Eighteen Sermons, Sermon 11
SERMON XI.
The Burning Buſh.
EXODUS iii. ver. 2, 3.
And he looked, and behold the buſh burned with fire, and the buſh was not conſumed; and Moſes ſaid, I will now turn aſide and ſee this great ſight, why the buſh is not burnt.
IT is a common ſaying, and common ſayings are generally founded on matter of fact, that it is always darkeſt before break of day; and I am perſuaded, that if we do juſtice to our own experience, as well as conſider God's dealings with his people in preceding ages, we ſhall find that man's extremity has been uſually made God's opportunity, and that whe… the enemy has broke in like a flood, the Spirit and providence of God has lifted up a ſtandard againſt him and I believe at the ſame time, that however we may dream of a continued ſcene of proſperity in church or ſtate, either in reſpect to our bodies, ſouls, or temporal affairs, we ſhall find this life to be chequered, that the clouds return after the rain, and the moſt proſperous ſtate attended with ſuch cloudy days, as may make even the people of God ſometimes cry, all men are liars, and God has forgotten to be gracious.
The chapter in which is our text, is an inſtance of this. What a glorious day of the ſon of man was that when Joſeph ſent for his father to Egypt; and the good old patriarch, after he had thought his ſon had been dead many years, agreeably ſurprized by a meſſage from him to come to him, with all his family, and are by him comfortably ſettled in Goſhen; where the good old patriarch, after many a ſtormy day, died in peace, and was highly honored at his funeral by Pharaoh and his ſervants, and attended to the ſepulchre of his fathers in Canaan by all his ſons. After which, Joſeph continued to live in ſplendor, lord of all the land of Egypt; and his brethren, doubtleſs, in the height of proſperity: but how ſadly did the ſcene change at Pharaoh's death, ſoon after which, another king aroſe that knew not Joſeph, verifying the obſervation, New lords, new laws, by whom the deſcendants of Jacob, inſtead of reigning in Goſhen, were made bond-ſlaves; many, many long years, employed in making bricks, and in all probability, had what we call their bibles taken from them, by being forced to conform to the idolatry of Egypt, and ſo were in a worſe ſtate than the unhappy Negroes in America are at this day. No doubt, numbers of them either wondered that ever they had been proſpered at all, or that God had forgot them now; but what a mercy it is that a thouſand years in God's ſight are but as one day, and therefore when God's time is come, the ſet time that he has appointed, he will maugre all the oppoſition of men and devils, he will come down and deliver his people, and in ſuch a manner, that the enemy ſhall know, as well as friends, it is the Lord's doing. A deliverer is born and bred in Pharaoh's court, a Moſes is brought up in all the learning of the Egyptians, for Pharaoh intended him for a high and exalted poſt: but when offers of the higheſt preferment are made to him, he did not catch at them as ſome folks now do, who are very good and humble till ſomething occurs to take them from God. Young as he was, he refuſed the higheſt dignity, and ſpurned at it with an holy contempt; and chuſes rather to ſuffer affliction with the people of God, than enjoy all the grandeur and pleaſures of, perhaps, one of the greateſt courts on earth. Forty years continued he in this ſtate of obſcurity, in which time he acquired ſuch a competent degree, and variety of knowledge, as qualified him for every thing God intended him for: the occaſion of this, was his kind attempt to compoſe a difference between two of his brethren, one of whom accuſed him of murder, on which he that was to be king in Jeſhurun, is forced to fly into a ſtrange land; there he ſubmits to the humble office of a ſervant, marries, and lives in a ſtate of ſubjection for forty years, as was ſaid before. At length, when he was eighty years old, dreaming of no ſuch thing, behold God calls, and commands him to go and deliver his people; as he himſelf informs us, who is the author of this book, ver. 1. Now Moſes kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, prieſt of Midian: he might have ſaid, what ſuch a ſcholar as I keep a parcel of ſheep! ſuch a learned man as I am employed in ſuch a menial ſervice! ſome proud hearts would break firſt, but you never knew a truly great man but would ſtoop; ſome that are called great men, ſwell till they burſt; like ſturdy oaks, they think they can ſtand every wind, till ſome dreadful ſtorm comes and blows them up by the roots, while the humble reed bends and riſes again. Moſes was one of the latter, he keeps the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, and