EXTRACTS
FROM
THE WORKS
OF
WILLIAM DELL,
Some time caster of
Gonvil and Caius College,
in Cambridge.
CHRIST'S SPIRIT,
CHRISTIAN'S STRENGTH
SHEWN IN TWO SERMONS,
PREACHED IN 1646.
ACTS 1:8
But ye shall receive
Power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be Witnesses unto me;
or You shall receive
the Power of the Hole Ghost coining upon you.
THESE words
are the more remarkable, because they are the very last words in the conference
between the Son of GOD and his beloved apostles, immediately before his
ascension into heaven. In the third verse of this chapter, St. Luke says, he
discoursed with them, touching the kingdom of GOD: that is, not only touching
his spiritual kingdom, which he sets up in each particular Christian, and which
begins at our regeneration, and is consummated in glorification; but also
touching his mediatory and monarchial kingdom, which, in the time appointed of
his Father, he should set up in the world, 6s When he should have the heathen
for his inheritance, and the uttermost ends of the earth for his possession and
all people, and nations, and languages should serve him, and he should reign
from sea to sea, and from the river to the world's end."
This was
the sum of CHRIST's discourse with them, and the apostles were fully satisfied
touching the thing, only they were unsatisfied touching the time. For besides,
that the setting up of this kingdom of the Messiah in the power, beauty, and
glory of it, was at that time the common discourse and expectation of all
Israel; the apostles themselves remembered many prophecies and promises of the
Old Testament, for the restoring the kingdom of David; and this they thought
CHRIST would have done in the days of his flesh; but presently, all their hopes
were blasted by his death. But when they saw, him risen again from the dead,
then their hearts were revived into their former hopes; and yet seeing nothing
done all the time he conversed with them after the resurrection, when now he
was ready to ascend into heaven, they desired him, first, to resolve them this
question, Whether or not he would at that time, restore the kingdom to Israel?
Now CHRIST does not deny the restoring of the kingdom to Israel,
but denies to acquaint them with the time when it should be done. He tells
them, " It was not for them to know the times and seasons, which the
Father had put in his own power," ver. 7.
But though
the Son did not reveal to them what the Father had kept in his own power, yet
he tells them what the Father had promised unto them, and what he had also put
into his power, and what he would certainly perform ere long; and that was, the
gift of the Spirit; saying, " But ye shall receive power when the Holy
Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me:" as if he should
have said, Do not you trouble yourselves about secret things, which shall not
be accomplished in the world, till many years after you are fallen asleep; but
do you mind your present business, wherein you are to serve GOD in your generation.
Your present task is to be witnesses unto me, in Jerusalem,
and all Judea, and in Samaria,
and to the utmost parts of the earth;. to declare and make known what you have
heard, and seen with your eyes, and looked upon, and your hands have handled of
the Word of Life. You are to testify to the world my incarnation, doctrine,
miracles, life, death, resurrection, and my kingdom and glory, that is to come.
You are to make known to the world, the high and deep, the great and glorious
mystery of CHRIST and the Gospel; and that you may be fit for this great and
weighty work, " you shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon
you."
From these
words, we shall note in general, two things; and then something more
particularly. 1. The first general doctrine is this: that as CHRIST will not
suffer his disciples to be tempted above their power, so neither to be employed
above their power; but he furnishes them with power sufficient, both for their
temptations and for their employments; for their sufferings, and for their
doings. And as soldiers, that are under a wise and careful commander, when they
are near an engagement, are not suffered to run rashly upon the enemy, nor'
permitted to go forth to battle till they are armed, and mounted; so CHRIST
would not suffer his disciples to go forth in his warfare, to encounter so many
evils, oppositions, and persccutionu-,_ and the whole power of the world and
of the devil, till first he had armed them with the power of the Holy Spirit:
" Ye shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you."
CHRIST always gives unto all those whom he sends forth, of his own power, for
his own works; heavenly power for heavenly works, spiritual power for spiritual
works, the power of GOD to do the works of GOD. Indeed CHRIST gives unto some a
greater measure of power, and to some a lesser, according as he intends to use
some in greater works and difficulties, and some in lesser; but still they have
of CHRIST's power, whether more or less, who are employed by CHRIST; and a little
of that power that is communicated
by CHRIST, will enable a man to do great things, far greater
than the world suspects or imagines.
2. Note,
that St. Luke being to speak in this book of the acts of the apostles, of the
propagating, enlarging, and governing the Christian church, does first make
mention of the pouring forth of the Spirit, and that both upon the apostles,
and afterwards upon the disciples;. signifying hereby, that there is nothing so
necessary, for the increase and well-ordering of the true church
of CHRIST, as the pouring forth of
the Spirit. And therefore they are altogether deceived, who think the increase,
preservation, establishment, and order of the church of God, depend especially
upon the councils, decrees, and constitutions amen; and that without these, the
Church of GOD would soon come to disorder, yea, to utter con-fusion; as if
CHRIST and his Spirit sat idle in heaven, and had left the whole business of
his church to men, and the sacred power confirmed with the secular, were abundantly
sufficient for the increase and well-ordering of the church; in the mean time,
not regarding the promise of the Father, or the pouring out of the Spirit by
the Son.
And this is
the very mystery of iniquity among us, and the very head of anti-CHRIST. And now from these general things we proceed
to the words more particularly. " Ye shall receive power when the Holy
Ghost is come upon you." And here we may note two things. 1: What he
promises them, and that is power; you shall receive power. 2. How they should
be made partakers of that power, and that was, by the Holy Spirit's coming upon
them. The point we will insist on from
both, is this: that the receiving of the Spirit, is the receiving of power.
Till we receive the Spirit, we are altogether without power; and when we
receive the Spirit, then first of all, do we receive power; power from on high.
By nature we are all without strength, weak, impotent creatures, utterly unable
to do any thing that is truly and spiritually good. For by nature we are
nothing but flesh, " for that which is born of flesh is flesh, and all
flesh is grass," a fading, withering, and decaying thing, together with
all the flowers of it; that is, the perfections and excellencies of it. But
when we receive the Spirit, we receive power; for the Spirit itself which is
given us is power, and that both in itself and in us. 1. The Spirit is power in
itself; for it is one GOD with the Father and the Son, co-essential, co-equal,
co-eternal; and so as CHRIST is the power of GOD, so also is the Spirit the
power of GOD; yea, the Spirit is the GOD of power, as well as the power of GOD.
So that the Spirit is power in himself essentially, and he that partakes of the
power of the Spirit, partakes of that power, tvhich is GOD.
The Spirit is power in us, by being in us. 1. A Spirit of
knowledge; for the Holy Spirit teaches us to know " the things that-are
freely given to us of GOD;" yea, he teacheth us to know what sin is, and
what righteousness;. what death is, and what life; what heaven is, and what
hell; what ourselves are, and what GOD is; and these things he teaches us to
know otherwise than other men know them. In a word, the Spirit teaches a
Christian to know all things; that is, to know GOD, and the kingdom of GOD, and
all the things of both; all other things being nothing in comparison of these.
Thus the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of knowledge in us, and so of power; for
knowledge is the strength of a roan. Whereas an ignorant man is a weak man, you
may carry him whither you will; but knowledge renders a man strong and
immoveable. And in all things wherein the Holy Spirit is a spirit of knowledgs
in us, he is also a Spirit of strength.
2. The Holy
Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of truth. And so the
Spirit is, because it does not only lead us unto the truth, that is, unto the
Word, which is the only truth, but also the Spirit leads us into the truth, and
the truth into us, till we and it become one by an inseparable union. The Holy
Spirit takes a believer, and leads him into one truth after another, till at
last it leads him into all truth. Now wherein the Spirit is a Spirit of truth
to us, it is a Spirit of power; for through the truth we learn from the Spirit
of truth, we arc steadfast and immoveable, among different and contrary winds
of doctrine. Whereas, on the contrary, the true ground why so many are seduced
and overcome by errors and heresies, is, because they have taken up their
religion only from man's teaching, and have received their opinions from men;
and so what one man has taught, another man can unteach; yea, if we be led to
the truth itself only by man, man can again lead us from it. But he that has
been led into the truth by the Spirit of truth, is immoveable among all
doctrines. And thus also the Holy Spirit by being a Spirit of truth, is a
Spirit of power in us.
3. The Holy
Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of wisdom; and so it
is, because it makes us wise with the wisdom of GOD, wise upon earth, after the
rate of heaven, wise to salvation. There is no man wise without the Spirit of
GOD; for the wisdom of carnal men is but foolishness before GOD, but the wisdom
of the Spirit is heavenly wisdom. And this wisdom of the Spirit is the strength
of a Christian; the more he has of it, the more mighty he is, both in all his
doings and endurings. It is said, Eccles. 9: 15,
" That there was a poor wise man delivered a small city from the power of
a mighty king," and therefore Solomon concludes that " wisdom is
better than strength," for it can do greater things than strength can.
Solomon asked wisdom of GOD above all things, for the strength of his government;
all government without this, being but weak and brittle. Thus wisdom
contributes strength to us, whereas we say of a man that wants wisdom, he is a
weak man; and so the Holy Spirit being a Spirit of wisdom in us, is also a
Spirit of power.
4. The Holy
Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of faith. For faith
is a work of the Spirit of power; and no' less power would work faith in us,
than that which raised up CHRIST from the dead. So that whoever truly believes
by this faith, of the operation of GOD, is sensible in his own soul of the
self-same power that raised CHRIST from the dead. And thus the Holy Spirit is a
Spirit of faith in us, and so of power. For faith carries a man out of himself
to CHRIST; and so, through the power of faith, he is able both to do and endure
the self-same things which CHRIST himself did and endured. Hence CHRIST says,
" All things are possible to him that believeth;" so that a believer
has a kind of omnipotency, because by faith he lays hold upon the power of GOD;
and all things are possible to the power of GOD, and so all things are possible
to a believer. And hence Paul says, " I can do all things through CHRIST
that strengtheneth me;" this CHRIST that strengthened him, was the power
of GOD; and this power of GOD is not a finite power, but an infinite, not a
particular power, but an universal; and so can do, not some things only, but
all things; and so also can all they who are truly partakers of it by faith.
