Part 3 God's Delight in the Progress of the Upright
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I shall now lay down a few DIRECTIONS. I shall be brief in them, and so draw towards a close.
1. First, if you would persevere in the ways of well-doing, notwithstanding all discouragements and afflictions, in which you must expect to have your share as well as others, and perhaps the greatest, therefore it stands you the more upon to consider of those things that may be of use to bear up your spirits bravely, to carry you through all the trials and troubles you may meet with. To that purpose,
(1.) There are some things that you must carefully DECLINE.
(2.) There are other things that you must carefully practice.
If you will persevere in the ways of well-doing against all oppositions, and notwithstanding all the afflictions and troubles that you may meet with, then,
[1.] First, Take heed of unbelief. There is nothing in the world that does more damp the heart, that ties the tongue, that binds the hands, that puts fetters on the feet, that puts out the eyes—than unbelief. Unbelief blinds the eyes, it ties a man's hands, and causes a sad and fearful damp to fall upon his heart. It renders the man utterly unfit to walk in the ways of God, especially when there is a lion in the way, and when the storm begins to rise: Heb. 3:13, "Take heed lest there be found in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, to depart from the living God." Unbelief will carry a man to apostasy. It has been the great reason of many men's apostasy and backsliding from God and his ways—that they could not hang on God and trust in God by faith—but unbelief was prevalent, and has carried them from God and all just ways. Therefore take heed of unbelief.
[2.] Secondly, If you would persevere in the ways of well-doing, notwithstanding all the discouragements you may meet with, take heed of an inordinate love to the things of this life. This made Judas and Demas to play the apostate, and Spira play the apostate. "Demas has forsaken us" to embrace this present world. He looked upon the world in its pomp, beauty, and glory; and his heart falls off from God and his ways. I remember it is storied of Henry the Fourth of France asking the Duke of Alva whether he had seen the eclipses; he answered, he had so much business to do on earth, that he had no time to look up to heaven. A man whose heart is engaged to the love of the world, will find so much to do in the world, that, with that wicked duke, he will have no time to look up to heaven for strength, to walk in heavenly and holy ways against opposition. It was a good saying of Augustine, "Surely they do not love Christ, who love anything more than Christ!" If your hearts are pitched more upon the world, and are engaged more to it than to Christ, you will never be able to persevere in the ways of well-doing.
[3.] Thirdly, If you would persevere in the ways of well-doing, take heed of consulting with flesh and blood. Take heed of listening and hearkening to carnal reason and carnal counsel; which has turned many a man out of the ways of God. When Paul was brought in to Christ—Gal. 1:14-16, "When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, to call me by his grace," as to send me to preach the gospel among the heathen, "immediately I consulted not with flesh and blood." If he had consulted with flesh and blood, he might have made several objections to have kept him off; "but I consulted not with flesh and blood:" flesh would have told him that the work was too high, too hard, too dangerous for him. "Oh but," says he, "I consulted not with flesh and blood."
[4.] Lastly, If you would persevere, notwithstanding all discouragements that may befall you, then take heed of judging of the ways of God, and of the ways of well-doing, by the opinion which wicked men have of them. Alas! wicked men are blind, and see not the beauty and loveliness that is in the ways of God. Wicked men are malicious against the ways of God, and will never speak well of them.
But again, If you would walk in the ways of well-doing against all discouragements, then as you must labor carefully to decline all those things—so you must labor to put inPRACTICE these things—
[1.] Frequently and solemnly cast up what you have gained by walking in the ways of God. Frequently and solemnly cast up your accounts, and see what you have gained by walking in the ways of God. Look over that power against corruptions, that strength to withstand temptations, that power to rejoice in afflictions, which you have gained in the ways of God. Look often over that "peace that passes understanding," and that heavenly joy and those blessed consolations which you have gained in the ways of God and in the ways of well-doing. When the mariner and the shopkeeper cast their eye upon their former gains, it encourages and enables their spirits to persevere against all the discouragements and troubles they may meet with in their way; and so it will do with you.