leads them to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. This ſhows how perſons ought to methodize their time; but however the name of a Methodiſt is deſpiſed, they will never be bad ſervants and maſters; you would be only weathercocks, unleſs you took care to order things in proper ſeaſons: the devotion and buſineſs of a Methodiſt go hand in hand; I will aſſure you, Moſes was a Methodiſt, a very fine one, a very ſtrong one too; he kept his flock, but that did not hinder his going to Horeb, he took them to the deſert, and being thus employed in his lawful buſineſs, God met him. Some ſay, we encourage people in idleneſs; I deny it; we ſay, people ought to be induſtrious; and I defy any one to ſay, a perſon is called by God that is negligent in his calling. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the buſh: ſome think this angel was Gabriel, but moſt agree, and I believe with the greateſt probability, that it was Jeſus Chriſt, the angel of the everlaſting covenant; and an expoſitor tells you, that the eternal Logos, longing to become man, often viſited this earth in that form, as an evidence of his coming by and by, and dying a curſed death for man. The manner of this angel's appearing is taken particular notice of, it was to Moſes when nobody was with him; I do not hear he had ſo much as a boy, or one companion; and I mention this, becauſe I believe we have often found that we are never leſs alone than when with God; we often want this and that companion, but happy they that can ſay, Lord, thy company is enough. Moſes was ſtartled at the ſight, and I don't know that he is to be diſcommended for it, it was not to gratify a bare curioſity, but ſeeing a buſh burning it engaged his attention, and made him think that ſomething was uncommon; the buſh burned with fire and yet was not conſumed: this ſtartled him, as it was intended to do; for where God deſigns to ſpeak, he will firſt gain attention from the perſon ſpoken to; Moſes therefore ſays, I will now turn aſide and ſee this great ſight, why the buſh is not burned: he did not know but the buſh might take fire by ſome accident; he ſaw no fire come from above, he ſaw no fire round the buſh, yet that did not ſo much ſtartle him, as to ſee, though it did burn, it was not conſumed, or in the leaſt diminiſhed; it was a ſtrange ſight, but it was, my brethren, a glorious one; a ſight which, I pray God, you and I may behold with faith and comfort this evening; for, my dear hearers, this buſh, and the account of it, was given for our learning; and I will venture to ſay, could Moſes ariſe from the dead, he would not be angry with me for telling you, this is of no private interpretation, but is intended as a ſtanding leſſon, as a ſignificant emblem of the church, and every individual child of God, till time itſelf ſhall be no more. I would therefore obſerve to you, that this buſh,
In the firſt place, is typical of the church of God in all ages; the buſh was burning, why might it not be a tall cedar, why might it not be ſome large or ſome glorious tree, why ſhould the great God chuſe a buſh, a little buſh of briars and thorns, above any other thing? but becauſe the church of Chriſt generally conſiſts of poor, mean, deſpicable creatures: though it is all glorious within, yet it is all deſpicable without. It is obſervable, that when the church came to proſper when Conſtantine ſmiled on it, it was ſoon hugged to death; and that great poet, Milton obſerves, that when that emperor gave miniſters rich veſtments, high honors, great livings, and golden pulpits, there was a voice heard from heaven, ſaying, this day there is poiſon come into the church; and I have ſometimes ſaid in diſcourſe, I don't doubt but if any one made an experiment, and left 100,000l. or 200,000l. only among the Methodiſts, there would be hundreds and thouſands that would not be reckoned Methodiſts now, that would turn Methodiſts preſently, that would buy an hymn-book, becauſe a part of the legacy would pay for the hymn-book and would wiſh to have a living into the bargain: but though not many mighty men, not many noble are called, yet ſome are; if any of you are rich here, and are Chriſtians, thank God for it, you ought to be doubly thankful for it; God's people are but like a little bramble buſh. I remember an eminent miniſter ſaid once, when I heard him preach upon Chriſtmas-day, Chriſt perſonal is very rich, but Chriſt myſtical is very poor; and Jeſus Chriſt does this on purpoſe to confound the world. When he comes to judgment, millions that have their thouſands now, will be damned and burnt to all eternity, and Chriſt's church will be rich to all eternity, that is now like a bramble all on fire.