Again, a
Christian, through the power of faith, is able. not only to do, but also to
suffer the same things that CHRIST himself suffered. Now the sufferings of CHRIST
were the most grievous and intolerable to nature, that ever were. For how did
CHRIST for the present, as it were, lay aside his divine nature, that he might
suffer in his human! and how did he suffer in this, the whole weight and
condemnation of sin to the very utmost, and the whole wrath of GOD to the
utmost, and all the sorrows of death, and the pains of hell, to the very
utmost! and among all the sufferings, had not the least drop of comfort either
from heaven or earth; and yet through the power of the Spirit, he endured and
overcame all. And so each Christian is able to endure and overcome the same
evils, by the same power; and therefore Paul desired to know CHRIST truly, and
not only the power of his resurrection, which any one would desire to know, but
also the fellow-ship of his sufferings, which flesh and blood trembles at, yea.
and to be made conformable to his very death, And thus a believer through
faith, is enabled both to do and endure the self-same things which CHRIST
himself did and endured; and the Holy Spirit, by being a Spirit of faith, is a
Spirit of power in us.
5. The Holy
Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of righteousness;
and so he is two ways: First, in regard of mortifying sin. For the Spirit of
GOD dwelling in us, is not idle in us, but continually active; and so from day
to day mortifies sin. And this is the proper work of the Spirit in our flesh,
to destroy out of us whatsoever is contrary to itself; and that is, every sin,
lust, and corruption. Now our sins are our weakness, a man's pride and passion,
and envy, and covetousness, and lust, and intemperance, and every sin is his
weakness. And the Holy Spirit, by being in us a Spirit of righteousness,
mortifies and destroys all our sins, and so takes away our weakness. And,
Secondly, as the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of righteousness in us, in regard of
mortifying sin, so also in regard of imparting grace to us; for all grace is
the fruit of the Spirit in our flesh; and as all light is from the sun, so is
all grace from the Spirit. Now every grace is so much strength in the soul;
faith so much strength, hope so much strength, love so much strength; and so
humility, and patience, and temperance, and Godliness, and brotherly kindness,
and all other graces, are so much strength; and according to each man's measure
of grace, so is his measure of strength; and according to each man's measure of
the Spirit, so is his measure of grace. And thus the Holy Spirit, by being a
Spirit of righteousness, is also in us a Spirit of power.
6. The Holy
Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of the fear of the
Lord; and so he is, by representing GOD to us in his glory and majesty,
according as he has revealed himself to us in his Word; from which knowledge of
GOD springs his fear. For what is the reason that the men of the world fear not
GOD, but sin securely against the great and glorious GOD every day? The reason
is, because they know not the Lord. Now the Spirit comes and reveals the Father
in the Son, and presents GOD to the soul, through his Word, in his infinite and
eternal power, and justice, and wisdoms and truth, and faithfulness, and love
and mercy, and shines to the soul in each attribute of GOD; and when a man sees
GOD by his own light, and knows him by his own teaching, then does he begin
truly to fear GOD, and the fear of GOD is his strength. For he that fears GOD,
is free from all other fear; he fears not men of high degree, nor men of low
degree, nor the united power of all the creatures; he fears not with the fear
of other men in their evils, but in the midst of all fearful things, he is
without fear, because " he sanctifies the Lord of Hosts in himself, in his
heart, and makes him his fear and his dread." And by this means, amidst
all evils, he has admirable confidence, because he knows that no evil can
befall him from any man, or from any creature, till first it be the will of
GOD; and also, that whatever evil befalls him, according to the will of GOD, it
shall work for good unto him in the end. Thus the fear of the Lord is a
Christian's confidence, and a believer's strength; whereas he that fears not
GOD, fears every thing; yea, not only real, but imaginary evils; and as evils
multiply his fears, so his fears again multiply his evils, till at last he be
swallowed up of both. But the Holy Spirit being in us a Spirit of the fear of
the Lord, is also in us a Spirit of strength.
7. The Holy
Spirit is a Spirit of power in us, by being in us a Spirit of love and unity.
The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of love and unity in the GODhead; the bond of love
and unity between the Father and the Son. Now what the Spirit is in the
GODhead, he is the same in the church
of GOD, and that is a Spirit of
love and unity: for why is there such constant love and unity between the
members of the same body, but because one Spirit runs through them all? And so
there is such constant love and unity between all believers, because one Holy
Spirit runs through them all. And hence we may take, notice of a remarkable
difference between nature and grace; for nature of one makes many; for we all,
who are many among ourselves, even a whole world of men, were but one in Adam;
but grace of many makes one; for the Holy Spirit, which is as fire, melts all
the faithful into one mass, and makes of many one body; yea, it makes them one,
in the unity of GOD, according to that of CHRIST, John 17: 27, " that they
all may be one, as You, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us:" mark the words, for they are wonderful; " that they all
may be one;" that is, that all believers, who are many among themselves,
may be all made one. One! How one? " As You, Father, art in me, and I in
thee;" that is, as you and I, being two persons, are yet but one GOD;
after this highest example of unity, let them be made one in us. You may see in
the Acts, how the multitude of believers, after they had received the Spirit,
" were of one heart and one soul." And this unity of believers is
their strength; and when GOD shall take away all prejudices, suspicions,
jealousies, particular ends and interests, divisions, separations, and schisms,
that are among his own people, and the people of GOD shall be reduced into this
blessed unity among themselves, and the Lord be one, and his name one, among
them all, then shall the church also be of invincible power. " So that all
they that strive with it shall perish; and all they that war against it shall
be as nothing; yea, then shall the Lord make the church as a new sharp
threshing instrument, having teeth, and it shall thresh the mountains,"
(that is, the kingdoms of the world,) " and shall beat them small, and
shall make the hills," (that is, the lesser common-wealths,) " as
chaff." But till the church of GOD
attain to this unity, it shall not do any excellent thing, it shall not work
any notable deliverance in the earth, neither shall the inhabitants of the
world fall. When the Spirit of GOD shall be a Spirit of unity in the faithful,
and shall heal all the sad dissensions that are now between'them, then also shall
it be a Spirit of admirable power in them. And thus much for the explication of
the point.
The use is
twofold. The first is, to exhort all men, every where, to endeavor to partake
of this supernatural, spiritual, and Divine power of the Holy Spirit, which is
certainly communicated to all the faithful. And let no man think it is a thing
indifferent, whether he have this power or not; but know, that the having of
this power of the Spirit is of absolute necessity, and that both for ministers
and for all other Christians.
8. There is
a necessity of this power of the Holy Spirit for ministers; and to them this
place does chiefly relate. For, first, if ministers have not this power of the
Holy Spirit, they have no power at all. For CHRIST sent them only as his Father
sent him; and so CHRIST never gave unto them any earthly or secular power, no
power of swords or prisons, no power of outward constraint and violence. CHRIST
gave them no such outward and worldly power for the enlargement of his kingdom,
as not being at all suitable to it. For his kingdom is spiritual, and what call
carnal power do in a spiritual kingdom? His kingdom is heavenly, and what can
earthly power do in a heavenly kingdom? His kingdom is not of this world, and
what can worldly power do in a kingdom that is not of the world? And though
Antichrist and his ministers have usurped such a carnal, earthly, and worldly
power to themselves, in their pretended managing the kingdom
of CHRIST, yet the faithful
ministers of CHRIST cannot. And therefore seeing the ministers of the Gospel
have no power from beneath, they must needs have power from on high; seeing
they have one fleshly power, they must needs have spiritual power; seeing they
have no power from earth and from men, they must needs have power from heaven,
and from GOD; that is, the power of the Holy Spirit coining on them, or else
they have no power at all.
Secondly,
the ministers of the Gospel must needs have this power of the Holy Spirit,
because otherwise they are not sufficient for the ministry. For no man is
sufficient for the work of the ministry, by any natural parts and abilities of
his own, nor yet by any acquired parts of learning and knowledge, but only by
this power of the Holy Spirit; and till he be endowed with this; notwithstanding
all his other accomplishmentss he is altogether insufficient. And therefore the
very apostles were to keep silence, till they were endued with this power: they
were to wait at Jerusalem till they
had received the promise of the Spirit. Yea, CHRIST himself did not betake
himself to the work of the ministry, till first the Spirit of GOD came upon
him. Now if CHRIST himself and his apostles were not sufficient for the
ministry till they had received this power from on high, no more are any other
ministers whatsoever. For, as I said, it is not natural parts, and abilities,
and gifts, and learning, and eloquence, that make any man sufficient for the
ministry, but only the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon him. So that
whoever is destitute of the Spirit of power, is; insufficient for the work of
the ministry.
For, 1.
without this power of the Spirit ministers are r'itterly unable to preach the
word; that is, the true, spiritual, and living word of GOD. For to preach this
word of GOD requires the power of GOD. One may speak the word of man, by the
power of man, but he cannot speak the word of GOD, but by the power of GOD. And
CHRIST himself, in all his ministry, spoke nothing of him-self, in the strength
of his Truman nature, but he spoke all he spoke by the power of GOD; and
without this power of GOD he could not have spoken one word of GOD. And so, in
like manner, no man is able to preach CHRIST but by the Holy Spirit, which is
the power of GOD. For CHRIST is the power of GOD, and can never be represented
but by the Holy Spirit, which is the power of GOD. So that it is not an easy
thing to preach CHRIST, the power of GOD; yea, none can do it aright, but by
the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon him.