[2.] In the second place, See that you act and walk in the ways of God, and in the ways of well-doing, from internal and spiritual principles. Oh, I beseech you, all who hear me this day, as you would persevere in the ways of well-doing, look to your principles, that you act from spiritual and internal principles, from the power of the Spirit and the breathings of the Spirit, from love to God and a holy fear of God; and this will carry you bravely on against all discouragements you shall meet with. If you act from carnal and fleshly principles, and for carnal ends, as for honor or favor or profit, etc., you will never be constant in the ways of God—but when these ends cannot be answered, you will turn apostates, and turn back from God. Therefore, as you would persevere, look to your principles, that they may be sound.
[3.] Then, in the third place, If you would persevere in the ways of well-doing and in the ways of God, notwithstanding all the afflictions and troubles which may befall you, labor to exercise faith. Faith is a singular means to enable us to walk in the ways of God against all the discouragements which may befall us. I shall open it in those two things, which are worthy of your consideration. Faith will carry the soul through all discouragements and difficulties that the soul can meet with in the ways of God.
First, By being conversant about soul-greatening objects. Mark, this is One way by which faith enables the soul to persevere against
all discouragements, is by raising the soul to converse with soul-greatening objects, such as God and Christ, and those treasures, pleasures, and sweetnesses which are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just so, in 2 Cor. 4 the last three verses, "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." How so? "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Faith is conversant about unseen realities. While we keep a fixed eye upon future glory—while our faith is conversant upon that crown which never fades, upon those robes which never wither, upon that kingdom which can never be shaken—"inwardly we are being renewed day by day," and heavy afflictions are made light, and long afflictions are made short.
Thus faith enables the soul, and carries it bravely on against all discouragements, by conversing with soul-greatening objects. There is nothing which so enables the soul, and which so divinely greatens the soul and makes it too large, too wide, and too big for troubles and afflictions to discourage, than faith's conversing with those high and glorious eternal realities.
Second, Then faith does this, in the second place, by appropriating all to itself that it lays hands upon. Faith looks on God, and says with the psalmist, "This God is my God forever and ever; and he shall be my guide unto death." Faith looks on Christ, and says with Thomas, "My Lord and my God." Faith looks on the promises, and says, "These precious promises are mine." It casts an eye upon the crown of righteousness, and says with Paul, "Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." It looks upon all treasures, pleasures, and sweetness which are in Christ, and which are by Christ prepared for the soul, and says faith, "Those treasures are mine, those pleasures are mine, and all that sweetness that is in Christ is mine." Thus faith carries on the soul against all the discouragements which the soul can meet with.
[4.] Then again, in the next place, If you would persevere in the ways of well-doing, labor to increase and abound in LOVE. Oh let your love to God and love to his ways be augmented and increased! Oh look that love does its part, and then the soul will persevere! Cant. 8:6-7, "Love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." Now I shall show you how love will enable the soul to persevere in the ways of God, and in the ways of well-doing, against all discouragements: and that it will do thus,
[1.] First, By egging all other graces on to act and operate. Love is a very active grace. It is the great wheel in the soul, which sets all other graces on work. Love is like to the virtuous woman, Proverbs 9:3, who sets all her maidens at work. Where love is strong in the soul, there no grace shall be idle in the soul. There love will call upon the other graces, "Faith, do you lay persevere that God and on that crown that is set before you. Patience, do wait on God, etc." It calls on all, and sets all on work. And now the more grace is acted, the more its strength is increased; and the more its strength is increased, the more the soul is enabled to walk in the ways of God, against all discouragements that does or can befall the soul. And,
[2.] Secondly, Love will enable you to persevere in the ways of God against all discouragements, by rendering all the ways of God sweet and pleasant to the soul. Love renders those ways sweet, which men who have no love to Christ, look on as bitter ways. "Every way is sweet and pleasant," says love, "his yoke is easy and his way is pleasant!" As it is in Proverbs 17, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." In the abstract Love says, "This way is a precious way, and the other way of God, oh it is a heavenly way; I find much sweetness in it," says Love. And thus it encourages the soul to persevere in the ways of well-doing. For the more sweet and lovely the ways of God are presented to the soul, the more the soul is raised and encouraged to persevere in those ways of God, notwithstanding any affliction and trouble which the soul meets with.
I remember I have read a story of a Dutch schoolmaster, who said, "Were all the world a lump of gold, and in my hand to dispose of, I would lay it down at my enemy's feet, that with freedom and liberty I might live and walk in the ways of God, they are so lovely to my soul."
