THE
Lamb's Marriage
Proclaimed.
———o———o———o———o———o———o———
AN ACTION
SERMON,
PREACHED BEFORE
The Celebration of the Lord's Supper,
At Kirkcudbright, June 20th, 1634.
On Rev. xix. 7.—14.
BY
Mr. SAMUEL RUTHERFORD,
Late Professor of Divinity at St. Andrews.
FALKIRK:
Printed and Sold by T. Johnston
1822.
SERMON.
Rev. xix. 7–14.
This text has three parts: 1 The Kirk's triumph under Antichrist's persecution, in the 7th, 8th and 9th verses. 2. ⟨John's⟩ slip and fall, in worshipping the angel. 3. A new revelation wherein Christ and his members are seen triumphing; which contains a glorious description of Christ. I take not this absolutely to be the victory and triumph of the Kirk triumphant in heaven. but it is the joy of the Kirk on earth, groaning and longing for the marriage-day. In the 7th verse is contained an exhortation to be glad and rejoice with thanksgiving, with two reasons of it. For the Marriage of the Lamb is come, and his Wife hath made herself ready. Here is a question in the entry: Is there not a time to rejoice and a time to mourn? It is now rather a time for the Kirk to mourn and be sad, chap. xii.—The Kirk the poor woman with child, hard at the down-lying travailing, and has not an hour's reckoning, is chased by the Dragon to the wilderness, chap. xiv. a judgment denounced, chap. xvi. the arrows of God's wrath going through all the earth. a great din and hurlie-burlie in the Kirk; chap. xix. 7. the Kirk is brought in singing and rejoicing: Hence let the world torn upside down and come as it will, the saints will get a life of it. They are God's birds, that sing in the winter, for the time is come, Isa. liv. I. Sing O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, &c. and yet the captives and banished people in the meantime Zach. ix. 9 Rejoice greatly O Jerusalem, shout. &c. Behold thy king comethǃ And yet they had no king at all, but was in the pit where was no water; they were in bondage. So in Isa. iv. 1. when the people were under the water Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith the Lord; Speak comfortably to Jerusalem.
When the day is fair and the spirit slows, and the wind is in the west, we can all then sing and rejoice, and believe: If God would each hour of the day come and take his children on his knees and lay their head in his bosom. saving "Weep not. hold your tongue:" We could all then sing and rejoice, and believe.—But we must make a window in our prison, and look out and see day light, and the Bridegroom coming and rejoice before hand. We are like fools and spilt barns taking offence at our Lord, like Jacob, and will not be comforted. Our Lord cannot get us drawn to the house of wine to take a cup of consolation; but we must learn to sing when God bids us If the winter-night were never so dark, believers must ay rejoice before; therefore rejoice my dearly beloved, for we will get day about yet when the marriage day is come, Luke vi. 23. Rejoice and leap for joy-every day, for that day, when they separate you from their company, Luke xxi. 28. When all these things shall come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads for the day of your redemption draweth near. They were casting down their heads, but faith most rejoice in the hope of an out-gate.
Let us give honour to him. Joy should not want praise: Alas! we rejoice in ourselves, and not in God: It is a bastard joy that is injoined without praise, Psal. xxxiii. 1, 2. Rejoice in the Lord ye righteous: Praise the Lord with harp In 1 Thess. v 16. the apostle Paul couples these together Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in all thing's give thanks. It is fory music in heaven that wants praising of him who sits on the throne. Our Lord gets often deaf nuts from us in our spiritual joy: We take joy as a breakfast, to chear up our foolish sense, and sit down upon our joy. and whine as we do: So we wrong our Lord, when our joy bringeth not forth thanksgiving.
