God though he was left alone, as he supposed 1 King. 19.14. It is better to go to heaven alone without a precedent, then to go to hell with a crowd, or to be damned by example. Singularity in some cases is not only lawfull, but laudable. Sometime we must not take example, but give example to other men.
3. Be sure that if you differ from other men in the world, your dividing from them, be not out of fantastick singularity, but out of holy and a gracious singularity.
I know there is a fantastick and a humorous singularity, which is a conceited vanity of an aspiring minde, it is a sullen and a proud singularity: & that you may the better avoid it, I shall give you these Symptoms of it.
(1) An humorous singularity makes a man differ from the gravest and holiest and best of men; when a man shall live as the worst do, and yet walke singularly from the best of people amongst whom he lives. Now a holy singularity doth not make a man differ from the best, but from the worst, and vilest, and most ungodly sort of men: that (in the Apostles language) he will not run with others to the same excesse of riot.
(2) An humorous singularity, you may know it by this, such a man will be singular from others, though by his singularity he disturbes the Church of God.
When a man shall for small and petty differences, walk contrary to godly and grave men, thereby making a disturbance in the Church of God, and give offence to weak Brethren; this is a humorous singularity. When men shall separate from others, and gather Churches out of Churches, and that not when they are declining, but when they are reforming, and when there is no necessity of it neither.
(3) An humorous singularity is in trivials and circumstantials, not in substantials.
It is a singularity …hat would be taken notice of, if none observe it they quickly grow weary of it, vainglory and observation feed this humour; but true singularity is so alone as well as in company.
But these things I only hint by the way.
2. A second hinderance that might lie in the way of the Leper, to obstruct his coming unto Christ, is this, Christ told these Lepers and commanded them, and gave them a strict charge that they should go shew themselves to the Priest: Now the text sayes, that as they were going thither they were all healed. And therefore this Leper might have this conflict in his own breast, if I go to Christ to returne him glory, in obeying one Command, I shall disobey an other, for he hath commanded me to goe shew my self to the Priests. Now might this poor man reason with himself, If I go to the Priest then it may be I shall never know where to finde Christ again to give him glory; or if I goe first to Christ, then he may aske me why I did not according to his command, go to the Priest. But at length considering that his going to the Priest, was only a Mosaicall ceremony, but his returning to give glory to Christ a Morall duty; therefore he thought it better to make a ceremony stoop to a substance, then the contrary. From whence I would note to you this usefull observation, from this poor Lepers waving a ceremony to performe a morall duty, of giving glory to Christ.
That it would be a mans wisdome so to order it in his Christian course to make a lesser duty give way to a greater.
That when two duties come in competition together, to let passe the lesser, and performe the greater. Thus (sayes God) I will have merciemercy, and not sacrifice; that is, when both these come in competition, I will have mercy, rather then sacrifice.
The Use that I would make of this should be of rebuke and blame, Ʋse. to those that make every slight occasion a means to keep them off, and make them neglect great duties, and weighty services; and of this sort are they, spoken of in Mat. 8.21. Christ was calling one of the Scribes to come and follow him, (saith he) suffer me first to go and bury my father, this was only a ceremony, and a piece of naturall civility to his father that was dead, which made him neglect a morall duty, the following of Christ.
Many men are of such a temper, that any small slight occasion, shall hinder them from serious and weighty duties. Had this Leper been so, he had never come to give glory unto Christ, and he had never been the man whose fame shall be least upon record to the worlds end, that he was the man that gave glory to God above the nine.
This doctrine likewise reproves those that are very exact and scrupulous about small and lesse considerable duties, but remisse and carelesse about greater and weightier services. Like the Pharisees in Mat. 23.23. who were very scrupulous in tithing of mixt and anise and cummin, in observing slight and triviall duties, and yet omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy and saith. And so Saul he was very scrupulous about eating the bloud of beasts, and yet he made no conscience of spilling the bloud of men, 1 Sam. 22.17.
So the Jews that made a great scruple taking the price of bloud into their Treasury, yet made no conscience of of taking the guilt of bloud upon their hearts. Beloved, this is no better then grosse and grand hypocrisie. And thus much for the second obstruction that might lie in this Lepers way to hinder him from coming to give glory to Christ.