[3.] And then, thirdly, Love, it will enable the soul to persevere in the ways of well-doing against all discouragements, by putting a blessed interpretation, and a heavenly construction upon all the afflictions, sorrows, and discouragements which an upright heart can meet with in the ways of God. All the afflictions and discouragements which upright hearts meet with, love will thus interpret and expound: "Oh! all those afflictions are but means that God will use to rub off my dross and filth, to convey more of himself! They are all my friends, and shall work for my good! All those cursings God will turn to blessings," says Love. "All these afflictions which befall me, are but out of some noble designs that God has to reveal more of himself and of his glory to me. It is but that he may empty me more of myself and of the creature, so that he may communicate more of his own sweetness and fullness to my soul," says Love. "I know, though for the present it is bitter—yet," says Love, "it will be sweet in the end. I know the way to the crown by the cross, and I know all those afflictions shall lead me to more heavenly enjoyments of God!"
This construction David made concerning Shimei's cursing of him, 2 Sam. 16:12: when Shimei cursed him, David expounds it sweetly: ver. 12, "The Lord," says he, "will look on my affliction, and requite good for his cursing this day." This interpretation carries David along on his way, notwithstanding Shimei's cursing of him. "Oh! the Lord will turn the curse into a blessing!" says Love; and this carries him on bravely. Just so, in that 1 Cor. 13:5, "Love thinks no evil." It will put a sweet interpretation on all the afflictions which befall the soul; and the more sweet and heavenly interpretation Love makes of afflictions which befall the soul in the ways of God, the more the soul is raised and encouraged. "Well," says the soul, "if it is so, I will go on though the lions roar, etc." That is another means; if you will persevere in the ways of well-doing, then look that Love do its part—let Love be operative and working in your souls.
[5.] Lastly, I have but one thing more that I will press as to this, and so draw towards a close, and that is this, Look frequently and solemnly upon that "cloud of witnesses" who have gone before you. It is the apostle's own argument, Heb. 12:1-2, he brings down all those instances in the 11th chapter, and sets them before their eyes, and encourages them from that very consideration, "To run the race that was set before them with patience, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, and despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God." Oh, look upon those glorious worthies who held on in the ways of well-doing. Look upon Nehemiah, who held on bravely; and David, who though princes scorned him and persecuted him—yet he held on in the ways of well-doing. Just so, Paul and Jeremiah, etc., notwithstanding all their tossings, afflictions, and sufferings—yet held on in the ways of well-doing. Oh, why should you degenerate basely from those examples which are your crown and glory to follow?
So much by way of direction, as to enable you to persevere in the ways of well-doing against all discouragements that may befall you.
Now, Sirs, give me only permission to premise a few things to your considerations, desiring that those considerations may be your daily meditations; and so I shall close at this time.
[1.] The first thing I desire to present to your considerations is this, The doing of great things is most worthy of great men. Great men should do great things, and account themselves little. Oh Sirs, that by your means "the angel with the everlasting gospel in his hand might fly through our heavens," Rev. 14:6; especially that he might fly through those dark corners of the kingdom where thousands sit in darkness, and in the region and shadow of death! O, God is now about a glorious design to exalt his Son, and the children unborn shall rise and call you blessed, if you will be instrumental to further this design; and it were better that you had never been born, than that you should be instrumental to hinder those poor souls from enjoying the means of grace, who cry out, "Bread, bread for our souls!" who say, "Look upon us, and see if there is any sorrow like our souls' sorrow; if there is any darkness like that darkness which is upon us; if there is any grievance like that which is in us!"
The doing of great things is most worthy of great men. May the Lord stir up your hearts that you may further that glorious work; and may the Lord direct you that you may pitch on some way or other whereby those who sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, may be enlightened, and Christ revealed, and his kingdom exalted in this kingdom!
[2.] A second consideration that I premise for your meditation is this, That the saints are very dear and precious to the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who shelter them, he will shelter. They are his jewels, Mal. 3:17. The word there rendered jewels, signifies such particular treasures that he loves and lays up for himself, and for special use. They are "the apple of his eye," Zech. 2:8; their service is precious to him, Proverbs 15:8; their voice is precious, Cant. 2:14, "Let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is lovely;" their tears are precious, Psalm 56:8, "He puts them in his bottle;" and their names are precious, for he "writes them in his book," Luke 10:20; their very thoughts are precious, Mal. 3:16; and their blood is precious, Psalm 116:15, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints," and those who shelter them, God will shelter.