It is not enough to rejoice that ye hope to get a kiss of Christ in ordinances, except ye come to this, to give him a sacrifice of praise. We often draw our joy home to ourselves, and make Christ a babe to play ourselves with, and feed our foolish sense with: were we thankful, and refer all our sense to praising you would not get so many hungry meals. But what is the matter? Wherefore are we bidden rejoice and be glad? The Kirk speaks her words with a warrant, wherefore rejoice: know ye no better? Have not ye good cause to rejoice? Is not the Lamb's marriage come? Then nothing more feeds the soul of the godly with delight nor this, that the marriage-day is come and at hand. It is something worth indeed, that the poor widow, the Kirk, has married so right a husband: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof Psal. xxiv I Ye need not fear scant nor that Christ will scale house; The marriage is come It is not simply he glorified in heaven but the time when God will make good all his promises to his Kirk in Christ. Saw ye was not this marriage of the Lamb before? Yea was not Christ his Kirk's husband and well-beloved from the beginning?
Answ. In God's purpose he was from eternity the King; Lord and husband of his Kirk: But for the going out of the marriage, we are to know, that the Kirk was suited and wooed long before the marriage. Christ take not his wife at the first blink; as Samson fell in love with his wife; but he married with advisement, so to speak; he and his Kirk are thrice lawfully proclaimed in the preached gospel. There is meetings and communings about the heads of the contract; wherein Christ tells of his own excellencies and his Father's glory, and what mansions are above. As long as the first husband [the law] lives, Christ does not marry, Rom. vii I. If ye and the world be hand-fastned together, that marriage must be divorced, or else he will not look on that side of the house that ye are in. Before it come to this "Even so I take her;" Christ makes three journies to his wife: Ist When he came in the flesh he wood sinners, and offered himself to the world. 2dly. After his ascension to heaven, he comes another journey, by his Spirit, in his ministers, who preach the gospel: so as Paul saith, you are betrothed to a new husband. 3dly, He will come again at the last day, and compleat the marriage. I suspect a hasty marriage to be a sudden vengeance. men and women fly to Christ, and flock to ordinances, to eat and drink with him, or ever he woo them: many come to take Christ, and have another husband at home the world, your lusts; that is foul play: you must be single or else you cannot marry him.
I will ask at all of you that are come here this day, if your husband, the world be dead? Try if your lusts be dead, and sin mortified; otherwise look for no match with Christ. If the world and ye are as great as ever you were, I shall not believe that Christ and you are in the way of marriage. They that are married to Christ have been cast down, wintered and summered, burnt and scalded and can tell you what God's anger is, and what a strange put the love of Christ has to make; lothe at sin, and all other things.
His Wise hath made herself ready. How makes the Kirk the Lamb's wife, herself ready? Gol. i. 12. it is said by the giving of thanks to the Father who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Doth not God here readily answer both as true? God draws, and we run, for God and we meet not against our will, as Simeon carried Christ's cross; nor a Balaam's ass spake that knew not what he spake; nor as the lillies grow, and labour not, and yet are better clothed than Solomon was. Our Lord has our hearts in his hand, as a man's way is before the fire to wring and work it as he pleaseth, and to let the stamp on the man's heart; he puts on the stamp as the wax receiveith it, a stone would not receive it. The man blows the trumpet but all the sound come from the man's breath: the ship sails; the pilot fills not the sails, but it is the wind that fills the sails. Our Lord begins and works upon the will and the heart, and changes it, and lets us see the excellency of our new Husband and Lord, and when we make ourselves ready, we follow on to the smell of his garments. If God draw and ye stand still if God blow upon you, and strike and work, and cast you down, and yet ye are as hard as a rock or a stone under his hand you have not made yourself ready; so ye are not at all married to Christ.