We come now to the second part of the Text, There is not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger: I might note here that Christ does not say to give glory to me, but to give glory to God. I might from hence note a plain consutation of the Arians that deny the divinity of Christ; for this text expresly proves Christ to be God, because the Leper giving thanks to Christ, the Scripture records of him that he gave glory to God; but I shall not stand upon that. I will a little explain this passage, what it is to give glory to God. You must know that to give glory to God, so as to add any thing to the excellency of his nature, that cannot be, for God is so infinitely and compleatly glotious, that it admits of no addition; but by giving glory to God is meant nothing else but acknowledging of that greatnesse and excellency and glory to be in God which indeed there is.
And there are two things especially wherein the Scripture declares, a giving of glory to God to consist. As,
(1) In confessing our sins against God, as in Josh. 7.19. Joshua said to Achan, My son, give I pray thee glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confessioe to him.
(2) In acknowledging that all the mercies we enjoy come from God, as in Psal. 50.23. Who so offereth me praise, glorifyeth me; and so in my text this Leper gave glory to Christ, by praising of him and acknowledging that he received this mercy and healing from him.
There is not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger, none of them did return back to Christ to acknowledge his great mercy in healing them, but this one stranger.
Now from this commendation that Christ gives of this one Leper, there are these three Doctrinall Observations will arise, I shall but name the two first of them, and pitch upon the last.
(1) From the consideration of the quality of this Leper that did return praise to Jesus Christ, the text sayes he was a stranger, and the verse before my text sayes, he was a Samaritan; Now the Samaritans were an idolatrous company of people, their Religion was a composition of Paganism and Judaism, they did worship the God of Israel, and the Idols of the Land too; yet this one Samaritan gave glory to God, when the other nine Jews that had more reason to praise God, never returned at all to do it: from whence I note,
That sometimes God doth chuse obscure persons from obscure places of the world to be great instruments of his praise. Doct.
David from keeping of sheep came to governe a Kingdome, from the Shepheards crook he came to hold the Kingly scepter, and from dwelling in a shepheards cottage he, came to sit upon a Throne.
And so that place wherein Christ was borne was in Bethlem of Judah, the least of all the thousands of Israel, none so poor and despicable and inconsiderable a place as that; I could instance in many more, but I forbear.
The Reasons why I gave you this note are,
First, Reas. 1 to keep up your hearts from despondency and discouragement of minde; suppose you may see the places wherein you dwell in danger to be destroyed, and you can discover no probable or likely means of safety and deliverance for you, yet remember the Lord can from obscure places and corners raise up, and work great deliverances, the Lord can raise up men from such obscure places as you are not aware of, to be instruments of his glory, and of his peoples good.
Secondly, Reas. 2 An other reason why I hinted this Doctrine, was to provoke all you (whom God hath raised up to be instruments of his praise, and to be men of repute and quality in the places where you live) to blesse and praise the name of God; it may be God hath brought some of you hither, from obscure places in the Country, and here you have gotten great estates, and are grown rich, and are men of esteem and credit, why labour to give glory to God, and returne him the praise of his mercies and blessings.
Again, from the consideration of the different effects the same mercy produceth in these ten Lepers, (pray observe it) here were ten Lepers all sharers in the same mercy, and they were all clensed from their Leprosie at the same time, and yet notwithstanding the same mercy at the same time wrought a different effect upon them; for nine of these Lepers went away unthankfull, and but one of them returned to give glory to God; from whence note,
That the same mercy and the same deliverance and the same blessings of God, Doct. they have not the same effects upon the hearts of men.
It may be God may give an other man as much wealth as thee, and yet his riches makes him humble, and thankfull, and liberall, &c. when the same mercy makes thee proud, and covetous, and unthankfull, and uncharitable, &c.
The same sun that softens the wax, hardens the clay, and the same sun that drawes forth a sweet savour from the garden, extracts a stinking smell from the dunghill; so the same mercy from God may have different effects upon the hearts of men.
The Use I would have you to make of it is this, Ʋse.
Not to conclude that mercies are given you in mercy, unlesse they work those effects upon your hearts, for which God sent them. If another man by mercy shall grow more holy, and humble, and thankfull, and fruitfull in all good works; and thou grow more vitious, and loose, and irregular, and supercilious in the course of thy life, it is a signe the mercies thou enjoyest were not given thee in mercy. The nine Lepers had the same mercy that the other had, but they had not this mercy bestowed upon them in mercy.