The buſh burned, what is that for? it ſhewed that Chriſt's church while in this world, will be a buſh burning with fiery trials and afflictions of various kinds; this was a lively emblem of the ſtate of religion, and liberty of Iſrael at that time: they were buſy making of brick, and there conſequently were burning continually; as though the Lord had ſaid, this buſh is burning with fire, ſo my people are burning with ſlavery. Ah but, ſay you, that was only the caſe of the Iſraelites when they were under Pharaoh; pray is not that the caſe of the church in all ages? yes, it has been; read your bibles, and you may inſtantly ſee that it is little elſe than an hiſtorical account of a burning buſh; and though there might be ſome periods wherein the church had reſt, yet theſe periods have been of a ſhort date; and if God's people have walked in the comforts of the Holy Ghoſt, it is only like a calm that precedes an earthquake. If you remember, before the laſt earthquake, it was a fine morning, and who when they aroſe in the morning, would have thought the earth ſhould ſhake under them before night; and ſo with the church when they are in a calm, and all ſeems ſafe there, then comes a ſtorm: God prepare us for it.
But this is not only the caſe with the church of Chriſt collected, but alſo it is ſo with individual believers, eſpecially thoſe that God intends to make great uſe of as prophets in his church. I know very well that 'tis ſaid, that now the caſe is altered: modern commentators therefore, and our great Dr. Young, calls them downy Doctors; they tell us, now we have got a Chriſtian king and governor, and are under the toleration act, we ſhall have no perſecution; and, bleſſed be God, we have had none ſince this family has been on the throne: May God continue it till time ſhall be no more. Yet, my dear hears, we ſhall find, if God's word is true, whether we are born under a deſpotic power, or a free government, that they that will live godly in Chriſt Jeſus muſt ſuffer perſecution. You have heard of that ſaying, Wonder not at the fiery trial wherewith you are to be tried; and God ſaith, I have choſen thee, which is applicable to every believer, in the furnace of affliction. Now the furnace is a hot place, and they that are tried in the furnace muſt be burnt ſurely. Now what muſt the Chriſtian burn with? with tribulation and perſecution. I heard a perſon not long ago ſay, I have no enemies. Biſhop Latimer came to a houſe one day, and the man of the houſe ſaid, he had not met with a croſs in all his life; give me my horſe, ſays the good biſhop, I am ſure God is not here where no croſs is. But ſuppoſe we are not perſecuted by the world, is there one Chriſtian but is perſecuted by his friends; if there is an Iſaac in the family, I warrant there is an Iſhmael to mock at him, Woe is me, ſays David, that I muſt dwell with Meſheck, and in Kedar: and in one's own family, one's own brothers and ſiſters, one's own dependants, though they wait for our death, and perhaps, long to have us gone, that they may run away with our ſubſtance, to have theſe perſons mock at us, and if they dare not ſpeak out, yet let us ſee they hate the God we worſhip; if this thy caſe, why, God knows, poor ſoul, thou art a burning buſh: but if we have no ſuch thing as mocking, yet if we are ſurrounded with afflictions, domeſtic trials, the loſs of dear and near friends, the bad conduct of our children, the dreadful miſconduct of thoſe that are dependant upon upon us; O there is many a parent here that is a burning buſh; burning with what? with family afflictions; ſome don't care what becomes of their children; O, I thank God, I have left my boy ſo much, and my daughter a coach, perhaps; ah! well your ſon and daughter may ride in that coach poſt to the devil: but the godly man ſays, I want an eternal inheritance for my ſon; I want God's bleſſing for him; this is the poor man's prayer, while the poor deluded youth mocks him; or, ſuppoſing this is not the caſe, a perſon may burn with inward temptation; you have heard of the fiery darts, of the devil, and was you to feel them, I believe you would find them fiery darts indeed! and you have great reaſon to ſuſpect your experience, your having any intereſt in the love of the Son of God at all, if you