Part 21 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 22 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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3. Thirdly, If ever you would be holy, then take heed of comparing yourselves with those who are, at least supposedly, worse than yourselves. Many there are, who by comparing themselves with those who are bad, very bad—think themselves to be good, very good; yes, to be too good to go to hell. Such a one was that proud Pharisee in Luke 18, who thought himself a far better man than the poor publican—and yet he was not half so honest, nor half so just, nor half so righteous, nor half so good as he was. The poor publican was ashamed of himself; he loathed himself, he abased himself, he judged himself, and he condemned himself. He acknowledged God, he adored God, he dreaded God, he admired God, and he justified God; in all of which, he exceeded the proud Pharisee. And yet, oh how scornfully does this proud Pharisee look upon him! and how disdainfully and disgracefully does he speak of him! And this was the general frame and temper of the Scribes and Pharisees, who thought no man's penny so good coin, as their own; who thought themselves better than the best—when they were the very worst of the worst. For publicans and harlots believed and repented, and entered into the kingdom of God before them, Mat. 21:31-32.
And likewise, those in Isaiah 65 were bad, very bad, yes, stark bad; they were the basest among the base, they were the vilest among the vile, they were the most rebellious among the rebellious, and the most superstitious among the superstitious. "I opened my arms to my own people all day long, but they have rebelled. They follow their own evil paths and thoughts. All day long they insult me to my face by worshiping idols in their sacred gardens. They burn incense on the rooftops of their homes. At night they go out among the graves and secret places to worship evil spirits. They also eat pork and other forbidden foods. Isaiah 65:2-4. And yet, oh how do they stroke themselves, and bless themselves, and commend themselves, and cry up themselves, and exalt themselves as the only holy ones. "Yet they say to each other—Don't come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!" Isaiah 65:5. They could deify themselves—and yet damn and devilify others, though they were such monsters as God abhorred, 'They are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.' Isaiah 65:5.
Ah! how many be there who, by comparing themselves with those who are worse than themselves—do judge themselves to be good enough, and holy enough! They are goodnegative Christians—and they think that is enough to bring them to heaven. They bless themselves that they are no Nabals for drunkenness, nor any Sodomites for filthiness, nor anyHamans for haughtiness, nor any Amnons for lustfulness, nor any of the old world for idleness, nor any Zaccheuses for covetousness, nor any Laodiceans for lukewarmness, etc. They bless themselves that they are no Gehazis for lying, nor any Shimeis for cursing, nor any Joabs for swearing, nor any Rabshakehs for railing, nor any Doegs for cruelty, nor anyJudases for treachery, nor any Demases for apostasy, etc.
And thus they cheat themselves, and find out fine ways to delude and damn their own souls; they think it grace enough, and holiness enough, that they have attained to this—namely, not to be so bad as the worst, though they fall infinitely short of coming near unto the best. Well, sirs, remember this, if you are not so great sinners as others—your horrors, your terrors, your torments, your hell shall not be so great, nor so hot as others—but without holiness you shall be as certainly damned as others! And what a cold comfort is this, to have a cooler and a lighter hell than others; and yet this is all the comfort that can be handed to unholy hearts. But,
4. Fourthly, Take heed of flatterers. Ah! how good might many men have been, who are yet exceeding bad, had they not sold their ears to flatterers! Flatterers are soul-murderers; they are soul-undoers; they are like incompetent physicians, who skin over the wound—but kill the patient! Flattery is the very mother of folly, and the very nursery of all impiety. Flatterers will cry up those for pious men—who are only superstitious; and those for wise men—who are foolish; and those for knowing men—who are ignorant; and those for virtuous men—who are wicked; and those for holy men—who at best are but civil; and those for happy men—who are certainly miserable. Flatterers dare call the proud—happy; and bless those whom God has cursed. They dare call evil good, and good evil. They dare call darkness light, and light darkness. They dare say that that man has grace—who has none. Yes, they dare swear that such and such shall be saved—though for the present they live as if they were resolved to be damned. They dare take upon them to tell you that such and such men's names are written in heaven, and that such and such belong to the election of grace—though their lives speak them out to be void of all grace.
