happy and blessed in himself, needed not the praises of his creatures, or any thing else from them, as an accession to his happiness. But it pleased him, when he saw good, as it were, to go forth from himself, by making other beings besides himself, in several ranks and orders, some remoter from, some nearer to him; and to communicate to each of them such effluxes of his goodness, as his infinite wisdom thought most fitting. The glory of this divine goodness is passively and materially declared by all creatures universally, that is, it appears in every creature to all creatures that can understand it. But those creatures only that have understanding can glorify God for his goodness to them actively; and to this they are obliged, as soon as they have a being from God, and can know the Author of their being. And when they discharge this obligation, God hath the glory he aimed at in the communication of his goodness to them. But what, you will say, is all this to the purpose? I answer, very much. For the result of this discourse is, that God made us to do us good, and that we should glorify and serve him for the good he doth us from whence it apparently follows, that our respect to our own good, and our regard to God's glory, are inseparable; and that the consideration of God's goodness, derived to ourselves, cannot be an irregular, sinful motive of our obedience to God; seeing God designed it for the motive of our obedience in our very creation. And if we may, nay must glorify, love, and serve God for that goodness of his, wherewith he hath prevented us, and of which we are already possessed; then certainly we may as well honour, love, and obey. B b VOL. I. him for that farther goodness which he hath promised us, and which we hope for and expect from him; especially for that greatest good which he hath reserved for us in the life to come, on condition we faithfully serve him in this life, viz. the everlasting enjoyment of himself in heaven. Wherefore, to conclude, let us not fear, throughout the whole course of our service and obedience to God on earth, continually to eye and aim at the future glorious reward in heaven; for so to do is not only lawful, but highly necessary for us. 1. This constant fixed intuition of the heavenly reward will invigorate, quicken, and animate us to a mighty diligence in the ways of righteousness and holiness this will sweeten all our labours in God's service, and make our very work a part of our reward. 2. This will enable us to overcome the world by a holy contempt of it and all its vanities. 3. This will arm us against all the temptations of the Devil and the flesh; for he that hath continually in his thought the transcendent excellency of the heavenly bliss, how can he ever be persuaded to part with his right therein for a mess of pottage, or to barter it for an empty honour, or for a heap of glittering earth, or for the gratifying of a vile lust, and the enjoyment of a vanishing sinful pleasure? 4. This will make the burden of those afflictions and sorrows, that necessarily attend us in this vale of tears, light and easy. 5. This will be our only support and comfort in the hour of death, when all other earthly comforts fail and forsake us. In a word, let us with Moses and all the faithful from the beginning of the world, have a constant respect to the recompense of reward, by a firm and steadfast faith; and by the encouragement thereof follow them in the paths of holiness, patience, and self-denial, which they have trod before us; and so at last, in God's due time, we shall undoubtedly with them be partakers of his heavenly kingdom. To which God of his infinite mercy bring us all, through Jesus Christ our only Lord and Saviour. To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be ascribed all honour and glory, adoration and worship, both now and for evermore. Amen. SERMON XV. THAT MANY MAY HAVE A FORM OR SHOW OF GODLINESS, WHEN THEY DENY ITS POWER, AND ARE FAR FROM THE TRUTH AND REALITY OF IT. 2 TIM. iii. 5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. IN the beginning of this chapter, we have an illustrious prophecy of St. Paul's delivered to Timothy, concerning what should happen in the church of Christ after his decease; which is thus ushered in, ver. 1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; èv oxáτais épais i. e. not only the very last days, towards the end of the world, but in general (according to the Hebrew phrase) the days to come, or the future time, whether nearer or afar off. For what in the following verses he doth foretell, he supposeth would begin to happen in the age of Timothy, to whom he delivers the prophecy, and that by way of caution or warning to him, as most evidently appears from the end of this fifth verse, immediately after the words of my text, ToÚTOUS άπоτρéпov, from such do thou (thou, Timothy) turn away, and avoid them. But yet the full completion of the prophecy doubtless reacheth farther than Timothy's days, and extends itself even to the end of the world. So among very many other interpreters Mr. Calvin thinks, who hath this gloss upon the text: "Un"der the last days he comprehends the whole state "of the Christian church a." For (as the same author goes on) his design is not to compare his own or the age next to him with ours, but in general to represent the condition even of the kingdom of Christ here on earth. An age And this he doth to obviate the vain conceit of some men, and those good men too, who fancied that now the Gospel times were come, the golden age would soon return, and continue for ever. all holiness, all happiness, a kind of heaven upon earth! And indeed such a blessed change and turn in the world might reasonably have been expected by him that considered only the nature of the Gospel of Christ, its excellent precepts of holiness, the most powerful motives to it therein delivered, the mighty grace of the Spirit of God accompanying the preaching of it, and the astonishing miracles wherewith it was confirmed. But the apostle here shews, that through the vicious nature and corruption of men it should happen quite otherwise, and that even this admirable Gospel of Christ should in many fail of its designed and desired effect, that even these last days of the Gospel should be perilous times: perilous, because sinful; sinful, with the highest aggravation, because hypocrisy should abound in them; and very many men should still be very wicked, and yet seem very holy. Some of the chief of their sins and wickedness he particularly describes, ver. 2, 3, 4. For men a Sub extremis diebus comprehendit universum ecclesiæ Christianæ statum. |