O! my dearly beloved make some preparation less or more for him; ye must be changed, and manswear your old Adam, and forget your father's house; cast off your ilk-days' garments, and get a wedding-garment, and think not that Christ and your old ragged garments. your lusts, will agree together. And many, on the other hand having that, there must be a preparation for the marriage; they must not come to Christ in their sin and guilt, and not knowing but he is angry; especially after a great out-cast, ye will stand afar off from Christ, and not seek after him at all because ye are not prepared. The Lamb's wife doth make herself ready. but I have not made myself ready, say ye; may I know not but if I go in my guilt, I shall be put away in his anger: And there ye stick, like a ship on the sand bed of fears and doubtings, lest God be angry, and not a foot can ye win nearer hand to Christ. What then all unprepared souls do under these doubtings and unrepented-of sins that anger Christ? So I shall labour to answer what troubles such, and hinders their humble setting too. and coming away. Ist They are troubled about Christ's nature, 2dly, About their warrant to come unprepared. And, 3dly, They are troubled with Satan and the law of God. As for going to Christ say they, it is a needless errand, I will not mend myself. Ah! such unprepared soul as I am! Answ Go forward, will locked doors told you again? It is but that much lost travel. Say they, It is a needless errand. I will not mend myself. Answ The sluggard tells ay his answer before he goes his errand; the knavish servant's excuse is ay when he is sent an errand There is a lion in the way What if ye find an open door and Christ coming out to meet you mid way? Christ played as merciful a sport to the forlorn son. Ay, but I find fire and sword, when I come to the door how shall I go in? Answ. What if it be a false glass wherein ye see? Alas. when sinners would would be at Christ, he never holds out fire and sword to chase them away: that is but Satan's fire and sword that fears you. I love that yet the better, that the Devil opposes it; but I say tho Christ gloom on you, as on the woman of Cannan yet go forward, they are sweet coals that burn a soul flightening to be at Christ: that fire will never be your dend. When want of preparation holds a man from Christ it is of the Devil Men take Christ to be proud when it is themselves; they are proud and will not go to Christ till they can give him a meeting and buy mercy. Nay, you are to go without money, that is a better market. Oǃ think ye shame to be in Christ's commonː 2dly, Oǃ says the soul, I want a warrant; it is presumption to go to Christ with such a backful of guilt as I have. Answ. I say, it is both pride and presumption to bide away. I hope you will not trust in yourselves or your own strength, or else you would not complain of your being unprepared as ye do. Lean but to Christ, and then complain not, but presume your fill on him providing you think yourself unworthy of him It is not presumption to take a grip of Christ's naked sword, tho' it should cut your hand. O! says the soul. you have not told me of a warrant to rush in unprepared to an angry Christ. Would you have a warrant? There it is; the beggar's warrant is as good as I would wish. His warrant and testimonial to a beggar is a lame leg a cripple hand, a hungry belly, a bare back; that is good reason and cause for him. So say I Have ye a hungring and a longing desire after him? Or know ye that ye are unprepared that is a cripple both of legs and arms? That is a notable warrant to go to Christ. O! but says the soul, I have not a promise, I have not the covenant to take with me; and for want of faith, I have lost the promise.
Answ. The covenant is twice written, God has a copy, the principal is in his hand and mind, and ye have a copy in your heart: If ye have lost your double, what then? Says Christ, My copy is to the fore; I say the covenant stability is to the fore, it stands: Not in this, that ye shall evermore believe; there is no such covenant as that yourselves have made that covenant and not Christ. Let me see such a covenant as this, that all that doubt, and lay they are unprepared for Christ, should bide away, and never come to Christ, till they be properly prepared to come, and as ready as the Lamb's wife is for her marriage? Yet, says the soul, the warrant is not sure, it is hell and utter darkness to come to the marriage supper of the Lamb without a wedding-garment, and so unprepared as I am, Matth. xxii. 12. Answ. That man cared not how he came; he took no care of a wedding-garment. he had not so much as a hungring for Christ, the beggar's warrant as you have heard. But let us reason thus, If that ye grant, ye are unprepared, and that ye want much that ye should have; ye think it is death to go to Christ: I say, it is death to hide away, and the greatest death of the two. A man chased by his enemies on death and life has but two ways to flee to, either to the fire or to the water: if he be wise, he will take himself to the water, where he may swim, and not to the fire; the water may cast him out. The water is the little death, fire is the meikle death. To abide still in sin, and never to come to Christ, is fire, chuse it not. To come to Christ with a hungering heart, is the little death. There is hope of mercy in dying in the presuming hand upon the point of Christ's sword. When ye come to Christ, it is life, if ye long for him. When the devil and the law challenges you, then show Christ's blood, that is God's great seal, against which to speak is treason. If they say, ye believe not, answer ye then. I despair not.