Ah! how many a man has been kept off from the thoughts of holiness, and from the ways of holiness, and from the love and liking of holiness—by flatterers who have flattered them—that doubtless they are in the favor of God—and that certainly God did not make men to damn them—and that without all question they have a saving interest in Christ—and that there is no question but that their hearts are as good as the best—and that their eternal conditions are good, and their souls happy. Yes, they are so confident of their happiness, that they dare venture a-going to hell, if ever such should go to hell whom they fondly flatter; they dare pawn their souls and their salvation on it, that such shall never miscarry; and by these flatteries they harden men in sin, and arm them against holiness.
Flattery is that sweet poison that has destroyed many a soul. Witness Rehoboam, Ahab, Herod, Nero, Alexander, etc. Just so, true is that of the wise man: Proverbs 26:28, "A lying tongue hates those who are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin." [The Hebrew word signifies to throw down, to drive on forwards until a man falls into destruction; none drive so furiously to the ruin and destruction of souls—as flatterers do.] A flattering mouth ruins name, fame, estate, life, body and soul; it ruins a man both temporally and eternally; it often undoes a man in both worlds; it makes a man miserable both here and hereafter. Flatterers are devouring caterpillars. Flatterers' tongues do more mischief than persecutors' swords, for their swords can but destroy the bodies of men—but flatterers' tongues destroy the souls of men. Flatterers are the greatest soul-cheaters and soul-undoers in the world. Flatterers dare call vice—virtue; they dare call pride—civility; covetousness—good economy; drunkenness—good company; prodigality—liberality; wantonness—a foible of youth; passion—zeal; revenge—courage, etc. They dare call enormities—infirmities; and wickednesses—weaknesses. They dare call great sins—little sins; little sins—no sins. They gild over all their poisonous pills with gold. They draw the fairest glove upon the foulest hand. They lay their neatest colors upon the filthiest sores. They put their best paint upon the worst faces, and the richest robes upon the most diseased bodies. And by these devices they entangle many to their utter ruin.
Proverbs 29:5, "A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet." The Hebrew word which is here rendered flatterer, signifies a soft, butter-spoken man; because flatterers, the better to deceive—oil their tongues and to butter their lips, so that by their smooth, soft speeches they may the more insinuate themselves into men's minds, and so make way for their destruction. Flatterers have their silken nets to ensnare and entangle poor souls to their eternal ruin. Look! as fowlers strew corn and lay baits to draw birds into their nets; or look, as hunters spread their nets, that they may capture beasts and prey upon them, or make a prey of them—just so, flatterers spread their nets that they may catch poor souls, and either prey upon them, or else make a prey of them.
Flattery is the devil's invisible net; and happy is that soul who escapes it. The flatterer's net is worse than his sword—for his sword may be the more easily seen, feared, and avoided, than his net. Of all weapons, the flatterer's net is the most perilous and dangerous, both to the lives, estates, and souls of men. It were ten thousand times better to trample a flatterer under a man's feet, than for a man to allow his feet to be taken in the flatterer's net. A flatterer is a foul enemy in the dress of a friend; he is a wolf in sheep's clothing; he is a devil transformed into an angel of light! What punishment can be too great for such?
The severity of many heathen princes and emperors has been very great against flatterers. Take one instance for all: Alexander Severus commanded one Turinus, a great flatterer, to be tied to a stake and stifled with smoke, with a herald standing by, and proclaiming to all the people, that it was but just that he who lived by the smoke of flattery should die by smoke. [Many great emperors were great enemies to flatterers.]
Now what a shameful thing is it that such as are called Christians should desire to be flattered—when heathens have so severely punished flatterers. Well, sirs, as ever you would be holy, take heed of flatterers, and take heed of flattery! Let Solomon's counsel be always in your eye, and let it always lie warm upon your hearts: Proverbs 20:19, "Do not meddle with him who flatters with his lips." A man who loves his soul, and would be happy in the eternal world, should shun flatterers as he should shun a thief, a serpent, a wolf, a lion, a devil. Until you stop your ears against a spirit of flattery, there is little hopes that ever you will be holy.
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Part 22 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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