never found the fiery darts of the devil. O, ſays one, I never felt the devil; I am ſure thou mayſt feel him now; thou art dadda's own child; thou art ſpeaking the very language of the devil, and he is teaching thee to deny thy own father; therefore graceleſs child of the devil, you never felt the devil's fiery darts, it is becauſe the devil is ſure of t…ee; he has got thee into a damnable ſlumber; may the God of love wake thee before real damnation comes! The fiery darts of ſatan are poiſoned, and wherever they ſtick they fill the perſons with tormenting pain like fire; this I mention, becauſe there are ſome poor ſouls perhaps here to-night, whom the devil tells, thou haſt committed the unpardonable ſin; you are afraid to come to ſacrament, you are afraid to go to prayer, becauſe at theſe ſeaſons the devil diſturbs thee moſt, and tempts you to leave theſe ſeaſons; and there are ſome go on thus burning a great while. My brethren the time would fail, and I ſhall draw this diſcourſe to too great a length, and hinder you from your families, if I was to mention but a few more of thoſe thouſands that the believer burns with, the trials without, and what is ſtill worſe, their trials within. Why, ſays one, it is very ſtrange you talk thus to-night; I am ſorry it is ſtrange to any of you; ſure you are not much acquainted with your bibles, and leſs with your hearts, if you know not this. Why, ſure, ſay ſome, you make God a tyrant; no, but having made ourſelves devil's incarnate, we are now in a ſtate of preparation, and theſe various trials are intended by the great God to train us up for heaven; and therefore, that you may not think I am drawing a picture without any life, give me leave to obſerve, that it is particularly remarkable, that though the buſh burned, it was not conſumed: it was this ſtruck Moſes, he looked to ſee why the buſh was not conſumed. But the burning I have been here painting forth to you, is not a conſuming but a purifying fire; is not that enough to anſwer the ſhade that has been already drawn; it is true the buſh burns, the Chriſtian is perſecuted, the Chriſtian is oppreſſed, the Chriſtian is burned with inward trials, he is p…rplexed at times, he is caſt down, but, bleſſed be God, he is not deſtroyed, he is not in deſpair. Who is that, that ſays he has got into ſuch an eſtate that nothing diſturbs him? vain man! he diſcovers an ignorance of Chriſt; are you greater then than the apoſtle Paul? ſome people think that the apoſtles had no trials; ſo they think, perhaps, of ſome miniſters, that they are always on the mount, while, perhaps, they have been in the burning to get that ſermon for them. We that are to ſpeak for others, muſt expect to be tempted in all things like to our brethren, or we ſhould be only poor whip-ſyllabub preachers, and not rich men's hearts. But whether miniſters or people burn, the great God, the angel of the everlaſting covenant, ſpoke to Moſes out of the buſh; he did not ſtand at a diſtance from the buſh, he did not ſpeak to him ſo much as one yard or foot from the buſh, but he ſpoke to him out of the buſh; he ſaid, Moſes, Moſes, my people ſhall burn in this buſh to the end of time, but be not afraid, I will ſuccour them; when they burn, I will burn too. There is a ſcripture vaſtly ſtrong to this purpoſe, in which it is not ſaid, the good will of him that was in the buſh, but the good will of him that dwelt in the buſh. Amazing! I thought God dwelt in heaven; but as a poor woman who was once in darkneſs fourteen years, before ſhe was brought out of it, ſaid, God has two homes, one in heaven, the other in the loweſt heart. He dwells in the buſh, and I am ſure if he did not, the devil and their own curſed hearts would burn the buſh to aſhes. How is it that it is not conſumed? why, it is becauſe God has declared it ſhall not be conſumed; he has made an everlaſting covenant, and I pity thoſe that are not acquainted with an intereſt in God's covenant; and it would be better that people would pity them, than diſpute with them: I really believe a diſputing devil is one of the worſt devils that can be brought into God's church, for he comes with his gown and book in his hand, and I ſhould always ſuſpect the devil when he comes in his gown and band, and this is the cauſe they