Verse 8. To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen. Wherefrom comes this preparation? It is God's free gift in Christ, when all is on Christ's charges and expences. The fine linen is Christ's righteousness imputed so saints, a web of Christ's own making, it cost him dear or ever it came on our backs; velvets, silks, kings' parliament-robes clothes of gold are nothing in comparison of this web, woven out of Christ's own bowels and heart-blood; we are unworthy of him, all that we can do or say here is with a borrowed tongue. When we say, Even so I take him, it is with borrowed hand; faith is not ours, it is the gift of God, to put on the fine linen. All this says we are unworthy of Christ: if ye were worthy, slain Christ would not be your husband. Christ is a Saviour and Redeemer from head to foot, all made up of free grace, giving his blood, merits and righteousness to his Kirk for stark-nought. Men shape a sort of a Christ of their own making not Christ but an idol, a Christ that will not ken a man, except they get a meeting of holiness and righteousness in them, that is a Christ of your own making; but the true Christ, that God gave unto the world, will either marry with a beggar or none: It is his honour to match with captives and prisoners, Isa lxi. I. the sick that need the physician, Matth ix Luke xix. 10. Sinners that are lost, Luke xiv. 21. the poor, the maimed, halt and blind the beggars and dyvours of the world, Matth. xi 28. the weary laden. Isa lv. 8. the thirsty, and these that have no money. Rev. ii. 17 the wretched. blind, poor, and miserable, and naked, Mic. iv 7. the silly halting cripple Kirk. The fine Linen, white and clean, the righteousness of saints. These are the properties of the linen, which is Christ's righteousness and perfect obedience and sufferings not gross and round spun, not a spot in it. Christ gave all that God desired. The law cries, With all the heart soul and strength, Christ answers, delight to do thy will O God; thy law is within my heart Psal. xl. 8. Christ gives God lucky heaped measure, not a penny that sinners take from God, but Christ restored a pound for it again; may I say it, man, Christ's righteousness is more than sufficient; but man's righteousness is grass and round spun is comparison of this.
2dly, For Christ's sufferings, there was not a crake in them; Christ stood still, he never winked, nor minted to take away his head; he did never juk nor late to miss a cuff, he would ware a stroke of himself: I gave my back so the smiters, and my cheeks to them that pulled off the bair, Isa 1. 6. Our dear-Redeemer wa made like no others; few lose a cause with their will; but Christ was content that a dereet went against him, and that the law should ae on him; he purposed to pay. and not miscount; he took the strokes till God said it was enough. It is finished So his righteousness will do our turn, being clean white and fine. Then, when we have put on this clean fine linen. keep it clean and white, spark no dirt on Christ's righteousness; Be ye holy or he is holy. We are all ready to file out new clothes after we have put them on Ezekiel must have a watch-word Son of man be not rebellious like the rebellious house. Ezek iii .8— The Lord instructed me that should not walk in the way of this people I a. viii. 10. When we have put on this fine linen, temptations, the devil's dogs, are hounded out against us to rive our cloaths; this world is a smoky room, a filthy houseː What are malice, pride, love to the world, security and avarice, but the devil's wall that we should keep ourselves from
Verse 9. He saith to me. Write, Blessed are they that are called. That which is written by God is sure a concluded thing. The saints' happiness is not, He said is add she died; God has-booked your heaven and your happiness if ye be called to the Lamb's marriage supper.— As the wicked man's hell is booked and written of God, and sealed up among his treasures, so vengeance is laid up for him, Deut. xxxii.— Be glad and rejoice, O believers, your salvation is past nto the great seal, this testament is confirmed with Carist's blood. Say se, the testamen is written, but my name is not there.