Ebed-melech sheltered Jeremiah in the day of the king's wrath, and God sheltered him in the day of God's wrath; Rahab sheltered the spies, and the Lord sheltered Rahab; Obadiah sheltered the prophets, and the Lord sheltered him. Sirs, God has made you in some blessed measure instrumental to shelter his people; and certainly that has been one great reason that God has sheltered you, notwithstanding all the designs, plots, and treacheries of men to destroy you. You have sheltered the saints, and God has sheltered you. They are always precious to him, and they should be always precious to you.
[3.] A third consideration for every day's meditation is, That it is very destructive and dangerous for the powers of this world to engage against the saints of God. I plead for all saints which Jesus Christ has stamped his image upon, whom he has taken into union and communion with himself. And I say it has been an old design of the devil to dash the powers of this world in pieces, by engaging them against the saints and servants of Christ. Little did Pharaoh know that the devil was in that design when he pursued Israel, "I will rise and pursue and overtake, my lust shall be satisfied;" but this was Pharaoh's destruction. His engaging against Israel was his overthrow. Haman engaged against the Jews—but this engagement against them was Haman's destruction, as you know.
Those princes (Dan. 6) who engaged against Daniel, and found nothing against him but in the matter of his God, you know their very engagement against him was their destruction. It is dangerous and destructive to the powers of this world for them to engage against the saints of God. I will only point at two or three scriptures Isaiah 8:8-10, "Associate yourselves together, O you people, and you shall be broken in pieces." The word "broken" in the Authorised Version, is twice more repeated, "You shall be broken in pieces, you shall be broken in pieces;" but in the Hebrew it is three times more repeated, "You shall be thrown down, you shall be thrown down, you shall be thrown down;" or "You shall be confounded, you shall be confounded, you shall be confounded,"—Why? "For God is with us," ver. 10.
Just so, in Zech. 12:2-3, "Jerusalem shall be a cup of trembling;" or "a cup of poison to all the nations round about; and though all the people of the earth should gather together against her, they shall be dashed in pieces:" Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises in judgment against you shall you condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord; and their righteousness is of me, says the Lord."
[4.] Again, a fourth consideration for your daily meditation is this, That the power of godliness infinitely transcends and excels all forms of godliness. Alas! what is the shadow,compared to the substance? what is the shell, compared to the kernel? what is the box, compared to the jewel that is in it? No more are forms of godliness, compared to thepower of godliness. What is darkness, compared to light? What are pennies, compared to gold? What is earth, compared to heaven? No more are forms of godliness, compared to the power of godliness; which does bespeak you to cherish, nourish, and countenance the power of godliness; and not so to advance forms of godliness as to throw down the power and the glory of holiness.
It is the power of godliness, which is the honor of a nation; it is the power of godliness that is the beauty of a nation; it is the power of godliness that is the safety of a nation. As you would have joy in life, and peace in death, and boldness before Christ's judgment-seat, oh look to this, that you advance the power of godliness, that you countenance the power of godliness, that you cherish and nourish the power of godliness. Take heed of stamping divine law on anything that Christ has not in capital letters stamped divine law upon. Oh take heed of giving a two-edged sword into the hands of any who are hot for forms of godliness, and who love to lord it over the faith and consciences of the saints, lest they cut off all who are higher than themselves in spiritual enjoyments of God, and stretch out all who are shorter than themselves in forms of godliness. I am apt to think that if such men were more careful and skillful in using the sword of the Spirit, they would not be so hot for a temporal sword, neither would they be so angry for the lack of it, as they are. A spiritual sword is most suitable to spiritual men, and most suitable to all that spiritual work that God requires of them.
God is most exalted, Christ is most honored, the Spirit is most rejoiced, the mouths of the wicked are most stopped, and the saints are most gladdened by the power of godliness—by countenancing, advancing, and cherishing of that. Therefore, as you would have the Lord exalted and lifted up, and made famous and glorious, oh let the power of godliness be countenanced and cherished throughout the kingdom!
The way of instructing the people of the nation, I leave it with you whom it most concerns, desiring the Lord to direct you into such ways as may be most for the honor of his name, and for the happiness and comfort of the land we live in. That is another consideration.