agree and diſagree. Some, who it's to be hoped are God's children, if you tell them that God has loved them with an everlaſting love, they are afraid to ſuck it in, and eſpecially if you pop out the word election, or that hard word predeſtination, they will be quite frightned; but talk to them in another way, their dear hearts will rejoice. God has ſaid, As the waters of Noah ſhall ceaſe forever, ſo he will not forget the covenant of his peace: nothing ſhall pluck them out of his hand. Ah! ſay ſome, the apoſtle has ſaid, that neither things preſent, nor things to come, ſhall ſeparate us from the love of Chriſt: but he has not ſaid an evil heart ſhall not; I fancy that is one of the preſent things. The buſh is not conſumed, becauſe if the devil is in the buſh, God is in the buſh too; if the devil acts one way, the Lord, the Spirit, acts another to balance it, and the Spirit of God is engaged to train up the ſouls of his people; and God has determined the buſh ſhall not be conſumed; his Spirit ſtands near believers to ſupport and guide, and make them more than conquerors: all that are given to Jeſus Chriſt ſhall come, he will not loſe one of them; this is food for the children of God; a bad mind will turn every thing to poiſon; and if it was not for this, that God had promiſed to keep them, my ſoul within theſe thirty years would have ſunk a thouſand times over. Come then, O ſuffering ſaints, to you the word of this ſalvation is ſent. I don't know who of you are the followers of the Lamb; may the Spirit of the living God point them out, may every one be enabled to ſay, I am the man. O, ſays one, I have been watching and very attentive to-night, but you have not mentioned my burnings; what do you think of my burning luſts? what do you think of my burning corruptions? what do you think of my burning pride? O, perhaps ſome of you will ſay, thank God, I have no pride at all; like the biſhop of Cambray, as mentioned by Dr. Watts, who ſaid, he had received many ſins from his father Adam, but, thank God, he had no pride. Alas! alas! we are all as proud as the devil. Pray what do you think of Paſſion, that burns not only themſelves but all around them? what do you think of enmity? what do you think of jealouſy, is not this ſomething that burns the buſh? and there are ſome people that pride themſelves, they have not got ſo much of the beaſt about them, they never got drunk, ſcorn to commit murder, and at the ſame time are as full of enmity, of envy, malice, and pride, as the devil: the Lord God help ſuch to ſee their condition. Happy is it Chriſt can dwell in the buſh when we cannot dwell ourſelves there: there are few chriſtians can live together, very few relations can live together under one roof; we can take that from other people that we can't bear from our own fleſh and blood; and if God did not bear with us more than we bear with one another, we ſhould all have been deſtroyed every day. Does the devil make you ſay, that you will give all up; I will go to the Tabernacle no more; I will lay on my couch and take my eaſe; Oh! if this is the caſe of any to-night, thus tempted by ſatan, may God reſcue their ſouls. O poor dear ſoul, you never will have ſuch ſweet words from God as when you are in the buſh; our ſuffering times will be our beſt times. I know we had more comfort in Moorfields, on Kennington-Common, and eſpecially when the rotten eggs, the cats and dogs were thrown upon me, and my gown was filled with clods of dirt that I could ſcarce move it; I have had more comfort in this burning buſh than when I have been in eaſe. I remember when I was preaching at Exeter, a ſtone came and made my forehead bleed, I found at that very time the word came with double power to a labourer that was gazing at me, who was wounded at the ſame time by another ſtone, I felt for the lad more than for myſelf, went to a friend, and the lad came to me, Sir, ſays he, the man gave me a wound, but Jeſus healed me; I never had my bonds broke till I had my head broke. I appeal to you, whether you were not better when it was colder than now, becauſe your nerves were braced up; you have a day like a dog-day, now you are weak, and are obliged to fan yourſelves: thus it is proſperity lulls the ſoul, and I fear Chriſtians are ſpoiled by it.