Answ Neither Abraham's nor David's names are in it yet it is sure enough. A father leaves an inheritance to be divided equally among his sons; ilk one has no more ado but to prove that he is a son, then he falls to his part of the inheritance. We err oftentimes in our applying either promises or threatning: You make a question of God's part of Christ died for you, and loved you; make ay sure your own part, and take to fear of God's part. If ye ask for whom Christ died? I answer, For all that lean to him be who they will. Take ay to you, till Christ say. I died not for you. A cord is cast down in a hollow pit, to draw you up, and a hundred more for you; if ye dispute, Is the cord cast down for me? I will tell you how ye shall answer that doubt, grip and hold fast by it for your life, and out of question then it was cast down for you. If ye take the offer, question not his good will; step in, Christ's good-will will not ask. To whom pertain ye? And if the ask, say ye, I am thine. If he deny it, be ye humble and bide it. Cain's and Judas' names are not written in the sixth command, but they have no due right to his promises but they have to his threatning against murderers. If ye ask if Christ died for you? He answers you with another question. Would ye die for him? Or, are ye dying for love to him? That answers your question. Sinners are like a number of men swiming in the sea, betwixt life and death. Christ and his merits are like a strong boat, and a man holding out both his arms, drawing them in one by one, saying. Give me your hand; and so he presses them in.
Blessed are they that are called. Then all that hear his word are blest. We are sent out to call you and to cry, Our Master. the King's Son, is to be married, come to the feast, and bring all your best clothes with you. But there are many called, who are not called; that calling in Proverbs i. is not here meant, I called, and ye refused; nor that in Matth. xx 19. Many are called, but few are chosen. There is a difference between the inward calling and the outward calling. First. In the persons; none are called but the Bridegroom's friends, who ere come of Christ's own house, and native of kin to him; strangers and bastards to the house get but a word: And from this is that calling that is to the saints a calling by their names, as when God called Abraham, who said, Here am I The friends of the Bridegroom hear a voice upon their hearts, as if God had called then by their names; the rest are called, but they obey not the King. They hear a voice founding in the air a afar off. Speak to a man of inhe. nce is Spain he hears and hears not: the reprobate hear of God's calling as if vo were speaking to him of playing at the football, or some trifle: bit speak to a man of his own inheritance, and how he shall be lord of all things, O that goes near his heart! Secondly, The inward calling goes foot for foot with the decree of election Rom viii. 30. Whom he did predestinate, them be also called. The inward calling is more than a word, it is a word with an arrow shot at the heart, or stroke in the soul, that it must wield to Christ and be led captive at his will. John x. 16. Other sheep I have, them also I must bring in: I must have the cost what it will. If they be unwilling they shall be made willing. Indeed the wicked run away with one of Christ's arrows sticking in them like a wild beast with & dart, but if it is shot with Christs full strength, it goes to the bone; otherways it but draws the blood, makes a hole in the skin, and the arrow sails out, and the wound closes again: but it is the Mediator's arrow that John speaks of in Rev. xvi. There is a grip called the Mediator's grip. John xii. 32. I when I am lifted up on the cross will draw all men after me. No man can resist, if once he get a blow and an wound in his soul, with one of Christ's arrows: So Paul was not called to this supper till he was blind, and had fasted three days. So in Zech xii. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced, end shall mourn as one but mourneth for his only son. These that are called to the marriage-supper are blest for ever; they are promised away and spoken for in marriage; and when the contract is subscribed, and the woman gives her oath hand and promise to her husband, and when she is hand fastened before God to him. she cannot with honesty enter in terms of marriage with another man so that, by the law the last testament is offence. So when we have given our names to our husband Christ, it is not honesty to fall in love with other lover again; to marry two is vile falsehood. Are ye content that Christ get your first love. and to go with him before another? All that are called to the marriage should be chaste, and think that a look of their husband Christ, who gat the first promise or them is pleasanter than that of all other lovers: He has a tongue that is sweeter than all tongues; an honest merchant who made the first block and it stroke with you for a penny more, will not beguile you: and when all is done, the devil and the world cannot over bid our Lord Jesus Christ. Can they bid more nor heaven of Christ or God? Many, after they have given away their hand to Christ, in covenant the world ravishes them, are ever Christ can come to claim them again.