And, 2.
without this power of the Spirit, ministers are unable to preach the word
powerfully. They may happen upon the ontward word, yet there is no power in
their ministry; their ministry is cold, and there is no heat in it; it is weak,
and there is no strength in it. without men have received the power of the
Spirit, there is no fire in their preaching. Their ministry is unlike the
ministry of Elias, whose ministry was as fire; and unlike CHRIST's, whose
ministry made the disciples' hearth burn within them; and unlike the apostles,
who, having received this Spirit, were as men made all of fire, running through
the world and burning it up. without this Spirit a man's ministry is cold, it
warms the hearts of none, it inflames the spirits of none, but leaves men still
frozen in their sins. Again, it is weak, and has no might in it. Where is no
strength in a ministry where there is no Spirit. Whereas when men have received
the Spirit, then their ministry is a powerful ministry; as Paul, 1 Thess. 1: 5,
"The gospel came to you not in word only, but in power and in the Holy
Ghost;" and there-fore in power, because in the Holy Spirit. And again, 1
Cor. 1: 4, " My speech and preaching was not with the enticing words of
man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power." Where you see
the Spirit and power in the work of the ministry are always conjoined, as the
sun and light are; and that ministry that is in the Spirit is always in power.
And being in power it is always effectual, either to convert men, or to enrage
them; and the enraging of men, is as evident a sign of the Spirit of power in a
man's ministry, as the conversion of men. Whereas a cold and dead ministry,
that is destitute of this power, cloth, as we use to say, neither good nor
harm, neither converts nor enrages, neither brings in righteousness, nor
destroys sin, neither kills nor quickens any, but leaves men in their old
temper for many years together, and never stirs them. But the ministration of
the Spirit and power is operative and mighty, and carries all before it. And
though evil men will ever be murinuring and wrangling, opposing and contending
against such a ministry, yet they arc newer able to resist the wisdom and
spirit of it. And therefore let them that will needs be striving against such a
ministry know, that they strive against more than a mere man, they strive
against power from on high, against the greatest power that ever GOD put forth;
against the power of CHRIST himself and his eternal Spirit, and so they shall
never be able to prevail against this power, but shall surely sink under it.
But to return:
3. without
this power of the Spirit, as ministers are not able to preach the word, nor to
preach it powerfully, so neither are they able to hold out in their ministry,
and to carry it on strongly against all opposition. Peter and John preached the
gospel, but presently the rulers, and elders, and scribes straitly threatened
them, and commanded them not to speak at all, nor to teach in the name of
JESUS. Now if the apostles had wanted this power of the Spirit, they would
presently have been awed, have quitted the field, and you should have heard no
more of them. But having received this power, all the threatenings of the
magistrates could not deter them from the discharge of their office: but they
said, " Whether it be right in the sight of GOD, to hearken unto you more
than unto GOD, judge ye." I would to GOD that the unjust commands of all
secular powers whatsoever might be no otherwise obeyed, than this unjust
command of the rulers was by Peter and John; and that no man would dare to yield
more obedience to the creature than to the Lord of all. For no magistrates in
the world have any power to forbid the preaching of the everlasting gospel,
which GOD has commanded to be published to all nations for the obedience of
faith. And if they should forbid it, yet herein ought we to know no more
obedience than Peter and John did here. We ought to obey GOD, and to make known
the whole mind of GOD, after the example of Peter and John, who, having
received this power of the Holy Spirit, held on against all threatenings and
punishments. Whereas, without this power, they would soon have fainted and
failed, and never been able to have gone through with their work.
4. without
this power of the Holy Spirit ministers are not able to reprove the world. For
no man, by his good will, would provoke the enmity of it against himself. And
therefore flesh and blood will never reprove the world of sin, but allows it,
and countenances it in sin. But " the Spirit, when he is come, he will
reprove the world of sin." When a man has this power, presently he bids
defiance to the whole world, and provokes the whole world against himself. And
this no man either can do, or dares do, except he be first endued with this
power of the Spirit. And therefore says Micah, chap. 3: 8, " I am full of
power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment and of might, to declare unto
Jacob his transgression, and to Israel
his sin." The world, and all other things, cannot endure the declaration
of its evil ways. And therefore it is exceedingly offended, yea, and extremely
rages against the faithful teachers of the word; as the examples of all the
faithful teachers of the word of GOD in all ages declare. Yea, and CHRIST
himself testifies touching himself, " therefore the world hates me, because
I testify of it, that its works are evil." And all teachers are not of
that strength and resolution, to contemn the hatred and fury of the world. Nay,
the most are quite overcome with the prosperity of this present life, and with
the desire of friends, and riches, and preferment, and so are ministers in
whose mouths are no reproofs, though " the whole world he in
wickedness." Thus they escape the rage and violence, and obtain the favor
of the men of this world. And thus weak and unworthy are all those men, who are
only endued with their own spirits.
5. without
this power of the Spirit, they are unable to wrestle with, and overcome the
devil, whose subtilty and wrath, malice and power, they must needs encounter
with, in the work of the ministry. CHRIST, as soon as he was anointed by the
Spirit to preach, " was immediately led into the wilderness, to be tempted
of the devil," who would fain have taken him off from the work of the
ministry. But CHRIST, endued with this power, overcame the devil. And CHRIST,
before he sent his apostles to preach the kingdom
of GOD, called them together,
" and gave them power and authority over all devils;" and when they
returned, they told him, that the devils them-selves were subject to them. They
that were invested with this power of the Holy Spirit, were able to wrestle
with "principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this
world," and to tread SATAN himself under their feet.
Thus you
see what necessity all the ministers of the gospel have of the power of the
Holy Spirit coming upon them. For, without this power, they are unable to
preach the word, to preach it powerfully, and to persevere in the course of
the ministry; they arc unable to reprove the world, to wrestle with and
overcome the devil, and to suffer that persecution which necessarily attends
that calling. And so without this power, they may minister to themselves, but
they cannot minister to others, the manifold grace of GOD; they may do their
own work, but they cannot do GOD's work; they may feed themselves, but not the
flock of CHRIST.
And, as the Holy Spirit, and the power of it, is necessary
for ministers, so also for other Christians.
1. First,
To distinguish them from reprobates; for, without the gift of the Spirit, there
is no difference between us and them. Moses differs not from Pharaoh, nor Abel
from Cain, nor Peter from Judas, in regard of their substance, but the Spirit,
which the one received, and the other was counted unworthy of.
2. To unite
them unto CHRIST. The Spirit is the bond of union between the Father and the
Son in the GOD-head; and the same Spirit is our bond of union with CHRIST, and
makes us one with CHRIST, as CHRIST is one with GOD, and unites us unto CHRIST
in the unity of GOD; for as CHRIST is one with the Father in the Spirit, so are
we one with CHRIST in the Spirit. For he that is joined to the Lord is one
Spirit; and he that is not one Spirit with the Lord is not joined to him.
3. All
faithful Christians stand in need of the power of the Spirit, as well as of the
Spirit of power. (1.) To change their nature, which is impossible to all power,
but the power of the Spirit. It would be a great power to change clay into
gold, but it is a greater change that is wrought in a Christian. For the power
of the Spirit, when it comes into our flesh, changes the nature of it. For it
finds a man carnal, it makes him spiritual; it finds him earthly, it makes him
heavenly; it finds him darkness, it makes him light in the Lord; in a word, it
finds him nothing but a lump of sin, and makes him the righteousness of GOD in
CHRIST. Thus the power of the Spirit changes our whole corrupt nature, and
makes it conformable to the Divine nature; as fire makes the iron }n which it
prevails, like unto itself, communicating its owl nature to it. After this sort
the power of the Spirit changes our nature, and our nature cannot be changed
without it. But, without this power of the Spirit, we shall always remain the
same we were born; yea, our corruption will increase, till at last it quite
eats out that common good which GOD has given to every one for the common
benefit of mankind. (2.) All Christians stand in need of the power of the
Spirit, to enable them to mortify and destroy sin. There is no power in our
flesh against sin, but all the power of our flesh is for it; and therefore it
must be another power that must destroy sin, and that can be no other than the
power of GOD's Spirit. And the power of the Spirit destroys the whole body of
sin, and each particular strong corruption. Each several influence and
operation of the Spirit being a several destruction of some sin or other. For
as the Spirit that is in us lusts after envy, or pride, or vain-glory, or
covetousness, or uncleanness; so the Spirit we have of GOD, according to its
mighty power, destroys all those sinful works of our corrupt spirit, and
mortifies all the deeds of our flesh. And this will mortify them, according to
the whole latitude of them. And as the power of the Spirit' subdues the whole
body of sin, so also it over-powers each particular strong corruption, and
keeps a Christian straight and upright in the ways of GOD. Every man has some
one corruption, to which by nature he is more inclined than to another, and
this is the bias of a man; but the strength of the Spirit will over-power this.
A bowl, -if it be thrown with strength, knows not its bias, but is carried on
straight, as if it had no bias at all. So even good men have some flesh in them
which is their bias, and carries them from GOD to themselves and the world; but
the strength of the Spirit takes away this bias, and makes us take straight
steps to GOD.
(3.) All
Christians stand in need of the power of the Spirit, to enable them to perform
duties spiritually. If spiritual duties be performed carnally, in such duties
there is no strength but weakness. For there is no power in any duty, except
there be something of the Spirit in the duty. There is no more power in
praying, nor in preaching, nor in hearing, nor in meditation, nor in reading,
nor in resisting evil, nor in doing good, nor in any duty of sanctification, or
of mortification, than there is of the Spirit in them. And according to the
measure of the Spirit in each duty, is the measure of power in the duty. If
there be none of the Spirit in a man's duties, there is no power at all in
them, but only weakness and deadness, coldness and unprofitableness. If a
little of the Spirit, there is a little power; if abundance of the Spirit,
there is great power; and that duty that is most spiritual, is the most
powerful.
(4.) All
Christians stand in need of this power of the Spirit, to enable them to confess
the word before kings, and rulers, and magistrates, when they arc called
there-unto. Whereas, without this power they would tremble, and suppress the
truth. For surely it is a very hard thing for a man not to be daunted then, but
to be immoveable, before all worldly power and glory, and all the terrible
frowns and threats of mighty men. Now, says CHRIST, at such a time, be not
troubled beforehand, how, or what to say. For if you have CHRIST and his Spirit
in your hearts you cannot want words in your mouths. And the truth which you
profess is most glorious, when it is most naked; and therefore be not fearful
before-hand, no, nor careful, touching what you shall say, for it shall be
" given to you in that same hour." How so? " It is not ye that
speak, but the Spirit of your Father that dwells in you." The Spirit of
truth shall enable you to speak the words of truth, when you are called to it.