The same mercy may not have the same effect upon our hearts, as in the ordinances of God, the same Sermon may make one man humble, that he blesseth God for the word he hath heard, and the same Sermon may make an other man angry and storme, and grumble and fret at the word.
As we use to say concerning some kind of meats, that which is one mans meat is another mans poyson, so the same mercy may be meat to one man, and poyson to an other. They may be as cords to draw some men to Christ, and as bonds to keep other men from him.
Oh therefore you that receive and enjoy the same mercies with the children of God, Ʋse. labour to use them so, that they may have the same effects upon your hearts as upon theirs.
I have but one observation more, and that is from the consideration of the disproportion that is here in the number between them that did not give glory to Christ, and those that did, here were nine that did not give glory to Christ, and but one that did give him glory; from whence observe,
That there are but a very few found amongst many who do give Jesus Christ the glory of all his mercies. Doct.
Beloved, a man would think that this is so reasonable a duty that there is not one of ten but will give glory to God; and yet scarse one of ten do give Christ the glory of his mercies.
I shall give you 3 or 4 Demonstrations to prove this.
(1) It will appear that there are but a few found amongst many that do give glory to God for mercies received, if you look to the Gentile part of the world, those that remain in Gentilism, for they do not give glory to God; the Apostle sayes of them in Rom. 1.21. that the Gentiles, though they knew God, yet they glorifyed him not as God, neither were thankfull. The Gentiles remaining unconverted did not give glory to God.
(2) The Jews that were the Church of God, multitudes of them did not give glory to God, in Psal. 106.21. They forgat God their Saviour that had done great things for them. So Jer. 2.6. They said not, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, and that led us through the wildernesse? &c. So Hos. 13.6. According to their pasture, so were they filled, they were filled and their beart was exalted, therefore have they forgotten me.
(3) It will appear to be so, because that it was prophesied of the last times, and ages of the world; that those that professe godlinesse should be defective in this great duty of giving glory to God for mercies received, in 2 Tim. 3.2. In the last dayes perilous times shall come, and men shall he lovers of themselves, proud, boasters, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankefull, unholy, &c. It is a good glosse that a Divine hath upon that place, (sayes he) As old age doth dispose the bodie to corrupt and ill humours, so there shall more corruption settle in the old and last age of the world, then before; that is a third demonstration.
(4) It may well appear to be so, because that Gods own people are many times defective in this great duty, even those that are truely godly are wonderfull defective in this, in 2 Chron. 32.25. good Hezekiah rendred not to God according to the mercy he had received. Now if the people of God that are the Lords vinyard, if they return not thanks, and bear no fruit to Gods praise, what can you expect to grow upon briers and thorns?
The Use that I will make of this shall be by way of Exhortation, Ʋse of Exhorta∣iion. to perswade you in the fear of God, not to take pattern by the nine Lepers, but by this one Leper, that you would be the people of Gods praise, and to give him glory, of all his mercies. And here I shall give you eight short heads to provoke you to this duty, four by way of consideration, and four by way of comparison.
1. I shall give you four incouragements to this duty by way of consideration.
(1) Consider, that the giving thanks for one mercy, is the way to procure more; he that is thankfull for one mercy shall receive more, and greater mercies: Psal. 40.9, 10, 11. sayes David there, I have not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart, I have declared thy faithfulnesse and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving kindnesse and thy truth from the great congregation. Therefore withhold not from me thy tender mercies oh Lord, let thy loving kindnesse and thy truth continually preserve me.
The best way to procure more mercies, is to blesse God for what we have.
(2) Consider, That thy giving glory to God is the very end of thy being, God gave thee not a being to advance thy own name on high in the world, but to advance the glory and praise of God.
(3) Consider, That thou canst not expect glory from God when thou comest to die, if thou hast not been instrumentall of giving glory to God, whilest thou didst live. It is an excellent argument that Christ useth in Joh. 17.4. Father (saith Christ) I have glorifyed there on earth, therefore now glorifie me with thy self in heaven. All you that can truely say and appeale to God when you come to die, Oh Lord I have glorified thee on earth, now glorifie me with thy self in heaven; this will be a very good argument to prevail with him, otherwise how can you pray or expect that God should glorifie you in heaven, when you were never carefull to glorifie him on earth.