Whatever your trials are, let this be your prayer, Lord, though the buſh is burning, let it not be conſumed. I think that is too low, let it be thus; Lord, when the buſh is burning, let me not burn lower as the fire does, but let me burn higher and higher: I thank thee, my God, for trouble; I thank thee, my God, for putting me into theſe afflictions one after another; I thought I could ſing a requiem to myſelf, that I ſhould have a little reſt, but trouble came from that very quarter where I might reaſonably expect the greateſt comfort: I thank thee for nocking my hands off from the creature; Lord, I believe, help my unbelief; and thus you will go on bleſſing God to all eternity: by and by the buſh ſhall be tranſlated to the paradiſe of God; no burning buſh in heaven, except the fire of love, wonder, and gratitude: no trials there, troubles are limited to this earth, above our enemies can't reach us.
Perhaps there are ſome of you here are ſaying, burning buſh, a buſh burnt and not conſumed! I don't know what to make of this nonſenſe: come, come, go on, I am uſed to it, and I gueſs what are the thoughts of your hearts: I pray God, that every one of you here may be afraid of comfort, left they ſhould be toſſed about by the devil. What is it I have ſaid? how have I talked in ſuch an unintelligible manner? why, ſay you what do you mean by a burning buſh? why, thou art the very man, how ſo? why, you are burning with the devil in your hearts; you are burning with foppery, with nonſenſe, with the luſt of the fleſh, with the luſt of the eye, and pride of life; and if you do not get out of this ſtate, as Lot ſaid to his ſons-in-law, e're long you ſhall be burning in hell, and not conſumed: the ſame angel of the covenant who ſpake to Moſes out of the buſh, he ſhall e're long deſcend, ſurrounded with millions of the heavenly hoſts, and ſentence you to everlaſting burnings. O you frighten me! did you think I did not intend to frighten you? would to God I might frighten you enough! I believe it will be no harm for you to be frightned out of hell, to be frightned out of an unconverted ſtate: O go and tell your companions that the madman ſaid, that wicked men are as firebrands of hell: God pluck you as brands out of that burning. Bleſſed be God, that there is yet a day of grace: Oh! that this might prove the accepted time; Oh! that this might prove the day of ſalvation; Oh! angel of the everlaſting covenant, come down; thou bleſſed, dear comforter, have mercy, mercy, mercy upon the unconverted, upon our unconverted friends, upon the unconverted part of this auditory; ſpeak, and it ſhall be done: command, O Lord, and it ſhall come to paſs: turn the burning buſhes of the devil into burning buſhes of the Son of God: who knows but God may hear our prayer, who knows but God may hear this cry, I have ſeen, I have ſeen the afflictions of my people: the cry of the children of Iſrael is come up to me, and I am come down to deliver them: God grant this may be his word to you under all your trouble; God grant he may be your comforter. The Lord awaken you that are dead in ſin, and though on the precipice of hell, God keep you from tumbling in: and you that are God's burning buſhes, God help you to ſtand to keep this coat of arms, to ſay when you go home, bleſſed be God, the buſh is burning, but not conſumed. Amen! even ſo, Lord Jeſus. Amen!