And though you, it may be, are quite plain and mean men, and your lips would be
quite closed before such an assembly, yet GOD's Spirit shall give you a mouth
to speak even then. And he will give you not only a mouth but wisdom too; such
as all your adversaries shall not be able to resist.
Lastly, All Christians stand in need of the power of the
Spirit to overcome afflictions and persecutions, from which it is impossible
they should be free, they being contrary to the world, and the world to them. A
man, who has no strength in himself, but his own strength, faints under
affliction and persecution; but the faithful have in them strength above the
strength of men, even the strength of the Spirit, and so they endure and
over-come. Our spirits are weak spirits, and are conquered by every evil; but
when they are strengthened by the power of GOD's Spirit, they are, over all
evils, " more than conquerors." And how much power we have in
persecution, to endure and overcome, so much of the Spirit we have, and no
more.
And thus
also have I declared unto you, what necessity all Christians have of the power
of the Spirit coining on them, as well as ministers. And this was to strengthen
the use of exhortation.
The second
use is for information and instruction. If receiving of the Spirit be the
receiving of power, then this clearly informs us, that the way to partake of
this power, is to obtain this Spirit; and the way to increase this power, is to
increase this Spirit's influences.
1. The way
to obtain this power is to obtain the Spirit. And that we may obtain the Spirit,
we must prepare our-selves to receive the Spirit. Now this preparation does not
stand (as Papists teach, and many ignorant persons among ourselves think,) in
sweeping the soul from sin, and then strewing it with graces, that so we may be
fit to receive the Spirit For first, the sweeping of the soul from sin is not a
work of our own, before the coming of the Spirit, but a work of the Spirit
itself after it is come. For no flesh can clear the soul of one sin, it is the
Spirit must do that. And, secondly, for the strewing of the soul with grace;
neither is this a work of our own, but a work of the Spirit itself, after it is
come. For the Spirit itself brings all grace with it, and, before the coming of
the Spirit, there is no grace at all. So that we cannot, by any acts of our
own, prepare ourselves to receive the Spirit; but only by the Spirit we prepare
ourselves to receive the Spirit. For it is not any work of our own, upon
ourselves, but the immediate work of the Holy Spirit upon us, that can make us
fit to receive him. Now the ordinary means, through which the Spirit does this,
are these three.
First, the
hearing of the word preached. The preaching of the gospel is called the
ministration of the Spirit, because it proceeds from the Spirit, and conveys
the Spirit to the soul. The Lord still joins with the ministry of the word,
that he may keep in our hearts the due respect of this ordinance, and may
preserve us from the ways of those men, who seek for the Spirit without the
word.
The second
means is faith in the word heard. For it is not every one that hears the word
that receives the Spirit, but only they that hear with the hearing of faith.
For if you hear the word a thousand times, and wantest faith, you shall never
receive the Spirit; for unbelief shuts up the heart against the Spirit, and
ever opposes and resists it. But faith opens the heart to receive the Spirit.
Now through these two things, the word and faith, the Spirit communicates to us
a new birth; it begets us unto GOD; and so we, partaking of the nature of GOD,
partake also of the Spirit of GOD. They that are born of men have nothing in
them but the spirit of men; but they that are born of GOD, have the Spirit of
GOD. " That which is born of the flesh is flesh," and has no spirit
in it; but " that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, and has spirit in
it. So that there is no means to partake of the Spirit of GOD, but by being
born of GOD; and the ordinary means by which we are born of GOD, are the word
and faith.
The third
means is prayer: for CHRIST has said, " the Spirit is given to them that
ask." And the disciples, when they were to receive the promise of the
Spirit, " continued with one accord in prayer and supplication," Acts
1: 14. And GOD, who has promised to
give us his Spirit, has commanded us to ask it. Now in asking the Spirit, there
is no difference whether we ask it of the Father or of the Son, seeing the
Spirit proceeds from both, and is the Spirit of both: and therefore CHRIST
promises the sending of the Spirit from both. From the Father, John 14: "
The Spirit which the Father will send in my name." From himself, John 16:
" Except I go, the Comforter will not come; but if I go, I will send him
to you." And thus you see the way to obtain this power is to obtain the
Spirit, and also by what means this is done.
2. The way
to increase this power is to increase the Spirit. And therefore it is as
needful for us to know the means to increase the Spirit as to receive it. And
they, among others, are these:
1. To continue
in the use of the word. As the Spirit is first given by the word, so by the
same word it is increased; and the more any Christian is in the use of
the word, the more mighty is the Spirit in him; but the
neglect of the word is the quenching of the Spirit. Let a Christian that is
strong in the Spirit neglect the word awhile, and he will soon become weak, and
as a man without strength. For the Spirit is not bestowed on us, but through
the word, neither does it dwell in us, but
by the word; and the more the word dwells in our hearts by
faith, the more the Spirit dwells in our hearts by the word. And according to
the measure of the word in us is the measure of the Spirit.
2. To
increase faith. For the more we believe, the more we receive of CHRIST; and the
more we receive of CHRIST, the more we receive of the Spirit in CHRIST. Always
according to the measure of CHRIST in us is the measure of the Spirit; and
according to the measure of faith, is the measure of CHRIST in us.
3. TO be
much in prayer. For the prayer of the Spirit increases the Spirit. The more we
pray, the more we receive the Spirit; and have daily a greater and greater
increase of it, till we are filled with the Spirit.
4. To turn
ourselves, daily from the creatures to GOD.
For the more we enlarge our hearts towards the creature, the less
capable are we of the Spirit of GOD. Therefore we must live abstractedly from
the creatures, and so use them as if we did not use them; and abandon the satisfactions
of flesh and blood, and wean ourselves from all things but the necessities of
nature. And the more free and loose we are from the creatures, the more capable
are we of GOD's Spirit, and the operations of it. He that lives at the greatest
distance from the world, and hath least communion with the things of it, has
always the greatest proportion of GOD's Spirit.
5. To
increase the Spirit in us, we must give up our-selves to the Spirit, that he
only may work in us, without the least opposition and resistance from us. That
as the soul acts all in the body, and the body does nothing of itself, but is
subject to the soul in all things; so the Spirit may do all in us, and we may
do nothing of our-selves, but be subject to the Spirit in all its operations.
For the Spirit of GOD cannot work excellently in us, except it work all in all
in us. And in such a man, in whom the Spirit has full power, the Spirit works
many wonderful things.
6. The last
means to increase the Spirit, is to attribute the works of the Spirit to the
Spirit, and not to our-selves. For if we attribute to the flesh the works of
the Spirit, and take from the Spirit the glory of his own works, he will work
no longer in us. Wherefore we must ascribe unto the Spirit the whole of his own
works, and acknowledge that we ourselves are nothing; and that it is he only
that is all in all, and works all in all; and we ourselves, among all the
excellent \works of the Spirit in us, must so remain, as if we were and wrought
nothing at all; that so, all that is of flesh and blood, may be laid low in us,
and the Spirit alone may be exalted; first to do all in us; and then, to have
all the glory of all that is done.
And thus
you sec the means to increase the Spirit, and so consequently strength. And by
the daily use and improvement of these [cleans we may attain to a great degree
of spiritual strength, that we may " walk and not be weary, and may run
and not faint, and may mount upon wings as eagles;" yea, and may walk as
angels among men, and as the powers of heaven upon earth, to his praise and
honor, who first communicates to us his own strength, and then by that strength
of his own " works all our works in us:" and thus is he "
glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe."
THE
BUILDING, BEAUTY,
TEACHING, AND
ESTABLISHMENT
OF THE
TRULY CHRISTIAN
CHURCH;
REPRESENTED IN
An Exposition
ON
ISAIAH LIV. FROM
VERSE 11 TO VERSE 17.
Preached June 7, 1646.
THE
BUILDING, BEAUTY,
TEACHING, AND
ESTABLISHMENT
OF THE
TRULY CHRISTIAN
CHURCH.
ISAIAH LIV. 11.
Oh you
elided, tossed with tempest, and not comforted; behold I will lazy thy stones
with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. THE prophet Isaiah
did not so much prophesy to his own age as to ours, nor to the Jewish church as
to the Christian. (" Not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister
the things which are now reported unto you.") He prophesied in the Spirit,
touching the kingdom of CHRIST, and delivers many excellent promises, to be fulfilled
in the Son incarnate, head, and members. The first promise in this chapter is
touching the great increase of the church in the days of the New Testament;
that whereas before, the church was to be found but in one kindred, now it
should be gathered out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. So
that there shall
certainly be a most wonderful increase of the faithful in
the Christian church, till they become as the stars of heaven, and as the drops
of the morning dew, all of them assembled in the beauties of holiness. And
there-fore let us not be over-much troubled, though at present we see, in a
numerous nation, but few true children of the spiritual church: for GOD shall
bless these few, and bid them "increase, and multiply, and replenish the
earth." And it shall be said to the church, "Lift up thine eyes round
about, and behold, all these gather them-selves together and come to thee: As I
live, says the Lord, you shall surely clothe thee with them all, as with an
ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride cloth:"
In the words
I read to you, the Lord comes to another promise; so that, because of the
church's weakness, he adds one promise to another; and these promises are
nothing but the manifestations of his love through CHRIST. But to look more
nearly upon the words. Ver. 11, Oh! You afflicted. Affliction in the world does
so inseparably attend the church, that the church even takes its denomination
from it. " Oh! you afflicted." The condition of the church is an
afflicted condition. For the church being born of GOD, and born of the Spirit,
is put into a direct contrariety to the world, which is born of the flesh, and
is also of its father the devil. And so the whole world is against the faithful
and spiritual church; and all the people and nations in the world are against
that people and nation, which the apostle calls " a holy nation, and a
peculiar people." And they oppose not the faithful for any thing of flesh
and blood in them, but because that flesh and blood of their's is the
habitation of GOD, and the very presence of GOD himself is there; as he says,
" I will dwell in them, and walk in them." Agreeable to this is that
of CHRIST, "All this shall they do to you, for my name's sake;" that
is, when the name of CHRIST is called upon us, and we are taken into his name, into
his righteousness, and life, and wisdom, and holiness; then, when the world
perceives the name of GOD in the sons of men, and the nature of GOD in the
natures of men, presently they fall a persecuting the children of GOD for his
name and nature's sake.
