Part 98 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 99 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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(16.) Sixteenthly, To provoke you to labor after higher degrees of holiness, consider that the more holiness you attain to in this world—the more weighty and heavy, the more bright and glorious will be your faithful ministers' crown. O sirs, as you rise higher and higher in holiness—just so, the springs of joy rises higher and higher in your ministers' souls, 2 John 4. O Christians, it is neither your seraphic notions, nor your pompous profession; it is neither your good words, nor your sweet looks; it is neither your civilities, nor your courtesies, which raise joy in your ministers' hearts, or which will add to your ministers' crown—but an increase of holiness will do both, Romans 15:14.
The Thessalonians were rare Christians, they were very eminent and high in holiness, as you may see in 1 Thes. 1:5-8, and they were the apostle's "joy and crown of rejoicing," as you may see in 1 Thes 2:19-20, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and joy." The apostle tells these raised, these renowned Thessalonians, that as they were now his hope, his glory, and joy—so at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ they would be his joy, and crown of rejoicing.
Look! as Christ has his thousand shekels of silver—just so, his faithful laborious ministers have their two hundred shekels of silver, and that indeed is a great reward: Cant. 8:12, "But my own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit." Oh, what an honor is it for faithful ministers to have a fifth part of that reward that Christ has himself!
In this 12th verse Christ compares his vineyard, his church, to that of Solomon's, which is mentioned in verse 11, and though doubtless Solomon's vineyard was one of the rarest, choicest, and fruitfullest vineyards in all Judea—yet it was very inferior to Christ's vineyard. And that partly because Christ's vineyard cost him a dearer and a greater price, even the price of his blood, 1 Pet. 1:18-19, than ever Solomon's cost him.
And partly because his vineyard serves to more spiritual, high, honorable, and noble ends, than ever Solomon's did, 1 Tim. 3:15, namely, the glory and exaltation of God, the propagating of truth, the bringing forth of the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, the bringing in of sinners, and the building up of saints, Gal. 5:22-23; and partly because his eye is still upon it, and his protection is still over it, and his presence is still with it, Psalm 121:3-8. Isaiah 27:2-3, "Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it." But Solomon's eye was not always upon his vineyard, neither was his hand of protection always over it, neither was his kingly presence always with it.
And partly because all Christ's treasure is laid up in his vineyard, his church. His treasures of grace, his treasures of mercy, his treasures of comfort, his treasures of goodness, etc., Eph. 3:10, 17-20, is all laid up in his church; but Solomon, as rich and as glorious a king as he was—yet he had no such treasures laid up in his vineyard. Solomon never made his vineyard his treasury.
And partly because his vineyard was given to him forever, as an everlasting inheritance; but Solomon's was but temporary and mutable, Psalm 2:7; John 6:39, and 17:6, 8, 12.
Now all those who are painstaking and faithful laborers in Christ's vineyard, shall receive a noble, a liberal compensation and recompense for their labors. No man shall shut a door nor open a door in Christ's vineyard for nothing; no man shall labor an hour there without a reward. All faithful ministers are fellow-laborers with Christ in the spiritual husbandry; they dig with Christ, and they plant with Christ, and they prune with Christ, and they water with Christ, and they watch with Christ, 1 Cor. 3:8-9; and therefore Christ will allow them a fifth part of the glory and reward with himself. As he has his thousand pieces of silver—just so, he will see to it that they shall have their two hundred pieces of silver. A thousand is the number of perfection, and here it may note that fullness of glory that Christ should have. And the two hundred may note that very great proportion of heavenly glory that all the faithful laborers in Christ's vineyard shall have, who have helped forward the flourishing estate of that vineyard, Mat. 19:27-29.
Look! as the thriving of the child adds to the comfort and the credit of the nurse, and the fruitfulness of the field adds to the pleasure and delight of the farmer, and the health and increase of the flock adds to the joy and reward of the shepherd—just so, the increase of holiness, the thriving, the fruitfulness of souls in holiness, adds to the credit and comfort, to the pleasure and delight, to the joy and reward of faithful painstaking ministers, who are nurses, farmers, and shepherds, in the language of the Holy Scriptures. Though it is true that faithful ministers are a sweet savor to God, both in those who are saved, and in those who perish, 2 Cor. 2:15, though their labor, whether it hits or misses, is accepted, and shall be rewarded by the Lord, as the physician has his fee, though the patient dies, and the nurse has her wages, though the child doesn't thrive, and the vine-dresser has his hire, though the vines doesn't bear fruit—yet the more they win men to heaven, and the more by their means the work of holiness is carried on in the hearts and lives of men—the weightier will be their crown of glory, and the greater will be their joy and rejoicing in the great day of our Lord, Isaiah 49:15.
O sirs, did you but see your faithful ministers' tears, did you but hear their heavy sighs and groans, were you but acquainted with their fervent and frequent prayers on your behalf, did you but believe how they beat their brains, and how willing they are not only to spend themselves—but even to spit out their very lungs in the service of your souls, how would you call upon your own souls to add holiness to holiness—yes, charge your own souls to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord! Well, friends, as ever you would add to your faithful ministers' comfort here, and to their joy and crown at the coming of our Lord—labor after higher degrees of holiness.
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Part 99 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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