The Lamb's Wise hath made herself ready. It is not said, The Lamb made himself ready; there is no stop of the marriage or Christ's side of it; it is long since he died and rose again, and is entered into his glory, but the wife is wild, sweer and flow to the draight. The reason why the last marriage day is deferred, is because God will have none of his own to be lost, or to perish, 2 Pet. iii 9. Long for the marriage day; cry, Come Lord Jesus!— But your lusts are not subdued, yet ye would be at heaven: Get the body of sin and the world crucified, and the wedding garment ready for on Christ's side there is no stop. the lodgings are taken. Ye bid him come quickly; he may bid you go fait, for he runs, but ye creep at leasure; ye came out of the world, as Lot came out of Sodom sweerly. Put every day some of your journev over, and ye and he meet; but ye stand still and sleep: ye are like a drunkard that says we are over-long here in the ale house, and yet sit still, and drink on. It were not telling us that the marriage came when we seek in there is a great part of the wedding garment yet still unready.
The marriage-supper of the Lamb. Gospel-promises and mercies are called a marriage-supper. God calls no brass and gold he calls blessedness in Christ a supper and a marriage-supper; wherein are all pleasures that can delight hearing and tasting for music and good chear; it is a supper after which meek men got rest and the night's sleep, for the saints have many a hungry dinner in this world.Pleasures, the husk that the swiny feed on, the devil's draff The pleasures of sin for a season, Heb. xi 25. The have much, oil and labour the long summer day: but here is their blessedness, they know of a hearty meal of meat at night, and rest in the bosom of their well-beloved Christ. After this supper there is no such toil and trouble as is after dinner; men have no rest but are weary and laden till Christ and they meet; they are ay under Satan's yoke till Christ loose them Hab. ii. 13. Jer. ii 20. Of old I have broken thy yoke &c faith the Lord. God's people were in Satan's yoke, and under abominable slavery in Egypt, till upper came, that they got some rest and sleep. Satan has men yoked in a plough and persist pleasure, and honour are his iron pticking ad: Basaam hears of gold and honour, and Juda, of money; and they go sweating up the furrows: So are God's children yoked, till he loose and ease them, and call then to his supper; and then they rest from their long summer day's toil. Ye marvel to see the wicked get so good cheer, and to wallow in pleasures; and ye startle at Providence here, when ye see the godly in trouble; but the reprobates are not called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb. Wonder not that God gives a greedy dog a bone; and so indeed is the world to them Let them get their bellyful of it, but they shall, for all that, ly down in sorrow, without tasting of the marriage-supper. Isa I. II.
And be said unto me These are the true sayings of God Angels has got a taste of Christ at the beginning and have learned something that they had never known, if men had not fallen; and though they be but beholders, and eat not of the supper, as we do, yet when Christ's meat is on the table, it casts a good smell, and they delight to learn something sore of Christ which they knew not before. If they say, much more cause have we to say so that God's word is faithful and true: all the messes of the supper are for us; his flesh is meat indeed to us, and his blood is drink indeed to us. Say ye, will not all men, as well a angels, say so? Do any deny God's word and savings to be true? It will be thought men for shame will not give God the lie in his face. Indeed in general, we say God's word is true, but when it comes to practice, we stand not to give him the lie in his face Like archers, who set their eye upon the mark. and when all is done, the bow it breaks and the arrow falls at their foot.— Whilst conference keeps in general, and is a hundred miles from the word, we say the word is good, but when the word is near to command us, and to controul our lusts, and deny our wills: when we do as Jeroboam's conscience, that slipt the shackles, when Gods word was like, as he did think to deprive him of his kingdom. Our conscience goes along with the word in general, but when it meets with our wild humours, or lights on Herod's best, then we cry and complain as he did: when our lusts rise, and the word binds our conscience, then conscience gives God fair words, like a flattering friend or knavish servant, that is ay to seek when there is most ado The adulterer says God's word is true yet in time of temptation, when the seventh command comes in handy-grips, and are all wrestling then he tells another tale. The mind is as a judge that ay does right till he get ill counsel, and then never a good turn The mind afar off judges aright of God's word, but in comes the affections; as an ill counsellor and does lead conscience by the nose: when it comes to practice, the affections are conscience's ill neighbours, like Rehoboam's counsellors.