Now this
affliction which the church meets with in the world is profitable for the
church; it is good for it that it should be afflicted; for the more it is
afflicted in the flesh, the more it thrives in the Spirit. This affliction
stirs us up to the exercise of faith and prayer; yea, then is our faith most
active and vigorous, and our prayers most fervent, till they fill the whole
heavens; then are we most in the use of the word; then are we set off farthest
from the world; then do we keep closest to GOD; then have we nearest
intercourse and communion with him; so that we could better want fire, and
water, and the sun, than want affliction, which GOD out of his mere love,
through his over-ruling power and wisdom, causes to work unto us for good. But
we proceed. Tossed with tempest.
We see that
the church is not only afflicted, but violently afflicted; one wave comes
against it after another, as in a tempest; and the more spiritual the church
is, the more does the world become as a raging sea against it; because the more
spiritual the church is made, it is set in the more contrariety to the world,
and the world to it. The Psalmist describes this temper in the world against
the church; " They came upon me like a ramping and a roaring lion:"
and again, "They came upon me to eat up my flesh, as they would eat
bread." Yea, men naturally meek and moderate, how fierce have they become
against those in whom there have appeared any glorious discoveries of CHRIST?
For the enmity that is in the seed- of the serpent against the Seed of the
woman, will be still breaking forth: and though it may
for a time be covered under many moral virtues, and a form
of GODliness; yet, when GOD leaves them to them-selves, and lets them act
outwardly, according to their inward principles, how cruelly and fiercely do
they act against the sons of GOD? Yea, there is not such enmity between a Turk
and a Jew, as there is between carnal gospellers and spiritual Christians; the
former hating the latter, and being angry against them to the very death..And
whenever the Lord shall suffer these to exercise their enmity against the
church, then shall the church's condition become such as is here described,
" afflicted, and tossed with tempest," and not comforted.
The church
of GOD, in all the evil it meets in the world, has not one drop of comfort from
the world. It has affliction, tribulation, persecution from the world, but no
comfort. This we see in CHRIST, the Head. You know what he suffered in the
world in the days of his flesh. "He was despised and rejected of
men," and so full of sorrows, that he took his name from them, " a
man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." At last, they apprehended him,
bound him, buffetted him, spit on him, crucified him; and all this would have
been but a small matter to have suffered from the heathen, but he suffered all
this from the only visible church of GOD in the world. And in all this he had
no one to have compassion on him: they laughed at him, derided him, and mocked
him; but no one comforted him. And as it was with the Head, so it is with the
members; in all the sorrows, and oppositions, and persecutions, they have no
one to comfort them, or take compassion on them. " Refuge failed me,"
says David, " no man eared for my soul."
Brethren,
ye that are partakers of the heavenly calling, and of the Divine nature, if
ever the Lord suffer the world to prevail against you, to afflict you, and toss
you from one evil to another, as in a tempest, to reproach you, throw you out
of your comforts, banish you, or imprison you; you shall find no one to comfort
you; no one will regard or own you, pity you, or be so sensible of your
condition, as to say, " Alas! my brother!" You must look for
affliction in the world, but you must look for no comfort there. When GOD shall
cast us into sorrows and sufferings, let us not look for one worldly man to
stand by us, no, not of those that now smile upon us, and pretend friendship to
us; no, nor yet of our near relations; but then that shall be fulfilled, "
I was a stranger to my brethren, an alien to my mother's children." Nay,
yet farther, they that are weak or worldly Christians, will stand aloof from
thee, and will be shy to own, and countenance, and encourage, and comfort
thee. The disciples of CHRIST, when he was led to the cross, all forsook him
and fled: and so if you suffer for the truth of GOD, you shall find little
comfort from men.
Now this
the Lord does in much mercy to his children. He leaves them destitute of
earthly comfort, that they may look for heavenly; he leaves them destitute of
all comfort from men, that they may look for comfort from GOD alone. And
therefore when you art afflicted and not comforted, lift up thy heart to GOD,
and expect all from him. When thy soul is in affliction, never look after any
earthly, sensual, or creature comforts; they would prove poison to thy soul;
but only look for heavenly comforts, such as flow immediately from GOD; for
these are pure and unmixed, refreshing and supporting, satisfying and enduring
comforts; comforts that are able to make thee rejoice, not only in fullness,
but in want; not only among friends, but in the midst of enemies; not only in
prosperity, but in tribulation; not only in life, but in death; they will make
thee go singing to prison, to the cross, to the grave; they are infinitely
stronger than all the sorrows of the flesh: and hence it is that many martyrs
have gone cheerfully to the stake, and sung in the very flames; the comforts of
GOD in their souls have strengthened them to this. You art a believer, never
doubt of this comfort in thy greatest sorrows. When CHRIST had none to comfort
him, GOD sent an angel from heaven to do it and so when we are left alone,
rather than we shall want comfort, GOD will send an angel from heaven to
comfort us; yea, the Spirit itself, which is greater than all the angels in
heaven; and we shall certainly be comforted by GOD, when we are "
afflicted and tossed with tempest, and not comforted" by men.
Behold, I
will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. The Lord seeth the church in its affliction,
without all comfort in the world, and then the Lord comes and comforts it
himself, and this he does by a promise. They are the sweetest comforts that are
brought to us in the promises. But to come more particularly to these words,
and these that follow. Ver. 12, " And I will make thy windows of agates,
and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones," Here
you see the Lord promises to build up the church of the New Testament, with stones
of fair colours, with precious stones. I will not stand to inquire particularly
into the natures of the several stones here named; it shall be sufficient for
us to attain the meaning of the Spirit in this place, and that is this: that
the spiritual church of the New Testament is not to be built with common, but
with precious stones. The full sense of these words I shall give in several
particulars. And, first, you see here the matter of which the church of the New
Testament is made; and that is not of common, but of precious stones; elect and
precious stones; and such are the faithful: for, 1: They have a more excellent
nature than other men have; for they are born of GOD, and so par-take of the
nature of GOD; and the Lord JESUS did not more truly partake of the nature of
man, than these par-take of the nature of GOD, Others have only the nature of
men, or, which is worse, the nature of the devil; but the faithful have in them
the nature of GOD, communicated to them through a new birth. 2. They have a more
excel-lent spirit than others have; as it was said of Daniel, that there was a
more excellent spirit found with him than with all the other wise men. Now the
very Spirit of GOD is found in the faithful, and therefore they are more
glorious than the rest of the world. 3. They have more excellent operations;
for the faithful are not such precious stones as are only for show, but they
have also virtue in them, even the very virtues of JESUS CHRIST; for having the
same nature and Spirit of GOD, they are able, according to the measure of the
gift of CHRIST, to do the same works that he did; and so they are excellent in
the operations of faith, hope, love, humility, meekness, patience, temperance,
heavenly-mindedness, and every other grace: and in thi's regard also are more
precious than the rest of the world. And therefore the Lord calls them his
jewels; "in the day wherein I make up my jewels."
And thus
much for the first thing, the matter of which the church of the New Testament
is made, that is, of precious stones. The second thing observable is the
variety of these precious stones. For the spiritual church is not built up of
precious stones of one sort only; not all of sapphires, or all of agates, or
all of carbuncles; but of all these; both sapphires, agates, carbuncles, and
many other precious stones of fair colours. This notes the diversity of gifts
in the children of GOD. For though all of them are precious stones, yet they
are of diversity of colours, lustre, and operations. And this also makes for the
greater glory of the church. In the body of a man there is not one member, but
many; and the variety of members, with their several gifts and operations, are
the glory of the body: and so it is in the church, the body of JESUS CHRIST,
wherein are divers members, with diversity of gifts and operations; but all
proceed from one and the same Spirit; and whatsoever gift proceeds from the
Spirit, there is an excellent beauty, a heavenly lustre in it. Therefore, labor
to distinguish between those gifts that are natural to thee, and flow from thy
own spirit, and those gifts that are supernatural, and flow from GOD's Spirit.
In all the operations of thine own spirit, in all thy natural abilities,
wisdom, learning, there is nothing but deformity, darkness, death, how specious
soever they may appear to the world; but in the gifts and operations that flow
from GOD's Spirit, there is a heavenly lustre and glory. Yea, even in weak
Christians, you shall see an excellent beauty in some gift or other, which they
have received from the Spirit, which shines not forth so clearly in some
stronger Christians. And therefore let us not expect all gifts in all men, and
that every man should excel in every gift; for then one would be saying to
another, " I have no need of thee." But GOD has given diversity of
gifts to divers persons, that each may acknowledge something in others which he
has not himself, and may reckon his perfection to he in his communion with
them; that so the communion of saints may be kept up in the world. One Christian
has the gift of prayer, another the gift of utterance in preaching, another the
gift of courage, another the gift of meekness; and no man has all things in
himself, that every man in the sight of his own wants may be kept humble.
And this is
a glorious thing in this building, that the lustre of each stone adds to the
lustre of all; and the lustre of all is communicated to each stone; and so in
the spiritual building, what one has from the Spirit, it is for all; and what
all have is for each one. If you have the gift of utterance, it is to build up
me; if I have the spirit of prayer, it commends thee as carefully to GOD as
myself; one watches over another as over his own soul; and if any be weak, the
strong support them; if any be doubtful, they that have the gift of knowledge
direct them; if one be troubled, the rest mourn with him; if one be comforted,
the rest rejoice with him; and they are all so linked together in the body of
CHRIST, that the good and evil of one extends to all. Where you can find such
communion, there join thyself. Who would not willingly join himself to that
people, where no man calls his grace his own, but all gifts are in common among
all; every one having a share in the faith, hope, love, prayer, peace, joy,
wisdom, strength of all; and all having a share in these gifts and graces that
are in any one? And thus much for the diversity of the stones, as well as the
preciousness of them.