(4) Consider, That if God shall not have glory by thee, he will have glory from thee one way or other. Though thou wilt give no glory to him, yet he can glorifie himself in thy destruction and damnation, he can glorifie his Justice and his power in thy deserved ruine and perdition. As God made his power known in his judgements upon Pharach, so he can make his glory shine forth in thy confusion, as well as in thy salvation: God will have glory from thee if he be not glorifyed bythee.
Thus much for the Considerations, I have now only four Comparisons, that will greatly heal and encourage you to the performance of this duty.
(1) Compare your mercies and your afflictions together.
(2) Compare your mercies and your graces together.
(3) Compare your mercies and your sins together.
(4) Compare your mercies and the mercies of other men together. And if all this will not provoke you to glorifie the God of your mercies, you will never do it.
(1) Compare your mercies and afflictions together, mercies flow in upon you like a flood, but affliction fall upon you like drops, for one affliction you have a 100. mercies.
It may be thou hast had one months sicknesse, but thou hast enjoyed thy health all thy life time almost together. A man in his worst condition enjoyes more of mercy, then he suffers of affliction, because his very life is a greater mercy then any affliction that can befall him, is a crosse or trouble: For skin for skin all a man hath will he give for his life, and therefore sayes the Church in Lamen. 8.39. Wherefore doth a living man complain? if he be a living man he hath more cause to blesse God for his mercy, then to complain of affliction. Eccles. 7.14. In the day of prosperity be joyfull, but in the day of adversity consider, God also hath set the one over against the other. It is a very strange expression, and the meaning of it is this, that God doth ballance afflictions with mercies. Thou hast prosperity and mercies to blesse God for, as well as afflictions and adverfity to mourn for; the Lord doth set mercies against afflictions, and so should you do too, set your mercies over against your sufferings, and and see whether the number of them will not be greater, and the sum of your mercies more then of your sufferings: The great ground of our unthankfulnesse is because we look upon our afflictions through an augmenting glasse, but behold our mercies through a dimiuishing glasse. When David cryed out upon the death of his son, Oh Absalom my son, my son, would to God I had dyed for thee my son; had David set a good Solomon over against a bad Absalom, it would have mitigated his affliction. If you set your mercies against your afflictions, and exactly weigh one with the other, you will finde your mercies to reponderate and outweigh your sufferings. I remember what I have read concerning an old man, whom (in the two last years of his life) it pleased God to visit with a sore and grievous sicknesse, those that were about him wondered how he could be so patient under so great an affliction, and endure it with so much calmenesse and serenity of spirit; his answer to them was, (sayes he) I have had my health these eight and forty years together, and have lain under this great affliction but these two years, and therefore (sayes he) I have more cause to blesse God for my eight and forty years of health, then to repine at him for these two years of sicknesse.
(2) Compare your mercies and your graces together; alas poor scanty creature thou art scanty of grace and yet abundant in mercy. And though your grace decay, yet your mercies increase and abound; should God cause our mercies but to hold equipage with our graces, then we had no reason to complain, but when God gives us many and great mercies, though our graces are but small, how should this provoke, and stir us up to blesse and praise his name?
(3) Compare your mercies and your sins together, and this will provoke you to be much in thanksgiving to God. Notwithstanding great sins committed, yet behold great mercies enjoyed, oh that we could have our hearts raised up and enlarged to blesse God, considering that though we have committed great sins in the places where we live, yet we enjoy great mercies there, though we mingle great sins in our relations, yet God mingles great mercies in our relations, why should not our families be families of affliction, as well as families of sin and provocation? Oh blesse the name of God that he does not deal with us according to our sins nor reward us as our iniquities deserve.
(4) Compare thy mercies and the mercies of other men together, and then you will have cause to blesse God, because he hath lifted up many of you above your brethren in the world: you eat of the fat, and drink of the sweet, when many of the dear Children of God eat the bread of affliction, and drink the water of adversity. The Lord gives thee to drinke of the sweet, when other men drinke their tears, and some men their bloud too. Compare the mercies which you injoy, with the mercies of other men, (who though (it may be) they exceed you in degrees of goodnesse yet come far short of you in regard of mercies,) and this cannot but provoke you to give glory to God. And thus beloved I have spent these two Sermons upon these two verses of my text, the instance of the nine Lepers that did not give glory to God, and the instance of this one Leper that returned to give God the glory of the mercy he had received.