Verse 10. And I fell down at his feet o worship. We read of very few of John, faults; he fell twice into idolatry, very in considerately taking the angel to be more nor an angel he directing his worship to God, as he supposed; his heart being too much addicted to admire and reverence a creature, he slips when he doats so much on instruments; humility can steal in on our hearts in the heat of love, and Satan can beguile us with it. Idolatry comes in upon John with a sweet disguise, he welcomed it as God's worship. Our hearts and Satan do work to other's hands; while we are not advising with God, our hearts go far on in pleasuring of sin, and covering of idolatry: But let men wash idolatry with all the holy water of Rome. it ha ay black skin. Many go farther on in idolatry than John did. Saul would not kill David himself and does not mind the matter and event of it nay but he gives him over into the Philistines' hands. Sin, especially gross sins, have a bloody black face, that men must put on a mask before they kiss them. Men stink to beguile their own conscience by challenging of some circumstances. The Colossians worshipped angels, but they did it under pretence of humility. Israel did swear that they would not give their daughters to the Benjaminites but how made they up the matter? They bade the Benjaminites a a dance take their daughter by force; and to they play their conscience a slip. Sin can go out at one door, when conscience boasts it; and comes slipping in again with a new garment; it being that same sin in Pilate, he put murder from himself; by washing his hands, and said I am free of Christ' blood; but he plastered his murder fairly with this, The people caused him to do it. So swearing is good enough to many, if they swear the truth. Men would sain have God's law beguiled. If vanity of apparel lose the name of pride, and commend this, that it is called the fashion, it is thought good enough. But if your clothes be proud, your heart cannot be humble. If the deceiver can conn his conscience, and wi by the eight command and can say the bargain was mace an day-light, your eyes as your more nt, and he thinks he has loupen dry-shod; but consider Jer. ii. 22. Tho' thou wash thyself with nitre. and take ye much soap; yet thy iniquity is marked before me. Why is it that we learn not to deal honestly with God's laws! Alas! we make the Almighty a child. provoking him 'o anger; and then we put him off with fair words. john here doated the instruments in his devotion, labouring to be thankful for the good news he had heard. It was an ordinary fault in many to give more to some instruments than wa their due. Among the Hebrews, Chap. iii. some will set up Moses as an High Priest; and inbCorinth, no preacher like Paul; says another, I think Apollos better; and a third say, In my judgment Cepha Peter, is best of all. What are ministers but earthen pitchers, carrying the heavenly treasure? If they be faithful, they should do as John the Baptist. when the people thought to have done homage to him and took him to be the Christ, he took them witness, that he told them he was not the Christ, nor worthy to loose his shoe-latches.—Call no man Rabbi. God is witness that ministers desire to but you fair off their hand, and to send you o Christ, they are but the bridegroom' friends, carrying your love- tters from your Husband: but carry it who will, I leave off the comparing of ministers with mysteries lest you provoke God o blow out the poor pan's candle. You know blownout candle will have an ill smell. They out carry the trumpet. the Spirit blows; doat got on any man. Would you have an object to waste your love on? There is one Christ Jesus, dont your fill or him Love and better love him, till ye be wearied of loving him. Lewase that ye move not the Lord to take the gift from the ministers. The devil can cast wild fire into people's zeal and cause them make a God of a man in whom there is not much stuff, if he were fisted. Is comfort bound to any man's tongue above another? Balnam's ass once made a preaching that might have been a lesson to the ill man. I say, Sirs take God's meat, cook it who will. Alas! that ministers. by their wicked lives should spoil God's meat, so as the children