The third
thing to be observed is, that this spiritual building is made up all of
precious stones, without any mixture of common stones; it is made up of
sapphires, agates, carbuncles; and it is added farther, " And I will make
all thy borders of pleasant stones." Here then must be no mingling of the
precious and the vile, the holy and the profane, the faithful and unbeliever,
the spiritual and the carnal: but all must be precious.
There be
some that talk much against new doctrine, which is the old reproach of the
Gospel; but surely there was never newer doctrine than this, that the spiritual
church of the New Testament should be made up of all the people that live in a
kingdom; and that all that are born in such a nation should necessarily be
stones for the building up the new Jerusalem. This is a new doctrine indeed,
which neither the Old nor the New Testament owns: for GOD does not now make any
people, or kindred, or nation his church; but gathers his church out of every
people, and kindred, and nation; and none can be stones of this building but
those that are elect, and precious, through a new birth, and the gift of the
Spirit. Indeed such a mistake there may be in CHRIST's kingdom here, that a few
counterfeit stones may be taken up among precious ones; but that is the mistake
of a false church, where a thousand counterfeit ones are taken in for one truly
precious; wherein, for one faithful Christian, there are many formalists, and
many more profane.
We are to
take notice, in the fourth place, who is the Builder of such a structure as
this, all made up of precious stones; and are informed in the Word, that
" the Builder and Maker of it, is GOD." " I will do it,"
says the Lord; behold, " I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and I
will lay thy foundations with sapphires, and I will make thy windows of
agates." It is all GOD's work, from the, beginning to the end; for who can
build unto GOD a living temple to dwell in, but himself? This the prophet
speaks plainly, where he says, " The man whose name is the Branch, he
shall build the temple of the Lord; even he shall build it." It lies in
the power of no man to make such a building as this is. What wild work do men
make, when they will undertake to be building the church by their own wisdom,
prudence, and counsel? When they think, we will have the church
of GOD thus and thus; and we will
make it up of such and such men, and we will govern it by such and such laws,
and we will get the power of the magistrate to back ours? Poor men! that think
these new heavens, wherein the Lord will dwell, must be the work of their own
fingers; or that they can build the house of GOD all of precious stones;
whereas this must be GOD's own work. When the building of the church is left to
men, how woefully it is managed! Why, says one, we must needs admit such an
one, he is the chief man in the parish, or he is a man of good esteem in the
world, or he is a nobleman, or he is my near kinsman, or he is a good, civil,
fair-dealing man; and thus will flesh and blood be ever making a carnal temple
for GOD to dwell in; but GOD's true habitation can never be framed but by the
Spirit.
Ver. 13.
And thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of
thy children. See here, how the prophet by the Spirit, carries up the saints
above all visible and sensible things, even as high as GOD himself; GOD (says
he to the church) shall build thee, and GOD shall teach thee; " all thy
children shall be taught of the Lord." All the true and genuine children
of the church have GOD's own teaching, in all the things of GOD; they have the
Father and the Son to teach them by the Spirit. This truth CHRIST himself
confirms, where he says, " It is written, that they shall all be taught of
GOD; he therefore that has heard and learned of my Father, cometh to me."
And again, " The Spirit, when he is come, shall lead you into all truth:"
which doctrine John after preached thus, 1 John 2:
27, " The anointing, which ye have received of him, abides in
you; and ye need not that ally man should teach you, but as the same anointing
teacheth you all things." Hereby we perceive, how few true children of the
church there are among those who are commonly called Christians; for among all
these, how few are there who have the teaching of GOD? Most have their teaching
only from men, and no higher.
Consider,
therefore, I pray, whether the knowledge you have, be from the teaching of GOD,
or the teaching of man. You all pretend to know, that CHRIST is the Son of the
living GOD, and that redemption and salvation is by him alone; but how came you
by this knowledge? Did you read it? Or did somebody tell you so? Or has GOD
himself taught you this? " For no man knows the Son but the Father, and he
to whom the Father will reveal him:" and therefore when Peter said, "
You art CHRIST, the Son of the living GOD," CHRIST answered, " Flesh
and blood has not taught thee this, but my Father which is in heaven." And
so, though all of you profess yourselves Christians, yet none of you know
CHRIST truly, but only such as•are taught of the Father. And this holds in all
other points, as touching faith, justification, sanctification, and the gift
and sealing of the Spirit, touching the spiritual kingdom of CHRIST, and the
government of it; Oh! consider, whether you have the teaching of GOD in these
things or not: for if you have
126 THE BEAUTY,
TEACHING, &C.
not the teaching of GOD, you are none of the children of the
church. Whatever truth you knows, if you have not the teaching of the Spirit,
it will do thee no good. You knows not any thing spiritually and savingly,
wherein you have not the teaching of GOD. And there-fore, what a sad thing is
it, when men look for their teaching no farther than men? When they only look
to the minister, or to some able, learned, orthodox man; and what they shall
teach them, they are resolved to stand by it; in the mean time, never regarding
the teaching of GOD. But you will say, What! can so many grave, learned, Godly
men err? They that do thus, are none of the children of the spiritual church;
for they neither have GOD's teaching, nor care for it; but the spiritual church
is all taught of GOD.
But you will say, Does GOD teach without means? I answer,
no: GOD teacheth, but it is by the Word, and that chiefly in the ministry of
it; and he that pretends to be taught of GOD without the Word, is not taught of
GOD. And therefore no man is to despise the ministry of the Word, which is
GOD's own ordinance, and to depend upon I know not what revelations, without
the Word; seeing GOD teacheth all his children by the Word, and none without
it. And therefore it is not the prophet's meaning, when he says, " All thy
children shall be taught of the Lord," that they should neglect or despise
the Word, and the ministry of it; but that we ought so to use the Word and the
means, as not to look for our teaching from them, but from GOD himself, in and
through them; and when you come to hear, not to think, I will hear what Mr.
Such-an-one, or Mr. Such-one will say, " But I will hear what the Lord GOD
will say." And truly, I would not care to hear what any man in the world
should say, in whom CHRIST himself did not speak.
It follows:
And great
shall be the peace of thy children.
That is,
when men are taught of GOD, then there is nothing but peace among them. When
GOD comes and teacheth thee, and me, and another, and many, then we all agree,
and see all things by the same light, and apprehend all things by the same
knowledge, and perceive all things by the same Spirit, because all have the
same teaching. And so, they that are taught of GOD, though one come out of the
East, and another out of the West, and another out of the South, and never had
any former communion together, yet they all agree in the same truth, and think
and speak the same things; and so there is love and amity, peace and unity
among them, because they are all taught of GOD, and have learned the truth, not
as it is in this or that man, but as it is in JESUS. When men know that no man
is any thing in himself, but every one is all that he is, in CHRIST; and when
men love CHRIST, merely for himself; and where they see most of CHRIST, there
love most; then there is nothing but peace.
Ver. 14. In
righteousness shall you be established,.
This
spiritual church has need of establishment; for when GOD has dune all this for
it, when he has built it, and taught it himself, it shall not want trouble and
opposition, contradiction and persecution in the world, and therefore it
stands in great need of establishment. But how shall this be done? Not by any
outward power or force, armies or fortifications, factions or confederacies;
all these are but a staff of a reed; but in righteousness: and that is, both in
the righteousness of CHRIST received by us, and working in us: the first is,
the righteousness of justification; the second is, the righteousness of sanctification,
and our establishment lies in both.
I. In the
righteousness of justification, which is called the righteousness of faith, or
CHRIST's own righteousness, received in us and in this sense it is said, "
Except ye believe, ye shall, not be established." For by faith we partake
of the righteousness of GOD through CHRIST; and this is an infinite, and
everlasting righteousness, that has neither spot nor blemish in it; this is
able to establish us for ever and ever. So that the church has no more
establishment, than it has of the righteousness of CHRIST by faith; and as the
church goes from faith to faith, so it goes from establishment to
establishment.
2. Our
establishment lies in the righteousness of sanctification; which is nothing
but CHRIST working in us, as the former was CHRIST received by us. For the same
CHRIST that is the righteousness of our justification, is the righteousness of
our sanctification. Now the establishment of the church is, when we let the
righteousness of CHRIST work all in us, and we work all in the righteousness of
CHRIST; then are we established mightily and invincibly indeed; and how much
the Christians swerve from this rule, so much they become weak and unsettled.
Some-times Christians will be acting and working according to human wisdom, and
the counsels of flesh and blood, but in all this they have no establishment at
all. And therefore ye that are faithful, see to it that ye turn not aside
neither to the right hand, nor to the left, through any worldly hopes or fears,
but do ye live and act in the righteousness of CHRIST; and as the Lord lives,
though you have kingdoms and nations for your enemies, you shall be established
more firmly than the earth.
You shall
he far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall
not come near thee. The fear and terror
he speaks of here, is inward fear and terror, from which the church shall be
free, in the midst of all outward evils. For though the church be full of
danger and persecution without, yet it is free from fear and terror within.
Nay, the church has trouble without, but peace within; affliction without, joy
within; weakness without; strength within; imprisonment without, liberty
within; persecution without, content within. Against all the sorrows and
sufferings of the flesh, they have refreshings, comforts, triumphs in the
Spirit; and so they rejoice in tribulations, and in the midst of evil, are
satisfied with good.
Ver. 15.
Behold they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather
together against thee, shall fall for thy sake.