[5.] In the next place, consider this, God has, and God will save his people and ruin their enemies, by very weak, unlikely, and contemptible means, and by very hidden and mysterious ways. He has done it: witness his leading of Israel by the hand through the Red Sea, and overthrowing their enemies in a mysterious way. Witness his destroying of that mighty army of the Midianites—which were a multitude without number—by Gideon's three hundred men. The story you have in Judges 6 and 7, compared. Witness his delivering his people and ruining their grand enemy, Haman, by Esther's attempting that which was directly against the law of the land, Esther 4:10, 16. Haman had plotted the ruin of the Jews; all was agreed on; the writings were signed; there was but a step between death and the Jews. Esther adventures and throws herself upon God's providence, and comes to the court, directly cross to the law of the land, to the letter of the law; and by this untrodden way, which one would have thought might have enraged the king to have cut her and her people off—yet, by this untrodden way, delivered his poor people.
I will give you but only two or three texts: Isaiah 41:14-16, "Fear not, worm Jacob, and you men of Israel." "Fear not, you worm Jacob." The original signifies a very little worm. "And you men of Israel," that is, "you dead men of Israel." What follows? "Behold, I will make you a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: you shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shall make the hills as chaff. You shall fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and you shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall glory in the Holy One of Israel." Mountains are high, you know, and mountains are mighty, and mountains are strong; and so are the powers of the world; and yet little worms and dead men shall thresh these mountains, they shall overthrow and bring under even the powers which are high and strong and mighty against Jesus Christ and his ways, as we see this day. He will save his people, and destroy his enemies, though they be mighty and powerful, and in very untrodden and mysterious ways—by little worms, by dead men.
Just so, likewise Dan. 2:33-34, "While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth." Compare those verses with the 44th and 45th verses, "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever!" All the kingdoms which are against the kingdom of Christ shall be broken in pieces by this little kingdom.
"But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, "Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!" But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, he who gathers them like sheaves to the threshing floor. "Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hoofs of bronze and you will break to pieces many nations." You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth." Micah 4:11-13. Many nations are gathered together against you, that say, Let her be defiled, let her be polluted and profaned, and let our eyes look upon Zion. Oh—but they know not the thoughts of the Lord, what a design God is about, and what a project he has in hand to advance his name, and to deliver his people and ruin their enemies, and that by the most unlikely and contemptible means that can be!
Therefore, let not men wonder at such and such strange providences as sometimes fall out—but rather consider that God has, and he will save his people, and ruin their enemies—by very dark and mysterious ways, and by contemptible and unlikely means; and this he will do, so that no flesh may boast, and that his people may live a life of faith, and that their enemies may be the more dreadfully ashamed and confounded; and mainly that his own name may be alone exalted and magnified.
[6.] Lastly, it is the earnest desires of the people of God generally, that your hands may further be strengthened, and that your souls may be lifted up in the ways of the Lord, that justice and righteousness may run down now at the last among us as mighty streams. Now, as to this, give me only leave to premise these two cautions, and so I shall have done—
First, do justice—but do it with much pity and mercy. Oh! weep over those wounds which the sword of justice makes; mourn over those bones which the sword of justice breaks; lament over those members which the sword of justice cuts off. Look! as justice and mercy meet in God, and kiss in God, and act harmoniously in God; so let justice and mercy meet, and kiss, and act harmoniously in you.
Secondly, look to this, that you do justice from principles of uprightness, and from the love of justice and righteousness. Otherwise, remember this, that God may revenge that blood upon you—if you do not justice out of a love of righteousness, and from principles of uprightness. It is very considerable in Hosea 1:4-5, "And the Lord said unto him, Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel." Consider this, that which Jehu did, God himself bears witness to it: 2 Kings 10:30, "And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because you have done well in executing that which is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your children to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel." Jehu, for the matter of justice, did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. God here approves of it—but Jehu did not do justice from a love of justice, and a principle of uprightness. The matter was good—but his principles were bad. Therefore God tells him that he will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu. May the Lord make you wise to consider of these things!
What I have here delivered, has been in the discharge of my conscience, that I may give up my account at last with joy, and not with grief; and so I shall conclude with that saying of Augustine, "Not everyone who spares us is a friend, nor everyone who strikes us is an enemy."
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