skunner at it. Who would believe, when John was in an angel's company, ravished in spirit, and saw Christ so gloriously revealed to him, and such comfortable victories over Antichrist, and having his heart so well set to praise God, that he would have scappered into idolatry? Hence if we were in an angel's company, the devil and sin, like Judas, are lying in wait to insnare us. This world is as a great wood, at every tree-root and in every bush there lies a serpent. We had need to tell all our steps to heaven, and see whether we go right or wrong. When we are rejoicing in God, the devil can deceive us. Peter thought himself a humble man, when he said to Christ, Thou shalt never wash my et; but he was devilishly humble in praying reading hearing, communicating &c. Temptations are at our elbow. Satan, in Job's days came before the Lord to accuse the man: think ye not the devil is as bold as ever he was? And this ye that he dare not come to the communion-table? When Judas was at the table with Christ, Satan goes in with a sop. The devil has been at Christ's high messes, and will be waiting on to go into every believing soul. The world is like a piece of broad sea full of nets and lines. Satan hath laid his lines thro' the world it is all full of girns and traps wheresoever we go. In an instant John is here hooked with idolatry; David, with the glance of an eye is hocked by adultery. We have need to pray. Lord lead us not into temptation; and that we go not through Satan's camp without our armour and our Christ with us: for Satan's arrows and bullets are flying thick about cur ears whatever we be doing. We live here beside ill neighbour, we dwell on a dry march with Satan and his temptations. O let us beware of one that is at our elbow in the holiest work we can go about.
See thou do it not I am thy fellow-servant, &c. Angels will have none of God's glory. All that have gifts or light, should labour to see that our Lord get his glory. When that beast suffered mer to fall down on their knees to give him the worship and titles that was due only to Christ, we may know by that what spirit was in him. The man that is nearest to God would have all glory given only to God, God and we must not be halvers in his glory. Papists say, they give glory to God but images must have a bow by the way. Is it not our part to keep good neighbourhood with God to keep his marches? Grace may well satisfy us glory is a high mass; none may lay to Christ in that, Half-mine.—Cornelius gave hisknee to Peter, but he refused it. Where there is a creature betwixt God and us, that represent: God, if we bow a knee to it, that smells of idolatry. Although our worship be directed to God, we have a jealous Husband: of ye but the knee to a creature, and say it is to Christ, it is as if a wife should prostrate herself to a strange lover, and then say, God knows my heart is towards my husband: Idolatry may be idolatry, altho' men intend not idolatry, in worshipping the creature. They who say John intended to worship the angel, have not well considered the place: John directed both his inward-worship and his knee-worship to God, and took the angel to be God; otherwise the angel's reproof. I am thy fellow-servant, &c. were not worth a straw. And yet he is rebuked for idolatry in directing knee worship to an angel. Cornelius intended not to give to Peter what was due to God: he kend as it was told him that Peter was a man, yet he thought, for his Master's sake, and the gospel's sake, he would bow his knee to him; for which he was rebuked
The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. This is the testimony of Christ, which comes from the Spirit of Christ, who reveals things to come; as ministers are witnesses for Christ, so they must see and hear, otherwise they cannot depone upon their consciences to the people; they must have the Spirit that John had, John xv. 26. Cor. xii. 3. None can call Jesus the Lord. but by the Spirit. This will tell men, if they be rightly called ministers; and if they want the Spirit, they found not with the trumpets. but with rams' horns, I shall add no more, Amen.
FINIS.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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