A very strange thing it is, that the spiritual church, being thus built,
and taught, and established, any should yet be so blind and mad, as to engage
against it; and yet the world does this; yea, the more pure and spiritual the
church is, the more enmity the world and formalists have against it. "
Behold they shall surely gather together." When they shall see the
churches gathering together into the true communion of saints, then will they
gather themselves together against the churches. And why do these men blame the
churches for gathering together unto CHRIST, when they themselves gather
together against the church, as we daily see? Indeed the gathering together of
the saints, the world does most hate of all other things. Oh, this is a
terrible thing to them; it makes their hearts ache within them, and looseth the
joints of their loins; they think, their exaltation will be their own
abasement, their own scattering; and their glory, their own shame; and their
strength, their own undoing; and out of these conceits they act so strongly and
furiously, to scatter abroad again CHRIST's own gatherings together. They think
this is surely a plot of ours, and that we have a great design in hand; and so
we have indeed, but the design is not our design, but GOD's, contrived in
eternity, and discovered to Daniel, chap. 2: And this is " the setting up
a kingdom of saints in the world." The world thinks we are subtil and
mighty, whereas they are clearly mistaken in us; for the wisdom and strength
whereby this is done, is GOD's and not ours. It is the Lord must build this
spiritual church, and set it up in the world; and preserve it against the
world, and cause it to increase, till it fill the world; so that the design and
the' accomplishment of it belong to GOD, and not to us; and they that are
displeased at it, let them go and quarrel against GOD. Yea, this place is not
only to be understood of those that are open enemies without the church, but of
a generation in it, that are not of it; and so the gathering together against
the church shall be in the church. The " children that are born after the
flesh" will " be persecuting them that are born after the
Spirit:" They shall gather together, " but not by me." The
saints gather together by GOD, having the Spirit of GOD to bring them into
union and communion; but the carnal church gathers together against the
spiritual, not by GOD, but without him, for worldly ends, profits, and
advantages. But mark the end of such gathering together. "Whosoever shall
gather together against thee, shall fall for thy sake."
The Lord
loves the church, the body of CHRIST, even as he loves JESUS CHRIST himself; he
loves head and members with the same love. " The Lord's people are his
portion" on earth, as he is their's in heaven; and so he will give
"nations and kingdoms for them;" and has said, "The nations and
kingdoms that will not serve thee, shall perish; yea, those nations shall be
utterly wasted." Oh! that this kingdom would avoid this evil, as they
would escape this end!
Ver. 16. Behold
I have created the smith that blows the coals in the fire, and that bringeth
forth an instrument for his work, I have created the waster to destroy. That is, I have formed him (says GOD,) that
makes the sword, and gun, and pike, and that prepares the ammunition; and both
he that makes the weapon, and he that uses it, are in my hands, and they only
shall do what I would have them to do, and no more: So that though you art a
small, weak, despised, persecuted people, thy safety, protection, blessing, lies
in me, and in my power, and wisdom, and love. Therefore thine enemies may form
cruel designs, and intend much mischief;
Ver. 17.
But no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.
GOD blunts
the edge of the weapon, and weakens the hand, and puts fear in the heart of him
that uses it; and so no weapons that have been used have prospered hitherto;
and if any more weapons shall be used here-after, they shall be as unprosperous
as these.
And every
tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, you shall condemn. Two ways, you see, the enemies of the church
assault the church, by their hands and by their tongues; and this latter way is
the more dangerous of the two: by the former, they scourge the church with
rods, by this latter with scorpions. This weapon of the tongue is the most
dangerous weapon that ever was used against the church, in any age, and the
last refuge of the devil and his instruments to annoy the church. And thus,
when the enemy fails at the strength of his weapons, he undertakes again with
the malice of his tongue. Them that profess the truth, he clothes with odious
names, and loads with base aspersions. "Their tongues rise up in judgment
against them:" it intimates they shall have specious pretences against the
church. " Oh! (say they,) these are the men that would turn the world
upside down; that make the nation full of tumults and uproars, that work all
the disturbance in church and state; it is fit such men should he suppressed:
it will never be a quiet world, till some course be taken with them, that we
may have truth and peace again." And thus they have fair pretences against
the Christians, and use the glorious names of truth, peace, and government, to
the destruction of them all. And this is the sense of these words, for their
" tongues to rise up in judgment against them."
And as the
enemy strikes with their tongue against them that profess the truth, so also
against the truth professed by them; and this they call, by way of reproach,
new light; as their predecessors, at the breaking forth of. the gospel in this
kingdom, called it new learning; yea, they call the truth error; and the very
mind of CHRIST in the word, heresy; and the power of GODliness, enthusiasm; and
this grieves the saints a thousand times more than any personal reproaches, to
hear the truth, and the spirit of the gospel, despised, spoken against, and
blasphemed; this is that which fetches not only tears from their eyes, but even
drops of blood from their hearts; the truth of GOD being much dearer to them
than their estates, or names, or lives.
But see how
GOD conquers this weapon of the enemy's tongue to the faithful, as well as the
former weapons of their hands: " Every tongue that riseth up in judgment
against thee, you shall condemn." All that speak and rage, rail and
reproach, slander, vilify, and abuse the saints, either by their tongues or
pens, you by thy up-rightness, integrity, innocency, truth, faithfulness, shall
condemn them. Thy ways and thy works shall be the condemnation of all thine enemies;
and their slanders shall be done away as a mist before the sun, and thy
righteousness shall break forth in that clearness, brightness and strength,
that they shall sit down astonished; and they shall be condemned, not only by
the word and by the faithful, but by all the common morality of the world, yea,
and by their own conscience; so that they shall carry their guilt with them
night and day, and shall not be able to look them in the face, whom they have
so reproached: yea, the whole world shall see the faithfulness and integrity of
the saints of GOD, and shall justify them, and condemn their enemies. And this
shall certainly he done, as sure as the Word of GOD is true, and as sure as
the Lord lives to make good his" word. For, This is the heritage of the servants of the
Lord.
That is,
you shall have this by as sure right as any man has an inheritance that is
entailed upon him, This is your heritage, O ye servants of the Lord, to make
void the force of every weapon that is used against you, and to condemn every tongue that judges you. This
promise is our portion, and the lot of our inheritance; and in this we rejoice
that while we serve the Lord truly and faith-fully, neither the hands nor
tongues of the enemy shall hurt us; but in the end we shall be more than conquerors
over all. Let my portion fall in this pleasant place, and I shall have a goodly
heritage.
And their
righteousness is of me, says the Lord.
That is, these servants of mine are not men of a moral righteousness
only, but they partake of the righteousness of GOD in CHRIST; "Their
righteousness is of me:" Or thus, though they are sinners before the
world, (for as the’world reckons their own sin for righteousness, so it reckons
GOD's righteousness for sin,) yet they are righteous before me, and in my
eyes. So that, however the world reckons us evil-doers, and not worthy to live
in the world, yet GOD reckons us righteous, and our righteousness is before
him.
A DISCOURSE,
TOUCHING THAT OFFENCE
WHICH THE WORLD TAKES
AGAINST CHRIST.
Preached at Cambridge,
about the year 1647.
MATT. 11: 6.
And blessed is he
whosoever shall not be offended in Me.
THESE words
are the conclusion of CHRIST's answer to that question which John the Baptist
propounded to him by two of his disciples, himself being in prison: The
question was this, " Art you he that should come, or do we look for
another?" Writers conclude, that
John propounded this question to CHRIST, not that he himself did doubt whether
CHRIST was the true Messiah, or not, seeing he had before given so clear a
testimony to CHRIST, that he was " the Lamb of GOD that takes away the
sins of the world," and had also baptized him with water, and had seen at
that time " the heavens opening, and the Spirit of GOD as a dove descending
and resting on CHRIST," and had heard the Father's own voice, saying,
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Wherefore, they
say, that John himself could not possibly, after all this, doubt of CHRIST; and
therefore that he did not propound this question by his disciples for his own
sake, but for theirs, that they who before had envied CHRIST for their master's
sake, and would rather have had John to have been the Messias, might now be
assured and fully instructed touching CHRIST by himself.
It is not
impossible, however, but John might propound this question for his own sake.
For though, when he lived in peace and freedom, he had a clear revelation from
the Father, touching the Son by the Spirit, and had accordingly clearly spoken
of CHRIST to others, yet now, being in prison, and near death, he might be
brought by great tribulation and temptation, to doubt of all that truth which
before he had been taught of GOD. For we know not what place the Gospel of GOD
our Savior has in us till tribulation comes; and so mach of the true knowledge
of CHRIST, and of true faith in CHRIST we have indeed, as we have strength in
such hours. That truth which we confess freely in prosperity, we are fain to
begin to learn again in tribulation; and tribulation makes us learn the truth
over again the second time; it makes us to learn that in experience, which
before we had learned only in doctrine.
But to
leave this matter, whether John proposed this question for his own or for his
disciple's sake, CHRIST returns him this answer by his disciples: " Go,
and show John again those things you see and hear. The blind receive their
sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead
are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them:" And now let
John himself resolve his own question, "Whether I am the true CHRIST, or
not. "Go show John the things you see and hear." CHRIST does not say
in plain terms, he was the CHRIST; he would have his works and word declare
what he was, that our faith might have a sure foundation.
1. CHRIST
would be known by his works. "The blind receive their sight, the lame
walk, the lepers are cleansed, te deaf hear, the d'ea'd. ate Ishied up, and the
poor have the gospel preached to them." And so every where in the gospel,
CHRIST would be known to be what he was by works; particularly in John 10: 24, when the Jews came about him, and
said, " How long dost you make us doubt? If you be the CHRIST, tell us
plainly:" JESUS answered them, ver. 25, " I told you, and ye believed
not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me."
Thus you
see that CHRIST will be known by his works. For he cannot he hid where he is
present and dwells; but when this " Word was made flesh," that is,
"came into the flesh," it did manifest itself to be in that flesh, by
doing the works of GOD; and without the works of GOD, the presence of the
Eternal Word in the flesh of CHRIST had not been known. Wherefore CHRIST is
called "GOD manifested in the flesh," and not hidden; and he was
manifested to be GOD in the flesh, by doing the works of GOD.
And as
CHRIST is known by his works in himself, the head, so also in the church, his
body; for wherever CHRIST's presence is, there also are his works; and where
his works are not, there neither is his presence. if CHRIST be present in our
hearts by faith, his works will be manifest in our lives. " But it is not
necessary for every Christian to do the works of CHRIST here mentioned; to wit,
to cause the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the like." I answer,
There are other works of CHRIST besides these, which are inseparable from his
presence; as, the work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope;
together with the self-denial of CHRIST; the meekness, lowliness, goodness,
long-suffering, heavenly-mindedness of CHRIST; as also his readiness and
diligence to do the will'of GOD, and his cheerfulness to suffer it; these works
every one ought to perform that is a Christian, that so CHRIST may be still
known by his works; as the apostle says, " show me thy faith by thy
works;" that is, Let me know the presence of CHRIST in thee by the works
of CHRIST. And thus is CHRIST known by his works, both in himself and his
members.
Thus much
touching the:voric of CHRIST in general. Now for the kind of works which CHRIST
did; as, to give eyes to the blind, and strength to the lame." They are
all such works as the prophets had foretold the Messias should perform; as
lsai. xxxv. 5: "Behold GOD will come and save you: then the eyes of the
blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf be unstopped; then shall the
lame plan leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing:" And he
that did those things, thus foretold by the Spirit, must needs be the true
CHRIST. And thus CHRIST does here describe himself by his own works, as one
whose business lies with the poor, lame, blind, and all sorts of diseased,
afflicted, sorrowful, and distressed persons; these he comprehends in the
greatest love, and pities with the tenderest bowels, and minds with the
greatest care and diligence, and relieves, helps, and saves them perfectly.
Whence we learn, that CHRIST's kingdom brings good to all, but it receives
nothing from any body; for it carries in it all the unsearchable riches of GOD,
and stands in need of nothing that man can do. Wherefore it entertains not the
rich, and full, and noble, and honorable of the world, and such as abound
already, and have enough in themselves and the creatures; but only the poor,
and needy, and afflicted, and desolate; and it supplies these freely and
richly.
Again: As
CHRIST is known by his works, so also by his word; and therefore he says,
" Go, show John the things you hear, as well as the things you see;"
and that is, that "the poor have the gospel preached to them." For
CHRIST's works and CHRIST's word do always go together. CHRIST's life is always
accompanied with CHRIST's doctrine. CHRIST's works and CHRIST's word go always
together, both in himself, the head, and in the true church, his body.
Wherefore CHRIST says, " Go, show to John the things you see and
hear:" the things you see; " the blind receive their sight:" the
things you hear; " the poor have the gospel preached to them."
The Gospel
is the free promise of GOD, in which nothing but mere love, mercy, and grace is
offered in JESUS CHRIST to them that believe, though they be never so great and
grievous sinners. Particularly, this gospel is preached to the poor; to the
poor in spirit; such as do not love, nor desire, nor delight in present things,
but are so afflicted with the sense of sin and wrath, that they regard not the
world, nor the riches, pleasures, and honors of it; but all they mind, or care
for, is JESUS CHRIST, the love of GOD, the remission of sins, and the gift of
the Spirit. These are the poor to whom CHRIST preaches the gospel, and they
only regard the gospel; whilst the lovers of this world, and the lovers of
themselves and this present life, care not for it.
And as
CHRIST is known by his word, in himself the head, so also in the church, his
body. For wherever CHRIST is present, there is his word, as well as his works;
and where CHRIST's true word is not, neither is his presence there. Wherefore
all the faithful, as they have received the Gospel themselves, so they hold it
forth to others upon all opportunities. And thus you have seen how CHRIST gives
forth himself to be known by his works and by his word.
Now, CHRIST
having returned this full and satisfactory answer to John, he' adds this in the
conclusion, " And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in
me." For, notwithstanding that the works and words of CHRIST are the works
and words of GOD in the flesh, yet the wisdom and prudence, the religion and
righteousness of the world find much matter of offence in JESUS CHRIST;
wherefore CHRIST says, " Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in
me."
In discoursing touching the offence which is taken against
CHRIST by men; I shall show,
I. Who are they that are offended at CHRIST.
II. What those things are whereat they are offended, and why
they are offended at them.
III. What a great evil it is to be so offended.
IV. What a great blessedness it is not to be so offended.
And,
V. Make some use of all.
I. Who they
are that are offended at CHRIST. And here I affirm first, that the whole world
in general is offended at CHRIST; for they living without the Spirit of faith,
must needs offended at CHRIST, by all those scandals which are raised up
against CHRIST by the devil and men; and they suck in as readily as a spring
does water whatever aspersions and reproaches are raised against him: and
therefore says CHRIST, Matt. 18: 17, " Wo be to the world, because of
offences;" for offences must needs come, and the world will needs receive
them, and therefore wo be to the world. So that the whole world, that is, whosoever
are not true believers, are all offended at CHRIST and his Gospel; all the
children of the first Adam are offended at the second Adam, who is wholly
unlike them, yea, and in all things contrary to them.
Yea,
secondly, not only the common people of the world, vulgar and contemptible men,
but all the chief and choice men of the world, kings of the earth, and rulers,
and judges, and magistrates, (as in Psalm 2:) and all the best, and most
learned, wise, and great, and most honorable men, are offended at CHRIST, 1 Con
2: 8, whom none of the princes of this world knew; he means it of philosophers
as well as of secular powers; and not knowing him, they crucified him.
And not only the world but also the worldly and carnal church,
is very much offended at CHRIST. This we see in CHRIST's time, that the only
visible church in the world, the church of the Jews, which had the law of
Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms, and observed all the outward ordinances of
GOD, were all offended at CHRIST, and made an order, that whosoever
acknowledged him should be excommunicated, cast out of the synagogue.
And yet this is not all: for not only the carnal Christians,
but the carnal clergy are offended at CHRIST; and not only the common people of
the national church, but many of the chief rulers, of the" most eminent,
and in appearance most holy and orthodox of the clergy, are above all others
grievously offended at CHRIST This also we see was the case in CHRIST's time,
when the Scribes, and Pharisees, and rulers of the people, men of great
reputation and renown for religion, were above the rest of the church offended
at CHRIST. And this was foretold, Psalm exviii. 22, " The stone which the
builders refused is become the head of the corner;" this rejected stone is
CHRIST himself, and these builders were the chief rulers and governors of the
church; and accordingly both CHRIST and the apostles applied this Scripture to
them. So that many of the builders that teach, and instruct, and govern the
church, and are reputed the best, and most profitable and necessary men in it,
yea, the very pillars of the church, so that it is thought all would come to
ruin without them, these are the men that are most offended at CHRIST.
Now when
the people see the rulers and governors of the church, who are thought to have
more knowledge, learning, light, and religion than others, offended at CHRIST,
this exceedingly increases their offence; when they see the builders rejecting
this stone, this causes them to reject him with the greater indignation. And
thus you see, that this offence at CHRIST is spread over all the world and
worldly church, and very few there are who escape it. And this for the first
thing.
II. I am to
show, what are the things in CHRIST at which they are offended, and why they
are offended at them. The world and the worldly church are offended, 1. At
CHRIST himself; 2. At his true word; 3. At his true worship; 4. At his true
church; 5. At his true government. Of these things I shall speak in order, and shall
desire to be so faithful to CHRIST, as not to depart one hair's breadth from
his truth, though it may be that all, or the greatest part of you, should be
grievously offended at it.
I begin
with the first, and will show that the world and worldly church are
offended:-1. At CHRIST himself. And at him they are offended in many regards:
of which I shall mention the following. 1. They are offended at the meanness of
his outward condition in the world. For indeed he was in a very low and
contemptible condition in the days of his flesh, an ordinary tradesman in his
town, and lived with Joseph in his trade of a carpenter. They thought the
CHRIST, of whom such excellent things were spoken, should be some great prince,
or learned priest; and that that mean condition in which he was could in no
measure be suitable to the true CHRIST; and for this cause they were greatly
offended at him, and thought. him not worthy to be in any place of reckoning.
2. They
were offended that he being in so mean a condition, John the Baptist should yet
speak such high things of him, and he of himself. John the Baptist testified of
him, that he was the a only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father; the Lamb
of GOD that takes away the sins of the world; and that he who did believe in
him, had everlasting life; and that he who did not should not see life, but the
wrath of GOD should abide on him." And these all were wonderful things, to
be spoken of one whose condition in the world was so plain and contemptible.
And as John had spoken these things of CHRIST, so CHRIST every where gave forth
himself as the Son of GOD, and said, he and his Father were one. And this
exceedingly offended the Jews, who " sought to kill him, not only because
he had broken the sabbath, but also because he had said GOD was his Father,
making himself equal with GOD."
3. They
were offended at CHRIST, because in him was no human or worldly thing which any
natural man could possibly like or delight in. He exercised no worldly wit,
wisdom, learning, nor any thing that might commend him to the world. There was
nothing in him but the presence of GOD, the righteousness of GOD, the nature of
GOD, the Spirit of GOD: and GOD was all in all in CHRIST; and GOD is wholly
contrary to the world, and the world to GOD: and so the world and worldly
church were wholly offended at CHRIST.
4. They
were offended at the reports that went commonly abroad touching CHRIST, raised
for the most part by the scribes, and pharisees, and rulers of the church, who
gave out that he was a sabbath-breaker, a blasphemer, a glutton and
wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners, and that he had a devil, and
was mad. These were the common reports that were divulged touching CHRIST, and
that by the teachers of the best repute iii the church; and the common people
believed them, and thereupon were horribly offended both at CHRIST's doctrine
and works.
5. They
were offended at him because of his shameful cross and sufferings. And herein
lay the heighth and depth of that offence; for the ecclesiastical power condemned
him as a deceiver and blasphemer, and they also prevailed with the secular
power to condemn him as a seditious person; and so after all the works of GOD
which he had done, and words of GOD which he had taught, they at last crucified
him between two thieves, by the common consent of all the people. And in all
this suffering nobody offered him the least pity, but the common people mocked
him, and said, He saved others, but cannot save himself. And thus much for
their offence at CHRIST himself.
2. The
world is offended at CHRIST's true Word.
1. Because
it is the word of faith; the word of faith, and not of sense; the word of
faith, and not of works. For this word of faith is wholly a Spiritual word, and
has nothing in it that is suitable to flesh and blood; nothing in it that
pleases the fancy, or understanding of man; nothing wherein a natural or carnal
heart can take pleasure.
